International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- The IUCN is an international organization that works in the field of conservation of the world’s flora and fauna.
- The IUCN is a global union composed of both government as well as civil society organisations.
- More than 1400 organisations are its members, making the IUCN an international authority on the status of the natural world.
- When it was first set up in Fontainebleau (France) in 1948, it was the first international environmental union. Its objective was to promote international cooperation and provide scientific knowledge and tools to aid conservation action.
- It works to conserve the various species of flora and fauna. It established the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 1964.
- It also played a huge role in the formation of major international conventions such as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the World Heritage Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
- t is headquartered in Switzerland.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species.
- It uses a set of quantitative criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of species. These criteria are relevant to most species and all regions of the world.
- The IUCN Red List Categories define the extinction risk of species assessed. Nine categories extend from NE (Not Evaluated) to EX (Extinct). Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) and Vulnerable (VU) species are considered to be threatened with extinction.
- It is recognized as the most authoritative guide to the status of biological diversity.
- It is also a key indicator for the SDGs and Aichi Targets.
What's Your Reaction?
