Launching the global-scale campaign for nature restoration with the slogan ‘Unite for Nature’ on the path to 2045, the 20-year Strategic Vision formulated by IUCN propagates five key changes that are seen as essential to the success of the mission: (1) Scaling up, (2) Transforming, (3) Mobilizing, (4) Enabling, and (5) Resourcing the Union
By Salam Rajesh
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has set a twenty-year vision and mission statement to encourage the world community to ensure values and conservation strategies for protecting and revitalizing Nature – and the vast biological diversity that nature nourishes.
The stated mission of the international body which specializes in nature and wildlife restoration, protection and conservation, seeks to ‘influence, encourage and assist societies to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable’.
Launching the global-scale campaign for nature restoration with the slogan ‘Unite for Nature’ on the path to 2045, the 20-year Strategic Vision formulated by IUCN propagates five key changes that are seen as essential to the success of the mission: (1) Scaling up, (2) Transforming, (3) Mobilizing, (4) Enabling, and (5) Resourcing the Union.
On this note, IUCN would firstly and foremostly contribute to transformative changes by scaling up the Union’s existing actions on ground to protect and conserve genetic diversity, species and ecosystems.
The second goal is to mainstream nature conservation in specific transformational areas in response to key global trends and main drivers of nature loss. This also looks at the targets set for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) to achieve the revitalization of nature and the elements it supports, in fact, all life forms within nature’s fold.
Thirdly, IUCN seeks to continue with the identification, support and accelerated ambitious solutions to the most pressing environmental and development challenges facing the planet. This, of course, underlines the intense conversations on global warming and climate change that are projected to have tremendous impacts on regions, people, and biodiversity.
The fourth goal is to enable the expansion, and unification of the aligned agencies, and the mobilization of the Union for effective and positive transformational changes. This again looks at streamlining the activity of the various units of the Union towards wholesome success in conservation and ecosystem restoration.
The fifth strategy is for IUCN to evolve itself into a ‘more flexible, responsive and influential worldwide environmental network’. The Union is already seen as a reckoning force in nature and wildlife conservation, with a host of leading scientists anchoring different activities in the field.
The world is already faced with myriad issues of ecosystem decline and species loss due to many factors most of which are influenced by anthropogenic activities that are considered negative in outlook and in character.
Other than these key transformational changes for IUCN and its partners to address, keeping in mind the Union’s binding objectives to reverse the loss of nature and global biodiversity, IUCN also seeks aligning financial and economic systems with nature, climate change adaptation and mitigation, food systems and sustainable agriculture, “One Health”, green and just energy transition, regenerating sustainable cities, regenerative blue economy, water security, and stewardship.
This then brings down to IUCN’s stated mission that seeks “to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable”.
The IUCN’s mission statement can be translated into a global-scale strategy that would mainstream nature conservation in specific transformational areas within societies and economies, where it would develop deep expertise, data and knowledge while advocating and mobilizing action-oriented activities that can yield the desired results.
The Union’s articulation in Section 2.3 of its stated mission pays specific focus on water security which is an emerging issue of global concern, even as many countries around the world are facing acute shortages of drinking water on the one hand while vast populations of farmers are holding their hands on their heads from droughts and drought-like conditions induced by climate change, resulting in huge loss to agriculture and food productions.
The IUCN promises to devote its action and resources to bring about the transformational changes needed for the planet. This would come in line with its commitment to scale up its existing actions to protect and conserve genetic diversity, species and ecosystems, and at the same time positioning nature at the heart of global social and economic systems. In so doing, it seeks to change the relationship between people and nature, so that both benefits mutually in the longer term.
With specific reference to ecosystem restoration, IUCN categorically states that ‘restoring degraded habitats enhances biodiversity, bolsters resilience against climate change, supports livelihoods, and protects cultural values’.
On this very note, the Union looks at more targeted actions with adequate finance and the right tools and approaches in achieving priority landscape restoration to scale. In the next 20 years (up to target year 2045), IUCN seeks to serve as the ‘engine to grow ambitious global restoration targets at the national level, unlocking investment and supporting excellent, just, equitable, and measurable implementation on the ground across an array of ecosystems’.
Focusing on a more specialized species-level conservation action plan, IUCN seeks to safeguard against habitat loss as essential in conserving nature and propagating biodiversity. “Where habitat conservation is not enough, ex-situ conservation must increase at pace to ensure the most threatened species can thrive in nature again”.
The Union hopes to bring species-specific conservation action to scale by supporting and advocating for ambitious biodiversity policy, plans, and legislation at all levels. It seeks to support the work of front-line organizations and advance ex-situ conservation practice through the network of zoos, aquaria, and botanical gardens.
In between, responding to the emerging issue of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) of floral and faunal species, which accounts for biodiversity loss, impacts on food and water security, and poses risks to human health and economies, the Union seeks to integrate governance, international collaboration, and effective management system to halt introductions and in reducing impacts.
Over the next 20 years, IUCN promises to use its world-leading data, knowledge, and guidance to support policies, plans, and their implementation to prevent the introduction, and in managing the negative impacts of Invasive Alien Species. IUCN would convene key stakeholders, including the private sector, at international, regional, and national levels to advance integrated governance processes, improve policy coherence, and share data and best practices in achieving its stated goals.