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2d ago

IUCN Congress Opens in Abu Dhabi With Red List Launch and Pivotal Policy Votes Ahead

The meeting elevates scientific assessments alongside Indigenous leadership to guide conservation policy toward COP30.

Indigenous peoples in the Amazon have insisted on the urgency of having their voice and vote taken into account in biodiversity negotiations. Image by UN biodiversity
Image
Corals and amphibians are among the species hit hardest, with more than 40 percent of each group under threat in the IUCN's last update
President Sheikh Mohamed with a baby Arabian oryx at a protected area in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi

Overview

  • The four-year IUCN World Conservation Congress opens Thursday in Abu Dhabi, drawing about 10,000 delegates for more than 1,500 sessions across 140 pavilions.
  • IUCN will publish its updated Red List of Threatened Species on Friday, highlighting current risks across plants and animals based on the latest global assessments.
  • Delegates are set to vote on multiple motions, including competing proposals on synthetic biology that could shape how engineered organisms intersect with conservation.
  • More than 100 Indigenous leaders are convening at a dedicated summit and the first Indigenous peoples’ pavilion to advance stewardship priorities and influence upcoming climate talks.
  • Environmental groups are backing Motion 035 to safeguard mesopelagic ecosystem integrity as the Congress also spotlights nature-based climate solutions and the roughly $700 billion annual finance gap for biodiversity.