16 Oct IUCN’s World Conservation Congress in Barcelona ended its works

In the midst of the international Market crisis, 8,000 f the world’s leading decision makers in sustainable development – governments, NGOs, business, the UN and academia- described how important the stop of biodiversity loss is and which are the necessary steps to reduce its impacts, during the World Conservation Congress, 04-15 October, in Barcelona. “We have made substantial decisions here in Barcelona; we’re showing how saving nature must be an integral part of the solution for any world crisis,” says Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The new IUCN’s president Ashok Khosla stated that with the Union’s scientific knowledge and the governmental willpower, solutions can be put to place and the future can be faced with confidence. Among the Union’s agenda for 2009-2012, a few major and controversial issues were included and will be carefully addressed, such as biofuels, the IUCN’s involvement with the private sector and improvements in governance of the high seas.

Most importantly, the Congress gave high priority to vulnerable and indigenous communities’ rights and IUCN’s members requested governments to respect human rights implications during all conservation-related activities.

Moreover, the Congress sent a clear message to the UN’s Climate Change Summit that will take place in Poland in December, demanding for a 50-85% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 and keeping rises in temperature below 2° C, in line with the Bali Plan of Action. More information about the WCC in IUCN’s webpage.