Every four years the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) World Conservation Congress takes place, which brings together thousands of leaders and decision-makers from governments, NGOs, civil society, indigenous peoples, companies and the academic world with the aim of conserving the environment and promoting the solutions that nature offers to global challenges. Fundación Global Nature, as a member of the IUCN and the Spanish Committee of the IUCN, travelled to Marseille (France), where the event took place between September the 3rd and September the 11th.
Among other aspects, IUCN highlighted the importance of taking advantage of nature-based solutions for adaptation and mitigation efforts as an essential strategy to overcome the challenges posed by climate change, as well as the way that remains to be travelled to identify the full potential of the world’s natural carbon sinks and reservoirs that can contribute to a biodiversity-rich and climate-resilient future. Under this framework, FGN presented its main strategic lines of work in wetland conservation, sustainable agriculture and livestock, and highlighted some of the most emblematic European projects that it is currently developing, such as LIFE Wetlands4Climate, LIFE Soria ForestAdapt or LIFE Paludicola.
Some of the most relevant topics discussed in this congress have been:
- The analysis of the impacts on nature through our societies, with a dialogue on how conservation can mitigate the pressures that generate or derive from conflict.
- The search for a meeting point between agriculture and conservation with the creation of productive, sustainable and equitable food systems.
- The One Earth One Health dialogue on inter-sectorial approaches to pandemic prevention
- Discussions on the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and how IUCN Members can support decisive action for nature at CBD COP-15 with the draft Framework with clear ambitions for conservation of protected areas
- Launch of the IUCN Academy and the International Alliance against Health Risks in the Wild Species Trade
- The announcement by the French Government of a national biodiversity strategy.
The participation of FGN during the Congress has been very active, highlighting the meeting with the Secretary of State for the Environment of Spain, Hugo Morán, with the members of the IUCN Spanish Committee of which Fundación Global Nature forms part along with other national entities such as SEO-Birdlife, Fundación Biodiversidad, Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre or CEIDA.
