The new paper ‘IUCN World Conservation Congress: relevance for Europe’ summarises the main Congress Resolutions which concern the region. The paper focuses on sustainable land-use, Nature-based Solutions (NbS), Protected Areas, forests and integrating nature in cities, among others.  

‘The results of the Congress will have far-reaching impacts for nature across Europe. From increasing the uptake of NbS to ensuring the transition to sustainable agriculture, the IUCN Members have made it clear that Europe needs to step-up its efforts and ambitions when it comes to protecting our natural world,’ said Alberto Arroyo Schnell, Head of Policy and Programme at IUCN European Regional Office. ‘We are ready to move forward with this strong mandate and work together as a Union.’ 

During the Congress, The European Office also presented the European Work Plan –the priorities for Europe for the next 4 years. The Work Plan was developed with the Commissions, Members and the Secretariat, and will guide the region’s work for the coming years. It is also Europe’s contribution to the wider global IUCN Nature 2030 Programme.  

Now that the Council has been elected, the Resolutions have passed and the IUCN Europe Work Plan has been released, it’s time for Europe to get to work.

ENDS

Footnotes

Some key Resolutions for Europe: 

• Developing agroecological practices as nature-based solutions (WCC-2020-Res-007). 
• Generalising alternative practices and techniques to the use of synthetic pesticides (WCC-2020-Res-066). 
• Ensuring adequate funding for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (WCC-2020-Res-131). 
• Recognising the importance of geoheritage and geodiversity in protected areas (WCC-2020-Res-074). 
• Promotion of the IUCN Global NbS Standard (WCC-2020-Res-060). 
• Promoting IUCN leadership in the implementation of the UN Decade on Restoration 2021–2030 (WCC-2020-Res-035). 
• Strengthening the protection of primary and old-growth forests in Europe and facilitating their restoration where possible (WCC-2020-Res-127). 
• The fight against imported deforestation (WCC-2020-Rec-011). 
• Accounting for biodiversity: encompassing ecosystems, species and genetic diversity (WCC-2020-Res-057). 
• Ecosystem conservation, restoration and remediation in the ocean (WCC-2020-Res-025). 
• Protection of deep-ocean ecosystems and biodiversity through a moratorium on seabed mining (WCC-2020-Res-122). 
• Call to withdraw draft-permit mining of fossil fuels underneath UNESCO World Heritage Site Wadden Sea (WCC-2020-Rec-133). 
• Stopping the global plastic pollution crisis in marine environments by 2030 (WCC-2020-Res-019). 
• Eliminating plastic pollution in protected areas (WCC-2020-Res-069). 
• Calling for a strengthening of the IUCN Urban Alliance (WCC 2020 Res 067). 
• Including subnational governments in IUCN’s membership (WCC 2020 Dec 138). 
   

Congratulations to the elected Councillors in our region: 

• Sonia Castañeda Rial (Spain) 
• Hilde Eggermont (Belgium) 
• Maud Lelievre (France) 
• Vilmos Kiszel (Hungary) 
• Samad-John Smaranda (Romania)