IUCN Digest
Welcome to the bi-weekly digest for IUCN Members and IUCN Commission members.
Message from the Acting DG
Dear Members, I am writing to you from Vancouver, Canada, where I am together with the IUCN delegation at the 7th Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). This Assembly includes representatives of all its 185 member countries. Similar to our IUCN Congress, it meets in person every four years. Today the Assembly is being hosted in Canada, an IUCN State Member taking action to protect nature. Those of you not in Vancouver can follow some of the sessions that will be live-streamed here.
IUCN works closely with the GEF, and uses GEF funding to implement lasting change worldwide through the combined efforts of the IUCN Secretariat, Commissions, partners, and you – dear Members. Since IUCN’s accreditation in 2014, our GEF portfolio has grown to more than 50 projects worth over US$250 million today. This impressive journey would not have been possible without working hand in hand with many of you.
IUCN is fully participating in the GEF Assembly. We are leading and co-leading 12 side-events, as well as participating in high level panels where many Members and Commission experts will be sharing achievements and plans for the future. I am pleased that I could already engage with so many of you here in Vancouver, and look forward to crossing paths with more of you this week, especially at the IUCN Members’ reception. Throughout the week, I know together we will fly the IUCN flag high while navigating towards a just world that values and conserves nature.
Best regards,
Dr Grethel Aguilar
Acting Director General
News
International Standardization Organisation – mainstreaming biodiversity standards
The Tiger Programme has opened its new Call for Concept Notes
New global guidance on Ranger Competences and on Work and Employment Standards for Rangers
IUCN announces Second Call for Concept Notes for SADC TFCA Financing Facility
Check out the new IUCN Member magazine
Application For SSC EDGE Internal Grants opens soon!
IUCN SULi launches new database on the use of wild species
Global EbA Fund announces its 6th call Call for nominations, information, and proposals regarding the development of an IUCN policy on synthetic biology in relation to nature conservation
Fondation Segré Conservation Action Fund – New Calls for Proposals now open!
New IUCN Commissions Video
New video for potential members to join an IUCN Commission
The IUCN Commissions have collaborated with the Secretariat to create an engaging video that educates viewers about IUCN and the Commission’s ongoing efforts, while also inspiring them to become members of the Commissions. The video is available in French and Spanish, with the English version accessible below. We kindly ask you to help us raise awareness by sharing this video extensively within your networks.
IUCN ENGAGE
Run your consultation on IUCN Engage!
Learn how to create, edit, and delete a discussion, as well as all the information you need to maintain and run a discussion/consultation.
Want to find out more about IUCN Engage? It’s not too late to sign up to one of our webinars taking place on Thursday 24th August:
Events
IUCN at World Water Week 2023, Stockholm, Sweden, 20-24th August 2023.
UNESCO Extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 10-25 September 2023.
Interregional Committee for Europe, North and Central Asia(ICENCA), Meeting for the IUCN Member community in Europe, North and Central Asia, Yerevan, Armenia 16 – 18 October 2023.
IUCN Leaders Forum 2023, Geneva, Switzerland, 11-13 October 2023.
Resolutions and Recommendations
The tenth session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES-10) will be convened from 28 August to 2 September 2023 in Bonn, Germany, and will be preceded by regional consultations and a Stakeholder Day on 27 August. The Plenary will primarily focus on the thematic assessment of invasive alien species (IAS). It will also review the requests, inputs and suggestions for additional elements of the rolling work programme of the Platform up to 2030, and will discuss improving the effectiveness of the Platform, among other things. In this context, we recall two IUCN Resolutions that relate to this meeting:
Resolution 6.018 – Toward an IUCN standard classification of the impact of invasive alien speciescalls on all Members, and national, regional and global institutions, as well as the scientific community to work with the Species Survival Commission (SSC) to foster the formal adoption of EICAT and the promotion of its use as a decision support tool. Further, the Resolution also calls on the scientific community to apply EICAT, in coordination with SSC, providing comprehensive supporting information to be published in the IUCN Global Invasive Species Database.
Resolution 7.096 – Maximising return on conservation investments and sustainable development: eradicating invasive alien species (IAS) to conserve island biodiversity and benefit society calls on the Director General and Commissions to promote knowledge products that inform prioritisation of efforts, such as the Global Invasive Species Database, and to support an alliance committed to coordinating engagement of science, policy, funding, communication and on-the-ground action towards IAS eradication. It also appeals to increase the IAS control and eradications on islands by investing in innovative techniques, methods, technologies and strategies.
Have you contributed to the implementation of an IUCN Resolution? Let us know by submitting your Activity Reports on the Resolutions and Recommendations Platform. Everything you need to know to submit an activity report is in this User Guide. Many thanks for your contributions!
Opportunities
Vacancy : Director of Research & Programs, Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute
Online Learning and Webinars
New Course: Finance for Nature IUCN Professional Certificate
Find out more and register here: Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) focused on ‘Assessing tourism services in protected areas: value chain and economic analyses’.
SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) trainings. For more information, click here.
Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence – Learning in Practice Webinar Series
Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility (BNCFF) – Investing for Ocean Impact, Podcast
RedList trainer course – Become a certified RedList trainer
Newsletters
Species Survival Commission (SSC) – Species e-bulletin, August 2023
Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy Newsletter – August 2023
World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) – Bulletin June 2023
Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) – Newsletter June 2023
Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) – Newsletter July 2023
Spanish Committee of IUCN – Quarterly Newsletter Summer 2023 (in Spanish)
Other
Help shape a policy on synthetic biology in relation to nature conservation
Supporting Ziad Samaha’s ocean legacy
New IUCN and IUCN WCEL Legal Briefings for Plastics Treaty Negotiators
Essential planetary health workers: Positioning rangers within global policy
Enhancing the integration of governance in forest landscape restoration opportunities assessments
Guidance and toolkit for impact assessments in a World Heritage context
IUCN Blog – Crossroads – Latest blog – It is time to build a global Green and Blue Belt: conservation in European Overseas Territories.
This Digest aims to keep IUCN Members, IUCN staff, IUCN Commission members and the wider IUCN network up-to-date with IUCN information and opportunities. Subscribe to an IUCN Thematic, Regional or Commission Newsletter
