International Union for Conservation of Nature

Description

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN, is a membership union working on nature conservation and sustainable development.

It brings together government agencies and civil society organisations, along with a global network of volunteer experts, to advance conservation and a fair use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, it is now one of the largest and most diverse environmental networks, with more than 1,600 member organisations and thousands of experts across over 160 countries. Its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland.

IUCN gathers data, carries out research and field projects, and advises governments, businesses and other institutions rather than running public campaigns itself. It compiles the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the Red List of Ecosystems, and produces standards, guidelines and tools used across the conservation field. It helped establish and continues to support several international conventions on nature and biodiversity, and holds observer and consultative status at the United Nations.

Its work is organised through member organisations, six volunteer scientific commissions, and a secretariat, with strategy set every four years at the World Conservation Congress. Programmes cover areas such as climate change, ecosystems, protected areas, environmental law, species survival and nature-based solutions to societal challenges.