resolutions and recommendations · 2013. 9. 12. · wcc-2012-res-001-en strengthening the motions...

Resolutions and Recommendations

World Conservation CongressJeju, Republic of Korea6–15 September 2012

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Resolutions andRecommendationsWorld Conservation Congress, Jeju, Republic of Korea, 6–15 September 2012

The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not implythe expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country,territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN.

Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland

Copyright: © 2012 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources

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Citation: IUCN (2012). Resolutions and Recommendations. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN, viii + 251 pp.

ISBN 978-2-8317-1576-6

Layout by: Tim Davis, DJEnvironmental, Berrynarbor, Devon, UK

Printed by: BSR Imprimeurs SA, Gland, Switzerland

Available for download from: www.iucn.org/publications

The text of this book is printed on paper made from wood fibre from well-managed forests certified inaccordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

WCC-2012-Res-001-EN Strengthening the motionsprocess and enhancing implementation of IUCNResolutions

WCC-2012-Res-002-EN Improved opportunity forMember participation in IUCN

WCC-2012-Res-003-EN Prioritizing IUCNmembership awareness and support

WCC-2012-Res-004-EN Establishment of the EthicsMechanism

WCC-2012-Res-005-EN Strengthening of the IUCNNational and Regional Committees and the use of thethree official languages in documents for internal andexternal communication by IUCN and its Members

WCC-2012-Res-006-EN Cooperation with local andregional government authorities in the implementationof the IUCN Programme 2013–2016

WCC-2012-Res-007-EN Establishing an IndigenousPeoples’ Organization (IPO) membership and votingcategory in IUCN

WCC-2012-Res-008-EN Increasing youthengagement and intergenerational partnership acrossand through the Union

WCC-2012-Res-009-EN Encouraging cooperationwith faith-based organizations and networks

WCC-2012-Res-010-EN Establishment of astrengthened programmatic presence of IUCN in Asia

WCC-2012-Res-011-EN Consolidating IUCN’sinstitutional presence in South America

WCC-2012-Res-012-EN Strengthening IUCN in theInsular Caribbean

WCC-2012-Res-013-EN IUCN’s name

WCC-2012-Res-014-EN Implementing Aichi Target12 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020

WCC-2012-Res-015-EN Saving the world’s mostthreatened species

WCC-2012-Res-016-EN Framework for settingpriorities for the conservation of threatened species

iii

Contents

Foreword ....................................................................................................................................1

Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................3

Resolutions.................................................................................................................................5

WCC-2012-Res-017-EN Enhancing the usefulnessof the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

WCC-2012-Res-018-EN Support for thedevelopment and implementation of national andregional red lists

WCC-2012-Res-019-EN Halting the loss ofevolutionarily distinct lineages

WCC-2012-Res-020-EN Further steps to combat theamphibian crisis

WCC-2012-Res-021-EN Implementing the provisionson invasive alien species of the Strategic Plan forBiodiversity 2011–2020

WCC-2012-Res-022-EN Supporting regionalinitiatives to conserve mammal diversity in West andCentral Africa

WCC-2012-Res-023-EN Support for national andregional initiatives for the conservation of largemammals in the Sahara

WCC-2012-Res-024-EN Enhancing anti-poachingand wildlife resource protection efforts, using rhino andelephant as indicators

WCC-2012-Res-025-EN Conservation of AfricanElephants

WCC-2012-Res-026-EN International cooperation forwaterbird monitoring to support sound management

WCC-2012-Res-027-EN Conservation of tropicalAsia’s threatened species

WCC-2012-Res-028-EN Conservation of the EastAsian-Australasian Flyway and its threatenedwaterbirds, with particular reference to the Yellow Sea

WCC-2012-Res-029-EN Combating the illegal orunsustainable capture, trade or killing of migratorybirds in the Mediterranean

WCC-2012-Res-030-EN The conservation of Asianhorseshoe crabs

WCC-2012-Res-031-EN Precautionary tunamanagement through target and limit reference pointsand improved drifting Fish Aggregating Device (FAD)management

WCC-2012-Res-032-EN Action to recover theAtlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) population inthe Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean

WCC-2012-Res-033-EN Increasing the attentiongiven to the conservation of fungi

WCC-2012-Res-034-EN Strengthening training andcapacities for botanical gardens and arboreta staff forthe Global Strategy of Plant Conservation (GSPC)2020 in East Asia

WCC-2012-Res-035-EN Facilitating conservationthrough the establishment of protected areas as abasis for achieving Target 11 of the Strategic Plan forBiodiversity 2011–2020

WCC-2012-Res-036-EN Biodiversity, protectedareas and Key Biodiversity Areas

WCC-2012-Res-037-EN The importance of natureconservation criteria in land-use planning policies

WCC-2012-Res-038-EN The Sydney VIth IUCN WorldParks Congress 2014

WCC-2012-Res-039-EN Healthy parks healthypeople

WCC-2012-Res-040-EN Endorsement and uniformapplication of protected area management guidelines

WCC-2012-Res-041-EN Development of objectivecriteria for a Green List of species, ecosystems andprotected areas

WCC-2012-Res-042-EN Proposing goals for thecoverage of protected areas based on managementcertification and assessment systems

WCC-2012-Res-043-EN Establishing a forum fortransboundary protected area managers

WCC-2012-Res-044-EN Implementing ecologicalrestoration best practices in and around protectedareas

WCC-2012-Res-045-EN Broadening awareness onbenefits and relevance of protected areas

WCC-2012-Res-046-EN Strengthening the WorldHeritage Convention

WCC-2012-Res-047-EN Implementation of theUnited Nations Declaration on the Rights of IndigenousPeoples in the context of the UNESCO World HeritageConvention

WCC-2012-Res-048-EN Valuing and conservinggeoheritage within the IUCN Programme 2013–2016

WCC-2012-Res-049-EN Redesigning future citiesand related urban zones with protected area: cities,return to nature

WCC-2012-Res-050-EN Protection of Mediterraneansubmarine canyons

WCC-2012-Res-051-EN Improving conservation andsustainability of the Yellow Sea

WCC-2012-Res-052-EN Establishment of anintegrated management system for UNESCOprotected areas

WCC-2012-Res-053-EN Strengthening theparticipatory and equitable governance of theindigenous communities and peoples of Mexico

WCC-2012-Res-054-EN Guaranteeing the protectionof the Cabo Pulmo National Park

WCC-2012-Res-055-EN Consolidation of the IUCNRed List of Ecosystems

WCC-2012-Res-056-EN Enhancing connectivityconservation through international networking of bestpractice management

WCC-2012-Res-057-EN Conserving islandbiodiversity and supporting human livelihoods

WCC-2012-Res-058-EN Ecosystem managementfor disaster risk reduction (DRR)

WCC-2012-Res-059-EN The importance ofadaptation and disaster risk reduction in coastal areas

WCC-2012-Res-060-EN Strengthening the role ofIUCN in saving the world’s primary forests

WCC-2012-Res-061-EN IUCN strategy for tropicalforest ecosystems of Amazonia and Congo Basinsand South East Asia basins

WCC-2012-Res-062-EN Atlantic Forest in Argentina,Brazil and Paraguay, as a priority biome forconservation

WCC-2012-Res-063-EN Support for conservationand sustainable use of Gotjawal forests in Jeju,Republic of Korea

WCC-2012-Res-064-EN Acknowledging Quebec’sadvancement of conservation of the Boreal region

WCC-2012-Res-065-EN The conservation andprotection of the world’s indigenous temperategrasslands

iv

WCC-2012-Res-066-EN Antarctica and the SouthernOcean

WCC-2012-Res-067-EN IUCN and the Arctic region– intensified and coordinated work

WCC-2012-Res-068-EN The importance ofassessing the water needs of wetlands in order topreserve their ecological functions

WCC-2012-Res-069-EN Strengthening coordinationfor managing the aquatic ecosystems of East Asia

WCC-2012-Res-070-EN Río de la Plata Basinwetlands regional initiative

WCC-2012-Res-071-EN Conservation of thePanama Bay wetlands

WCC-2012-Res-072-EN Support from IUCN for thesustainable development of wetlands and marineareas in Central and West Africa

WCC-2012-Res-073-EN Conservation andsustainable management of the mangroves in CentralAfrica: the case of Cameroon

WCC-2012-Res-074-EN Implementing conservationand sustainable management of marine biodiversity inareas beyond national jurisdiction

WCC-2012-Res-075-EN Strengthening policiesrelating to the seas and oceans

WCC-2012-Res-076-EN Accelerating the globalpace of establishing marine protected areas and thecertification of their effective management

WCC-2012-Res-077-EN Promoting Locally ManagedMarine Areas as a socially inclusive approach tomeeting area-based conservation and MarineProtected Area targets

WCC-2012-Res-078-EN Conservation of marinephytoplankton

WCC-2012-Res-079-EN Protection of the deepocean ecosystem and biodiversity from the threats ofseabed mining

WCC-2012-Res-080-EN Mitigating the impacts ofrecreational diving on the marine environment

WCC-2012-Res-081-EN Addressing ocean noisepollution in Africa

WCC-2012-Res-082-EN Supporting the sustainabilityof Jeju Haenyeo as a unique marine ecologystewardship

WCC-2012-Res-083-EN Advancing the role ofnature-based solutions to climate change mitigationand adaptation and their potential to contribute to theglobal climate change regulatory regime

WCC-2012-Res-084-EN Promoting ecosystem-based adaptation

WCC-2012-Res-085-EN Climate change justice andequity considerations

WCC-2012-Res-086-EN Integrating protected areasinto climate change adaptation and mitigationstrategies

WCC-2012-Res-087-EN Energy and Conservation

WCC-2012-Res-088-EN Responsible renewableenergy sources

WCC-2012-Res-089-EN Dams and hydraulicinfrastructure

WCC-2012-Res-090-EN Exploration and exploitationof unconventional fossil fuels

WCC-2012-Res-091-EN Solar cooking and itscontribution to healthy and resilient ecosystems andcommunities

WCC-2012-Res-092-EN Promoting and supportingcommunity resource management and conservationas a foundation for sustainable development

WCC-2012-Res-093-EN Prioritizing community-based natural resource management for social andecological resilience

WCC-2012-Res-094-EN Respecting, recognizingand supporting Indigenous Peoples’ and CommunityConserved Territories and Areas

WCC-2012-Res-095-EN Traditional knowledge ofindigenous peoples and local peasant communities inthe Andes and the Amazon Rainforest as amechanism for adaptation to climate change

WCC-2012-Res-096-EN Recognizing the indigenousterritories as conservation areas in the Amazon Basin

WCC-2012-Res-097-EN Implementation of theUnited Nations Declaration on the Rights of IndigenousPeoples

WCC-2012-Res-098-EN The human right to waterand sanitation

WCC-2012-Res-099-EN IUCN Policy onConservation and Human Rights for SustainableDevelopment

WCC-2012-Res-100-EN Incorporation of the Rightsof Nature as the organizational focal point in IUCN’sdecision making

v

WCC-2012-Res-101-EN Child’s right to connect withnature and to a healthy environment

WCC-2012-Res-102-EN Human rights and accessto natural resources in Latin America

WCC-2012-Res-103-EN Supporting, promoting andstrengthening local agri-food systems

WCC-2012-Res-104-EN Food security, ecosystemrestoration and climate change

WCC-2012-Res-105-EN Conserving cultures andnature for food security

WCC-2012-Res-106-EN Safeguarding thecontribution of wild living resources and ecosystemsto food security

WCC-2012-Res-107-EN Addressing the impacts ofenvironmentally unsustainable industrial-scaleagricultural and animal husbandry enterprises onclimate change, food security and biodiversity

WCC-2012-Res-108-EN The green economy andcorporate, social and environmental responsibility

WCC-2012-Res-109-EN Green growth as asustainable strategy for nature conservation andeconomic development

WCC-2012-Res-110-EN Biodiversity offsets andrelated compensatory approaches

WCC-2012-Res-111-EN A critical review ofbiodiversity benefits of alternative livelihood projects

WCC-2012-Res-112-EN Developing the concept ofbiodiversity security

WCC-2012-Res-113-EN Management of secondaryenvironmental damage from natural disasters

WCC-2012-Res-114-EN Promotion of sustainabletourism, rural development and the value of naturalheritage

WCC-2012-Res-115-EN Strengthening bioculturaldiversity and traditional ecological knowledge in theAsia-Pacific island region

WCC-2012-Res-116-EN Support for theimplementation of the Nagoya Protocol on Access andBenefit Sharing

WCC-2012-Res-117-EN Operationalization of theIntergovernmental science-policy Platform onBiodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

WCC-2012-Res-118-EN A significant role for IUCN inthe Intergovernmental science-policy Platform onBiodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

WCC-2012-Res-119-EN Collaborative Partnership onWildlife

WCC-2012-Res-120-EN Biodiversity conservation fordevelopment in the South through South-Southcooperation

WCC-2012-Res-121-EN Promoting externalresponsibility with regard to impacts on globalbiodiversity

WCC-2012-Res-122-EN Promotion of InnovativeFinancial Mechanisms (IFM) for biodiversity – WorldConservation Congress (IUCN)

WCC-2012-Res-123-EN Advocating Private, Public,Community Partnerships (PPCPs) for sustainabledevelopment

WCC-2012-Res-124-EN Establishment of anInternational Commons Standard for conservation andgovernance of Commons

WCC-2012-Res-125-EN Promotion of the Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Observation Network (AP-BON)

WCC-2012-Res-126-EN The development of anEvaluation and Certification System for WorldEnvironmental Hubs

WCC-2012-Res-127-EN Islamic principles forconservation

WCC-2012-Res-128-EN Need for non-regression inenvironmental law and policy

WCC-2012-Res-129-EN Courts and access to justice

WCC-2012-Res-130-EN ECOLEX – the gateway toenvironmental law

WCC-2012-Res-131-EN International Covenant onEnvironment and Development

WCC-2012-Res-132-EN Establishing a global onlineplatform for sustainability commitments

WCC-2012-Res-133-EN Improving capacity forenforcement of legislation relating to wildlife crime

WCC-2012-Res-134-EN African Convention on theConservation of Nature and Natural Resources

WCC-2012-Res-135-EN Legally binding GlobalMercury Treaty to protect wildlife, ecosystems andhealth

WCC-2012-Res-136-EN Effective strategy andactions to address the worsening problem ofpetrochemical plastic and other solid wastes

WCC-2012-Res-137-EN Support for acomprehensive scientific review of the impact onglobal biodiversity of systemic pesticides by the jointtask force of the IUCN Species Survival Commission(SSC) and the IUCN Commission on EcosystemManagement (CEM)

vi

WCC-2012-Rec-138-EN Conservation of rhinocerosspecies in Africa and Asia

WCC-2012-Rec-139-EN Bear farming in Asia, withparticular reference to the conservation of wildpopulations

WCC-2012-Rec-140-EN Reversing the crisis of thedecline in turtle survival

WCC-2012-Rec-141-EN Conservation of Gypsvulture species in South Asia

WCC-2012-Rec-142-EN Actions to avert theextinctions of rare dolphins: Maui’s dolphins, Hector’sdolphins, Vaquita porpoises and South Asian river andfreshwater dependent dolphins and porpoises

WCC-2012-Rec-143-EN Moratorium on the fishing ofthe Chilean jack mackerel (Trachurus murphyi) in theinternational waters of the South Pacific

WCC-2012-Rec-144-EN Conservation andmanagement of threatened sharks

WCC-2012-Rec-145-EN Ensuring the conservationand management of mako sharks

WCC-2012-Rec-146-EN The conservation ofhammerhead sharks in the Mesoamerican Region andthe marine corridor in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

WCC-2012-Rec-147-EN Sacred natural sites –support for custodian protocols and customary laws inthe face of global threats and challenges

WCC-2012-Rec-148-EN Mountain protected areas

WCC-2012-Rec-149-EN Transboundary ecologicalcorridors in the Western Iberian Peninsula

WCC-2012-Rec-150-EN Protecting MavrovoNational Park, Macedonia (FYR)

WCC-2012-Rec-151-EN Safeguarding Madagascar’sunique and highly threatened natural heritage

WCC-2012-Rec-152-EN Enlarging and connectingtransboundary protected areas for the EcologicalCorridor of Northeast Asia

WCC-2012-Rec-153-EN Conservation of PoyangLake, People’s Republic of China

WCC-2012-Rec-154-EN Protecting the Great BarrierReef World Heritage Area of Australia

WCC-2012-Rec-155-EN Restoration andconservation of Jeju’s Hanon Maar Crater

WCC-2012-Rec-156-EN Biodiversity conservation inthe protected natural area under the sacred naturalsite modality of Huiricuta and the historico-culturalroute of the Huichol people

WCC-2012-Rec-157-EN Protection of the OkapiWildlife Reserve and communities of the Ituri Forest inthe Democratic Republic of Congo

WCC-2012-Rec-158-EN Support for the BonnChallenge on restoration of lost forests and degradedlands

WCC-2012-Rec-159-EN Ensuring the conservationof Chilean Patagonia’s natural ecosystems

WCC-2012-Rec-160-EN Preservation of oasisecosystems

WCC-2012-Rec-161-EN Protecting the CriticallyEndangered Balearic Shearwater in the Ebro Delta,Spain

WCC-2012-Rec-162-EN Actions to increase theprotection and sustainable use of the pampas andcampos of South America

WCC-2012-Rec-163-EN Action to increase theprotection and sustainable use of the American GranChaco

WCC-2012-Rec-164-EN Altitudinal corridors: anadaptation strategy in the Andes

WCC-2012-Rec-165-EN Integrated Water ResourceManagement (IWRM) the Bahía Blanca estuary inArgentina

WCC-2012-Rec-166-EN Responding to rapidexpansion of the mining and gas industry in Australia

WCC-2012-Rec-167-EN Strengthening of Europeanprovisions for biodiversity in overseas entities

WCC-2012-Rec-168-EN Conserving coastalecosystems to reduce risks in coastal areas in Africa

WCC-2012-Rec-169-EN Ecosystem Approach toFisheries (EAF)

WCC-2012-Rec-170-EN To enhance the communityprocedures to improve the management of coastalfishing

WCC-2012-Rec-171-EN Australia’s proposed marinereserve network

WCC-2012-Rec-172-EN Development of renewableenergy and biodiversity conservation

vii

Recommendations..................................................................................................................189

viii

WCC-2012-Rec-173-EN Offshore oil drilling inFrench Guiana, Suriname and Guyana

WCC-2012-Rec-174-EN Offshore oil drilling in theMediterranean

WCC-2012-Rec-175-EN Strengthening theautonomy of Colombia’s black communities forsustainable natural resource management in theirareas, with special emphasis on mining

WCC-2012-Rec-176-EN Green jobs and privateinitiatives contributing to conservation in the NATURA2000 Network

WCC-2012-Rec-177-EN Economic valuation anddevelopment of financial mechanisms for the paymentfor ecosystem services in areas of extreme poverty

WCC-2012-Rec-178-EN Reform of financial aid andexpenditure harmful to biodiversity

WCC-2012-Rec-179-EN Respecting ecologicallysustainable use of abundant biological resources

WCC-2012-Rec-180-EN IUCN’s engagement in theimplementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity2011–2020

WCC-2012-Rec-181-EN Citizen participation inlegislative procedures regarding the environment

WCC-2012-Rec-182-EN International cooperationtowards the mitigation of adverse impacts of aeolianaerosols

WCC-2012-Rec-183-EN Dark skies and natureconservation

Annex 1 – Statement of the United States Government on the IUCN Motions Process ...........250

It is with pleasure that we forward to IUCN Membersand interested parties the Resolutions and Recom-mendations adopted by the World Conservation

Congress held in Jeju, Republic of Korea, from 6 to 15September 2012. The Resolutions and Recommendationshave been classified as such in accordance with paragraph48 of the Rules of Procedure of the World Conserva-tion Congress, which establishes that “Resolutions are di-rected to IUCN itself ” and “Recommendations aredirected to third parties, and may deal with any matter ofimportance to the objectives of IUCN”.

The Motions process is a central element of IUCN’s gov-ernance system and an important means by which Mem-bers can influence priorities in the conservationcommunity and seek international support in conserva-tion issues. These Resolutions and Recommendations, to-gether with the IUCN Programme 2013–2016, constitutethe foundation for the work of the Union and assistIUCN in achieving its Mission.

Resolutions and Recommendations have been clusteredby themes (Human Well-being, Protected Areas, Species,Ecosystems, Marine, IUCN Governance, Environmen-tal Governance, Environmental Law, Energy, Pollutionand Climate Change) distributed as displayed in Figure 1overleaf.

The table opposite provides a count of the number ofmotions submitted, considered and adopted.

The number of motions adopted at the IUCN 2012World Conservation Congress is higher than in previousCongresses, as shown in Figure 2 which highlights thenumber of motions adopted at each session.

The Governance Committee of Council (2008–2012)identified issues related to the motions process needingspecial attention. Among these issues, the most salient are:a) the increasing number of motions and limited time fortheir discussion and challenges in implementing them; b)the relationship between the motions process and the de-sign and implementation of the IUCN Programme; andc) the duplication of motions with already adopted Res-olutions. The results of the Jeju Congress evaluation con-firm that these issues remain of concern for Members.

Some measures not requiring statutory changes were al-ready implemented for the World Conservation Congressheld in Jeju. However, as the motions process needs fur-ther analysis, which may result in changes of statutes,Resolution WCC-2012-Res-001 Strengthening the motionsprocess and enhancing implementation of IUCN Resolutions wasadopted. In response to this Resolution an AdvisoryGroup was set up during the Congress based on nomi-nations presented by Members. It is expected that this

World Conservation Congress / Jeju, Republic of Korea, 6–15 September 2012

1

Foreword

Motions submitted, considered and adopted at the IUCN 2012 World Conservation Congress

Type/Action No.

Motions submitted within the statutorydeadline

209

Motions not accepted for lack of sufficientsponsors or other statutory requirements

-13

Motions contributing toconsolidated/merged motions

-32

Total of motions resulting fromconsolidating/merging

12

Total motions forwarded to Congress 176

Motions reinstated as a result of an appeal 1

Motions resulting from demerging/separating motions in contact groups

3

Motions submitted and accepted duringCongress

5

Motions merged into another motion bythe Assembly

-1

Rejected motions by the Assembly -1

Total Resolutions andRecommendations approved

183

Advisory Group will present a package of measures toCouncil for further consultation with Members beforethe next World Conservation Congress.

Figure 3 illustrates the process followed during theCongress.

We wish to convey our gratitude to the Resolutions Com-mittee members. The principles that guided the commit-tee’s reviews and decisions were invaluable. We aregrateful to the Secretariat for the overall management andsupport that they provided to the process which ensuredan equal treatment of all motions before and during theCongress. We wish to thank all the facilitators and techni-cal focal points that provided their support to the smoothdevelopment of the contact groups, the Secretariat’s tech-

nical experts that reviewed the motions submitted, andthe motion managers for their commitment to theprocess and their hard work in their follow up at Con-gress. We wish also to thank the Programme and Gover-nance Committees of Congress for their collaborationand support in making this process a collective success.

Finally, we would like to thank all IUCN Members fortheir support, good will and flexibility during such a com-plex process composed of the Plenary sessions, Pro-gramme Hearings and contact groups.

Zuleika PinzonChair of the Resolutions CommitteeIUCN World Conservation CongressJeju, Republic of Korea, 2012


2

Figure 1: Thematic distribution of Resolutions and Recommendations

Figure 2: Adopted Resolutions and Recommendations (1948–2012)

Year of General Assembly or World Conservation Congress

Num

ber adopted

Figure 3: The process followed during the Congress

Jeju Congress Resolutions Committee

Zuleika Pinzón (Chair)Suk-kyoon ChungAli Darwish (Vice-Chair)Hans De IonghBrahim HaddaneBrendan MackeyUllah MahfuzGrace MwauraJon Paul RodriguezRobin Yarrow

Jeju Congress Secretariat ResolutionsSupport Team

Constanza Martinez, Head of Motions TeamSonia Peña Moreno, Deputy-Head of Motions TeamIgor Cardellini, Motions Tracker and Motions ManagerMaximilian Mueller, Motions Tracker and File Manager

Motions Managers and Help Desk

Deviah AiamaLarissa BrisbaneAziza BukaJesús CisnerosPierre CommenvilleDoris CorderoAliou FayeThomas GreiberMónica GómezHaani Jamal KhanCamille JepangEkaterine KakabadzeMarika KavtarishviliSophie Kutekega

Sarah LucasEmma MitrottaArturo MoraEva MouzongJames Ogombe OkakaDiana ParedesAracely PazminoTomasz PezoldPilar GomisGeorge SadiqAnshuman SaikaDonald Sunday KighamKaori Yasuda

Translation into Spanish

Delmar Blasco (Head translator)Gemma CapellasJavier CasáisMarta Prats

Translation into French

Danièle Devitre (Head translator)Hélène FabrePaula SalnotAmalia ThalerCécile Thiery

Proofreading and production

Deborah Murith

Special thanks to the Chief Rapporteur

Tim Jones


3

Acknowledgements

WCC-2012-Res-001-ENStrengthening the motions process andenhancing implementation of IUCNResolutions

CONSIDERING that the strength and commitment un-derpinning IUCN comes from its Members, and that thisstrength and commitment are expressed every four years,when Members convene at the World ConservationCongress to debate motions focused on addressing envi-ronmental issues worldwide;

RECOGNIZING that the motions process and the im-plementation of resulting Resolutions is an importantcontribution to IUCN’s policies, intersessional objectivesand Programme;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that Resolutions must becoherent and mutually reinforcing;

RECALLING Resolutions from previous IUCN WorldConservation Congresses relevant to the motionsprocess, including Resolutions 4.001, 4.002, 4.003, 4.009,4.010, and 4.011 (listed in the Annex);

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that all Members have aninterest in the form and function of Resolutions ap-proved by the Congress, as well as how they are presentedand applied;

AWARE of IUCN Members’ right to propose motionsand mindful of the need for effective implementationand attaining verifiable results;

CONCERNED that a lack of precise language in the op-erative paragraphs of motions can lead to delayed im-plementation and consume already limited resources;

NOTING the analysis undertaken by the GovernanceCommittee of Council 2008–2012 to identify issues re-lated to the motions process, those that need to be ad-dressed and the purpose of improving implementationof Resolutions;

BEARING IN MIND the report by the Spanish Na-tional Committee of IUCN Members, “Diagnosis and

Assessment of the Status of Implementation of the Res-olutions and Recommendations of IUCN Approved inthe 4th World Conservation Congress in Barcelona 2008”dated December 2011 in collaboration with Spanish andLatin American Members, the Secretariat and the IUCNCommissions;

ALSO NOTING that the Spanish report:

a. highlights some weaknesses in the way that theUnion works; and

b. draws conclusions that substantial reform is needed,especially with regard to the motions system;

NOTING that the success of the implementation of theResolutions and Recommendations in Spain during theperiod between World Conservation Congresses (2008–2012) was limited for various reasons, including the lackof:

a. an IUCN organization chart to facilitate contact re-garding specific issues and improve the understand-ing of the internal organization;

b. two-way cooperation between the Secretariat and theconstituents;

c. complementarity in the actions carried out by bothparties in terms of the implementation of the Reso-lutions and Recommendations;

d. communication due to the absence of the appropri-ate, agreed channels;

e. an action plan to accompany each motion and facil-itate its launching and monitoring, as well as the ac-tions that each party engages to carry out; and

f. relevant information in the Members’ Portal;

CONVINCED that all constituent parts of IUCN –Members, Commissions, National and Regional Com-mittees and Secretariat – as one Union, have an invest-ment in the implementation of IUCN Resolutionsadopted by the World Conservation Congress;


5

Resolutions

RESOLVED that the success of Resolutions is depend-ent upon the participation of sponsors and/or support-ers of motions in implementation, but;

RECOGNIZING that there is a lack of clarity on the fi-nancial implications of particular motions for the budgetof IUCN;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that the efficient alloca-tion of resources enhances IUCN’s effectiveness;

APPRECIATING the efforts made by the IUCN Secre-tariat to implement Resolution 4.011 Development of an au-tomated system to record members’ actions on Resolutions andRecommendations to improve reporting at, and between, WorldConservation Congresses adopted by the 4th IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008), which calls forthe design and implementation of a monitoring systemfor motions, based on information sent by IUCN Mem-bers via an automated online system;

NOTING that these efforts by the IUCN Secretariathave increased the need to inform its Members about ac-tions taken to implement approved motions; and

AWARE of the fact that the automated interactive systemfor the monitoring of motions is still underutilized anddespite the implementation of Resolution 4.011, there isstill limited systematized information on the implemen-tation of Resolutions available at the interactive website;

The World Conser va tion Congr e ss, at i t s se ss ion inJeju, Republ i c of Kor ea , 6–15 September 2012:

1. CALLS ON the Director General to improve coop-eration and communication, amongst all compo-nents, in the implementation of Resolutions throughthe appropriate and agreed channels;

2. URGES the Director General to:

a. promote the implementation role of the Nationaland Regional Committees, where they are active;and

b. review and monitor the implementation of Res-olutions to assist coordination of efforts to im-plement Resolutions and avoid duplication ofeffort;

3. ESTABLISHES the “Advisory Group on Motionsand Implementation of Resolutions” (hereinafter,

“Advisory Group”), comprising a maximum of ninemembers to review current practices and formulateproposals to be presented to IUCN Members with aview to strengthening the motions process and en-hancing implementation of IUCN Resolutions;


a. strengthen the automated interactive monitoringsystem to ensure more effective monitoring of theimplementation of motions taking into accountrecommendations of the Advisory Group; and

b. inform Members annually about the actionstaken to implement these motions through,among others, the Members’ Portal presentingthe results obtained in the process of the imple-mentation of Resolutions;

5. MANDATES the Advisory Group to:

a. build on the existing body of analysis directedtoward improving the motions process, includ-ing previous consultations with IUCN Members;

b. further analyze the issues of the motions processincluding, but not limited to:

i. how motions relate to the IUCN Programme2013–2016 for the next intersessional period;

ii. whether proposed motions should be ac-companied by suggested steps to be takento implement the actions identified in themotion;

iii. the extent to which proponents should berequired to estimate the potential costs ofimplementing the actions;

iv. whether proposed motions should expressthe role that sponsors, co-sponsors andother stakeholders will have to play in im-plementation;

v. the benefits and/or drawbacks of increas-ing the time period in which motions shouldbe submitted to the Director General beforethe opening of the World ConservationCongress;


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vi. whether Paragraph 54 of the Rules of Pro-cedures relating to repeating decisions ofprior sessions of the World ConservationCongress should be revised;

vii. how Members can make best use of the mo-tions process to support their work;

viii. whether the effective period of motionsshould be time-bound;

ix. whether there should be a word limit estab-lished for the Preamble;

x. whether motions, where possible, should bediscussed in the Regional Conservation Forawith a view to coordinating the submissionof motions at the regional level; and

xi. how to address the issue of the increasingnumber of motions;

c. consider further measures to strengthen the im-plementation and monitoring of Resolutionsadopted by the World Conservation Congress;and

d. analyze the causes of non-implementation;

6. DIRECTS the President to call for nominations tothe Advisory Group immediately upon adoption ofthis motion;

7. REQUESTS Members to electronically submit nom-inations for the Advisory Group, not exceeding onepage, to the President by the deadline of 12:00, 14September 2012;

8. REQUESTS the President, following receipt ofnominations, to determine the composition of theAdvisory Group taking into consideration experiencewith the modalities of IUCN, relevant knowledge,geographical representation, gender and generationalbalance;

9. FURTHER REQUESTS the President to announcethe composition of the Advisory Group at the lastsitting of the 2012 IUCN World Conservation Con-gress;

10. VESTS the President with oversight of the func-tioning of the Advisory Group;

11. WELCOMES all constituent parts of IUCN to ac-tively provide their input, as they feel necessary, tothe work of the Advisory Group;

12. CHARGES Council, with the assistance of the Di-rector General, to ensure that the work of the Advi-sory Group is communicated to Members forcomment and revised in the light of comments re-ceived; and

13. REQUIRES that each individual proposal be votedon by electronic ballot by the end of 2014 with theaim of ensuring that a revised motions process andenhanced implementation of Resolutions is applica-ble in time to be effective during the preparation ofthe 2016 World Conservation Congress.

ANNEX:

Resolution 4.001 Strengthening the links between IUCNmembers, Commissions and SecretariatResolution 4.002 Coordination of the IUCN Programme Resolution 4.003 Strengthening IUCN’s National andRegional CommitteesResolution 4.009 Transparency of the IUCN CouncilResolution 4.010 Implementation of Congress ResolutionsResolution 4.011 Development of an automated system torecord members’ actions on Resolutions and Recommendationsto improve reporting at, and between, World ConservationCongresses

WCC-2012-Res-002-ENImproved opportunity for Memberparticipation in IUCN

RECALLING Resolutions 3.002 Improving the transparencyof the IUCN Council adopted by the 3rd IUCN World Con-servation Congress (Bangkok, 2004), Resolutions 4.009Transparency of the IUCN Council and 4.011 Development ofan automated system to record members’ actions on Resolutions andRecommendations to improve reporting at, and between, WorldConservation Congresses, adopted by the 4th IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008);

NOTING the improved access to Council agendas andtimely posting of summaries of Council actions on a re-vised Members’ Portal;

ALSO NOTING the additional information and oppor-tunities provided to Members on the Members’ Portal


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including sections on “Information from Council”, “In-formation from the Secretariat”, “Resolutions and Rec-ommendations system - the Online system for Members:follow up to World Conservation Congress” and “Op-portunities for Members”;

CONCERNED that IUCN Members may not be awareof or taking advantage of this important informationsource;

ALSO CONCERNED that IUCN Commission mem-bers may not have access to the full set of informationavailable on the Members’ Portal;

ALSO RECALLING Resolutions 4.001 Strengthening thelinks between IUCN members, Commissions and Secretariat and4.002 Coordination of the IUCN Programme, adopted by the 4th

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008);

ACKNOWLEDGING the IUCN Director General’s ef-forts to coordinate the work of all components of IUCNto contribute to the implementation and greater effec-tiveness of IUCN’s Programme; and

ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING the IUCN “One Pro-gramme” Charter – Working together to maximize Pro-gramme results for IUCN’s Members, Committees,Commissions, Council and Secretariat (endorsed by theIUCN Council during its 76th meeting, May 2011);


1. EXPRESSES THANKS to the IUCN Council andDirector General for increasing the transparency ofthe IUCN Council’s deliberation and actions;

2. ALSO EXPRESSES THANKS to the DirectorGeneral and Council for efforts to integrate morecompletely the work of the Commissions and Mem-bers, as relevant, into the work of IUCN;

3. ENCOURAGES IUCN Members to take advantageof these improved opportunities for participation inIUCN; and

4. SUGGESTS that, in the spirit of the One Pro-gramme approach, portals and information-sharingtools designed for Commission members and IUCNMembers are integrated and mutually accessible, asappropriate.

WCC-2012-Res-003-ENPrioritizing IUCN membershipawareness and support

AWARE that IUCN is the oldest and largest environmentand conservation network but that general awareness ofits presence, familiarity with its name or logo and under-standing of its resources and accessibility are insufficient;

ALSO AWARE that knowledge and use of IUCNknowledge products, capabilities and networks can en-hance and empower the work of so many, especiallycommunities and others who work in conservation withinsufficient resources and support;

BELIEVING that the information, advice, services, pub-lications, resolutions, training materials, modules and op-portunities, workshops, databases, expertise, informationsystems, global reach, convening power and other re-sources of IUCN are underutilized considering theirvalue and accessibility, particularly through InformationTechnology (IT);

RECALLING the ongoing work of the Union to raiseawareness of its work and status in order to achieve itsmission in negotiations, influencing and convening onmany stages across the world;

AWARE that Members have to justify belonging toIUCN with their governments, staff or membership andargue the value of IUCN membership, and that Mem-bers in turn have many information products and activi-ties that would be of interest to the Union broadly;

ACKNOWLEDGING that many units, staff of Mem-bers and members of Members, are unaware of their or-ganizations’ membership in the Union or of theresources available to them from IUCN or because ofIUCN’s work; and

BELIEVING that the materials for a focused pro-gramme to raise awareness of IUCN, its mission and itswork, to empower and build capabilities of staff andmembership of Members and Commissions are alreadyto be found in IUCN, but not always in a form or withtraining that would promote their use;

The World Conser va t ion Congr es s, at i t s se ss ion inJeju , Republi c of Kor ea, 6–15 September 2012:

1. REQUESTS the Director General, in collaborationwith IUCN Commissions, IUCN Members and


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other relevant partners, in line with the One Pro-gramme, to disseminate its resources through a pro-gramme focused on improving knowledge,understanding and application of IUCN’s work andknowledge products among the membership andstaff of Members and Commissions, as well as uni-versities and other teaching institutions; and

2. ASKS that the progress of this Membership aware-ness and support programme be monitored and re-ported on to the next Congress.

WCC-2012-Res-004-ENEstablishment of the Ethics Mechanism

UNDERSTANDING that ethics and morality are an in-tegral part of IUCN and will make its messages, policiesand actions more credible to the world at large and moremeaningful for conservationists everywhere;

NOTING Resolution 3.022Endorsement of the Earth Char-ter adopted by the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Con-gress (Bangkok, 2004) that endorsed the Earth Charter as“the ethical guide for IUCN policy”;

ALSO NOTING “the strong ethical purpose that in-spired the formation of IUCN in 1948 and continuestoday in the IUCN vision of ‘A just world that values andconserves nature’”;

AND NOTING Resolution 3.020 Drafting a Code ofEthics for Biodiversity Conservation adopted by the 3rd IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004) that reaf-firmed IUCN’s “commitment to an ethical view of na-ture conservation, based on respect for the diversity oflife, as well as the cultural diversity of peoples,” and ledto the creation of the Biosphere Ethics Initiative (BEI):a soft law programme that highlights and shares contin-uously evolving local and global ethical principles of bio-diversity conservation;

NOTING the importance of ethics to the IUCN mem-bership as evidenced in other Resolutions, of note, Res-olutions 4.098 Intergenerational partnerships: fostering ethicalleadership for a just, sustainable and peaceful world and 4.099Recognition of the diversity of concepts and values of natureadopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008);

ALSO NOTING the One Programme approach ofIUCN, and that only when Commissions, Secretariat and

membership work towards a common goal “can IUCNdeliver on its Mission, uniting conservation action underone Union to create a strong and unified voice withwhich to transform society”;

AND NOTING IUCN Council Decisions C/74/18 andC/75/16 (IUCN Council, 2010) on the Biosphere EthicsInitiative that recognized the cross-Commission and cross-sectoral nature of ethics in IUCN, inviting all Commis-sion Chairs, Councillors and the Secretariat’s ComponentProgrammes “to work with the Biosphere Ethics Initia-tive to identify opportunities for integration and imple-mentation of the BEI into their programme of work” aswell as the need for ethical guidance when decision mak-ing, recommending “that an on-request ‘Ethics Advisor’be appointed to the IUCN Council”;

THEREBY UNDERSTANDING that the membership,Secretariat and Commissions of IUCN have shown ageneral need and desire to take ethics explicitly into con-sideration in decision making, and should be providedwith a practical and coordinated methodology to do so;

ACKNOWLEDGING that the promise of the BEI’swork over the past eight years has been to provide sucha practical and coordinated methodology, known as theRelato Methodology: where local, regional and interna-tional leaders, from governments and NGOs, and fromacross disciplines, come together to highlight and pro-mote ethical principles of biodiversity conservation inorder to advance the global Evolving Biosphere Ethic,and the particular Local Ethic of each region;

YET UNDERSTANDING that this is not the onlymethodology available, but one that has been made avail-able to assist with ethical engagement and has shown suc-cess;

ACKNOWLEDING that the recent publication of theIUCN Environmental Law Programme on ethics and theworld conservation movement (“Reasons for Hope: TheEthical Promise of the World Conservation Movement”)offers the Relato Methodology as a local-to-global ap-proach to practical ethical engagement, and strengthensand eases access to, and further development and imple-mentation of the Relato Methodology;

AND ACKNOWLEDGING the leadership and invest-ment of the Ethics Specialist Group of the IUCN WorldCommission on Environmental Law (WCEL), and Mem-ber States from around the world, in building the BEI;


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FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGING the work of theUrban Specialist Group and the Specialist Group on Cul-tural and Spiritual Values of the IUCN World Commis-sion on Protected Areas (WCPA) in incorporating ethicsinto their respective programmes;

CONCERNED that the world faces urgent ethical ques-tions regarding how to fairly and effectively meet thechallenges of such issues as biodiversity loss, climatechange, sustainable food and water supplies, growth inconsumption and population, and the governance of in-ternational markets and corporations, and that the con-servation policies and activities of IUCN and its memberorganizations can and should play a role in meeting thosechallenges; and

CONCERNED that, to date, the application of IUCN’smany ethics-based resolutions and mandates has beenscattered across IUCN, and that IUCN needs to find apractical and coordinated methodology to make opera-tional its endorsement of the Earth Charter as a guide topolicy and programme, the World Charter for Nature, aswell as IUCN’s many further commitments that endorseethics as central to its entire programme;


REQUESTS the Director General and IUCN Commis-sions to:

a. support the further development and implementationof the Biosphere Ethics Initiative and the RelatoMethodology as a method for ethical engagement tak-ing all means necessary to implement and integratethis initiative into the Secretariat’s component pro-grammes and the Commission programmes;

b. identify opportunities for integration and implemen-tation of the BEI within the Secretariat’s componentprogrammes and the Commission programmes;

c. invite the Ethics Specialist Group of the IUCNWCEL to contribute to identifying effective ways tointegrate the initiative, including specific recommen-dations on establishing an Ethics mechanism, intothe programmes of the Secretariat and the Commis-sions and to serve as the Ethics focal point for re-porting on such integration;

d. recommend that implementation of the BEI, in-cluding establishment of an Ethics mechanism, re-flects a One Programme approach to ethicalengagement;

e. encourage Members of IUCN to approach theEthics Specialist Group of the IUCN WCEL withethical concerns; and

f. report to the IUCN Council annually on the imple-mentation of this Resolution, as well as before theWorld Conservation Congress in 2016, through theEthics Specialist Group of the IUCN WCEL.

State and agency Members of the United States abstainedduring the vote on this Motion for reasons given in theUS General Statement on the IUCN Resolutions Process.

WCC-2012-Res-005-ENStrengthening of the IUCN National andRegional Committees and the use ofthe three official languages indocuments for internal and externalcommunication by IUCN and itsMembers

BEARING IN MIND Resolution 4.001 Strengtheninglinks between IUCN members, Commissions and Secretariat,adopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008), which reveals the results of the globalsurvey of IUCN Members carried out in 2007, andwhich recognizes the value of National and RegionalCommittees;

RECALLING Resolution 4.003 Strengthening IUCN’s Na-tional and Regional Committees also adopted at the 4th IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008), whichrecognizes that committees are important instrumentsfor involving Members in carrying out IUCN’s mission;

BEARING IN MIND the report drawn up by the SpainNational Committee of IUCN Members, “Diagnosis andAssessment of the Status of Implementation of the Res-olutions and Recommendations of IUCN Approved inthe 4th World Conservation Congress in Barcelona 2008”prepared in December 2011 in collaboration with theSpanish and Latin American Members, the Secretariatand the IUCN Commissions;


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STRESSING that the report underlines the importantrole National and Regional Committees play as a linchpinbetween the Secretariat and the Union’s constituencies,as well as contributing to the efficient mapping of Mem-bers, thereby avoiding the overlapping of actions byMembers and the Secretariat;

CONSIDERING that the National Committees receiveno financial support from the IUCN Secretariat;

BEARING IN MIND the Members’ great potential tomake a significant impact in the field of conservation ifcooperation with them is strengthened;

RECALLING Resolution 3.091 Fulfilling the right to op-tional use of the official languages in the internal and external com-munication documents of IUCN and its members adopted bythe 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok,2004);

RECALLING that Part XVI – Official Languages of theIUCN Statutes, Article 100, establishes that “The offi-cial languages of IUCN shall be English, French andSpanish”;

UNDERLINING that the abovementioned report con-veys the feeling shared by the Members that, although at-tempts have been made to remedy this situation, there isstill a lack of multilingual support by IUCN, and thatFrench and Spanish continue to be considered of lesserimportance; and

WARNING that communication between IUCN’s vari-ous stakeholders is vital to ensure that the Union func-tions properly, and that this is currently reduced due tothe existence of language barriers, a difficulty that can beovercome but which nevertheless slows down theprocess of the organization’s organic operation;

The World Conse r vat ion Congr e ss, a t i ts s es sion inJe ju, Republi c o f Kor ea , 6–15 September 2012:

1. URGES the Director General to develop appropriatemechanisms to support a more integrated and last-ing participation by National and Regional Commit-tees in the execution of the Union’s Programme, toimprove communication and relationships with theSecretariat, and jointly to develop a Strategy for Na-tional and Regional Committee Development withinthe next Union Development Plan for the deliveryof the following:

a. capacity building;

b. improved opportunities for fundraising in coop-eration with and between Members;

c. fostering joint implementation of projects, led bySecretariat, with the National and Regional Com-mittees implementing some components;

d. working with the National and Regional Commit-tees to ensure that fundraising efforts by Members,Committees, Commissions and the Secretariat arecoordinated and complementary; and

e. appropriate consultation, equitable participationin programme development (following an agreedstaged pathway) implementation, and evaluation;and

2. REQUESTS the Director General to ensure that aglobal meeting of National and Regional Commit-tees is convened during each World ConservationCongress starting with the 2016 Congress.

WCC-2012-Res-006-ENCooperation with local and regionalgovernment authorities in theimplementation of the IUCNProgramme 2013–2016

RECALLING the importance of local action in responseto the global issues of biodiversity;

APPROVING the World Mayors’ declarations reaffirm-ing their concerns with regard to biodiversity loss and theurgent need to involve local authorities in the implemen-tation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),at the three “Cities and Biodiversity” conferences, heldin Curitiba in March 2007, in Bonn in May 2008 and inNagoya in October 2010;

WELCOMING the adoption at the 10th Meeting of theConference of the Parties to the CDB in Nagoya, Japan,between 18 and 29 October 2010, of Decision X/22,Plan of Action on Subnational Governments, Cities and OtherLocal Authorities for Biodiversity;

COMMENDING the progress made by the Global Part-nership on Cities and Biodiversity launched during the


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4th IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona,2008), which has resulted in fruitful collaboration be-tween local and regional government authorities and theSecretariat of the CBD, the United Nations EnvironmentProgramme (UNEP – the “Urban Environment” Unit),the United Nations Human Settlements Programme(UN-HABITAT), the United Nations Educational, Sci-entific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), ICLEI –Local Governments for Sustainability, and IUCN;

FURTHER COMMENDING the active collaborationsundertaken between the IUCN network and local and re-gional government authorities throughout the world, theexpertise of the Urban Specialist Group within theIUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA),as well as the activity of their members to promote theurban aspects of nature conservation, the involvementof cities in the “Local Action for Biodiversity” projectand actions carried out by the France National Commit-tee of IUCN Members with local and regional govern-ment authorities, in particular with the four voluntaryRegional Councils (Burgundy, Aquitaine, Centre, Ile-de-France);

RECALLING the achievements of the Countdown 2010initiative;

NOTING the decisive role played by local and regionalgovernment authorities across the globe with regard toland planning and management, their contributions tolimiting the pressure on biodiversity and their commit-ments through protection, restoration and enhancementinitiatives;

NOTING the growing involvement of infra-nationalgovernments, cities and other local authorities in favourof biodiversity, notably through the creation and imple-mentation of territorial strategies for biodiversity andlocal action plans;

RECALLING Resolutions 3.003 Engagement by IUCNwith local and regional government authorities, and 3.063 Citiesand conservation, adopted by the 3rd IUCN World Conser-vation Congress (Bangkok, 2004), and Resolution 4.008Including local and regional government authorities in the structureof the Union, adopted by the 4th IUCN World Conserva-tion Congress (Barcelona, 2008); and

CONSIDERING that IUCN will not be able to carryout its mission successfully unless it involves local andregional government authorities more fully in its actions;


1. CALLS ON IUCN Members and experts, in partic-ular through the National Committees, to:

a. collaborate actively with the local and regionalgovernment authorities and their networks to in-volve them in the implementation of the IUCNProgramme 2013–2016;

b. support or even accompany the local and re-gional government authorities in the creation andimplementation of strategies for biodiversity andaction plans to meet the goals of the Strategic Planfor Biodiversity 2011–2020; and

c. invite the local and regional government author-ities committed to protecting biodiversity to col-laborate with IUCN in accordance with themethods set out in its Statutes; and

2. CALLS ON the Director General to:

a. strengthen the collaboration of the Secretariatwith:

i. international networks of local and regionalgovernment authorities; and

ii. the Secretariat of the CBD for the applica-tion of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the action plan for infra-nationalgovernments, cities and the other local au-thorities for biodiversity, adopted at Nagoya;

b. mobilize the Regional Offices to develop andstrengthen their cooperation with local and re-gional government authorities; and

c. organize a platform of exchanges between theIUCN constituents and the local and regionalgovernment authorities, building, among others,on the Countdown 2010 experience.


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WCC-2012-Res-007-ENEstablishing an Indigenous Peoples’Organization (IPO) membership andvoting category in IUCN

NOTING the deep links of indigenous peoples withconservation of nature;

RECOGNIZING that conservation processes should in-tegrate both natural and cultural heritage;

MINDFUL that pressures affecting the integrity ofecosystems frequently also affect the survival of indige-nous peoples and their cultures;

CONCERNED by the current trend towards the disap-pearance of indigenous and tribal peoples of the worlddue to the loss of their habitats and livelihoods;

RECOGNIZING that under Articles 4 and 5 of theIUCN Statutes, the IUCN membership comprises mem-bership categories and subcategories as follows: CategoryA – (a) States and Government Agencies, (b) politicaland/or economic integration organizations; Category B– (c) national non-governmental organizations, (d) inter-national non-governmental organizations; and, CategoryC – (e) affiliates;

RECOGNIZING FURTHER that Article 12 of theIUCN Statutes confers certain rights and obligations toits Members who qualify under Categories A, B or C, andin particular, provides exclusive rights for Category A andB Members to nominate candidates, submit motions, andvote at sessions of the IUCN World Congress;

OBSERVING, in particular, that there is a distinction be-tween Category A and Category B with respect to gov-ernment/political Members in the former, andnon-government Members in the latter;

NOTING that the current IUCN Members that are in-digenous organizations representing their respective in-digenous constituent populations, regions andcommunities are listed entirely under membership Cate-gory B as either (c) a national non-governmental organ-ization or (d) an international non-governmentalorganization;

ACKNOWLEDGING that there are a number of non-indigenous IUCN Member organizations under Category

B who are either national or international non-govern-mental organizations that work with or in support of in-digenous peoples and their rights and issues withinIUCN;

RECALLING that as early as 1975, and up to the pres-ent, IUCN has adopted a number of policy decisions andpositions supporting and recognizing indigenous peoples’rights, knowledge, stewardship and interests in relationto, but not limited to, environmental and wildlife conser-vation, sustainable and wise use of natural resources, pro-tected areas, traditional practices, livelihoods, trade, andthe spiritual and cultural connections that exist betweenindigenous peoples and the natural world;

RECALLING FURTHER that the 4th IUCN WorldConservation Congress held in Barcelona in 2008adopted Resolution 4.052 Implementing the United NationsDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN-DRIP), by which the Union endorsed UNDRIP andmore specifically requested, “that the Director Generalmake indigenous peoples’ role in conserving biologicaldiversity a main concern of IUCN and future WorldConservation Congresses…”;

AWARE that there are many indigenous and tribal peo-ples’ organizations whose organizational structures donot correspond to the categories of non-governmentalorganizations and government agencies that are recog-nized by the Statutes of IUCN;

RECOGNIZING that IUCN needs to modernize itsstructures to meet the new challenges posed by the con-servation and protection of natural and cultural heritage;

CONSIDERING and WELCOMING the IUCN Coun-cil’s decision at its 76th meeting and its current efforts tostrengthen IUCN’s work on indigenous peoples’ issueswith respect to: encouraging more indigenous peoples’organizations to apply for membership; seeking furtheropportunities and possibilities for strengthening involve-ment of indigenous peoples’ in IUCN; and reviewingcurrent membership categories in order to build astronger IUCN membership base; and

ACKNOWLEDGING and SUPPORTING the use ofthe term Indigenous Peoples’ Organization (IPO), withinthe business, decisions and policies of IUCN, as one thatappropriately describes those organizations that: (a) havebeen established by indigenous and tribal peoples and aremandated to represent them; (b) are distinct from other


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IUCN Member organizations due to the complex andunique nature of their rights, interests and representa-tion; (c) have representative constituencies which may benon-governmental or governmental in nature, or a mix-ture of both; (d) have representative constituencies whichmay be located in more than one country; and (e) haverepresentative constituencies which may be composed ofan association or network of indigenous groups within agiven geographical region;


1. RECOGNIZES the important role that indigenousand tribal peoples around the world play in valuingand conserving nature and in the effective and equi-table governance of nature’s use;

2. REQUESTS the IUCN Council to contribute posi-tively toward the strengthening of indigenous peo-ples’ roles and involvement within the Union,recognizing their own forms of organization, repre-sentation and governance; and providing a catalystfor appropriate streaming and leadership on indige-nous related policies and positions within and for theUnion;

3. RECOGNIZES the need for due process, includingsupport to allow other IPOs to be involved and gov-ernments, NGOs and Commissions to be consulted,and analysis of options and implications to be un-dertaken; and

4. REQUESTS the IUCN Council to:

a. establish an intersessional Council working groupincluding IUCN Members which are indigenousand tribal peoples’ organizations and technicalstaff appointed by the Director General, to es-tablish options on how IPOs could be better rep-resented within the structure of IUCN, includingthe option of the establishment of a fourthmembership and voting category; and

b. consult with the IUCN membership well in ad-vance of the Congress on such options with aview to preparing a recommendation for the nextIUCN World Conservation Congress.


WCC-2012-Res-008-ENIncreasing youth engagement andintergenerational partnership acrossand through the Union

RECALLING Resolution 4.098 Intergenerational partner-ships: fostering ethical leadership for a just, sustainable and peace-ful world adopted by the 4th IUCN World ConservationCongress (Barcelona, 2008), which requests the DirectorGeneral to engage in and foster intergenerational part-nerships for sustainability and to engage in capacity-building activities for young people in the spirit ofIUCN’s Future of Sustainability report and Young Profes-sionals Programme;

RECALLING that Resolution 3.029 Capacity Building ofYoung Professionals adopted by the 3rd IUCN World Con-servation Congress (Bangkok, 2004) requested the Di-rector General to “establish a Young ProfessionalsProgramme within IUCN”;

RECALLING that Outcome 6 of the Durban Action Plan,Vth IUCN World Parks Congress (Durban 2003), calledon the Council to establish an “inter-Commission taskforce on intergenerational integration within IUCN” todevelop “a comprehensive programme of work to en-courage institutions and organizations to engage youngergenerations (as well as older people) in decision-making”and “monitor the participation of younger people”;

RECALLING that Resolution 8 of the 9th World Wilder-ness Conference (Mexico, 2009) recognized “the impor-tance of engaging Young Professionals in internationalconservation work”;

RECALLING Resolutions 3.026 Establishment of WorldConservation Learning Network and 3.025 Education and Com-munication in the IUCN Programme, adopted by the 3rd

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004);

RECALLING the closing statement at the Rio+20 Con-ference on Sustainable Development, written and deliv-ered by the Major Group for Children and Youth onbehalf of all Major Groups, which embraced intergener-ational cooperation, innovation, creativity and sustain-ability values as essential for bringing about the future wewant;

RECALLING Resolution 3.022 Endorsement of the EarthCharter adopted by the 3rd IUCN World Conservation


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Congress (Bangkok, 2004), which said that the EarthCharter should be used “… to help advance education anddialogue on global interdependence, shared values, andethical principles for sustainable ways of living…”;

ACKNOWLEDGING that IUCN’s vision and missionrequire the hands-on participation of all generations andthat issues pertaining to sustainability need the direct in-volvement of young people with a deep personal stakein the future of our shared planet;

APPRECIATING that the IUCN Programme 2013–2016calls for a just world that “must guarantee equitable rightsof access to biodiversity and nature’s benefits across gen-erations, gender, and economic, social and geopoliticallines”;

APPRECIATING that the Secretariat, IUCN Commis-sions and many Member organizations have engagedyoung professionals in conservation work through in-ternships, employment, leadership committees andprogrammes;

AFFIRMING that many young persons have well-in-formed, insightful and innovative contributions to maketo sustainability research and decision-making processes,strategic planning and policy making, and effective actionprojects and programmes;

AFFIRMING that many senior professionals, and espe-cially indigenous elders and retired conservation leaders,have a great deal to offer IUCN in terms of traditionalknowledge, expertise and time; and

YET CONCERNED that the Union has not yet fullyundertaken actions or made strong commitments in theIUCN Programme 2013–2016 for the constructive en-gagement of youth and establishment of intergenera-tional partnerships that help to share knowledge andexperience, and inspire effective conservation action;


1. CALLS ON the IUCN Council to formalize the adhoc Task Force on Intergenerational Partnership forSustainability as an inclusive, Council-level mecha-nism with the mandate to increase youth engagementand intergenerational partnership across and throughthe Union in service of the IUCN vision;

2. CALLS ON the Director General, IUCN Council,Commissions and Member organizations to:

a. design and implement a strategy to ensure thatIUCN improves its outreach to young peopleand intergenerational partnerships become a day-to-day reality in the work of the Union, theIUCN Council, the Commissions, Secretariat andall existing and new Members;

b. ensure the meaningful integration and participa-tion of a diversity of generations – with a specialemphasis on young professionals and elders – ingovernance structures and processes, in the im-plementation of resolutions, staff positions, pro-grammes, projects, papers and other collaborativeefforts across the Union; and

c. ensure that, through either election or appoint-ment, qualified people from a diversity of gener-ations with special emphasis on youngprofessionals and elders are on this and all futureCouncils, and on each and all future CommissionSteering Committees; and

3. RECOMMENDS that IUCN Members, Commis-sions and Secretariat include the following projectsin the implementation of the youth engagement andintergenerational partnership strategy:

a. building on existing Commission young profes-sionals networks, establishment of a global net-work of young people committed to conservationwork from the field to the global level, con-tributing to the realization of the IUCN Pro-gramme and supported by a Secretariat staffnetwork coordinator;

b. building on the Intergenerational Wikispace, es-tablishment of an online forum to facilitate com-munication, connection and cooperation amongthis global network in addition to allowing for de-bate between men and women of all ages, bothprofessionals and non-professionals;

c. establishment of a broad-based mechanism toidentify opportunities for conservation and gov-ernance capacity building and action, particularlyfocused on establishing intergenerational part-nerships of youth, educators, community leadersand conservation professionals to take meaning-ful part in such action;


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d. establishment of an Intergenerational Fund tosupport innovative on-the-ground projects thatemphasize youth leadership and collaborationacross generations to achieve just and equitableconservation outcomes;

e. establishment of an IUCN Young ChampionsAward leading up to the 2016 World Conserva-tion Congress and for each Congress thereafterfocused on recognizing emerging leaders takinginnovative approaches toward achieving theIUCN vision; and

f. consideration of the possibility of allowingmembers of organizations of young, indigenousprofessionals whose work in the community con-stitutes progress in the conservation of nature atlocal and community levels, and who are recog-nized by environmental or traditional authorities,a discount of up to 100% on membership fees.


WCC-2012-Res-009-ENEncouraging cooperation with faith-based organizations and networks

RECALLING the joint IUCN, World Wide Fund forNature (WWF), and United Nations Environment Pro-gramme (UNEP) strategy from 1991 Caring for the Earth:A Strategy for Sustainable Living;

RECOGNIZING that faith-based groups have becomeimportant and visible participants in environmental is-sues globally, and that through their engagement withgrassroots communities they can be valuable allies in con-servation, equitable use of resources, and in respondingto climate change, notably as one of the custodians ofsacred natural sites;

CONSIDERING the importance of social movementsand faith-based teaching in influencing human behaviourand value systems;

FURTHER CONSIDERING the importance of valu-ing life and engaging in conservation founded in the eth-ical principles of sustainability and social justice;

ALSO CONSIDERING the importance of partnershipsin conservation, land-use management and appropriateresponses to the threats of climate change and biodiver-sity loss;

RECOGNIZING that religion is one of the broadestsystems of human organization, founded in ethics, valuesystems and relations between people and with other lifeforms; and

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that religion responds tohumankind’s innate aspirations and needs for spiritual ful-filment, sense of purpose and relation with the cosmos;


REQUESTS the Director General to encourage cooper-ation with faith-based organizations and networks thatshare IUCN’s spirit and objectives in order to establishpartnerships in conservation, sustainability, equitablesharing and use of resources and appropriate responsesto climate change threats.


WCC-2012-Res-010-ENEstablishment of a strengthenedprogrammatic presence of IUCN in Asia

ACKNOWLEDGING that Asia is home to over half ofthe world population with unique geographical, ecologi-cal and biological diversity characteristics;

NOTING that the biological diversity of Asia is threat-ened by socio-economic activities, causing coastal pollu-tion, yellow sandstorms, desertification, radioactivecontamination, climate change, nutrient overloading,land-use change, introduction of invasive species andover-exploitation;

ALSO NOTING that conservation of biological diver-sity in Asia presents unique challenges;

AWARE of the great strength of IUCN’s governmental,non-governmental and Commission membership in Asiaand their active participation in regional members’ meet-ings, National Committees and networks;


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RECALLING that IUCN’s unique opportunities includeprovision of site- and/or region-specific and science-based knowledge and lessons which illustrate how foodsecurity and overall human welfare issues are supportedby the conservation of biological diversity and ecosys-tem management; and

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the geographical, eco-logical and biological diversity of the Asia region requiresspecial efforts to strengthen the programmatic presenceof IUCN in all sub-regions, as well as regional manage-ment capacity, along with refinement of regional thematicexpertise;


REQUESTS the Director General to:

a. undertake a full assessment, in consultation withIUCN Members, of the need and mechanisms tostrengthen IUCN’s programmatic presence in Asia;

b. strengthen sub-regional programmes to improveIUCN’s effectiveness in Asia; and

c. promote the unity, integration, synergy and conti-nuity of the Asia Region under the Asia RegionalOffice particularly with regard to harmony betweenthe statutory and programme dimensions so as tofacilitate the achievement of the aims of the OneProgramme.


WCC-2012-Res-011-ENConsolidating IUCN’s institutionalpresence in South America

MINDFUL of Resolution 19.1 The Strategy of IUCN –The World Conservation Union approved by the 19th Gen-eral Assembly (Buenos Aires, 1994); Resolution 2.52Consolidation of IUCN’s Component Programme for SouthAmerica adopted by the 2nd IUCN World ConservationCongress (Amman, 2000), which emphasizes the im-portance of strengthening the IUCN’s regionalizationprocess; and Resolution 4.004 Strengthening IUCN’s insti-tutional presence in South America adopted by the 4th IUCN

World Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008) andwhich was efficiently implemented;

RECOGNIZING that the vast geographical area of theSouth American sub-continent, along with its extraordi-nary biological, cultural and institutional diversity, makesit essential that IUCN’s offices cover this region as fullyas possible;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that for the most effi-cient and effective implementation of the IUCN Pro-gramme 2013–2016, locations matching the objectives setfor the region and for the One Programme need to beclearly defined;

UNDERSTANDING that the work of cooperation, ad-vice, engagement and follow-up of regional, sub-regionaland national policy initiatives, essential for the imple-mentation of IUCN’s One Programme, requires an in-terdependence of work between the different constituentparts, in line with their roles and functions;

NOTING the need to strategically and adequatelystrengthen and consolidate the encouraging progressmade by IUCN through its Regional Office for SouthAmerica (IUCN-SUR) in order to give effect to and fa-cilitate a permanent institutional presence in the region;and

FURTHER NOTING that the South America region isfacing an economic development process that will requiretechnical assistance in terms of its vision of issues suchas the green economy and sustainable developmentprocesses, and given the urgency of conserving one ofthe greatest areas of biodiversity on the planet, includingits cultural legacy;

The World Conser va tion Congr e ss, a t i ts s es s ion inJe ju, Republ ic of Kor ea , 6–15 September 2012:

REQUESTS the Director General to continue strength-ening IUCN’s regionalization process in South Americaby means of the following actions:

a. supporting and promoting an institutional presencethat is appropriate to the strategic nature of theSouth America region;

b. promoting the implementation of an institutionalpresence in the Southern Cone of South America;and


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c. promoting harmonization among its constituentparts around common issues that are affecting the re-gion, through the One Programme.


WCC-2012-Res-012-ENStrengthening IUCN in the InsularCaribbean

CLARIFYING that for the by-laws of the Caribbean Re-gional Committee of IUCN Members, and the IUCNCaribbean Initiative, the term Insular Caribbean geo-graphically focuses on the islands of the Caribbean, in-cluding all independent countries1 as well as thedepartments of France2, Caribbean autonomous coun-tries and special municipalities within the Kingdom ofthe Netherlands3, the dependent territories of the UnitedKingdom4 and the associated commonwealth and terri-tory of the United States5;

NOTING the Caribbean’s rich biological diversity whichis essential for human well-being and has intrinsic value;

RECOGNIZING the accumulated vulnerability of In-sular Caribbean ecosystems to threats of both extremeevents and gradual changes caused by climate change;

ALSO RECOGNIZING the impacts on InsularCaribbean ecosystems due to human activities includingoverexploitation, pollution, introduction of invasivespecies, and habitat degradation and destruction;

BEING CONCERNED ABOUT these impacts onecosystem services, livelihoods and economies throughloss of natural capital;

NOTING the progress made in implementation of Res-olution 3.033 Implementation of an IUCN programme for theInsular Caribbean adopted by the 3rd IUCN World Con-servation Congress (Bangkok, 2004) by national, regionaland international stakeholders;

NOTING the Launch of the Caribbean Initiative at theBarcelona World Congress in 2008 and the advancementof the work of the IUCN Programme 2009 –2012 in theInsular Caribbean;

RECOGNIZING the work of the IUCN Secretariat,Commissions and Members and the establishment of theIUCN Caribbean Regional Committee, the DominicanRepublic National Committee and a 100% increase inmembership to promote the objectives of IUCN in theregion;

RECOGNIZING the need to continue strengtheningIUCN’s presence in the region through a Caribbean Pro-gramme of Work; and

FURTHER RECOGNIZING the increasing capacityand commitment of Caribbean institutions and IUCNMember organizations to contribute to implementationof the IUCN Programme and Caribbean Initiative;



a. consolidate IUCN’s presence in the InsularCaribbean, through enhanced regional implementa-tion of the relevant components of the IUCN Pro-gramme 2013–2016, including the possibility of theestablishment of a Caribbean IUCN office locatedin the Insular Caribbean;


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1 Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Commonwealth of Dominica, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica,Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

2 There are four French territories or departments: Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Barthélemy and Saint Martin.3 Aruba,Curaçao, and Saint Maarten are autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Bonaire, Saint Eustatius

(also known as Statia) and Saba (the BES islands) are special municipalities with closer ties to the central government.4 There are six Caribbean UKOTs: Anguilla, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos, and the British Virgin

Islands (which consists of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke, along with over fifty othersmaller islands and cays).

5 Puerto Rico is a self-governing commonwealth in association with the United States. The United States Virgin Islands (St. Croix,St. John and St. Thomas) is a territory of the United States.

b. facilitate a process with Caribbean IUCN Members,Caribbean IUCN Commission members, the IUCNSecretariat, and other key stakeholders in the area todevelop an appropriate mechanism to coordinate,support and facilitate implementation of IUCN’s ac-tivities in the Caribbean;

c. enable participation of the Insular Caribbean in ex-isting and new IUCN activities, such as the Biodi-versity and Protected Areas Management(BIOPAMA) project, the IUCN Island Initiative(Resolution 4.067 Advancing island conservation and sus-tainable livelihoods adopted by the 4th IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008)) and otherglobal initiatives (e.g. the IUCN programme on EUOutermost Regions & Overseas Countries & Terri-tories – Resolution 4.079 The European Union and itsoverseas entities faced with climate change and biodiversity lossadopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Con-gress (Barcelona, 2008)); and

d. continue to support the Regional Office forMesoAmerica (ORMA) to implement the CaribbeanInitiative, and to support reestablishment of contactand strengthening of relationships, as far as possible,between Caribbean Members and IUCN offices inNorth America, concerning relevant activities of theIUCN Programme 2013–2016.


WCC-2012-Res-013-ENIUCN’s name

RECALLING Resolution 4.006 IUCN’s name adopted bythe 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona,2008);

RECALLING IUCN Council decision C/73/18 re-questing “the Director General to implement the proce-dure (set forth in Annex 8 of doc. C.73/Nov2009/10.1/1) in respect of the translation of IUCN’sname in any language other than IUCN’s three officiallanguages”;

APPRECIATIVE to the Council and Director Generalfor starting a procedure to enable translation of the shortversion of IUCN’s legal name in cases where a given

language does not provide for a formulation to correctlyreflect the objectives of the IUCN Statutes and to ensureconformity when translated into other languages;

MINDFUL of section 4.3 of the “Logo Rules for IUCNMembers” and section 5.3 of the “Logo and Visual Iden-tity Rules for IUCN Commissions”;

NOTING that a list is held by the IUCN Global Com-munications Unit providing details on eight approvedtranslations, three awaiting approval and four requiringadditional research;

CONCERNED that the abovementioned procedureshave not eliminated misleading translations of IUCN’sname in the public domain especially with regard to theword “conservation” in some languages, such as Ger-man; and

RESOLVED that translations into the languages of theworld, correctly reflecting the objectives of the IUCNStatutes, will greatly enrich IUCN’s identification, impactand future;


1. COMMENDS the Director General on the extentof implementation of the previous Resolution bear-ing this title; and

2. REQUESTS the Director General to promote thelanguages of the world and the objectives of theIUCN Statutes by:

a. announcing the officially approved translationsof IUCN’s name;

b. allowing free public use of the approvedtranslations;

c. providing an easily accessible list of the transla-tions on the IUCN homepage;

d. utilizing this opportunity to appeal for furthertranslations; and

e. emphasizing and building upon IUCN’s uniqueattributes dealing with environmentally sustain-able development and use of natural resources.


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WCC-2012-Res-014-ENImplementing Aichi Target 12 of theStrategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020

RECALLING that Aichi Target 12 of the Strategic Plan forBiodiversity 2011–2020 states: “By 2020 the extinction ofknown threatened species has been prevented and theirconservation status, particularly of those most in decline,has been improved and sustained”;

GREATLY ENCOURAGED that this is by far thestrongest commitment ever made by the world’s govern-ments to combat the escalating extinction crisis;

ALARMED that the evidence from the IUCN Red List ofThreatened Species indicates that, due to human impacts,the current rate of extinction is at least 1,000 times higherthan the natural rate;

NOTING that the most common causes of extinctionare habitat loss and fragmentation, over-harvesting, inva-sive alien species, disease, and increasingly the effects ofclimate change;

DEEPLY CONCERNED that an increasing number ofthreats, such as ocean acidification, ocean warming, andemerging infectious diseases (including the fungal diseasechytridiomycosis that is affecting many amphibians) can-not yet be controlled in the wild on a time-scale necessaryto prevent extinctions;

AWARE that the drivers of extinction come from eco-nomic sectors such as energy, trade and finance as well asfrom natural resource sectors such as agriculture, forestryand fisheries;

EMPHASIZING that the extinction crisis will only beaddressed through a strong cross-sectoral commitmentin each country, ensuring that all relevant major decisions,for example on infrastructure development, are taken ina manner that takes threatened species into account, andensures that measures are taken so that such species arenot driven towards extinction;

FURTHER EMPHASIZING that species provide hugebenefits to people economically, socially, aesthetically, cul-turally and spiritually, and that their loss results in an im-poverishment for all humankind;

ASSERTING that despite these huge benefits, speciesmust not be required to demonstrate their value to peo-ple in order to have a right to exist;

ENCOURAGED that, although evidence clearly indi-cates that the global 2010 Biodiversity Target was not at-tained, the observed rate of deterioration in vertebratespecies would have been around 20% higher in the ab-sence of successful conservation interventions;

CONCERNED that unlike most other negative envi-ronmental trends, extinction is inherently irreversible, andthe loss of every species forecloses future options;

AWARE that in many instances extinctions can be pre-vented through broader conservation measures such asthe safeguarding of sites of importance for biodiversity,and integrated programmes that simultaneously addresspoverty and biodiversity, and so single-species conserva-tion is not necessarily the best way to save species;

ASSERTING, nevertheless, that in some cases single-species conservation is the only way to prevent extinctions;

NOTING that in many instances, the funding needed toprevent the extinction of particular species is not large,but needs to be long term;

CONCERNED that many donors do not fund species-related conservation, and those that do often only sup-port project cycles of a few years, making it hard toachieve long-lasting conservation success;

GRATEFUL for the recent establishment of two newspecies-related funding mechanisms – the Mohamed binZayed Species Conservation Fund by His Highness Mo-hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Save Our SpeciesFund by the World Bank, Global Environment Facilityand IUCN – both of which complement some impor-tant existing species-related funding mechanisms;

NOTING that species are the component of biodiversitythat most readily captures the public imagination in vir-tually all cultures; and

AWARE of IUCN’s particular strengths and expertise inspecies conservation through the IUCN Species SurvivalCommission (SSC), the Secretariat and many of theMembers;


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1. CALLS ON all countries to:

a. identify globally and nationally threatened speciesduring the development of their respective Na-tional Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans(NBSAPs) and include strong provisions fortheir conservation and recovery addressing theirthreats and drivers;

b. support their NBSAPs through well-developedprocesses for preparing national Red Lists andfor identification, appropriate protection andmanagement of sites of global importance forbiodiversity bearing in mind the new standardthat IUCN is developing for identifying suchsites, and building on existing networks of suchsites already identified worldwide;

c. develop multi-stakeholder plans for the recoveryof threatened species, drawing as needed fromthe guidelines Strategic Planning for Species Conser-vation developed by IUCN’s SSC;

d. develop innovative approaches to preventing ex-tinctions that provide benefits to local humancommunities and build support for conservation,including through sustainable use where relevantand appropriate;

e. ensure that all major development projects, suchas the building of dams and the conversion ofnatural habitats, take the needs of threatenedspecies fully into account, and are only imple-mented if they include measures to conservethreatened species, prevent extinctions and bringabout species’ recovery;

f. ensure that all programmes involving the harvest-ing of wild species, including in the fisheries andforestry sector, are managed so that the harvestlevels are sustainable, including for non-targetspecies, and where possible generate incentives forconservation; and

g. build the capacity of national nature conserva-tion agencies to implement species recoveryprogrammes;

2. REQUESTS the SSC and the Director General to:

a. enhance the IUCN Red List of Threatened Speciesso that it reaches its potential, as outlined in thedraft IUCN Red List Strategic Plan 2012–2020,thus providing the essential background formonitoring the achievement of Aichi Target 12of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020; and

b. provide technical support to countries and otherstakeholders as needed to achieve Aichi Target12, including on:

i. training in Red List assessments;

ii. identifying of sites of global importance forbiodiversity;

iii. implementing species conservation planning;

iv. managing invasive alien species and pre-venting their introduction;

v. implementing reintroduction programmes;

vi. managing ex situ conservation programmes;

vii. carrying out assessment of disease risk, in-cluding the determination of key biodiver-sity and ecological processes critical topreventing and reducing the rate of emer-gence of new infectious pathogens; and

viii. implementing sustainable use projects to en-sure that they are truly sustainable and con-tribute to the conservation of the harvestedspecies and others potentially affected;

3. CALLS ON the scientific community to conduct re-search on threats that cannot currently be controlledin the wild, such as amphibian chytridiomycosis andocean acidification, to develop practical managementoptions to mitigate their impact on threatenedspecies, to enable them to survive in viable popula-tions while the long-term drivers of loss (such as ris-ing CO2 levels) are brought under control; and

4. CALLS ON all funding agencies, including the pub-lic and private sectors and civil society, to give in-creased support to prevent extinctions and tocontinue recognizing the importance of long-termfunding and investment for species conservation.


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WCC-2012-Res-015-ENSaving the world’s most threatenedspecies

NOTING that humans are currently causing the greatestmass extinction of species since the extinction of the di-nosaurs 65 million years ago, and that if present trendscontinue one-half of all living species on Earth will beextinct within 100 years, as a result of habitat destruc-tion, pollution, invasive species and climate change;

FURTHER NOTING that the Alliance for Zero Extinction(AZE) engages 75 non-governmental biodiversity con-servation organizations working to prevent species ex-tinctions by identifying and safeguarding the places wherespecies evaluated to be Endangered or Critically Endan-gered under IUCN Red List criteria are restricted to sin-gle remaining sites;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that AZE has so far iden-tified 920 globally highly threatened species confined tosome 587 single sites, and that loss of any of these sites,to habitat degradation or other threats, would precipitatefinal extinction events, at least in the wild;

CONCERNED that just one-third of the sites areknown to have legal protection, and most are surroundedby human population densities that are approximatelythree times the global average;

AWARE that status of AZE sites was recognized by theConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as a sub-indi-cator for Aichi Targets 11 and 12 in the Strategic Plan forBiodiversity 2011–2020, and that nations should accountfor their progress in protecting AZE sites and species intheir National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans;and

CONSCIOUS that in 2010 the Global Environment Facility(GEF) proposed an initiative to help developing country Par-ties to the CBD scale up their investments in protection ofAZE sites, adding a new line of defence for highly threatenedbiodiversity worldwide;


1. RECOGNIZES the important contribution to bio-diversity conservation that would be made by pro-tecting single site species, including for example thesites identified by the Alliance for Zero Extinction;

2. INVITES the world’s governments to give priorityto protecting sites for single-site restricted Endan-gered and Critically Endangered species, as a contri-bution to meeting their commitments under theConvention on Biological Diversity, particularly AichiTargets 11 and 12 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity2011–2020;

3. REQUESTS the IUCN Species Survival Commis-sion (SSC), the World Commission on ProtectedAreas (WCPA), and the Director General to:

a. encourage countries party to CBD and all IUCNMembers to support, as appropriate, national, re-gional and global initiatives directed towards thebetter protection of such sites; and

b. draw to the attention of developing countriesthat are party to the CBD, the opportunities forand benefits of including activities focused onimproved single-site species protection in theirproject portfolios for potential GEF funding;and

4. REQUESTS the Director General to mobilize theIUCN Regional Offices to recognize and give sup-port to national strategies and activities aimed at pro-tecting such sites.


WCC-2012-Res-016-ENFramework for setting priorities for theconservation of threatened species

ACKNOWLEDGING major recent growth in theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which currently re-ports on the global conservation status of ~62,000species of animals and plants, 32% of which are consid-ered threatened;

NOTING that more than 100 countries have developednational Red Lists for at least one taxonomic group, pro-viding objective assessments of the status of species thatlive within their national boundaries;

RECOGNIZING the policy impact of the data summa-rized in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and national


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Red Lists in global conservation efforts, such as the Strate-gic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the Aichi Targets,the Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Bio-diversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and the Mil-lennium Development Goals (MDGs), as well as in nationalefforts, such as the development of National Biodiver-sity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs);

FURTHER RECOGNIZING the valuable efforts ofexisting grant-making mechanisms for species conserva-tion, as well as the diversity of approaches that they havedeveloped for setting funding priorities;

ANTICIPATING the continuing rapid rate of growthof species assessments, especially in response to the needto calculate the indicators used to assess progress towardsthe achievement of the commitments set forth by con-servation policies such as those mentioned above, andthat the growing number of documented threatenedspecies may not be matched by an equivalent increase infinancial or human resources;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the wealth of infor-mation generated by species assessments will need to besynthesized to inform decision making and providestreamlined knowledge products to conservation policy-makers, practitioners and other key stakeholders;

CONCERNED that no unified, widely accepted frame-work currently exists for identifying and implementingconservation priorities for species, and that the urgencyof the extinction crisis may result in the adoption of adhoc resource allocation procedures that are neither scien-tific, systematic, nor efficient;

FURTHER CONCERNED that there is limited time, aswell as human and financial resources, to address the con-servation needs of all threatened species, either in situ orex situ;

EMPHASIZING that the systematic identification ofconservation priorities allows for an improved allocationof financial and human resources and thus greater con-servation impacts;

FURTHER EMPHASIZING that the information onextinction risk provided by Red Lists is one componentnecessary for setting species conservation priorities andby itself is insufficient; and

UNDERSCORING that such efforts do not aim to pri-oritize among species per se (implying that some species

may be intrinsically more important than others), butrather prioritize among species (or groups of species) forplanning efforts, and then prioritize among conservationactions to most effectively conserve these;


CALLS ON the IUCN Species Survival Commission(SSC) to undertake the development of a conceptualframework for setting priorities for the conservation ofthreatened species, which is flexible, adaptable and usefulto a broad range of stakeholders (e.g. local communities,donor agencies, governmental agencies, non-govern-mental organizations, and zoos and aquaria), and yet leadsto choices that are systematic, transparent and repeatable,and can be monitored and evaluated providing a defen-sible framework to justify resource allocation among largegroups of nationally and globally threatened species.


WCC-2012-Res-017-ENEnhancing the usefulness of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

WELCOMING the growing influence of the IUCN RedList of Threatened Species (hereafter IUCN Red List)through its open-access provision of high-quality data onthe status of species;

RECOGNIZING that species are the component ofbiodiversity with globally accepted standards for system-atic extinction risk assessment, making the IUCN Red Listuseful to governments, international agencies, scholars,conservation organizations, civil society, the business sec-tor and multilateral conventions (such as the Conventionon Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on Inter-national Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Con-vention on Migratory Species (CMS), the Convention onWetlands of International Importance (Ramsar), theWorld Heritage Convention, the United Nations Con-vention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the UnitedNations Convention to Combat Desertification(UNCCD), and the United Nations Framework Conven-tion on Climate Change (UNFCCC));


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APPRECIATING that the IUCN Red List has greatly ex-panded its coverage to over 60,000 species, including fullcoverage of mammals, birds, amphibians, sharks, conifersand cycads, and a growing number of reptiles, fish,plants, invertebrates and fungi;

ALARMED that accelerating climate change, increasingconsumption of natural resources, continuing uncon-trolled spread of invasive alien species through expand-ing global trade, loss of natural habitats and continuingdegradation of ecosystem services (as reported by the lat-est edition of the CBD’s Global Biodiversity Outlook) willfurther undermine the status of species in all parts of theworld, an alarm that underlines the importance of pro-viding the highest quality of information on the statusof species;

THANKING the IUCN Red List Partner organizationsfor their continuing support of the IUCN Red List andthe Red List Committee of the IUCN Species SurvivalCommission (SSC);

NOTING the significant efforts being made by manygovernments to prepare national or regional Red Listsand to support conservation of species;

CONCERNED that despite this effort, the IUCN RedList still covers only a small, non-representative, percent-age of the world’s species, and that the IUCN Red ListIndex indicates that the status of species is continuing todecline;

WELCOMING the development of the “Guidelines onthe Implementation of the IUCN Policy Statement onResearch Involving Species at Risk of Extinction, withspecial reference to Scientific Collecting of ThreatenedSpecies,” as called for in Resolutions 3.013 The uses of theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species adopted by the 3rd

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004)and 4.015 Guidelines regarding research and scientific collectingof threatened species adopted by the 4th IUCN World Con-servation Congress (Barcelona, 2008), to encourage gov-ernments and research institutions to facilitate researchon globally threatened species by competent scientists toenhance understanding of the natural history and con-servation needs of these species;

RECOGNIZING the socio-economic importance ofuse and trade in some species and the incentives such usecan provide for conservation and restoration, but thatover-exploitation can also pose a serious threat to the sur-vival of populations and species; and

SUPPORTING the IUCN Programme 2013–2016 and itsrecognition of the importance of species to the visionand goals of IUCN;


1. REQUESTS the IUCN SSC and the Director Gen-eral to complete the preparation of the Red ListStrategic Plan that would clarify agreed strategic pri-orities for the IUCN Red List to the year 2020, tomake its timing consistent with the Aichi Targets ofthe Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 adopted bygovernments at the 10th Meeting of the Conferenceof the Parties (COP10) to the CBD, held in Nagoya,Japan, in 2010;

2. RECOMMENDS that the Red List Strategic Plan in-clude, among others, clear strategic results by 2020for:

a. expanding the taxonomic and geographic cover-age of the IUCN Red List, thus enabling it to be-come a representative Barometer of Life;

b. encouraging repeat assessments of taxonomicgroups completely assessed, to further developthe IUCN Red List Index as an effective biodi-versity indicator (including sampled approachesfor large groups);

c. developing appropriate mechanisms to maintainand enhance the rigour of the IUCN Red List,and to ensure that future IUCN Red List speciesaccounts are of the highest scientific standardsand are recognized as formal and permanentlyciteable publications;

d. continuing support for the preparation of na-tional and, where appropriate, regional Red Lists(especially those that follow the Guidelines for theApplication of Red List Criteria at Regional and Na-tional Levels, Version 3.1), and the incorporationof information thus generated into the globalIUCN Red List;

e. building capacity for preparing IUCN Red Listsworldwide and building a team of IUCN Red Listtrainers;

f. further enhancing the IUCN Red List databasesoftware (the Species Information Service) and


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the IUCN Red List website, so that these tools areeasily and freely accessible;

g. increasing the use of the IUCN Red List to sup-port policy development and conservation actionwith reference to the “Guidelines for Appropri-ate Uses of IUCN Red List Data: Incorporatingthe Guidelines for Reporting on ProportionThreatened and the Guidelines on Scientific Col-lecting of Threatened Species”;

h. enhancing the brand of the IUCN Red List;

i. developing new mechanisms to build financialsustainability for the IUCN Red List; and

j. providing clear strategic oversight to the IUCNRed List, including through renewal and expan-sion of the Red List Partnership;

3. ENCOURAGES governments, within the contextof the IUCN Red List, to support the collection andfree sharing of scientific information about speciesfound within their borders, as called for under articles7 and 17 of the Convention on Biological Diversity;

4. REQUESTS SSC, the Director General and IUCNMembers working in this field to continue to improvethe IUCN Red List to address topics such as:

a. the response of species to changing climate (ascalled for in Resolution 4.016 Development of cli-mate change guidelines for IUCN Red List assessmentsadopted by the 4th IUCN World ConservationCongress (Barcelona, 2008), with an SSC TaskForce now working on the topic);

b. the consistent listing of species as Extinct andCritically Endangered (Possibly Extinct);

c. development of guidance on collection and har-vest of threatened species as an annex to the“Guidelines for Appropriate Uses of IUCN RedList Data”, in order to help ensure that Red Listdata are used appropriately to guide regulationand management decisions;

d. the definition of “wild” populations (includingreintroduced populations), and the implicationsfor the consistent listing of species, for example,of species living within fenced areas within theirnatural ranges, of natural populations dependent

on management interventions, and of popula-tions resulting from “benign introductions” (asdefined in the IUCN Reintroduction Guidelines)of threatened species outside their originalranges;

e. improvement of the “Guidelines for using theIUCN Red List Categories and Criteria” to fos-ter application of the IUCN Red List Categoriesand Criteria to island States and insular species;and

f. means to reconcile the expected taxonomic cov-erage of the IUCN Red List with the need tomaintain the highest scientific standards; and

5. CALLS ON the Director General, SSC and IUCNMembers to encourage funding agencies, interna-tional organizations, multilateral conventions, andothers to support the further development of theIUCN Red List in order to maintain it as the globalstandard for assessing species, and thereby informpolicy and action at all levels throughout the world.

WCC-2012-Res-018-ENSupport for the development andimplementation of national and regionalred lists

RECOGNIZING the usefulness of IUCN’s Red ListCategories and Criteria for assessing the extinction riskof species and risk of collapse of ecosystems at globaland national levels;

HIGHLIGHTING that national red lists provide readilyavailable baseline biodiversity information to govern-ments, civil society, the private sector and others respon-sible for planning, priority setting and conservationaction;

CONSIDERING that national red lists provide essentialdata in support of national-level reporting required bythe Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (DecisionII/17), and that such data will also be crucial for assess-ing the status of the natural capital of nations;

FURTHER CONSIDERING that national red lists,conducted at regular intervals, can be used to assessprogress towards the achievement of environment anddevelopment targets such as the Aichi Targets of the


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Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, the Global Strategyfor Plant Conservation 2011–2020 of the CBD, and the Mil-lennium Development Goals (MDGs);

NOTING that national red lists have been produced byless than half of the world’s nations, and specifically rec-ognizing those countries which have undertaken com-prehensive assessment of national extinction risk fortaxonomic groups (such as fishes, plants, fungi and someinvertebrate groups) not yet comprehensively assessed bythe global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species;

CONCERNED, however, that a large variety of differentred list criteria and categories are applied for national redlists, which prevents harmonization and internationalcomparison of red lists;

FURTHER CONCERNED that many countries thathave not yet produced a national red list are located inbiodiversity-rich regions, yet lack sufficient financial andhuman resources to adequately protect and sustainablymanage their natural wealth;

WELCOMING the efforts of IUCN and partners tosupport the preparation of national red lists, especiallyfor taxonomic groups (such as fishes, plants, fungi andsome invertebrate groups) not yet comprehensively as-sessed by the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species,and to provide technical and financial support whereneeded; and

AWARE that providing assistance to the many countriesseeking support for assessing and monitoring the statusof their natural capital will require substantial effort;


1. APPLAUDS the efforts of countries that have pro-duced national red lists, and have carried out or areplanning assessments;

2. CALLS UPON IUCN to continue supporting theseinitiatives through the production of tools, softwareand training materials, as well as training local expertsto lead national red list assessments, data manage-ment and analysis;

3. URGES Members to utilize the Guidelines for theApplication of Red List Criteria at Regional and National

Levels, Version 3.1 to promote more harmonizationof red list criteria and categories used for nationalred lists for the sake of achieving comparable stan-dards and results of national red list assessments;

4. CALLS UPON countries to establish national mech-anisms for regularly updating national red lists andconnecting them with national biodiversity conserva-tion-related legislation, strategy, planning and actions;

5. ENCOURAGES countries to calculate national redlist indices based on repeated national red list assess-ments, following the Guidelines for the Application ofRed List Criteria at Regional and National Levels, Version3.1, and to use such indices to track biodiversitytrends, alongside complementary indicators;

6. CALLS UPON IUCN and countries developing orupdating national red lists to work more closely to-gether to ensure that data are exchanged and assess-ments of endemic species are harmonized as far aspossible at the global and national scales;

7. REQUESTS the Director General to provide policysupport to these national red-listing initiatives, inconsultation with the IUCN Species Survival Com-mission (SSC) and the IUCN Commission onEcosystem Management (CEM), in conjunctionwith their Secretariat focal points and the IUCNmembership;

8. CALLS UPON the Global Environment Facility andother national and international funding mechanismsto provide specific funds that developing countriescan access to support the production of national redlists, especially for taxonomic groups (such as fishes,plants, fungi and some invertebrate groups) not yetcomprehensively assessed by the global IUCN RedList of Threatened Species, as part of broader fundingsupport for national-scale biodiversity monitoring;and

9. REQUESTS the Director General to bring the im-portance of performing periodic national red list as-sessments to the attention of the CBD and otherrelevant conventions, as well as to potential sourcesof financial support for these assessments.


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WCC-2012-Res-019-ENHalting the loss of evolutionarilydistinct lineages

ALARMED that current extinction rates are 100 to 1,000times higher than that shown by the fossil record and that20% of vertebrates, 22% of plants, and most likely acomparable percentage of invertebrates, are threatenedwith extinction;

RECALLING that among mammals alone, at least 14genera and four entire families have gone extinct since AD1500;

RECOGNIZING that extinction does not occur ran-domly, but is clustered in families that contain only asmall number of species, resulting in a much greaterloss of evolutionary history than random extinctionscenarios;

RECOGNIZING that distinct branches of the Tree ofLife have often evolved traits and genes that are foundin no other organisms and are therefore irreplaceable;

CONCERNED that the loss of these branches will re-sult in an extremely reduced subset of genetic, evolu-tionary and ecological diversity;

ACKNOWLEDGING that resources currently availablefor conservation are insufficient to prevent the loss oflarge amounts of biodiversity and that conservation plan-ners are forced to prioritize which species should receivethe most conservation attention;

CONCERNED that many monotypic genera, familiesand even orders are overlooked by existing conservationprioritization schemes, putting at risk entire branches ofthe Tree of Life;

HIGHLIGHTING the recent probable extinction of theYangtze River dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer), which repre-sented over twenty million years of unique evolutionaryhistory and was the sole representative of an entire mam-mal family (the Lipotidae);

ALARMED that every single member of a further 15mammal families, two amphibian families and six birdfamilies are threatened with extinction, along with bothrepresentatives of the Order Coelacanthiformes (Coela-canths); and that all seven species of sawfish are classifiedas Critically Endangered; and

CONCERNED that over 20 vertebrate families are rep-resented by a single surviving species which is itselfthreatened with extinction;


1. APPLAUDS the efforts of initiatives such as IUCN’sSave Our Species Fund, the Mohamed bin ZayedSpecies Conservation Fund, the Zoological Societyof London’s Evolutionary Distinct and Globally En-dangered (EDGE) of Existence programme, theAmphibian Survival Alliance, the World Wide Fundfor Nature (WWF) Global 200, US Fish and WildlifeService’s Endangered Species Grants and others toensure that evolutionarily important lineages are tar-geted by in-country conservation efforts;

2. APPLAUDS the establishment of conservationstrategies for evolutionarily important species suchas the publication of Conservation Strategy for the PygmyHippopotamus and Dugong: Status Report and Action Plansfor Countries and Territories and the re-launching of thePangolin Specialist Group within the IUCN SpeciesSurvival Commission (SSC);

3. WELCOMES landscape-based and ecosystem-based approaches to the conservation of nature andnatural resources but maintains that there is a needfor complementary conservation initiatives that tar-get species, especially those of high evolutionarysignificance;

4. REQUESTS that the Director General, SSC and allIUCN Members prioritize the conservation ofthreatened genera and families, by:

a. developing science-based tools and techniques;

b. undertaking further scientific exploration ofspecies radiation/genetic variability and speciesdistinctiveness, in order to refine objectives forspecies and evolutionarily distinct lineage pro-tection; and

c. putting special emphasis on supporting capacitybuilding efforts to reverse the decline of the im-portant groups, while establishing clear prioritiesin light of climate change;

5. ENCOURAGES SSC and the IUCN Commissionon Ecosystem Management (CEM), supported as


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needed by the Director General, to ensure that ac-tion plans are in place and being implemented for alltargeted species and regions;

6. REQUESTS that the Director General brings theimportance of conserving evolutionarily importantlineages to the attention of major conventions (Con-vention on International Trade in EndangeredSpecies (CITES), Convention on Migratory Species(CMS), Ramsar Convention, Convention on Biolog-ical Diversity (CBD)) and governments to target evo-lutionarily distinct species and regions that containhigh concentrations of these lineages;

7. REQUESTS that the international conservationcommunity increases resource allocation to at-risklineages and develops programmes of work aroundfamilies and genera at risk of extinction in the nearfuture; and

8. CALLS UPON all IUCN SSC Specialist Groups toassist in the formation of an objective indicator sys-tem to measure conservation success for thesespecies by providing data for annual assessments ofconservation need, action and effectiveness.


WCC-2012-Res-020-ENFurther steps to combat the amphibiancrisis

RECALLING Resolution 4.017 Stopping the amphibiancrisis adopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Con-gress (Barcelona, 2008);

AWARE that the concerns that gave rise to Resolution4.017, and which are explained in its preamble, remainjust as valid, if not more valid, today, and that the globalstatus of amphibians is continuing to deteriorate rapidly;

APPRECIATING the steps taken by the IUCN SpeciesSurvival Commission (SSC) and key IUCN Members andpartners to address the amphibian crisis, most notablythrough the formation of the inter-institutional Am-phibian Survival Alliance (ASA) in 2011, which is pro-viding strategic direction and coordination to theamphibian conservation work being carried out by the

SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG), by AmphibianArk (an ex situ programme under the umbrella of SSCand the World Association of Zoos and Aquaria), and bya number of other institutions;

CONCERNED that despite this progress, the fundingfor amphibian conservation in general, and the ASA inparticular, remains woefully inadequate and outside thepriorities of many donors and institutions that otherwisesupport biodiversity conservation;

CONVINCED that unless greater priority is given toamphibian conservation, many species will become ex-tinct in the coming decades;

ENCOURAGED, nevertheless, that despite the meagreresources available, concerted efforts by the amphibianconservation community over the last five years have re-sulted in over 22,000 hectares of vital habitat being se-cured to provide for the survival of 55 Threatenedamphibian species, as well as nearly 100 globally Threat-ened species now being maintained in captive breedingprogrammes;

AWARE that despite these welcome gains, progress is verysmall in relation to the huge dimensions of the crisis;

ALSO AWARE that the ASA has recently identified thesites which, if securely protected, would safeguard thelargest number of Threatened amphibian species, notingthat conserving the top 25 sites, all of which have alsobeen identified by the Alliance for Zero Extinction, wouldbenefit over 500 globally threatened species, 150 ofwhich are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCNRed List of Threatened Species; and

CONCERNED that the majority of amphibian specieson the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species were last as-sessed in 2004, making their reassessment a matter of ur-gency in order to understand the change in status ofamphibians, and the success of conservation efforts;


1. CALLS ON governments, non-governmental con-servation organizations, and donors to:

a. increase the priority given to preventing am-phibian extinctions and bringing about their re-covery, in particular through the conservation of


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the top priority sites that are being identified bythe Amphibian Survival Alliance (ASA);

b. develop, support and maintain adequate captivebreeding programmes in biosecure facilities forthose species that are declining rapidly and whichmay go extinct before the threats in the wild (inparticular imminent habitat loss and the fungalpandemic chytridiomycosis and its associatedsynergies) can be combated successfully;

c. promote the regulation and monitoring of tradein live and dead amphibians and their parts andderivatives, including efforts to enable and facil-itate monitoring of international commercialtransactions through established mechanisms likethe Convention on International Trade in En-dangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES) and the World Customs Organization;and

d. provide sustainable support to the operations ofthe ASA to enable it to provide its essential roleof coordination and leadership to amphibianconservation efforts worldwide;

2. URGES the scientific community, as a matter of ur-gency, to carry out the research necessary in order tomake it possible to develop practical and realisticmeasures to combat the deadly effects of the chytridfungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the wild; and

3. REQUESTS the Director General and SSC to takethe necessary steps to ensure that all amphibians lastassessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Speciesin 2004 during the Global Amphibian Assessment beupdated by 2014, and calls on donors to provide thenecessary funding to make this possible.

WCC-2012-Res-021-ENImplementing the provisions oninvasive alien species of the StrategicPlan for Biodiversity 2011–2020

RECALLING that Aichi Target 9 of the Strategic Plan forBiodiversity 2011–2020 states: “By 2020, invasive alienspecies and pathways are identified and prioritized, pri-ority species are controlled or eradicated, and measuresare in place to manage pathways to prevent their intro-duction and establishment”;

FURTHER RECALLING that the Convention on Bio-logical Diversity (CBD) Programme of Work on Islands high-lights the vulnerability of islands’ biodiversity to invasivealien species, coupled with weak capacity to respond tothis threat;

NOTING that, in regard to the role of biological inva-sions as a key driver of biodiversity loss, invasive alienspecies management in protected areas is highlighted byDecision X/31 of the Conference of the Parties to theCBD as an issue that needs greater attention;

ALARMED that biological invasions are constantly in-creasing among all taxonomic groups, and in all environ-ments, from marine to freshwater and terrestrial, causinggrowing impacts on world biodiversity, affecting a highproportion of threatened species;

DEEPLY CONCERNED that many invasive alienspecies are pathogens, pests or weeds, costing the globaleconomy many hundreds of billions of dollars each year;

EMPHASIZING that vast segments of the world’s pop-ulation, especially in developing nations, suffer from vec-tor-borne diseases, such as malaria, dengue, West Nilevirus and others, many of which are spread by invasivevectors such as mosquitoes;

FURTHER EMPHASIZING that invasive alien speciesalso affect world food security, as they can severely im-pact activities such as fisheries, and inflict huge pre- andpost-harvest yield losses;

RECALLING that much of the growth in the numberof invasive alien species is caused by human activitiessuch as trade, tourism and travel, and that it is thereforecrucial to involve all relevant societal sectors in the pre-vention and control of invasive alien species;

NOTING that climate change is likely to further increasethe magnitude of the problem and reduce the manage-ment options available to combat invasive alien species;

FURTHER NOTING that the Joint Work Programmeto strengthen information services on invasive alienspecies, presented at the 15th meeting of the SubsidiaryBody on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice(SBSTTA) of the CBD and welcomed by the participantsto the meeting, will indeed provide crucial informationto improve the efficacy of prevention measures of inva-sions and the efforts aimed at mitigating the impactscaused by invasive alien species;


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AWARE that through the IUCN Commissions, the Sec-retariat and many of its Members, IUCN has particularstrengths and expertise in species conservation, in the in-volvement of societal sectors in conservation issues, andengagement with decision makers; and

ALSO RECALLING that Recommendation 2.67 Invasivealien species adopted by the 2nd IUCN World ConservationCongress (Amman, 2000) requested the Director Gen-eral to take an active role to ensure that internationaltrade and financial agreements, codes of practice, treatiesand conventions took into account the threats posed byinvasive alien species;


1. CALLS ON all countries to:

a. identify invasive alien species present in their ter-ritories for priority control intervention, and toidentify potential and actual pathways of invasivealien species introduction for priority preventionmeasures;

b. enforce stringent regulatory measures to preventthe import and intentional or accidental releaseof invasive or potentially invasive alien species,ensuring full consistency with the provisions ofthe World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreementon the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Meas-ures, and without hampering important conser-vation activities, such as ex situ breedingprogrammes conducted by zoos, botanic gardensand other institutions;

c. encourage voluntary measures to prevent thespread of invasive or potentially invasive alienspecies, such as the voluntary code of conductfor zoos under development by the InvasiveSpecies Specialist Group (ISSG), the EuropeanAssociation of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), andthe Bern Convention;

d. ensure that policies and measures in other fields– such as ecosystem restoration and climatechange – take account of the risk of causing fur-ther invasions (e.g. biofuel species promotion, as-sisted colonization, use of potentially invasivealien species in habitat restoration programmes,etc.), balancing the short-term benefits with thelong-term costs of invasions;

e. work at removing legal, financial and human re-sources constraints to rapid responses to addressnew incursions of invasive alien species, espe-cially in developing countries;

f. promote eradication campaigns for priority inva-sive alien species, taking into account their po-tential or actual impact on biodiversity as well ason food security and human well-being, and giv-ing priority to key areas such as islands, protectedareas, and key points of entry, such as ports andairports; and

g. incorporate invasive alien species and biosecuritypolicy imperatives in water and land-use planningat all scales from local to global, including islands,protected areas, river and lake basins, productionlandscapes and seascapes;

2. REQUESTS the Director General and IUCN Com-missions to:

a. strengthen cooperation with the Liaison Groupon Invasive Alien Species established by theCBD with the aim of improving international,national and regional trade regulatory processesfor minimizing the spread of invasive alienspecies, and composed of IUCN and interna-tional standard-setting organizations such asWTO, the International Plant Protection Con-vention (IPPC), the World Organization for An-imal Health (OIE) and the Convention onInternational Trade in Endangered Species ofWild Fauna and Flora (CITES);

b. identify potential gaps in IUCN’s policy and pro-grammatic coverage of invasive alien species, andpropose specific actions to fill the gaps in con-sultation with Council;

c. improve interoperability between IUCN knowl-edge products with particular reference to theGlobal Invasive Species Database, the IUCN RedList of Threatened Species, the IUCN Red List ofEcosystems and the World Database on Pro-tected Areas for supporting the identification ofpriority invasive alien species, and enhancingearly warning systems and rapid responses tonew invasions;

d. support collaboration between the IUCN SpeciesSurvival Commission (SSC) and IUCN World


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Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) to pro-mote the compilation and dissemination of bestpractice guidelines on invasive alien species man-agement in protected areas, promote appropriatetraining to address this threat and enhance moreeffective management in protected areas; and

e. strengthen support through the IUCN Secretariatand regional programmes to promote action andcapacity building to address invasive alien speciesissues, especially through the protected areas,water, forests and drylands programmes;

3. CALLS ON the global scientific community world-wide to initiate and promote research on effectiveand novel methods to control invasive alien species,such as rapid taxonomic identification, improvedborder surveillance, biological control, chemical con-trol, mechanical methods, as well as on restorationindicators, risk assessment and bio-economics, andsocial and cultural engagement; and

4. CALLS ON funding agencies, including in the pub-lic and private sectors and civil society to:

a. provide greatly increased support to capacitybuilding and public awareness of key issues, in-volvement of local communities, and the estab-lishment of appropriate frameworks to enableearly detection and management of new incur-sions, especially on islands and in developingcountries;

b. support the Joint Work Programme to strengtheninformation services on invasive alien species,presented at SBSTTA 15 and aimed at contribut-ing to achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 9; and

c. support prevention, eradication and control cam-paigns, especially on islands and in key biodiver-sity areas, protected areas and ecosystemsthreatened by invasive alien species.

WCC-2012-Res-022-ENSupporting regional initiatives toconserve mammal diversity in Westand Central Africa

RECOGNIZING the mission of IUCN in promotingthe conservation of biological diversity since its inception;

ALARMED at the increasing loss of forest and savan-nah habitats in West and Central Africa;

AWARE that large mammal populations in protectedareas in West and Central Africa have declined by 85%between 1970 and 2005, a decline which appears overallgreater than in Eastern and Southern Africa;

DISMAYED that the Western Black Rhinoceros (Dicerosbicornis longipes) has recently been categorized as Extincton the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and that MissWaldron’s Red Colobus (Procolobus badius waldroni) has notbeen observed for over 25 years despite surveys;

ALARMED that large carnivores like the African WildDog (Lycaon pictus), the Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and theLion (Panthera leo) are now extirpated from many formerrange states in West and Central Africa, with evidence foronly a few reproducing populations in the region;

AWARE ALSO that many other species, includingJentink’s Duiker (Cephalophus jentinki) and Niger River RedColobus (Procolobus pennantii epieni), are now severelythreatened due to illegal killing and continuing loss ofhabitat;

CONCERNED that the illegal killing of African Ele-phants (Loxodonta africana) has become a widespread threatacross the African continent more than ever, with thehighest level in West and Central Africa as evidenced bythe recent massacre of hundreds of elephants in BoubaNdjida National Park in Cameroon and the confirmedpopulation crash in Northern Central African Republic;

FURTHER AWARE that the decline of the mammalianprey base is having a detrimental impact on other speciesand being implicated as one of the drivers of the severedeclines observed in large vultures in West and CentralAfrica, with some species having declined by 98% in theregion;

NOTING studies that have revealed that populations ofa number of large mammal species occurring in the re-gion, including Lion, Roan Antelope (Hippotragus equinus)and Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), are genetically distinctfrom those occurring elsewhere in Africa, making this re-gion very important for conserving the maximum diver-sity present within a species;

RECALLING that most countries in the region haveadopted the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and


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the Aichi Targets, including Target 12, which requires that“By 2020 the extinction of known threatened species hasbeen prevented and their conservation status, particularlyof those most in decline, has been improved and sus-tained”; and

WELCOMING the existing initiatives for a CentralAfrican Elephant Conservation Strategy and the pro-gramme for Monitoring Illegal Killing of Elephants(MIKE), the Conservation Plan for the Pygmy Hip-popotamus, the Regional Great Ape Action Plan, the Re-gional Conservation Strategy for Chimpanzees in WestAfrica, the Regional Action Plan for Antelopes in Westand Central Africa, and recent initiatives for the devel-opment of Regional Conservation Strategies for largecarnivores and their prey, including the Regional Con-servation Strategy for Lions in West and Central Africa,the Regional Conservation Strategy for Cheetah and WildDog for North, West and Central Africa, the CentralAfrica Wildlife Trade Law Enforcement Action Plan re-cently approved by the COMIFAC Council of Ministers,and the launching of the Large Carnivore Initiative inWest and Central Africa in 2011 with the involvement ofseveral IUCN Members and IUCN Species SurvivalCommission (SSC) Specialist Groups;


1. APPLAUDS the establishment of regional conser-vation initiatives in West and Central Africa, as men-tioned above;

2. CALLS UPON all IUCN Members worldwide tosupport these initiatives;

3. CALLS UPON range States in the region to developnational action plans for Lion, Cheetah and AfricanWild Dog and their prey as part of a strategy forlong-term conservation and to invest in implemen-tation of these national action plans;

4. CALLS UPON all stakeholders to encourage andlaunch new initiatives in West and Central Africa forhalting and reversing the declining trends of mam-mals, and biodiversity in general, in the region; and

5. REQUESTS the Director General, SSC and the IUCNCommission on Ecosystem Management (CEM), toprovide policy support to these new initiatives and to

bring them to the attention of range States and in-ternational donors, like the United Nations Envi-ronment Programme (UNEP), the AfricanDevelopment Bank, the World Bank and the GlobalEnvironment Facility (GEF).

WCC-2012-Res-023-ENSupport for national and regionalinitiatives for the conservation of largemammals in the Sahara

RECOGNIZING IUCN’s mission, since its creation, topromote the conservation of biodiversity;

AWARE that desert ecosystems and their biodiversity areparticularly vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic cli-mate change;

RECOGNIZING that the Sahara is very rich in biodi-versity, which is often underestimated and is potentiallyimportant in the provision of ecosystem services and ge-netic resources;

RECOGNIZING that the populations of large mam-mals have declined dramatically in desert ecosystems, andin the Sahara in particular;

ALARMED that all eight species of Saharan ungulatesas well as their subspecies are either threatened with ex-tinction or already extinct, the Bubal Hartebeest (Alcela-phus buselaphus buselaphus) is classified as Extinct, theScimitar-horned Oryx (Oryx dammah) is Extinct in the Wildand six others are classified as Endangered or CriticallyEndangered;

RECOGNIZING that the African Lion (Panthera leo spp.leo) and the African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) have beenexterminated from the Sahara and that the NorthwestAfrican cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki) is classified asCritically Endangered;

AWARE that three of the large mammal species living inthe desert require vast ranges in order to survive;

NOTING that desert ecosystems have attracted very lit-tle interest or support from the global conservation com-munity, despite covering over 17% of the world’s biomassand containing a high level of biodiversity, including 25%of the world’s terrestrial vertebrates;


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ALARMED at the lack of attention paid by the world, in-cluding donors, to large desert mammals, despite theircurrent status, the continuous degradation of their habi-tat (complicated by climate change), and the growingprevalence of extractive industries and armed conflict;and

WELCOMING the initiatives carried out by the Con-vention on Migratory Species (CMS) / French GlobalEnvironment Facility (FGEF) “Sahelo-Saharan An-telopes” Project, by the Sahara Conservation Fund andby the Sahelo-Saharan Interest Group (SSIG) as well asthe recent Regional Conservation Strategy initiative forthe Cheetah and the African Wild Dog in Northern,Western and Central Africa carried out in 2012 by theZoological Society of London (ZSL), the Wildlife Con-servation Society (WCS) and the IUCN Species SurvivalCommission (SSC) Cat and Canid Specialist Groups;


1. WELCOMES the implementation of regional con-servation strategies such as the Regional Conserva-tion Strategy for the Cheetah and African Wild Dogin Northern, Western and Central Africa;

2. ALSO WELCOMES the new initiatives in Chadaimed at reintroducing the Scimitar-horned Oryx, theefforts made by Morocco and Tunisia to reintroducethe Scimitar-horned Oryx, the Addax (Addax naso-maculatus) and the Dama Gazelle (Nanger dama) andthe work carried out by Niger that has led to the es-tablishment of the Termit Tin Toumma NationalNature Reserve covering 100,000 km2 and aimed atprotecting important Saharan species of flora andfauna, including the Addax, the Dama Gazelle andthe Cheetah;

3. INVITES all IUCN Members around the world tosupport these initiatives and their local and regionalimplementation;

4. INVITES States in the region to support the devel-opment of red lists and the implementation of na-tional action plans to conserve all the endangeredmammals in the great Sahara Desert, within theframework of a long-term conservation strategyand to invest in the implementation of these na-tional action plans;

5. CALLS ON States in the region to examine the pos-sibilities of collaborating in the protection andrestoration of populations of large mammals that in-habit the desert and roam over cross-border zones;

6. CALLS ON States within the geographic range, ifnecessary, in liaison with the private sector, to en-sure that the development of the extractive industryis planned carefully in order to avoid any negativeimpact on threatened large animal species or theirhabitats;

7. URGES the Director General to provide politicaland technical support for these initiatives, in consul-tation with the IUCN Species Survival Commission(SSC) and the IUCN Commission on EcosystemManagement (CEM);

8. CALLS ON IUCN, in collaboration with its Mem-bers, to work with States within the region tostrengthen the current network of protected areas inthe desert by focusing on the reinforcement of skillsand on the identification and implementation of con-servation tools and appropriate techniques; and

9. RECOMMENDS that the Director General bringsthe urgent need to conserve the large mammals ofthe Sahara Desert to the attention of States in the re-gion as well as of international donors such as theUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),the African Development Bank (ADB), the WorldBank (WB), the World Environment Fund (WEF)and the European Commission.

WCC-2012-Res-024-ENEnhancing anti-poaching and wildliferesource protection efforts, using rhinoand elephant as indicators

NOTING with concern the dramatic and unsustainableescalation of rhinoceros poaching in southern Africa andthe continued elephant poaching in East Africa;

CONSIDERING these species as indicators of an esca-lation of illegal poaching of all species;

NOTING that Parties are obliged to ensure that wildliferesources are protected by sound legal and managementstrategies;


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RECALLING Resolution 2.37 Support for environmentaldefenders adopted by the 2nd IUCN World ConservationCongress (Amman, 2000) that called upon the DirectorGeneral to “speak out publicly and forcefully” when en-vironmental advocates are threatened and “to discourageharassment or persecution of environmental advocatesusing all appropriate means”, and Recommendation4.119 Protection of rangers within and in areas adjacent to pro-tected areas “noting that Article 8 of the Convention onBiological Diversity regards Protected Areas as impor-tant ‘in situ’ conservation areas that conserve biologicaldiversity and that Contracting Parties are required to en-sure that these areas are protected by sound legal andmanagement strategies”;

ACCEPTING the value of wildlife within protected areas(including private and community areas devoted to wildlifeprotection under natural conditions), which are of ex-treme importance for biodiversity conservation, tourismand the gross domestic product of tourist destinations;

UNDERSTANDING the term anti-poaching to refer toparamilitary defence and protection by rangers of pro-tected areas and private land where environmental con-servation is practiced;

CONCERNED that all wildlife resources face an esca-lating threat, as illustrated by the escalation of rhino andelephant poaching;

UNDERSTANDING that the threat to rhinoceros, ele-phants and other wildlife resources emanates from manyquarters, stemming from criminally motivated armedpoaching and commercial exploitation by internationalorganized criminal syndicates;

RECOGNIZING the essential and significant contribu-tion of rangers to protection, maintenance and defenceof the integrity of protected areas and private and com-munity wildlife areas and the wildlife resources therein,without which protection of the integrity and survival ofsuch protected areas may become precarious and un-predictable;

ACKNOWLEDGING the fact that without adequateprotection the continued status of wildlife resourceswould be seriously compromised;

FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGING that the support ofrangers and wildlife protection agencies can be im-proved, and many of the threats facing wildlife resources

prevented, reduced or eliminated by improved staffingand training, increased resources and support, and in-creased awareness; and

SERIOUSLY CONCERNED by these continuingthreats, and the continued inadequate support for thefunction of protecting the integrity of wildlife resources,protected areas and biodiversity;


1. CALLS ON the Director General and the IUCNCommissions to encourage Member States, govern-ments, civil society, and local and internationalNGOs and foundations to provide support for theinitiative of improved wildlife resource protection by:

a. reviewing previous commitments to this issueand ensuring that they have been met;

b. ensuring that protected area managers, rangersand custodians of wildlife resources are affordedadequate funding, leadership, support, trainingand equipment, and appropriate remuneration toenable the professional execution of their pro-tective functions;

c. adopting and promoting enforcement or enact-ment of legislation specifically providing for pro-tection of all wildlife resources and enablingvigorous pursuit and prosecution of those con-travening such legislation; and

d. adopting and promoting threat assessments toenable swift development and implementation ofappropriate types and levels of protection; and

2. REQUESTS the Director General and IUCN Com-missions to:

a. encourage the adoption and enforcement of ad-equate legislation and operational capability toenable greater and more effective wildlife re-source protection, and protection of rangerswho are defending the integrity of the protectedenvironments (including private and communitywildlife areas) within which these resourcesoccur;

b. encourage and provide support for MemberStates, governments and civil society, and local


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and international NGOs and foundations, to en-hance anti-poaching and wildlife resource pro-tection efforts;

c. promote adequate funding, leadership, trainingand equipment for custodians of wildlife re-sources, and appropriate remuneration to enablethe professional execution of their protectivefunctions; and

d. report to the IUCN Council annually and to thenext World Conservation Congress on theprogress made under this initiative.

WCC-2012-Res-025-ENConservation of African Elephants

ACKNOWLEDGING that the African Elephant is akeystone species, providing a charismatic focal point forconservation action in Africa;

APPRECIATING that conservation efforts have re-sulted in population increases in some range States overthe last two decades, while populations have decreased inother range States;

RECOGNIZING that African Elephants can providesignificant benefits to national economies, as well as tolocal communities;

NOTING that the measures taken by the Convention onInternational Trade in Endangered Species of WildFauna and Flora (CITES) to bring the illegal trade in ele-phant products under control still require significantcommitments from elephant range States, transit coun-tries, and from all ivory-consuming States;

ALSO NOTING that a high-level meeting convened bythe IUCN Secretariat and the African Elephant SpecialistGroup (AfESG) of the IUCN Species Survival Commis-sion (SSC) working with the Secretariats of CITES andthe Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), Interpol, theUnited Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),the World Bank, the Lusaka Agreement Task Force(LATF), the Association of Southeast Asian NationsWildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN), the In-ternational Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime(ICCWC), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Or-ganization (FAO), the United Nations Development Pro-gramme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment

Programme (UNEP) will take place before the 16th Meet-ing of the Conference of the Parties to CITES;

ACKNOWLEDGING that the African Elephant rangeStates adopted the African Elephant Action Plan that ad-dresses actions to be taken to effectively conserve andmanage elephants across their range in Africa;

APPRECIATING the establishment of the African Ele-phant Fund to support the implementation of the AfricanElephant Action Plan, and the contributions made bydonors;

RECOGNIZING the serious and increasing levels ofthreat currently facing elephants, including illegal inter-national and domestic trade in ivory, human elephantconflict, habitat loss and fragmentation, illegal killing forivory and meat, lack of institutional and enforcement ca-pacity and local overabundance;

CONCERNED that poaching pressure is now increas-ing across all sub-regions in Africa, as shown by the2011 analysis of data from the MIKE (Monitoring ofIllegal Killing of Elephants) programme and that large-scale poaching by organized criminals transnationally isrising steadily and is having serious impacts on elephantpopulations;

CONCERNED that illegal ivory trade is increasing, inparticular, large-scale shipments of illegal ivory, as shownby the 2011 analysis of data from the Elephant Trade In-formation System (ETIS);

APPRECIATING the awareness-raising activities un-dertaken by range States, consumer States, internationalorganizations, partnerships and non-governmental or-ganizations concerning the illegal ivory trade;

CONCERNED that current levels of poaching may notbe sustainable and could result in unacceptable losses ofbiodiversity, leading to elephant population declines andcorresponding declines in economic opportunities forrange States to benefit from their heritage;

CONCERNED that the loss of elephants from ecosys-tems has a negative impact on many other species; and

RECOGNIZING IUCN’s role over many years in pro-viding sound technical and scientific analyses as well asconvening and supporting policy processes to facilitatedialogue on African Elephant conservation;


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1. CALLS ON all African Elephant range States to pri-oritize the protection and conservation of elephantpopulations and to ensure that appropriate incentivesfor conservation, adequate legislation and deterrentpenalties are in place and implemented to achieve thisgoal; and calls on African Elephant range States toensure that local communities reap benefits as wellas bearing the costs of living with elephants;

2. CALLS ON all ivory-consuming States to ensure thatadequate policy, legislation, law-enforcement and de-terrent penalties are in place and implemented tocontrol domestic ivory markets;

3. REQUESTS the Director General and the AfESGto work with the Secretariats of CITES and CMS, In-terpol, UNODC, the World Bank, LATF, ASEAN-WEN, ICCWC, FAO, UNDP and UNEP to convenea high-level meeting as soon as possible, and in ad-vance of the 16th Meeting of the Conference of theParties to CITES if possible, but in any case no laterthan June 2013, with the aim of recommending ur-gent measures needed by African Elephant rangeStates and consumer States to address the concernsrelating to the conservation of the African Elephant,and to carry these recommendations forward torange States and consumer States, and to the Chairof the Standing Committee of CITES;

4. FURTHER REQUESTS TRAFFIC and the AfESGto work with the CITES Secretariat and the AfricanElephant Fund Steering Committee to present to thehigh-level meeting the latest results of research onthe status of the African elephant and the ivory trade,in particular from the African and Asian ElephantDatabase, the two CITES elephant monitoring sys-tems, MIKE and ETIS, and the status of implemen-tation of the African Elephant Action Plan;

5. CALLS ON African Elephant range States, especiallythose with declining populations of elephants to pri-oritize the allocation of funds to address elephantconservation and management, with a specific focuson increasing levels of law enforcement;

6. FURTHER CALLS on the global community tocontribute to the African Elephant Fund to supportthe implementation of the African Elephant ActionPlan; and

7. REQUESTS the Director General to report back onprogress to the next IUCN World ConservationCongress.

WCC-2012-Res-026-ENInternational cooperation for waterbirdmonitoring to support soundmanagement

RECOGNIZING Aichi Target 12 of the Strategic Plan forBiodiversity 2011–2020 that aims to prevent extinction ofknown threatened species and to improve their conser-vation status;

NOTING that birds have been used to assess and mon-itor the environment throughout history and that birdsare one of the best and, in some cases, the only indicatorsof environmental change;

RECOGNIZING that the status of waterbird popula-tions is least favorable in Asia where about 60% ofknown populations are decreasing or extinct and only10% are increasing, as well as in other parts of the world,including Africa and South America;

CONCERNED that basic threats – such as habitat frag-mentation, loss of wetlands and transformation of nat-ural landscapes – to migratory and resident waterbirdshave been increasing;

RECOGNIZING that reliable and up-to-date data onwaterbirds is necessary to inform improved managementof wetlands to maintain and support ecosystem servicesprovided by wetlands;

NOTING that the International Waterbird Census andrelated schemes could provide the best global basis forestimating population size and trends of waterbird pop-ulations, provided that the coverage of these schemes isimproved;

RECOGNIZING the role of civil society, governmentsand other stakeholders in broad-scale environmental datacollection and synthesis; and

ALSO RECOGNIZING that the goal of the IUCNSpecies Survival Commission’s (SSC) Strategic Plan is ashared responsibility, resulting in action to reduce this loss ofdiversity within species, among species, and of ecosystems;


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1. ENCOURAGES the IUCN membership and othersto ensure that waterbird populations worldwide arecovered by international monitoring schemes that areappropriate both in their scope and methods to pro-duce reliable international population size and trendestimates;

2. REQUESTS IUCN Members and others to providea global platform to strengthen development and im-plementation of appropriate regional flywayschemes/structures to secure the necessary resourcesrequired to implement coordinated waterbird moni-toring programmes;

3. SUPPORTS the enhancement of national and re-gional networks’ capacities to undertake field moni-toring of waterbirds on an on-going and long-termbasis;

4. ENCOURAGES the strengthening of existing mech-anisms for enhanced and timely reporting on the sta-tus of waterbird populations to support conservationmeasures, including management of wetlands;

5. ENCOURAGES IUCN Members to provide finan-cial resources for waterbird monitoring and to par-ticipate in the monitoring programmes within theirflyways;

6. INVITES relevant global and regional organizationsincluding the Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD), Convention on Migratory Species (CMS),Ramsar Convention, the East Asian-Australasian Fly-way Partnership, Agreement on the Conservation ofAfrican-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds and WesternHemisphere Migratory Species Initiative to supportstrengthening of existing schemes within their fly-ways; and

7. REQUESTS the Director General, within availableresources, to provide technical assistance to supportnational and regional activities, and to report onprogress in this regard to the next IUCN World Con-servation Congress.

WCC-2012-Res-027-ENConservation of tropical Asia’sthreatened species

NOTING that tropical South and Southeast Asia coversless than 13% of the earth’s land mass, yet contains a dis-proportionately high number of species at high risk ofextinction; for some taxa, half or more of all globallythreatened species fall within this region;

ALARMED that especially the largest species of manyfaunal taxa are experiencing dramatic population declinesand losses; that all large deer and wild cattle, rhinocer-oses, and tapir and Asian Elephants in Southeast Asia areglobally threatened; that a high proportion of large birdssuch as cranes, bustards, eagles and hornbills in Southand Southeast Asia are globally threatened; that 82% ofthe world’s Critically Endangered tortoise and freshwaterturtle species occur in South and Southeast Asia; and thatwild populations of some such species total less than onehundred individuals;

CONCERNED that, in spite of notable conservation ef-forts by many governments and other agencies in the re-gion leading to some local conservation success stories,the overall situation for species across the region contin-ues to deteriorate rapidly;

NOTING that many of the threatened species, notablythe large-bodied mammals, birds, reptiles and fish, areof great cultural and economic importance, and vitalfor their roles in maintaining ecosystem functions andservices;

RECALLING that all of the countries in this region(with the exception of Timor-Leste) are Parties to theConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and haveadopted the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 andthe Aichi Targets, including Target 12: “The extinctionof known threatened species has been prevented andtheir conservation status, particularly of those most indecline, has been improved and sustained”;

AWARE that key drivers of the observed declines are thecombination of loss of habitat, especially for large-scaleindustrial agriculture, and hunting for commercial tradeas pets, for meat, and for traditional medicines; and

DEEPLY CONCERNED that unless actions are takenquickly to address these threats as they pertain to threat-ened species, many such species from many taxonomic


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groups across the region face further dramatic declines,ranges losses and extinctions;


1. CALLS ON the Director General and IUCN Com-missions, especially the Species Survival Commission(SSC) and the World Commission on ProtectedAreas (WCPA), to provide technical and scientificsupport to governments and other agencies workingin the region to address the threats to many speciesin South and Southeast Asia that are increasing theprobability of their imminent extinction;

2. ENCOURAGES the governments of South andSoutheast Asian countries to take all steps possibleto prevent the extinctions in the wild of any threat-ened species within their jurisdictions;

3. URGES all governments to take all necessary meas-ures to ensure that import of endangered speciesoriginating from South and Southeast Asia is legaland sustainable in accordance with CITES;

4. URGES multilateral, bilateral and private donors toexpand their efforts to conserve in the wild thespecies in South and Southeast Asia at imminent riskof extinction, and thus necessarily the habitats criti-cal to their survival; and

5. FURTHER requests the Director General andIUCN Commissions to report to the next IUCNWorld Conservation Congress on progress achieved.

WCC-2012-Res-028-ENConservation of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and its threatenedwaterbirds, with particular reference tothe Yellow Sea

NOTING that the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (here-after EAAF) supports more migratory waterbird species– and a higher proportion that are globally threatened –than any other flyway in the world especially the YellowSea region, which is of critical importance;

ALARMED that 24 waterbird species dependent on in-tertidal wetlands are listed as globally Threatened or NearThreatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species,

including the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sand-piper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus); the Endangered Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) and the Black-facedSpoonbill (Platalea minor); and the Vulnerable Swan Goose(Anser cygnoides), the White-naped Crane (Grus vipio), theHooded Crane (Grus monacha) and Saunders’s Gull (Larussaundersi);

CONCERNED that the situation is deteriorating rapidlywith an additional nine species under review for classifi-cation as Threatened or Near Threatened, apparentlylinked to the unprecedentedly rapid rate of conversionof intertidal wetlands to other forms of land use in theEAAF (faster than the rate of tropical forest loss), thusgenerating an urgent need for specific research and co-operation for the restoration and management of thesehabitats;

NOTING that the rate of loss of intertidal wetlands isparticularly severe around the Yellow Sea (as much as50% in the last 30 years) and is continuing in key areasacross the flyway;

FURTHER NOTING that less than 5% of intertidalareas of most EAAF countries are Ramsar sites or pro-tected areas;

ACKNOWLEDGING the ongoing efforts of INGOssuch as BirdLife International, the International CraneFoundation, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and Wet-lands International to conserve these endangered birdsand their habitats in the region;

RECALLING previous commitments to intertidal wet-land conservation made by Ramsar Convention Con-tracting Parties in Resolutions VII.21 and VIII.4 and inGoal 2 of the Strategic Plan 2009–2015;

NOTING the commitment of the Republic of Korea atthe 10th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Con-vention in 2008 (paragraph 22, Ramsar Resolution X.22)that “intertidal mudflats should be preserved and that nolarge-scale reclamation projects are now being approvedin the Republic of Korea”;

RECOGNIZING the activities of the EAAF Partner-ship, an endorsed regional initiative within the frameworkof the Ramsar Convention, which provides an interna-tional framework for the conservation of migratory wa-terbirds and their habitats;


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AWARE that the decline in biodiversity along the EAAFis a clear indication of the decreasing availability of pro-ductive intertidal ecosystems and a warning of potentialfuture ecological disasters, including irreversible impactson fisheries, that could adversely affect human health andlivelihoods, and undermine investments;

RECALLING that all countries along the EAAF are Par-ties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) andhave adopted the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020and the Aichi Targets, of which Targets 5, 12 and 14 areparticularly relevant;

DEEPLY CONCERNED that if urgent action is nottaken to address the loss of intertidal wetlands, ability tomeet the Aichi Targets will be seriously impaired; and

NOTING the independent report “IUCN situationanalysis on East and Southeast Asian intertidal habitats,with particular reference to the Yellow Sea (including theBohai Sea)” produced in August 2012 by the IUCNSpecies Survival Commission (SSC) with the Asia Re-gional Office, as context for this motion;


1. REQUESTS the Director General, IUCN Commis-sions and Members to undertake an in-depth studythat:

a. investigates the benefits of ecosystem servicesprovided by intertidal wetlands, especially tidalflats and associated habitats, in East Asia withparticular reference to the Yellow Sea, in relationto the benefits arising from the reclamation (landclaim) or conversion of such habitats;

b. includes case studies focused on endangeredbirds and their habitats and develops habitatmapping as a tool and knowledge basis for se-lection, conservation and restoration of key sitesfor endangered birds;

c. provides a list of the key migratory waterbirdsites and a network of experts to share experi-ences in the conservation and restoration of ricepaddies, estuaries and intertidal wetlands as im-portant habitats for endangered birds in the re-gion; and

d. evaluates the status of endangered birds andtheir habitats and suggests prioritized sites re-quiring urgent conservation and restoration;

2. ENCOURAGES governments along the EAAF torecognize the international importance of their inter-tidal wetlands for biodiversity and ecosystem services,halting further approval of intertidal mudflat recla-mation (land claim) at priority sites for biodiversity,irrespective of protection status, until a full assess-ment of the economics of ecological services andidentification of biodiversity needs can be completed;

3. FURTHER ENCOURAGES governments alongthe EAAF, in view of the importance of coopera-tion between countries for achieving effective man-agement, to develop international and national actionplans by 2014 to secure the future of this funda-mentally important resource, focusing on:

a. agreeing on the key sites for endangered birdsthat require urgent conservation and restoration,leading to the conservation, before 2020, of atleast 10% of the intertidal zone as sustainablymanaged protected areas;

b. strengthening the Ramsar Convention (includingencouraging ratification by the Democratic Peo-ple’s Republic of Korea) to highlight the impor-tance of key sites and improve funding andcapacity to manage them;

c. strengthening protected area legislation and man-agement, including increasing flexibility regard-ing the integration and control of humanactivities, to ensure achievement of conservationobjectives;

d. ensuring that enhanced coastal zone planning re-sults in stability of the biodiversity of the inter-tidal zone by embracing the principles ofsustainable development and specifically by fullyconsidering the ecological services and depend-ent biodiversity of tidal flats and associated habi-tats in integrated planning that incorporatesappropriate Strategic Environmental Assessmentand Environmental Impact Assessmentprocesses, including appropriate site selectionthat considers alternatives, design to reduce im-pacts, compensation for unavoidable residualdamage, and monitoring to assess mitigation ef-fectiveness and trigger adaptive management;


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e. restoring impounded internationally importantintertidal wetlands through increasing tidal ex-change to such sites;

f. strengthening levels of awareness, transparencyand public participation as regards the impor-tance, values and benefits of tidal flats and asso-ciated habitats;

g. improving understanding of bird conservationneeds via increased population monitoring andresearch on migratory bird patterns and ecolog-ical requirements; and

h. using the EAAF Partnership, a Ramsar RegionalInitiative, as a mechanism for implementing aclear strategy to guide investments, programmesand activities for strengthening habitat andspecies protection along the EAAF; and

4. FURTHER REQUESTS the Director General andIUCN Commissions (to the extent possible withinavailable resources) to:

a. provide assistance to governments along theEAAF, and particularly those around the YellowSea, to find sustainable means of managing in-tertidal wetlands that meet the needs of economicdevelopment and biodiversity conservation, andto provide support to the proposed or existingnational and international action plans as required;

b. provide assistance to IUCN Members to providetechnical advice, contribute to awareness raising,capacity building and management action; and

c. report to the next IUCN World ConservationCongress on progress achieved.

WCC-2012-Res-029-ENCombating the illegal or unsustainablecapture, trade or killing of migratorybirds in the Mediterranean

OBSERVING that the countries around the Mediter-ranean serve as important wintering, staging and breedinggrounds for many species of the African-Eurasian flyway;

FURTHER OBSERVING that bird migrations are oneof the most remarkable phenomena in nature and that

during their migrations birds are particularly vulnerable tochanges, disturbances and dangers, such as hunting,which requires careful management and governance toensure it is practiced sustainably;

BEARING IN MIND that over 40% of long-distancemigrants in the African-Eurasian flyway have shownsigns of decline over the last three decades and that gov-ernments therefore need to adopt urgent measures as thissituation represents a serious threat to nature conserva-tion and to ecosystem balance;

CONSIDERING that the protection and conservationof migratory birds is a shared responsibility of all coun-tries of origin, destination and transit, both in the Euro-pean Union (EU) and in the rest of the Mediterraneanbasin;

BEARING IN MIND the fact that millions of birds mi-grating between Europe and Africa are shot during thebreeding season and on their migratory journey, or arecaptured and killed using massive and indiscriminatemethods such as poison, nets, traps and glue, in manycases to justify the maintenance of old and popular tra-ditions, and often for financial profit for individuals ororganized crime generating illegal and untaxed benefitsnot related to basic survival needs;

CONSIDERING that some Mediterranean countries arecovered by national legislation and European directivesthat should adequately protect migratory birds but thatthese countries do not make the necessary efforts to cor-rectly implement and enforce this legislation, authorizingor tolerating methods that result in the death or capturesof millions of migratory birds every year;

RECOGNIZING that some Mediterranean countrieshave adequate legislation to protect migratory birds andthat this legislation is generally enforced, but that illegalkilling or capture may still occur and that this should beeradicated;

CONSIDERING that other countries have extremely in-sufficient legislation with regard to the hunting of mi-gratory birds or do not have the necessary means toenforce their legislation;

RECOGNIZING the efforts made by some countriesto implement the EU Birds Directive through its trans-position into State legislation and its enforcement;


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ALARMED at the fact that large numbers of birds, par-ticularly migratory birds, die every year in the countriesof the Mediterranean basin because of this, and thatmany of them belong to species whose populations arein serious decline;

RECALLING that specific recommendations were madeto governments and civil society in this regard at the Eu-ropean Conference on Illegal Killing of Birds, held inLarnaca (Cyprus) on 7 July 2011, at which it was notedthat the solutions to these problems often require a spe-cial cultural sensitivity and full application of the law asa first, essential step in this process; and

FURTHER RECALLING the EU’s responsibility formigratory bird conservation, being a Contracting Partyto the Convention on the Conservation of MigratorySpecies of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention), as well asto the Convention on the Conservation of EuropeanWildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) andhaving adopted the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) andthe Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC);


1. URGES:

a. the countries of the Mediterranean basin whichhave adequate legislation on hunting of migra-tory birds to ensure that this legislation is rigor-ously enforced;

b. EU Member States in the Mediterranean basinto enforce their bird protection legislation and torigorously apply the guidelines of the EU BirdsDirective. Any use of derogations under Article9 of this Directive should be very restricted andcan only be allowed under certain strict condi-tions and if stringent controls and reporting canbe ensured, with the aim of avoiding any misuseof the derogations permitted by Article 9;

c. countries with insufficient legislation on migratorybird hunting, or which either do not have legisla-tion or do not have the necessary means to en-force legislation, to devote the necessary effort toputting legislation in place that will guarantee theconservation of migratory birds on their territory;

d. the countries of the Mediterranean basin to sup-port the development and implementation,under the Convention on Migratory Species, ofan Action Plan for the conservation of African-Eurasian migratory landbirds and their habitatsthroughout the flyway, for adoption at the 11th

Meeting of the Conference of the Parties, ascalled for by CMS Resolution 10.27, ensuringthat a strong component of the Action Plan in-cludes measures to address the unsustainablecapture or killing of migratory landbirds in theMediterranean; and

e. the countries of the Mediterranean basin to sup-port the development and implementation, underthe Convention on Migratory Species, through anintersessional working group, of guidelines onminimizing poisoning of birds, for adoption atthe 11th Meeting of the Conference of the Par-ties, as called for by CMS Resolution 10.26; and

2. REQUESTS the Director General to:

a. promote and cooperate with efforts to eradicateillegal or unsustainable bird capture trade andkilling in the Mediterranean basin, with the helpof the IUCN Commissions;

b. communicate this Resolution to all organizationsmentioned therein;

c. involve IUCN Members around the Mediter-ranean in cooperative efforts to eradicate the il-legal or unsustainable capture, trade and killingof migratory birds; and

d. ensure the engagement of appropriate IUCN ex-pertise in the work of the CMS Working Groupon Combating Poisoning.


WCC-2012-Res-030-ENThe conservation of Asian horseshoecrabs

RECOGNIZING that of four species of horseshoecrabs found globally, three, namely Tachypleus tridentatus,


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Tachypleus gigas and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, are re-stricted to Asia (hereinafter collectively “Asian horseshoecrabs”) and are facing similar threatening processes;

NOTING that range States include, but are not limitedto, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines,China and Japan, and that Asian horseshoe crabs havesymbolic cultural value in parts of Asia;

RECOGNIZING that horseshoe crabs belong to a classof arthropods termed Merostomata, that are closely re-lated to the pre-historic trilobites, and are accordingly ofpaleontological significance;

RECOGNIZING that Asian horseshoe crabs have bio-medical significance and that their blood, especially of T.tridentatus, is employed in the pharmaceutical industry toproduce the bacteria-detecting Tachypleus AmoebocyteLysate (TAL);

NOTING that their habitats include seabeds, intertidalsandy beaches and mudflats, mangroves, river inlets andseagrass beds, and that these serve, inter alia, as dwellingzones, foraging grounds, breeding areas, hatcheries andnurseries;

RECOGNIZING, even as ecological studies are beingundertaken, that they have an extremely important placein the marine food chain as scavengers and as predatorsand prey, and that their eggs and young could help sustainbird and marine species;

RECOGNIZING that the classification of all threespecies of Asian horseshoe crabs as “Data Deficient” onthe IUCN Red List was published in 1996 and has beenrecognized as in need of updating, especially in the lightof current knowledge;

WELCOMING the recent establishment of the Horse-shoe Crab Specialist Group under the auspices of theIUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), and AC-KNOWLEDGING the efforts being made by conser-vationists and scientists to study their distributionpatterns, ecological needs, reproductive behaviour, pop-ulation status and their relationship with other species,throughout their range and threats facing them;

RECALLING especially Resolution 2.20 adopted by the2nd IUCN World Conservation Congress (Amman, 2000)on the Conservation of marine biodiversity;

CONCERNED that Asian horseshoe crab populationshave been or may be decimated by:

a. habitat destruction and degradation caused by landreclamation, coastal dredging and development, theconstruction of coastal fortifications that preventbeach expansion, shoreline modification, and the ex-cavation and disturbance of seabeds;

b. habitat disturbance and the impact of pollution onpopulations and habitats; and

c. the exploitation, harvesting and trade in Asian horse-shoe crabs, particularly, T. tridentatus, for the commer-cial production of TAL, and T. tridentatus and T. gigasfor food, and losses resulting from fisheries’ by-catch;

CONCERNED that population declines may be accel-erated by low population density, low genetic diversity,limited connectivity among populations, low survivalrates of eggs and young and climate-change induced sea-level rise, such that restoration of viable populations maybe challenging;

RECOGNIZING that their conservation can best be ad-vanced by national and regional governments, non-gov-ernmental organizations, indigenous and communitygroups, educational, zoological and scientific bodies, andthe private sector; and

RECOGNIZING that, given the various threats facedby Asian horseshoe crabs throughout their range, it is es-sential to apply the Precautionary Principle as set out inPrinciple 15 of the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment andDevelopment and noted in Resolution 3.075 Applying the Pre-cautionary Principle in environmental decision-making and man-agement adopted by the 3rd IUCN World ConservationCongress (Bangkok, 2004), and to expedite all efforts toconserve them, even as research is being undertaken anddata are being gathered to support their conservation;


1. ENCOURAGES Members to conserve Asianhorseshoe crabs as important biological resourcesessential for sustenance of broader ecosystems, asimportant natural and scientific resources needingsustainable management and as culturally symbolicspecies’;


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2. ENCOURAGES Members to identify critical habi-tats that sustain them and recalling Decision VII/5of the 7th Conference of the Parties to the Conven-tion on Biological Diversity (CBD) on NationalFrameworks of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas,to address, through appropriate integrated marineand coastal management approaches, all threats totheir habitats, including all activities and incentive sys-tems that support their destruction and unsustain-able use and to formally protect these habitats;

3. RECALLING Resolution VII.21 of the 7th Meetingof the Conference of the Contracting Parties to theRamsar Convention on Wetlands on enhancing theconservation and wise use of intertidal wetlands,ENCOURAGES Members to identify, conserve and,where appropriate, designate as wetlands of interna-tional importance, intertidal wetlands, including mud-flats, sandy beaches, mangroves and seagrass bedsthat sustain and support Asian horseshoe crab pop-ulations, and to propose them as “flagship species”for the conservation of such ecosystems;

4. ENCOURAGES Members to promote sustainabledevelopment in areas adjacent to Asian horseshoecrab habitats with a view to protecting those habitats,to discourage activities that could adversely affect theconnectivity between different habitats or alter natu-ral processes, such as tide-flows, and to rehabilitateand restore degraded ecosystems, and re-stock pop-ulations to promote the recovery of their numbers;

5. URGES Members to identify the threats faced byAsian horseshoe crabs in national and local jurisdic-tions, to support the use of legislative, regulatory andpolicy instruments and alternative mechanisms, in-cluding incentive systems, financing structures andmanagement strategies, in addressing their conserva-tion and to support the introduction of provisionsrelating to them and the efforts of enforcementagencies in protecting them;

6. ENCOURAGES Members to promote citizen sci-ence, community participation, education and greaterawareness, as integral elements in the conservationof Asian horseshoe crabs and as prerequisites for thedevelopment of capacity and knowledge that will fur-ther such efforts;

7. URGES Members to encourage in all jurisdictionsgreater research and study into Asian horseshoe crabsand challenges to their conservation, and to support

and facilitate the efforts of the IUCN HorseshoeCrab Specialist Group; and

8. ENCOURAGES transboundary cooperation byStates, non-governmental organizations and educa-tional, scientific and zoological bodies to further theirconservation.


WCC-2012-Res-031-ENPrecautionary tuna managementthrough target and limit referencepoints and improved drifting FishAggregating Device (FAD) management

ALARMED that two tuna species were listed as CriticallyEndangered and Endangered in the 2011 IUCN Red List as-sessment: Southern Bluefin (Thunnus maccoyii) were assessed asCritically Endangered, Atlantic Bluefin (T. thynnus) as En-dangered;

CONCERNED that a third species was listed as Vulner-able: Bigeye (T. obesus);

RECOGNIZING that two further species were listed asNear Threatened: Yellowfin (T. albacares) and Albacore (T.alalunga) and two species as Least Concern: Skipjack (Kat-suwonus pelamis) and Pacific Bluefin (T. orientalis);

CONCERNED that there are no formally approved har-vest control rules for any of the tunas;

NOTING that the five tuna Regional Fisheries Manage-ment Organizations (RFMOs) are responsible for themanagement of tuna species in an area that extendsacross 91%, or 325 million square miles, of the Earth’socean surface;

NOTING ALSO that up to 60% of the 23 tuna stocksare more or less fully exploited, and up to 35% are over-exploited or depleted, according to The State of World Fish-eries and Aquaculture 2010 of the Food and AgricultureOrganization (FAO) of the United Nations;

ACKNOWLEDGING Article 6 of the United NationsAgreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of


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the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Searelating to the Conservation and Management of Strad-dling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks(UNFSA), the Western and Central Pacific FisheriesCommission convention text, and the Antigua Conven-tion of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission,all of which call on States and members to apply the pre-cautionary approach in order to protect living marine re-sources and preserve the marine environment;

RECOGNIZING that of the two types of precaution-ary reference points that should be used according toAnnex II of the UNFSA, conservation, or limit, refer-ence points set boundaries which are intended to con-strain harvesting within safe biological limits withinwhich stocks can produce maximum sustainable yield;that harvest control rules are needed to direct conserva-tion action relative to the reference points; and that a spe-cific harvest management plan is necessary to enumerateand organize the requirement for sustainable precaution-ary fishery management;

AWARE that approximately half of the global tuna catchcomes from fisheries that employ Fish Aggregating De-vices (FADs), but information on the exact number ofFADs deployed and their locations is generally not sharedwith fisheries scientists and managers;

NOTING WITH CONCERN that the scale of driftingFAD deployment could alter the overall function of theocean ecosystem and change the natural behaviour ofmarine species without proper precautionary manage-ment in place and that more research is needed;

CONCERNED about the impacts from the uncon-strained use of FADs including, inter alia, large increasesin fishing mortality of juvenile Yellowfin and Bigeye, dif-ferences in sizes and ages of target catch compared withfree-school caught tuna, increased difficulty of properlyassessing the status of individual tuna populations, andhigh rates of bycatch, including sharks, sea turtles and ju-venile tuna; and

FURTHER WELCOMING recommendations fromparticipants at the 2011 International Symposium onTuna Fisheries and FADs, Tahiti, France, 28 November–2 December 2011;


1. CALLS on tuna RFMOs to establish harvest controlrules including target and limit reference points formanaged tuna stocks as a step in implementing pre-cautionary management and beginning to reverse thealarming decline in the status of some tuna stocks;

2. FURTHER CALLS on tuna RFMOs and govern-ments to take steps to improve the traceability oftuna catch, and where appropriate consider the im-plementation of a catch documentation schemethrough the use of electronic reporting, as well as tominimize illegal, unregulated and unreported tunafishing;

3. URGES RFMOs to take the action below with re-gards to Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) manage-ment;

4. CALLS on IUCN State and government agencyMembers to take precautionary management actions,such as the implementation of target and limit refer-ence points for tunas in waters under national juris-diction, in a manner compatible with any measurestaken by the relevant tuna RFMO;

5. URGES IUCN State and government agency Mem-bers with vessels fishing on drifting FADs to developappropriate resolutions that establish FAD manage-ment plans, through and in conjunction with their re-spective RFMOs, that require Member States tosubmit FAD information that is standard acrossfleets and regions so that RFMO scientific commit-tees have better information on the extent of theiruse, and potential ecosystem impacts associated withthe uncontrolled proliferation of drifting FADs, in-cluding:

a. requiring vessels to report the number and sta-tus (i.e. retrieved or left in water) of deployed andfished drifting FADs per trip;

b. recording the use of supply vessels to aid in drift-ing FAD fisheries;

c. inventory and take measures to track all driftingFADs in their respective convention areas to un-derstand the scope of use and enable effectiveregulation; and

d. undertaking research and scientific trials to de-termine how to reduce catch of non-targetspecies when fishing on drifting FADs;


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6. URGES members of tuna RFMOs to implement100 per cent observer coverage on large purse seinevessels for compliance purposes with drifting FADmeasures and provide data to RFMOs;

7. ALSO URGES IUCN, particularly Species SurvivalCommission (SSC) members and relevant SpecialistGroups, to engage with RFMO scientific committeesas a way of providing scientific advice and expertise;and

8. CALLS ON the Director General to promote andstrive to achieve the actions described in paragraphs1–7 above.

WCC-2012-Res-032-ENAction to recover the Atlantic BluefinTuna (Thunnus thynnus) population inthe Eastern Atlantic and theMediterranean

CONSIDERING Resolution 4.028 Action for the recoveryof the East Atlantic and Mediterranean population of AtlanticBluefin Tuna Thunnus thynnus, adopted by the 4th IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008) in whichthe Director General of IUCN was asked to urge thegovernments involved in the management of this species,through the International Commission for the Conser-vation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), to curb the overfishingof this species through illegal catches both by the stateand the private sectors;


1. URGES IUCN Members that are members ofICCAT to continue to engage in improving conser-vation and management measures for AtlanticBluefin Tuna in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediter-ranean Sea; and

2. CALLS ON the Director General to request thatICCAT, at its next annual meeting:

a. takes meaningful measures to address non-compli-ance with ICAAT recommendations for the con-servation of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, such as closingthe fishery of ICCAT Contracting Parties that havenot complied with the Capacity Reduction Plan

approved by ICCAT in 2009, and/or have not im-plemented the approved control measures, and toamend this Capacity Reduction Plan in accordancewith recommendations made by the StandingCommittee on Research and Statistics (SCRS) andtaking into account the best available science re-flecting total fishing mortality;

b. applies sanctions, including the withdrawal offishing rights, against ICCAT members whoseflagged vessels are violating applicable manage-ment measures;

c. considers the creation of sanctuaries at theICAAT 2012 meeting in accordance with scien-tific advice of the SCRS; and

d. considers options for improving implementationof ICCAT’s Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)programme.

WCC-2012-Res-033-ENIncreasing the attention given to theconservation of fungi

NOTING that fungi are an independent biological king-dom separate from animals and plants;

AWARE that there is widespread agreement among sci-entists that there are probably far more fungal speciesthan plant species;

EMPHASIZING that fungi play a key role as the recy-clers of ecosystems and that without fungi, life, if it wereto exist at all on this planet, would be very different;

NOTING that fungi occur in all parts of the world, in allmajor freshwater, terrestrial and marine ecosystems, andprovide many of the checks and balances necessary forthe healthy functioning of these ecosystems;

RECOGNIZING that fungi are enormously importantin the provision of ecosystem services including:

a. degrading plant debris and recycling the nutrientsfrom plant decomposition;

b. supplying key nutrients to plants (as mycorrhizalsymbionts);


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c. acting as an important source of antibiotics, statinsand other pharmaceuticals, as well as having othercommercial and industrial applications; and

d. being a much-valued human food source;

CONCERNED that the worldwide conservation move-ment gives fungi far less attention and priority than ei-ther animals or plants;

ALSO CONCERNED that only a handful of fungusspecies have so far been assessed for the IUCN Red Listof Threatened Species;

STRONGLY BELIEVING that fungi are as threatenedas animals and plants, as they have no special attributeswhich protect them from climate change, foraging, habi-tat destruction, persecution and pollution, and serious de-clines of certain groups of fungi have been linked tothreatening processes such as nitrification; and

AWARE that as a first step in giving higher profile to theconservation of fungi, the IUCN Species Survival Com-mission (SSC) has established five Specialist Groups towork on fungi during the 2009–2012 quadrennium;


1. CALLS ON all of the component parts of IUCN,including Members, Commissions and the Secre-tariat, and the conservation movement more gener-ally, to place much greater emphasis and priority onthe conservation of fungi, and to recognize that fungiconstitute a kingdom in their own right, and so themuch-used phrase “animals and plants” is not a suf-ficient description of all life on Earth;

2. REQUESTS SSC, working with Members and part-ners as required, to greatly increase the number offungal assessments for the IUCN Red List of Threat-ened Species, focusing, among others, on:

a. species dependent on highly threatened places,habitats or associations, and so which are a priorilikely to face high extinction risk;

b. species for which extinction risk data have al-ready been compiled, e.g. the 3,117 North Amer-ican taxa for which data are maintained byNatureServe;

c. groups of fungi that are believed to be effectiveindicators of the impacts of major threateningprocesses such as nitrification;

d. well-known, charismatic fungi, including thoseof high value as food for humans; and

e. statistically representative samples of some ofthe better known fungal groups; and

3. CALLS ON all governments to give greater priorityto mycology, including mycological taxonomy andthe discovery and description of currently unknownspecies, and to underline the importance of buildinggreater capacity in the science of mycology world-wide as an essential basis for future conservationmeasures.

WCC-2012-Res-034-ENStrengthening training and capacitiesfor botanical gardens and arboreta stafffor the Global Strategy of PlantConservation (GSPC) 2020 in East Asia

ACKNOWLEDGING that the East Asian region rep-resents almost all biogeographical regions of subtropicaland temperate, as well as cold temperate forests, includ-ing species diversity and habitat heterogeneity;

EXPRESSING CONCERN that in East Asia speciesand their habitats are dramatically degraded by high pop-ulation density and rapid economic growth, and thatoverall public awareness of plant diversity conservationneeds to be improved;

WELCOMING Decision X/17 of the 10th Meeting ofthe Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biolog-ical Diversity (CBD) on adopting the consolidated up-date of the Global Strategy of Plant Conservation (GSPC)including the outcome-oriented global targets for 2011–2020 as a flexible framework within which nationaland/or regional targets may be developed, according tonational priorities and capacities;

ACKNOWLEDGING that the GSPC is a vital tool towork together to halt the degradation trends of plant di-versity in the region, by networking regionally and sup-porting national efforts in managing species and habitatsin the respective countries;

AWARE that the loss of plant diversity, including habitatand genetic diversity, directly affects human well-being in


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the region, as well as cultural diversity which is amongthe oldest cultural heritage in the world;

RECOGNIZING the important contribution to GSPCimplementation made by the East Asia Botanic GardenNetwork;

WELCOMING the active effort to review the imple-mentation status of the GSPC in Asia by publication ofthe Asian Plant Conservation Report 2010;

RECALLING that overall progress at the 3rd Meeting ofthe East Asian Botanic Gardens Network in October2010 in Nagoya, Japan emphasized the establishment ofa network to prepare the candidate species list of the re-gion, working together for the assessment of red-listingbeyond political barriers; and

EMPHASIZING the need to widen the scope of activ-ities of the botanic gardens and arboreta in implementa-tion of the targets of GSPC 2011–2020;


1. REQUESTS the IUCN Species Survival Commis-sion (SSC), Botanic Gardens Conservation Interna-tional, and regional plant conservation bodies toundertake activities for plant conservation in EastAsia that include, but are not limited to:

a. supporting the East Asia Botanic Gardens Net-work in its plant conservation work towardsachieving the GSPC targets in countries of theregion;

b. facilitating government-NGO collaboration to-wards the achievement of GSPC;

c. building capacity of both government and non-government organizations to implement the GSPCat regional, sub-regional and country scale; and

d. supporting further collection and collation of in-formation on ethnobotanical and sustainable useof plant resources in relation to cultural diversity;

2. CALLS ON the umbrella structure under the EastAsia Botanic Gardens Network to facilitate theGSPC 2020 targets in the region by:

a. supporting collaborative research on the conser-vation of species which are commonly endan-gered in the region;

b. promoting staff exchanges on a long-term andshort-term basis;

c. implementing selected targets through botanicalgardens and arboreta and showcasing their ownachievable GSPC targets;

d. facilitating collaboration with relevant institutesoutside botanic gardens to achieve GSPC targetsIV, V, VI and X;

e. implementing periodic assessments of GSPCtargets in countries within the region; and

f. supporting the assessment of capacity-buildingneeds for plant conservation in the region; and

3. URGES all countries in the region to develop theEast Asia Regional Strategy for Plant Conservationunder the GSPC.


WCC-2012-Res-035-ENFacilitating conservation through theestablishment of protected areas as a basis for achieving Target 11 of theStrategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020

RECOGNIZING the significance of the 20 Aichi Tar-gets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, and therenewed commitment embodied in Target 11: “By 2020,at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water areas,and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especiallyareas of particular importance for biodiversity andecosystem services, are conserved through effectively andequitably managed, ecologically representative and wellconnected systems of protected areas and other effectivearea-based conservation measures, and integrated intothe wider landscapes and seascapes”:

ACKNOWLEDGING the invitation by the 10th Meetingof the Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the Con-vention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to internationalorganizations, including IUCN, to provide scientific in-formation and to assist Parties to implement the CBDProgramme of Work on Protected Areas and in particular, to


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develop national and regional targets, and to monitorprogress towards the achievement of the Aichi Targetsincluding Target 11;

RECOGNIZING IUCN’s responsibility to maintain theWorld Database on Protected Areas through its partner-ship with the United Nations Environment ProgrammeWorld Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC),and IUCN’s leadership role in setting conservation stan-dards for determining sites of global biodiversity conser-vation significance to guide national gap analysis,protected area management categories, governance typesand management effectiveness assessments;

AWARE also that Target 11 can only be met by includ-ing protected areas governed by government agencies,those under shared governance arrangements; areas inprivate ownership, and territories and areas conservedby indigenous peoples and local communities, and byrecognizing and supporting them in national and sec-toral development, natural resource management pro-grammes and through cooperation at all levels in anintegrated manner including national, regional and in-ternational cooperation;

RECOGNIZING that effectively managed protectedareas, when linked to critical migration corridors, can serveto anchor the conservation goals and biodiversity integrityof larger landscapes counted towards Target 11 goals;

CONSCIOUS that the expansion of protected area sys-tems should only be pursued with full and effective par-ticipation of affected stakeholders, in full respect of theirrights and cultural values, and in recognition of their re-sponsibilities, cognizant of the United Nations Declara-tion on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and

AWARE, however, that there is a need to interpret theimplications of Target 11 at national and regional scalesto enhance action and accountability and to clarify termsand measures, including the use of the term “other ef-fective area-based conservation measures”;


1. REQUESTS the Biodiversity Indicators Partnershipto analyze the extent to which existing protectedarea systems meet Target 11 at global, regional andnational scales, and make this analysis available toParties to the CBD for consideration in their plan-ning and reporting;

2. RECOMMENDS that national governments ac-knowledge the IUCN definition of a protected area1,including the full range of protected area manage-ment categories and governance types as a primarybasis for the inclusion of protected areas to con-tribute towards meeting Target 11; and

3. REQUESTS the IUCN Commissions, IUCN Mem-bers, UNEP-WCMC, the ICCA Consortium andother organizations to collaborate in support ofCBD Decision X/2 to:

a. review and where appropriate develop additionaltechnical guidance for national governments tocontribute towards meeting Target 11, focusingon aspects related to: “areas of particular impor-tance for biodiversity and ecosystem services”,“effectively and equitably managed, ecologicallyrepresentative and well-connected systems ofprotected areas” and “ integrated into the widerlandscapes and seascapes”;

b. develop criteria for what constitutes “effectivearea-based conservation measures”, including for,inter alia, Private Protected Areas, Indigenous Peo-ples’ Conserved Territories and Areas Conservedby Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities(ICCAs), and Sacred Natural Sites (SNS);

c. draw upon existing social safeguard policies topropose guidance and tools that support the ef-fective participation of indigenous peoples, localcommunities and other stakeholders regardinggovernance and management in systems of pro-tected areas, and the recognition of the rightsof indigenous peoples with regard to their ter-ritories, property or resources and the applica-tion of the principle of free, prior and informedconsent;


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1 A protected area is defined by IUCN as a “clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated and managed, through legalor other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values”.Dudley, N. (Editor) (2008). Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. x + 86pp.http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/PAPS-016.pdf

d. develop guidance, disseminate information andprovide assistance regarding the legal tools andmechanisms and decision-support systems forachieving the integration of protected area sys-tems into land-use and marine spatial plans, andsectoral development plans;

e. promote guidance and training to expand regularassessment of management effectiveness to allprotected areas and develop and implement asystem for the voluntary appraisal of protectedarea management effectiveness and governancequality that will illuminate and communicate in-novative and effective approaches to protectedarea management and governance (e.g. the IUCNGreen List of Well-Governed and Well-ManagedProtected Areas); and

f. further update, refine and develop the keydatasets to support publication of regular edi-tions of the Protected Planet Report that willmonitor progress towards the achievement ofTarget 11 at global, regional and national scales.


WCC-2012-Res-036-ENBiodiversity, protected areas and KeyBiodiversity Areas

DISMAYED that the destruction and conversion of nat-ural habitats continues to be the primary driver of biodi-versity loss;

UNDERSTANDING therefore that the primary con-servation response must be to safeguard places of biodi-versity conservation significance within protected areas;

CELEBRATING that protected areas of all classes andgovernance types have long been successful as the cor-nerstone of biodiversity conservation action;

RECOGNIZING IUCN’s leadership role in guiding suchresponses through the establishment of conservationstandards and maintenance of data systems that allowpublication by the global conservation community of datameeting these standards, and specifically the roles of:

a. the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) in fa-cilitating measurement of species extinction riskthrough the 2001 IUCN Red List Categories and Crite-ria and publication of the data through the IUCN RedList of Threatened Species; and

b. the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas(WCPA) in facilitating documentation of protectedarea management objectives through the Guidelinesfor applying protected area management categories and pub-lication of data, in partnership with the United Na-tions Environment Programme World ConservationMonitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), through theWorld Database on Protected Areas, and further toDecision IX/18 of the Conference of the Parties(COP) of the Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD);

WELCOMING the efforts of the WCPA/SSC JointTask Force on Biodiversity and Protected Areas, in col-laboration with IUCN Members including WWF and theZoological Society of London, partner organizationssuch as UNEP-WCMC, the University of Copenhagen,and the University of Queensland, and many others, tobetter understand how biodiversity is changing insideprotected areas, determine the linkages between thesebiodiversity trends and protected area management, com-pare this with changes outside protected areas, andthereby inform adaptive management and policy deci-sions for conservation success;

FURTHER WELCOMING the efforts of the sameWCPA/SSC Joint Task Force in consolidating standardsfor the identification of Key Biodiversity Areas as sites ofglobal biodiversity conservation significance in fulfilmentof Resolution 3.013 The uses of the IUCN Red List ofThreatened Species adopted by the 3rd IUCN World Con-servation Congress (Bangkok, 2004), providing an um-brella for existing efforts from numerous IUCN Memberinstitutions, and supporting, inter alia, Aichi Target 11 ofthe Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, Programme El-ement 1 of the CBD’s Programme of Work on ProtectedAreas and Target 5 of its Global Strategy for Plant Conserva-tion, as well as the Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative,the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the UNESCOConvention Concerning the Protection of the WorldCultural and Natural Heritage, the HCV Resource Net-work, the Alliance for Zero Extinction, and regional in-tergovernmental organizations such as the ASEANCentre for Biodiversity; and


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CONCERNED, however, that the conservation com-munity has as yet no system into which to publish eitherdata on population trends of species inside and outsideprotected areas, the effectiveness of reserve managementat delivering positive biodiversity outcomes, or the globalsignificance and protected area coverage of importantareas for biodiversity;


1. REQUESTS the IUCN Species Survival Commis-sion (SSC), the IUCN World Commission on Pro-tected Areas (WCPA), and the Director General to:

a. support the development of a data system forcollection and publication of data linking biodi-versity and protected areas, specifically:

i. standards for data quality and quantity;

ii. trends in the distribution and abundance ofspecies inside and outside protected areas,and the linkage between species trends andprotected area management inputs; and

iii. documentation of the global significanceand protected area coverage of Key Biodi-versity Areas;

b. implement such data system development inways which build from, strengthen, and collabo-rate with, not duplicate, complementary initia-tives such as the:

i. Living Planet Index;

ii. Tropical Ecosystem Assessment and Moni-toring programme;

iii. World Biodiversity Database;

iv. Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool;and

v. Global Biodiversity Information Facility;and

c. undertake such data system development in wayswhich draw from and link to the IUCN Red Listof Threatened Species (and related systems such as

the Global Invasive Species Database), the WorldDatabase on Protected Areas, including the as-sociated management effectiveness data andemerging Green List of Protected Areas, and, atsuch a time as it becomes operational, the IUCNRed List of Ecosystems;

2. ENCOURAGES national IUCN Member institu-tions and other national conservation institutions inthe public sector, civil society and academia to:

a. utilize the standards established through the scien-tific stakeholder consultation process establishedby the WCPA/SSC Joint Task Force on Biodi-versity and Protected Areas in guiding their ef-forts in monitoring species populations inside andoutside protected areas, assessing the linkages be-tween protected area management and biodiver-sity outcomes, and documenting the globalsignificance and protected area coverage of KeyBiodiversity Areas within their jurisdictions;

b. collect, manage and publish biodiversity and pro-tected area data not only in nationally specificsystems but also in data systems to be developedfor this purpose at the global scale by IUCN andothers, with those institutions responsible fordata collection retaining the ownership of, andrights to, these data in accordance with the Prin-ciples of the Conservation Commons; and

c. ensure that these data are readily available and ac-cessible in support of decision making at all ju-risdictional levels;

3. REQUESTS the Director General to mobilize theIUCN Regional Offices and global programme insupport of these national efforts to collect, compileand publish data following global standards on bio-diversity and protected areas; and

4. INVITES the scientific bodies of the MultilateralEnvironmental Agreements to recognize the valueof these standards for monitoring species popula-tions inside and outside protected areas, and for doc-umenting the global significance and conservationcoverage of Key Biodiversity Areas, in support oftheir respective processes, and to utilize the datamaintained and published through the IUCN datasystems accordingly, further to Decision X/20 of theCBD’s Conference of the Parties.


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WCC-2012-Res-037-ENThe importance of nature conservationcriteria in land-use planning policies

ASSUMING that it has not been possible to curb theglobal processes of habitat degradation and biodiversityloss worldwide through conservation strategies and pro-grammes aimed at biodiversity conservation, and thatthere is a consensus on the need to revise the models andprinciples currently in force with regard to biodiversityconservation;

RECOGNIZING the importance of ecosystem servicesfor the general well-being of society, and in particular therole played by ecosystems in carbon sequestration, theregulation of the water cycle, the supply of water, mate-rials and food, as well as many other ecological servicesand processes;

NOTING that the land-use matrix is a physical medium,which guarantees the supply of ecosystem services, andthat actions with very variable objectives are projectedonto this matrix, subject to the resolutions established byland-use planning policies;

HIGHLIGHTING the importance of natural and semi-natural areas in the configuration and ecological qualityof the land-use matrix, as elements of connectivity, irre-spective of the level of legal protection;

CONSIDERING that land-use planning is a key policy,which allows for the design of appropriate strategies, ca-pable of reconciling the conservation of the ecologicalquality of the land-use matrix with the introduction ofthe structures and activities required for socio-economicdevelopment; and

RECALLING relevant documents on this subject, suchas: Resolution 4.062 Enhancing ecological networks and con-nectivity conservation areas, adopted by the 4th IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008); the core areaof the IUCN Programme 2013–2016 on Valuing and con-serving biodiversity, and more specifically the global re-sult 1.2 Policies in support of biodiversity conservation;goal 1.2 of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Pro-gramme of Work on Protected Areas, to integrate protectedareas into broader land- and seascapes and sectors so asto maintain ecological structure and function; the Euro-pean Union’s green infrastructure initiative, as part of itspost-2010 biodiversity policy, which aims to incorporatebiodiversity fully into EU policies; and Strategic Goal A

of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, to “Address the under-lying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodi-versity across government and society”;


1. CALLS ON States, sub-national governments andlocal Member organizations with powers in the do-main of land-use planning, to plan and manage landbearing in mind both natural and semi-natural com-ponents, and the ecological processes that take placein them, because their conservation and restorationhas a direct impact on human societies and their qual-ity of life;

2. CALLS ON States, sub-national governments andlocal Member organizations to incorporate naturalheritage conservation criteria into all sectoral policies,which, in addition to land-use planning, are relatedto land use and management;

3. PROPOSES that States, sub-national governmentsand local Member organizations with powers in thearea of land-use planning establish a land-use modelin which human settlements, transport and energy in-frastructure, farming, cattle-raising, forestry, fishingand mining activities and all other economic activi-ties are developed in harmony with the conservationof biodiversity and the natural heritage;

4. RECOMMENDS that this land-use model be de-fined using land-use planning tools and other land-use planning techniques, which include the definitionof a representative system to protect natural values,including protected areas, and that guarantees theecological permeability of the land-use matrix and al-lows for the development of ecosystem services; and


a. highlight in the IUCN Programme 2013–2016, andwithin the medium-term priorities regarding thestrengthening of policies and governance, theimportance of land-use planning as a key policyfor establishing conservation criteria applicableto the entire land-use matrix;

b. disseminate the value of green infrastructure andthe land-use matrix as a basis for environmental,cultural and socioeconomic heritage elements;


51

c. develop guidelines regarding the promotion ofgreen infrastructure through land-use planning;and

d. support existing initiatives, such as the EuropeanGreen Infrastructure, whose objectives coincidewith the objective of this motion.

WCC-2012-Res-038-ENThe Sydney VIth IUCN World ParksCongress 2014

RECALLING that the Vth IUCN World Parks Congress,entitled “Benefits Beyond Boundaries” was hosted bySouth Africa in 2003, and led to recommendations andoutputs that made a significant impact on protected areamanagement globally, through, amongst others, DecisionVII/28 of the Conference of the Parties to the Conven-tion on Biological Diversity (CBD) regarding the Pro-gramme of Work on Protected Areas;

NOTING that the Government of Australia and theState of New South Wales has offered to host the VIth

IUCN World Parks Congress in Sydney, New SouthWales, Australia in November 2014;

NOTING the excellent work already done by the IUCNWorld Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and theWorld Protected Areas Leadership Forum in preparationfor the VIth IUCN World Parks Congress;

NOTING the Jeju Declaration on National Parks andProtected Areas adopted at the National Parks CEOForum held in Jeju, Republic of Korea, on 8 September2012;

NOTING also the preparatory work that is being un-dertaken by the Government of Japan towards the AsiaParks Congress to be held in 2013, whose outputs willfeed into the VIth IUCN World Parks Congress;

NOTING also the preparatory work that is being un-dertaken by the WILD Foundation in partnership withthe Government of Spain for WILD10, the 10th WorldWilderness Congress, in Salamanca, Spain in October,2013, whose outputs will also link with the VIth IUCNWorld Parks Congress;

ACKNOWLEDGING the support already given toIUCN in preparation of the VIth IUCN World Parks

Congress by Parks Australia; Parks Victoria, Australia; theParks and Wildlife Service of Queensland, Australia; theUS National Park Service; Parks Canada and Parques Na-cionales Naturales de Colombia;

NOTING the Union’s orientation towards producingmeasurable progress in each of the three ProgrammeAreas described in the IUCN Programme 2013–2016, allof which reference the role and function of protectedareas in achieving knowledge products, results on theground and policy influence;

ALSO NOTING that the VIth IUCN World Parks Con-gress will review the global status of protected areas andthe achievement of Aichi Target 11 of the Strategic Plan forBiodiversity 2011–2020, assess the critical issues facingthem, and map out directions for both the remaining pe-riod of the Strategic Plan, and for the review of the Mil-lennium Development Goals (Goal 7) for the nextdecade and beyond; and

FURTHER NOTING that it is expected that the VIth

IUCN World Parks Congress will focus on the centralrole of protected areas in valuing and conserving nature;effective and equitable governance of nature’s use; anddeploying nature-based solutions to global challenges; allcore programmatic elements of the IUCN Programme2013–2016 that will also support the global community inmeeting the Aichi Targets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiver-sity 2011–2020 and the CBD Programme of Work on Pro-tected Areas;


1. AGREES that the VIth IUCN World Parks Congressto be held in Sydney, Australia should be a prominentfeature of the IUCN Programme 2013–2016;

2. INVITES all within the IUCN family to participateactively in the Congress;

3. URGES IUCN Members and donors to give all pos-sible financial, technical and intellectual support toensure the success of the VIth IUCN World ParksCongress, in particular to the Secretariat and WCPAin preparing for the event, through assistance to de-veloping country participants, and in the preparationand dissemination of Congress outputs; and

4. CALLS on the Director General to mobilize all partsof the Secretariat to work in support of the VIth

IUCN World Parks Congress.


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WCC-2012-Res-039-ENHealthy parks healthy people

RECOGNIZING that there is much evidence todemonstrate the integral link of nature with humanhealth and well-being;

NOTING that IUCN has often endorsed and promotedthe significance of this symbiotic relationship eitherovertly or implicitly, but it has yet to formally adopt theneed for related action;

ALSO NOTING that the April 2009 edition of IUCN’spublication World Conservation was devoted to ‘humanhealth and the environment’;

UNDERSTANDING that the modern world is facing achallenging future, in which non-communicable diseases(NCD) are the leading cause of death, more and morehealth risks are linked to lack of physical activity and poordiet and where the global urban population now exceedsthe global rural population;

CONSIDERING the following statement of the WorldHealth Organization (WHO), “Health is a state of com-plete physical, mental and social well-being and notmerely the absence of disease or infirmity”;

UNDERSTANDING that there is a direct relationshipbetween physical activity and risk reduction for coronaryheart disease, stroke and diabetes and there is a dose-re-sponse relationship for cardiovascular disease and dia-betes with risk reductions routinely occurring at levels of150 minutes of activity per week;

RECOGNIZING that the Global Strategy on Diet, PhysicalActivity and Health endorsed by the World Health Assem-bly in 2004, and the Action Plan for the Global Strategy forthe Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases 2008–2013 urge Member States to implement programmes andactions to increase levels of physical activity among theirpopulations;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that the “Health benefitsof contact with nature” report commissioned by ParksVictoria (Australia) and produced by Deakin University,Melbourne, Australia (originally 2002, revised 2008) – thefirst comprehensive worldwide literature review to iden-tify the evidence for the many benefits (both mental andphysical) that nature can provide to individuals and com-munities – has been highly acclaimed internationally;

NOTING that the much acclaimed World Wide Fundfor Nature (WWF) publication Arguments for Protection –Vital Sites – The contribution of protected areas to human healthsupported by WHO and the World Bank identifies manyof the benefits that can be realized;

AWARE that the National Trust (United Kingdom) re-cently released a report “Natural Childhood” which high-lights the need to accommodate contact with nature intochildren’s development;

RECALLING that at the last IUCN World ConservationCongress in 2008 the significance of the relationship be-tween nature and public health was recognized as one ofthe (three) Thematic Streams: “Healthy environments –healthy people”;

MINDFUL that in planning discussions for the VIth

World Parks Congress (Australia, 2014), it is evident thatthe IUCN Global Protected Areas Programme views thesignificance of the synergistic relationship between bio-diversity and human health as a vital component of thatevent’s programme, one which will contribute to greaterrecognition of the value of nature;

HIGHLIGHTING that the US National Park Service,recognizing the value and importance to its responsibili-ties, has adopted a “Healthy Parks Healthy People” ap-proach as a major strategic direction and in November2011 announced its “Healthy Parks Healthy People” USStrategic Action Plan, intended as a blueprint for illumi-nating and magnifying the power of the National ParkSystem to promote health and well-being;

NOTING that the IUCN Programme 2013–2016 is overtin its acknowledgement that biodiversity, conservationand ecosystem management can support human well-being; and

EMPHASIZING that in April 2010 the inaugural Inter-national “Healthy Parks Healthy People” Congress,staged by Parks Victoria in Melbourne, Australia attracted1200 delegates representing a variety of related disciplinesfrom 37 countries, and resulted in the Melbourne Com-muniqué which forms the basis of the present motion;


1. WELCOMES IUCN’s progressive recognition todate of the benefits of enhancing healthy ecosystemsand human health and well-being synergistically;


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2. Recommends that IUCN and IUCN Members adoptthe “Healthy Parks Healthy People” philosophy andcommit to a further understanding and strengtheningof the connection between nature and people, rec-ognizing that success depends on interdisciplinarycollaboration and alliances;

3. RECOMMENDS that IUCN and IUCN Memberswork in close cooperation with WHO, and otherglobal bodies, to strive for a healthy planet andhealthy humanity, and continue to promote, facilitateand advance the health and vitality of the world’sparks and communities;

4. RECOMMENDS that IUCN and IUCN Membersundertake, collaboratively with key global bodies, re-search and analysis to better develop compelling ra-tionale for this approach to national, sub-national andsectoral policies;

5. RECOMMENDS that IUCN and IUCN Membersimplement initiatives that deliver both human healthand biodiversity outcomes, to promote them glob-ally, and to forge partnerships and alliances with thehealth and medical care community to raise recogni-tion of parks and protected areas as a healing tooland a vital source of health and well-being; and

6. CALLS UPON all constituencies of IUCN and theirpartners and stakeholders to adopt the “HealthyParks Healthy People” philosophy.

WCC-2012-Res-040-ENEndorsement and uniform applicationof protected area managementguidelines

RECALLING Recommendation V.19.5 of the Vth WorldParks Congress that “IUCN, working in collaborationwith partner organizations, urgently produce, through anopen, participatory process, a revised, up-dated editionof the 1994 guidelines” on protected area managementcategories;

ALSO RECALLING Resolution 3.048 IUCN Guidelinesfor Protected Area Management Categories adopted by the 3rd

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004),requesting as a priority, a review and updating of the 1994IUCN Guidelines on Protected Area Management Categories;

FURTHER RECALLING the existence of the IUCNWorld Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) TaskForce on Management Categories formed to respond toResolution 3.048;

AWARE that the Conference of the Parties to the Con-vention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at its Seventh Or-dinary Meeting, 9–20 February 2004, Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia, formally recognized “the value of a single in-ternational classification system for protected areas andthe benefit of providing information that is comparableacross countries and regions” (Decision VII/28);

RECALLING the IUCN WCPA Almeria Summit in2008, where over a hundred protected area experts from60 countries reached a strong consensus on revisions tothe IUCN definition of protected area and guidance onthe protected area management categories;

ALSO RECALLING the 2008 IUCN publication Guide-lines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories pro-duced in response to Resolution 3.048 mentioned above;

FURTHER RECALLING Resolution 4.035 StrengtheningIUCN’s work on protected areas adopted by the 4th IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008);

REFERENCING Recommendation 4.123 Promotion ofCategory V and VI Protected Areas for biodiversity conservationadopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008) which recognized the work of theIUCN WCPA Task Force on Management Categoriesand the 2008 IUCN publication Guidelines for Applying Pro-tected Area Management Categories and called for use of thefull range of protected area management categories; and

RECALLING the publication in 2011 of the IUCNGuidelines for Protected Areas Legislation and its key principlesfor the use of the IUCN categories in law and policy;


1. REQUESTS the IUCN membership to endorse the2008 Guidelines for Applying Protected Area ManagementCategories;

2. URGES governments to adopt and apply the 2008Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Cate-gories; and


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3. FURTHER REQUESTS the Director General to en-sure that the Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Man-agement Categories be applied consistently acrossIUCN’s One Programme.

WCC-2012-Res-041-ENDevelopment of objective criteria for aGreen List of species, ecosystems andprotected areas

CONCERNED that biodiversity loss has acceleratedsince the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) wasadopted in 1993, and that the species and ecosystemsbeing lost, and the protected areas being degraded, arevaluable in their own right as well as critical to humanwell-being;

NOTING that the extinction of species and the diminu-tion of their populations both contribute to biodiversityloss, and that this loss leads to degradation of naturalecosystems and to a decline in the provision of ecosys-tem services;

ACKNOWLEDGING the invaluable role played by theIUCN Red Lists in assessing the extinction risk of speciesand risk of collapse of ecosystems, and of the IUCNWorld Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) in pro-moting the good management of protected area systemsglobally;

EMPHASIZING that a focus on avoiding and reversingdeclines in biodiversity loss is critical but insufficient, andtherefore must be complemented by a strategy for re-covering species and ecosystems, and promoting goodmanagement of natural systems, including through theestablishment of effectively managed protected area sys-tems, to ensure their conservation;

RECOGNIZING that a successfully conserved speciesis self-sustaining demographically and ecologically, ge-netically robust, healthy, has populations distributedacross the historical range in ecologically representativesettings, including within representative systems of pro-tected areas, and, in the case of widely distributed species,has replicate populations within each ecological setting, inorder to enhance resilience across its range;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that conservation successdepends on the restoration of threatened species and

ecosystems, and the maintenance and sound protectionof fully-functioning populations, species and ecosystems,including through respresentative and effectively man-aged systems of protected areas as insurance against ex-isting and future risks including climate change;

CELEBRATING that conservation actions over the lastfour decades, including progress towards the establish-ment of effective systems of terrestrial and marine pro-tected areas, have successfully reduced the slide ofcountless species towards extinction relative to their pro-jected status in the absence of such actions;

ALSO CELEBRATING that national governments andmany other organizations have made significant effortsto expand existing systems of protected areas to addressrepresentativeness and persistence of in situ biodiversity,and to improve management effectiveness and positiveoutcomes for biodiversity conservation in accordancewith the IUCN Durban Action Plan and the CBD’s Pro-gramme of Work on Protected Areas;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that local, national and in-ternational conservation decisions, and funding for them,frequently consider the IUCN Red List status and the de-gree of protection within protected areas when deter-mining priorities;

RECOGNIZING that WCPA is well advanced in devel-oping an IUCN Green List of Well-Managed ProtectedAreas based on objective standards to recognize successin the effective management and equitable governanceof protected areas in accordance with Aichi Target 11 ofthe Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020;

NOTING that an agreed set of conservation standardsis needed not only to measure extinction or risk of col-lapse (i.e. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria), but alsoto systematically classify conservation and managementsuccess of species and ecosystems, thus recognizing andincentivizing conservation action and complementing theIUCN Red List with objectively defined “Green Lists” atthe levels of species and ecosystems;

FURTHER NOTING that such sets of standards acrossprotected areas, species and ecosystems would reward,and also encourage investment in programmes and poli-cies that enhance and measure conservation success andmanagement effectiveness; and

ACKNOWLEDGING that, in principle, Green List cri-teria could be applied to any relevant unit and scale,


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including species, ecosystems, and protected areas andsites, landscapes and seascapes of importance for bio-diversity;


1. REQUESTS the IUCN Species Survival Commis-sion (SSC), the IUCN Commission on EcosystemManagement (CEM), and WCPA, whose expert net-works support and provide scientific guidance andinformation on species, ecosystem and protected areaconservation respectively, to conduct internationalscientific consultations to develop objective, trans-parent and repeatable criteria for Green Lists thatsystematically assess successful conservation ofspecies and ecosystems, including in protected areas;

2. REQUESTS SSC, CEM and WCPA to explore syn-ergies with the criteria being developed for the GreenList of Well-Managed Protected Areas, possibly witha view to developing a consistent approach to theGreen List Criteria across IUCN;

3. REQUESTS the Director General to provide sup-port to these efforts;

4. REQUESTS SSC, CEM and WCPA to report to thenext IUCN World Conservation Congress onprogress achieved; and

5. URGES countries to work with relevant IUCN con-stituencies to develop and implement Green Lists,and to monitor both risk and success in order to pro-vide a complete picture of the status of species andecosystems, and assess the management status andeffectiveness of protected areas throughout their en-tire global distribution.

WCC-2012-Res-042-ENProposing goals for the coverage ofprotected areas based on managementcertification and assessment systems

RECOGNIZING the importance of the 20 Aichi Tar-gets included in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020,and the renewed commitment embodied in Target 11 toprotect “at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inlandwater” and that these areas should form part of “areas ofparticular importance for biodiversity and ecosystems

services” and that these systems are “ecologically repre-sentative and well connected” and that they are also “ef-fectively and equitably managed”;

BEARING IN MIND the invitation made by the 10th

Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Con-vention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP10, Nagoya,Japan, October 2010) to international organizations, in-cluding IUCN, to provide scientific information and helpthe Parties to implement the CBD Programme of Work onProtected Areas and, in particular, to develop national andregional targets and to monitor the progress towards theachievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, includingTarget 11;

RECOGNIZING that Decision X/31 of CBD COP10invites Parties to improve the management effectivenessof protected areas and use international standard criteriafor the evaluation, extension and improvement of na-tional protected area systems;

RECOGNIZING Strategic Direction 2 of the IUCNWorld Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Strate-gic Plan 2009–2012, on knowledge, science and the man-agement of protected areas, alerting and promoting thecertified improvement of the efficiency of the manage-ment of protected areas on a global level;

RECOGNIZING IUCN’s responsibility to maintain theWorld Database on Protected Areas, in partnership withthe UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre(UNEP-WCMC), to guide national gap analysis, the man-agement categories for protected areas, governance types,and management effectiveness assessments;

AWARE also that the above-mentioned goals can onlybe met by including the protected areas governed by gov-ernment agencies; those under shared governance agree-ments; conserved areas in private ownership; and landand areas conserved by indigenous peoples and localcommunities; and through the recognition of and sup-port for the latter in national and sectoral developmentplans and in natural resource management programmes,and through transboundary and regional cooperation;

RECOGNIZING the urgent need to improve the per-formance of protected areas in order to comply withglobal conservation goals, including a decrease in the ex-tinction rate and the inclusion of endangered species inprotected area networks;


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RECOGNIZING that effectively managed protectedareas, when linked to important migration corridors, canserve to anchor conservation objectives and the biodi-versity integrity of larger landscapes, which count to-wards the goals of Target 11;

AWARE that it is only possible to improve the efficiencyof the management of protected area systems with thefull and effective participation of affected stakeholders, infull respect of their rights and cultural values, and inrecognition of their responsibilities, bearing in mind theUnited Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;and

ALSO AWARE, however, that there is a need to clarifythe implications of Target 11 at national and regionalscales in order to reinforce action and accountability andto clarify terms and measures, including the use of theterm, “effectively and equitably managed”;


ASKS IUCN’s Commissions and Members, UNEP-WCMC, the Indigenous and Community ConservedAreas (ICCA) Consortium, and other related organiza-tions to collaborate in:

a. the consolidation of the IUCN initiative to developan international certification system of protectedareas to promote good management practices, fo-cusing on guidance on the management of poten-tially damaging activities and their impacts, and assistcompliance with Aichi Target 11, and Strategic Di-rection 2 of the WCPA Strategic Plan 2009–2012;

b. the establishment of coverage goals in protectedareas with proven efficiency in the management oftheir conservation based on evaluations and certifi-cations carried out; and

c. the incorporation and strengthening in the evaluationsystems of the rights-based approach, in particularthe rights of indigenous peoples and traditional localcommunities.


WCC-2012-Res-043-ENEstablishing a forum for transboundaryprotected area managers

RECOGNIZING the fundamental importance of pro-tected areas in addressing interconnected global and re-gional issues of environmental change, degradation ofbiological and cultural resources, human and environ-mental security, and in the provision of essential envi-ronmental goods and services for human and otherecological communities;

GRATEFUL that the establishment and governance ofprotected areas have been a priority for IUCN and itsmember organizations;

NOTING however that there is a limit to the areaswhich can be set aside as protected areas, and that thoseareas reserved have geographically fixed, legally definedboundaries;

HIGHLIGHTING the vital role that ecological net-works play in the conservation of biological and culturaldiversity in the face of environmental change or insecu-rity, through, for example, improving the resilience ofecosystems and species mobility;

OBSERVING that there have been a growing numberof transboundary protected areas and increasing experi-ence in cross-border collaboration for protected areamanagement;

ACKNOWLEDGING that transboundary collaborativeconservation fosters peaceful relations while addressingcommon environmental threats;

AWARE that the IUCN World Commission on Pro-tected Areas (WCPA) has published a study on Trans-boundary Protected Areas for Peace and Co-operation, and thatmany States have furthered biodiversity conservation andpeace by establishing collaboratively managed trans-boundary protected areas;

CONCERNED that despite efforts to promote con-servation beyond borders, transboundary protectedareas face unique challenges arising from the presenceof international or subnational jurisdictional bound-aries, including, inter alia, laundering and trafficking ofnatural resources, inter-jurisdictional legal barriers con-cerning the movement of rangers, weapons and veteri-narian forces or equipment, limited resources to support


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collaborative programming, difficult fundraising forcross-border activities, regional insecurity, instability ofhigh-level political support, and limited awareness abouttransboundary conservation experiences in other partsof the world; and

BELIEVING that the effective management of trans-boundary protected areas will improve through co-learn-ing between protected area managers based on sharinginformation and experiences related to in-field challenges,concerns, best practices and opportunities specific totransboundary conservation areas;


1. CALLS UPON the Director General, WCPA, theWCPA Transboundary Conservation SpecialistGroup and Theme on Indigenous Peoples, LocalCommunities, Equity and Protected Areas(TILCEPA) to establish a forum for protected areaauthorities engaged in transboundary conservationthat promotes knowledge and information sharing,capacity building, and collaboration in addressingcommon concerns and interests, building on theWorld Parks Congress networks; and

2. REQUESTS the Director General and IUCNMembers to facilitate the participation of relevantprotected area authorities, managers and rangers inthe transboundary conservation forum.

WCC-2012-Res-044-ENImplementing ecological restorationbest practices in and around protectedareas

RECOGNIZING that the IUCN Programme 2013–2016embraces the reality that healthy and restored ecosystemsmake cost-effective contributions to meeting global chal-lenges of climate change, food security and economicand social development and that credible and trustedknowledge for valuing and conserving biodiversity shouldlead to better policy and action on the ground;

NOTING that the IUCN Programme 2013–2016 does notidentify contributions made by ecological restoration inand around protected areas to achieving specific ap-proaches and results of the Programme;

RECOGNIZING also that ecological restoration, in-cluding restoration of at least 15% of degraded ecosys-tems globally is fundamental to the achievement of thegoals of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and theAichi Targets, and particularly Target 14 and Target 15;

ACKNOWLEDGING that achieving Target 11 of theStrategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the global re-sults of the IUCN Programme 2013–2016 will require at-tention to improving the management of protected areasand enhancing connectivity between protected areas, in-cluding ecological restoration of intervening terrestrialand aquatic ecosystems, landscapes and seascapes, and ofprotected area ecosystems where they are degraded;

CONSCIOUS that addressing ecological restoration pri-orities in and around protected areas will require collab-oration among and support from partners andstakeholders to reduce pressures on protected area sys-tems and to undertake ecological restoration actions out-side protected area boundaries that contribute to theachievement of protected area goals and targets, and inparticular those related to connectivity;

RECALLING Decision VII/28, Programme of Work onProtected Areas, adopted by the 7th Meeting of the Con-ference of the Parties (COP7) to the Convention on Bi-ological Diversity (CBD), and particularly Sections 1.5.3and 1.2.5, which call for the implementation of measuresfor the rehabilitation and restoration of the ecological in-tegrity of protected areas and corridors, networks andbuffer zones; and Section 3.3.3, which calls for the de-velopment and use, as well as the transfer of, appropriatetechnology related to restoration;

ALSO RECALLING that Decision X/31 (ProtectedAreas) of the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Par-ties (COP10) to the CBD:

a. invited the IUCN World Commission on ProtectedAreas (WCPA) and other relevant organizations todevelop technical guidance related to protected areasand, inter alia, ecological restoration; and

b. urged Parties to the Convention to:

i. increase the effectiveness of protected area sys-tems in biodiversity conservation and enhancetheir resilience to climate change and otherstressors, through increased efforts in restora-tion of ecosystems and habitats and including,


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as appropriate, connectivity tools such as eco-logical corridors and/or conservation measuresin and between protected areas and adjacentlandscapes and seascapes; and

ii. include restoration activities in the action plansof the CBD Programme of Work on Protected Areas;

FURTHER RECALLING Resolution 4.036 adopted bythe 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona,2008), which asked IUCN to develop a Best Practice Pro-tected Area Guideline for Ecological Restoration, to work withgovernments on its dissemination, application and use,and to develop and implement programmes for furtherguidance, awareness raising, capacity building, monitoringand research on protected area restoration; and

RECOGNIZING that WCPA, Parks Canada and the So-ciety for Ecological Restoration, along with other part-ners, have produced best practice guidelines forecological restoration of protected areas in response toResolution 4.036;


1. WELCOMES the work of WCPA and its partnersin producing best practice guidelines for ecologicalrestoration of protected areas and recognizes theirrelevance to restoration in and around protectedareas;

2. REAFFIRMS that ecological restoration for pro-tected areas should contribute to broad societal goalsrelated to biodiversity conservation, climate changeadaptation and mitigation, and human well-being, aswell as to specific protected area goals by re-estab-lishing natural and associated values of protectedareas, maximizing beneficial outcomes while mini-mizing costs in time, resources and effort, engagingwith partners and stakeholders, promoting participa-tion, and enhancing visitor experience;

3. CALLS UPON Parties to the CBD and their part-ners and stakeholders to adopt the Best Practice Pro-tected Area Guideline for Ecological Restoration producedby WCPA and its partners as technical guidance tosupport them in implementing Decision X/31 (Pro-tected Areas) of CBD COP10 and other relevant de-cisions related to the CBD Programme of Work onProtected Areas;

4. CALLS UPON all IUCN constituencies to supportgovernments and other partners and stakeholders inimplementing actions enumerated in DecisionX/31.B.7 (Restoration of ecosystems and habitats ofprotected areas) of CBD COP10;

5. FURTHER CALLS UPON all IUCN constituenciesto support the Director General in implementing theinitiatives enumerated below;

6. REQUESTS the Director General to work in closecooperation with the IUCN Commissions, particu-larly WCPA and all global thematic programmes,along with international terrestrial and marine pro-tected area organizations, indigenous peoples, learnedsocieties, sectoral management bodies, industries andnon-government organizations to:

a. develop, disseminate and implement assessmenttools and related guidance for identifying prior-ity locations for ecological restoration of pro-tected areas and surrounding aquatic andterrestrial ecosystems, landscapes and seascapesthat will efficiently support achievement of thegoals and targets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiver-sity 2011–2020, particularly Aichi Targets 11, 14,and 15; and

b. develop online and other training tools and pro-grammes for ecological restoration practitionersaimed at improving local capacity for imple-menting best practices in ecological restorationin and around protected areas; and

7. FURTHER REQUESTS the Director General to in-clude the actions enumerated above as specific ap-proaches that will be undertaken as part of the IUCNProgramme 2013–2016 related to Valuing and conservingnature and Deploying nature-based solutions to global chal-lenges in climate, food and development.

WCC-2012-Res-045-ENBroadening awareness of benefits andrelevance of protected areas

CONCERNED that the rate of biodiversity loss in-creased throughout the 20th century and has continuedto increase in the first decade of the 21st century, andthat global efforts to reverse this trend have not beeneffective;


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FURTHER CONCERNED that all assessments sinceRio show that most of the key drivers of biodiversity lossare increasing in intensity, and that no country was ableto meet the 2010 Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD) Biodiversity Targets;

AWARE that protected areas in the 21st century are in-creasingly becoming the key tool for protecting criticalcomponents of the planetary life support systems andother ecosystem services that are crucial to human well-being and life on Earth;

RECOGNIZING that in addition to being the corner-stones of biodiversity conservation, sustainable tourism,climate change adaptation and mitigation, among others,protected areas can also play a crucial role for:

a. enhancing food production and food security by pro-viding secure places for reproduction of valuable ma-rine and terrestrial species, by stabilizing climatesnecessary for enhancing food production, by con-serving key pollinators and by preserving crop vari-eties that are disappearing elsewhere;

b. protecting water catchment areas that provide waterfor use by millions of people, and for sustaining agri-culture, hydropower generation, manufacturing andindustrial processes and many other sectors of theeconomy;

c. enhancing human health by acting as repositories formedicinal plants, buffering people from the adverseimpact of increasing vector-borne infectious dis-eases, and providing refuges of tranquillity in a busyurbanized world; and

d. connecting people with nature through the greatrange of values and benefits they can provide to di-verse communities, partners and stakeholders at local,national, regional and global levels;

RECALLING that the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 recognizes protected areas as critical elements forachieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;

FURTHER RECALLING that the IUCN Programme2013–2016 launched at the 2012 World ConservationCongress strategically positions protected areas at thecentre of global efforts to secure biodiversity and con-tribute to nature-based solutions to many of societies’needs;

UNDERSTANDING that the ability of protected areasto provide ecosystem goods and services to support in-creasing societal needs is being undermined by a broadrange of human activities;

CONCERNED that engagement for stewardship ofprotected areas has traditionally focused on a few stake-holders and sectors, thereby limiting the range of optionsand actions to effectively address the multiple threats theyface at a scale sufficient to reverse the negative trends;and

REALIZING that the relevance of protected areas towider society will be greatly increased and strengthenedif appropriate measures are taken to raise society’s aware-ness and appreciation of the value and benefits of pro-tected areas and how human activities are underminingthe ability of protected areas to provide these benefits inthe short and long term;


1. CALLS ON all IUCN constituencies to promoteprotected areas as natural solutions to a range of eco-logical and livelihood challenges and engage withpartners and stakeholders in the planning, establish-ment and management of protected areas and in allother aspects of landscape management;

2. CALLS ON the world’s protected area leaders tomake a new and strengthened commitment to con-nect people with nature and to actively collaboratewith a full range of partners and stakeholders in-cluding voluntary certification initiatives in order toinspire broad-based awareness, support, engagementand participation in conservation actions at all levels;

3. REQUESTS the Director General to work in closecooperation with the IUCN Commissions, particu-larly the IUCN World Commission on ProtectedAreas (WCPA), and all global thematic programmes,along with terrestrial and marine protected area or-ganizations and a full range of partners and stake-holders, among others sustainable forest managementorganizations (e.g. Forest Stewardship Council) to es-tablish guidelines, targets and clear and measurableoutcomes for connecting people with nature;

4. CALLS ON the Director General to support govern-ments and NGO communities to fulfil international


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goals on food, water and health-related issues throughthe use of best practices that ensure the long-termprotection of natural ecosystems and minimize im-pacts on protected areas; and

5. REQUESTS the Director General and the Chairs ofWCPA and other IUCN Commissions, as appropri-ate, to work closely with organizations that promotesustainable food production (Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations – FAO, Inter-national Fund for Agricultural Development –IFAD), water conservation (UN Water), health(World Health Organization – WHO), industrializa-tion (United Nations Industrial Development Or-ganization – UNIDO), sustainable development(World Bank, International Monetary Fund – IMF),among others to:

a. develop an inclusive framework to create aware-ness of and appreciation for: the central roleplayed by protected areas in achieving the goalsof these organizations; the threats caused bythese and other sectors to effective protectedarea management; the implications of thesethreats to the organizations’ ability to deliver ontheir mandates; and the actions needed to ad-dress them at the appropriate levels;

b. engage stakeholders within their respective juris-dictions and mandates in advancing the impor-tance of protected areas in providing ecosystemservices necessary for meeting their specific goals;

c. build connections and relationships with stake-holders whose sectors negatively impact on bio-diversity and protected areas, identify barriersthat prevent them from adopting environmen-tally sustainable practices, and work with them toformulate appropriate mechanisms for removingthose barriers;

d. establish tools and processes to help these or-ganizations and their partners, including those inagriculture, forestry, fisheries, health and industry,to enhance the ability of protected areas to pro-vide ecosystem goods and services for their ownbenefit and for the good of society;

e. devise capacity-building strategies and financingmechanisms for broadening and strengtheningsustainable relationships between society and na-ture, and for promoting protected areas as natural

solutions to many environmental and humanwelfare challenges; and

f. create mechanisms for seeking efficiencies in im-plementing partnerships, maximizing opportuni-ties to leverage resources, and sharing lessonslearned, best practices and tools.

WCC-2012-Res-046-ENStrengthening the World HeritageConvention

RECALLING Resolution 1.67 World Heritage Conventionadopted by the 1st IUCN World Conservation Congress(Montreal, 1996), and other relevant IUCN Resolutionsand Recommendations;

WELCOMING the 40th Anniversary of the World Her-itage Convention taking place in 2012, that near univer-sal recognition of the Convention has been achieved, andthat the recognition of natural heritage on the WorldHeritage List has grown to more than 211 natural andmixed World Heritage Sites;

RECOGNIZING the specific and unique formal man-date IUCN holds within the World Heritage Conventionas the Advisory Body for natural heritage, and alsoIUCN’s own mandates and objectives as an internationalconservation organization that relate to World Heritage;

COMMENDING the World Heritage Committee, theState Parties to the Convention, and UNESCO and itsWorld Heritage Centre, for significant conservation suc-cesses over the 40 years of the operation of the Con-vention and recognizing the important role of IUCN andthe other Advisory Bodies named in the Convention (In-ternational Council on Monuments and Sites – ICOMOS andInternational Centre for the Study of the Preservationand Restoration of Cultural Property – ICCROM), inthese successes;

RECOGNIZING the significant contribution of WorldHeritage Sites to the conservation of protected areas,noting that natural and mixed World Heritage Sites, andWorld Heritage cultural landscapes together provide cov-erage of over 10% of the land and aquatic areas includedwithin the protected areas estate globally;

CONSIDERING that the potential benefits of WorldHeritage extend far beyond the sites which have been


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listed, and that these areas and those responsible for themshould play a leadership role in developing, establishingand demonstrating global standards for management ofprotected areas and act as “flagships” in terms of raisingpublic awareness, capacity building and finding solutionsto conservation issues;

CONSIDERING that there is a need to strengthenrecognition of the rights of local communities and in-digenous peoples with respect to Convention processes,in line with agreed international norms, and secure envi-ronmentally sustainable and equitable benefits fromWorld Heritage Site designation, as part of sustaining theleadership role of the World Heritage Convention;

CONCERNED that the World Heritage Convention,notwithstanding its record of success, faces significantchallenges in its credibility and effectiveness, as notablyset out in the conclusions of the evaluation of the Con-vention’s global strategy undertaken by UNESCO’s ex-ternal auditors in 2011, and endorsed by the GeneralAssembly of State Parties to the World Heritage Con-vention, especially with respect to the protection andmanagement of listed sites as the key priority for theConvention, the achievement of a balanced and credibleWorld Heritage List, adherence to the highest standardsfor the assessment of the Outstanding Universal Valueof sites proposed for inclusion in the World HeritageList, and recognition by signatories to the Convention oftheir joint responsibility to assure the conservation of allWorld Heritage sites; and

CONCERNED that there continue to be significantpressures on World Heritage Sites, including from majorinfrastructure and extractive industries, the impacts ofconflict, the loss of management capacity and a range ofother threats and pressures, that have resulted in a grow-ing number of sites being included in the List of WorldHeritage in Danger, including some that have seen sig-nificant long-term deterioration of their values;


1. REAFFIRMS its view that the principles of the WorldHeritage Convention are critical to conservation andtherefore calls on the Convention’s signatory Partiesto ensure that the Convention remains effective;

2. ENDORSES the establishment of effective and eq-uitable governance, conservation and managementof all listed World Heritage Sites as the highest pri-ority and benchmark of success of the World Her-itage Convention for the ten years to its 50th

anniversary in 2022, and commits to support theConvention to develop new mechanisms, strategiesand programmes of work to achieve this goal;

3. REQUESTS the World Heritage Committee and allsignatory Parties to uphold the highest standards byensuring the rigorous observation of the Conven-tion’s Operational Guidelines, by meeting their collec-tive responsibility to protect and manage effectivelyall World Heritage Sites, by ensuring that the Con-vention plays a full role in the implementation of theStrategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the AichiTargets, and by developing as soon as possible newprocesses and standards that will ensure that theConvention appropriately recognizes the rights of in-digenous peoples and local communities in line withaccepted international norms and standards;

4. ALSO REMINDS State Parties to the Conventionthat there still remain gaps on the World HeritageList for new natural and mixed sites, and culturallandscapes which have the potential to be consideredof Outstanding Universal Value, and that the pro-tection of sites that would fill these gaps, their inclu-sion in national tentative lists, and their nominationto the World Heritage List remains a valid priority,that requires increased support and advice. This in-cludes the specific opportunities to strengthen coop-eration between States for ecosystems that requirecomprehensive and integrated approaches to con-servation and management;

5. REQUESTS UNESCO, within available resources,to strengthen further the professional capabilities innatural heritage within the World Heritage Centre,and to cooperate with IUCN to increase IUCN’s ca-pacity to support the Convention;

6. CALLS UPON IUCN Members and Commissionsto actively engage in supporting the World HeritageConvention, including by continuing to provideproactive support and advice to support IUCN’s ad-vice to the Convention on threats, conservation is-sues and solutions, and on the evaluation of potentialcandidate sites; and


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7. REQUESTS the Director General, within availableresources, to:

a. maintain the effectiveness of, and develop fur-ther, IUCN’s Advisory Body role on World Her-itage to ensure that IUCN is able to advise,influence and guide the World Heritage Com-mittee, to monitor and report on its implemen-tation, and to contribute to the Strategic Plan forBiodiversity 2011–2020;

b. regularly report to IUCN on progress and con-cerns regarding the implementation of the WorldHeritage Convention, and to strengthen aware-ness across IUCN and within civil society of theperformance and results of the World HeritageConvention, including through global and re-gional communication strategies;

c. in the 10 years leading up to the Convention’s50th Anniversary, develop and support the appli-cation of international IUCN protected areastandards and norms to all World Heritage Sites,to support identified measures needed to achievetheir conservation, to communicate the status ofWorld Heritage Sites and recognize World Her-itage sites that meet global management stan-dards, and to catalyze support to World HeritageSites in Danger;

d. establish new regional capacity and support viaIUCN Regional Offices, Commissions andMembers, and regional and national partners,with the purpose of strengthening IUCN’s directsupport to States, managers and stakeholders inWorld Heritage Sites to deliver both biodiversityconservation results, and ensure that World Her-itage Sites contribute to the realization of bene-fits for communities, while respecting andsupporting the rights of those communities; and

e. maintain and develop strong and effective work-ing relationships with UNESCO, and its WorldHeritage Centre, ICOMOS, ICCROM, and otherpartners, to pursue a continuing, strengthenedand effective role for the World Heritage Con-vention as a flagship for best practice in globalconservation.

WCC-2012-Res-047-ENImplementation of the United NationsDeclaration on the Rights of IndigenousPeoples in the context of the UNESCOWorld Heritage Convention

RECALLING the adoption of the Declaration on theRights of Indigenous Peoples by the United Nations GeneralAssembly (UNGA) on 13 September 2007 and its en-dorsement by IUCN at the 4th World Conservation Con-gress through Resolution 4.052 Implementing the UnitedNations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples(Barcelona, 2008);

ALSO RECALLING Resolution 4.048 Indigenous peoples,protected areas and implementation of the Durban Accord,which resolves “to apply the requirements of the UNDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to thewhole of IUCN’s Programme and operations” and callson governments “to work with indigenous peoples’ or-ganizations to… ensure that protected areas which affector may affect indigenous peoples’ lands, territories, nat-ural and cultural resources are not established without in-digenous peoples’ free, prior and informed consent andto ensure due recognition of the rights of indigenouspeoples in existing protected areas”;

REAFFIRMING Resolution 4.056 Rights-based approachesto conservation, and Recommendation 4.127 Indigenous peo-ples’ rights in the management of protected areas fully or partiallyin the territories of indigenous peoples and numerous otherResolutions which demonstrate IUCN’s commitment toa rights-based approach to protected areas establishmentand management;

NOTING that the World Heritage Convention is cele-brating its 40th anniversary under the theme “World Her-itage and Sustainable Development: the Role of LocalCommunities”;

FURTHER NOTING that the World Heritage Conven-tion can and has played a leadership role in setting stan-dards for protected areas as a whole and that WorldHeritage sites with their high visibility and public scrutinyhave the potential to act as “flagships” for good gover-nance in protected areas;

RECOGNIZING the potentially positive role that theWorld Heritage Convention can and has played in en-suring and supporting the continued preservation of the


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traditional lands and territories of indigenous peoples,and WELCOMING Decision 35 COM 12E (2011) ofthe World Heritage Committee, which encourages StatesParties to the World Heritage Convention to “Respectthe rights of indigenous peoples when nominating, man-aging and reporting on World Heritage sites in indige-nous peoples’ territories”;

ACKNOWLEDGING that injustices to indigenous peo-ples have been and continue to be caused in the name ofnature conservation, and that indigenous peoples havesuffered dispossession and alienation from their tradi-tional lands and resources as a result of the establishmentand management of protected areas, including manyareas inscribed on the World Heritage List;

NOTING that the UN Permanent Forum on IndigenousIssues, the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of In-digenous Peoples and the African Commission onHuman and Peoples’ Rights (herein “African Commis-sion”) have all expressed concerns that current proce-dures and mechanisms are inadequate for ensuring thatthe rights of indigenous peoples are respected in the im-plementation of the World Heritage Convention, andhave called on UNESCO and the World Heritage Com-mittee to review and revise current procedures and op-erational guidelines;

IN PARTICULAR NOTING the African Commission’sResolution on the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights in the con-text of the World Heritage Convention and the designation ofLake Bogoria as a World Heritage site (ACHPR/Res.197 (L)2011) which reaffirms the Commission Decision onCommunication 276 / 2003 - Centre for Minority Rights De-velopment (Kenya) and Minority Rights Group International on be-half of Endorois Welfare Council v Kenya (Endorois Decision)and highlights the traditional ownership rights of the En-dorois over Lake Bogoria;

SHARING the African Commission’s concerns that LakeBogoria National Reserve was inscribed on the WorldHeritage List in 2011 without the free, prior and in-formed consent of the indigenous Endorois people and“that there are numerous World Heritage sites in Africathat have been inscribed without the free, prior and in-formed consent of the indigenous peoples in whose ter-ritories they are located and whose managementframeworks are not consistent with the principles of theUN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”; and

RESPONDING to the African Commission’s recom-mendation urging IUCN to “review and revise its proce-dures for evaluating World Heritage nominations as wellas the state of conservation of World Heritage sites, witha view to ensuring that indigenous peoples are fully in-volved in these processes, and that their rights are re-spected, protected and fulfilled in these processes and inthe management of World Heritage areas”;


1. REQUESTS the Council and Director General to:

a. develop clear policy and practical guidelines toensure that the principles of the United NationsDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples are re-spected in IUCN’s work as an Advisory Body tothe World Heritage Committee, and to fully in-form and consult with indigenous peoples whensites are evaluated or missions are undertaken ontheir territories; and

b. actively promote and support the adoption andimplementation of a rights-based approach toconservation by the World Heritage Committeeand to promote the principles and goals of theDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

2. URGES the World Heritage Committee to:

a. review and revise its procedures and OperationalGuidelines, in consultation with indigenous peo-ples and the UN Permanent Forum on Indige-nous Issues, to ensure that indigenous peoples’rights and all human rights are upheld and im-plemented in the management and protection ofexisting World Heritage sites, consistent with theprinciples and goals of the Declaration on theRights of Indigenous Peoples, and that no WorldHeritage sites are established in indigenous peo-ples’ territories without their free, prior and in-formed consent;

b. work with State Parties to establish mechanismsto assess and redress the effects of historic andcurrent injustices against indigenous peoples inexisting World Heritage sites; and

c. establish a mechanism through which indigenouspeoples can provide direct advice to the Commit-tee in its decision-making processes in a manner


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consistent with the right of free, prior and in-formed consent and the right to participate in de-cision making as affirmed in the Declaration on theRights of Indigenous Peoples;

3. CALLS UPON States Parties to the World HeritageConvention to ensure respect for the rights of in-digenous peoples in the management and protectionof existing World Heritage sites, and to ensure thatno World Heritage sites are established in indigenouspeoples’ territories without their free, prior and in-formed consent; and

4. URGES the Government of Kenya to ensure the fulland effective participation of the Endorois in man-agement and decision making concerning the “KenyaLake System” World Heritage area, through theirown representative institutions, and to ensure the im-plementation of the African Commission’s EndoroisDecision.


WCC-2012-Res-048-ENValuing and conserving geoheritagewithin the IUCN Programme 2013–2016

AWARE of the increasing interest and greater commit-ment of States, non-governmental organizations(NGOs) and communities with respect to the preserva-tion, value assessment, study and sustainable use of geo-diversity (geological diversity) and geoheritage (geologicalheritage);

RECALLING that geodiversity is an important naturalfactor that conditions and underpins biological, culturaland landscape diversity, and is also an important param-eter to be considered in the conservation, assessment andmanagement of protected areas;

RECALLING ALSO that geoheritage is a constituentand inseparable element of natural heritage, and that itpossesses cultural, aesthetic, landscape, economic and in-trinsic values that must be preserved and transmitted tofuture generations;

BEARING IN MIND the pioneering work carried outby the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cul-tural Organization (UNESCO) and other international

institutions in the promotion and sustainable use of geo-heritage to promote local socio-economic developmentin underdeveloped areas through the Global GeoparksNetwork (GGN);

ACKNOWLEDGING the increasing impacts of eco-nomic development, which are frequently not sustainable,on the world’s geodiversity and geoheritage;

ACKNOWLEDGING ALSO that the planning of thisdevelopment underestimates or even ignores the intrinsicvalues of geodiversity, geoheritage and geologicalprocesses present in natural areas;

AWARE that the GGN and UNESCO Global GeositesProgramme cover less than 2% of the world’s terrestrialand marine surface, and that most geoheritage is not in-cluded in protected natural areas;

RECALLING the pioneering trend established by theCouncil of Europe in 2004 with the approval of recom-mendation Rec(2004)3 on Conservation of the Geological Her-itage and Areas of Special Geological Interest, and its call tostrengthen cooperation with international organizations,scientific institutions and NGOs in the field of geologi-cal heritage conservation, and their participation in pro-grammes towards geoconservation;

ACKNOWLEDGING that the conservation of geodi-versity and geoheritage (i.e. geoconservation) also con-tributes to avoiding the loss of species and habitats, andto preserving the integrity of ecosystems, as well as tosafeguarding the diversity and the quality of landscapes;

ACKNOWLEDGING ALSO that the conservation andmanagement of geoheritage requires that all govern-ments and organizations integrate geoconservationwithin their objectives and action plans;

BEARING IN MIND that the IUCN guidelines for theapplication of management categories in protected areasexplicitly consider among the common objectives for allprotected areas the need to:

a. maintain the diversity of landscape or habitat;

b. preserve important landscape, geomorphological andgeological features; and

c. preserve natural and scenic areas of national and in-ternational relevance for cultural, spiritual and scien-tific purposes;


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BEARING IN MIND ALSO that the objectives ofIUCN are to influence, encourage and assist the societiesof the world to preserve the integrity of nature, and thatthis integrity is incomplete and inefficient if it does notconsider and incorporate the totality of natural heritage,i.e. the most valued elements and processes of nature,both biotic and abiotic;

RECALLING that the conservation of geodiversity andgeoheritage at international, national and local level con-tributes towards the objectives of the UN Decade of Ed-ucation for Sustainable Development (2005–2014);

RECALLING ALSO that IUCN Resolution 4.040 Con-servation of geodiversity and geological heritage, adopted by the4th IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona,2008), promotes actions related to geodiversity and geo-heritage, as well as collaboration between Members andother organizations in this matter;

BEARING IN MIND that areas with relevant geoher-itage may deteriorate if this type of natural heritage isnot considered in planning and development policies; and

AWARE of the need to promote the proper conserva-tion and management of the world’s geoheritage, and inparticular of the sites of geological interest that repre-sent it;


1. CALLS ON IUCN Members to ensure that, whenreference is made in the IUCN Programme 2013–2016to nature in general, preference be given to inclusiveterms such as “nature”, “natural diversity” or “nat-ural heritage”, so that geodiversity and geoheritageare not excluded;

2. REQUESTS the Director General to initiate a dis-cussion in the regions on the conservation and man-agement of geodiversity and geoheritage, incollaboration with IUCN Members and other or-ganizations, in the spirit of the above-mentioned re-quest and with a view to giving consideration to thisissue for the next intersessional programme; and

3. CALLS ON IUCN Commissions, and in particularthe World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA),to:

a. promote and support local socio-economic de-velopment initiatives, such as UNESCO Geop-arks, based on the sustainable use of geoheritage,including the proper management of geoheritagein protected areas;

b. promote and support, in collaboration with UN-ESCO and the International Union of Geologi-cal Sciences (IUGS), the elaboration andextension of the inventory for the GlobalGeosites Programme, as well as other regionaland international inventories of sites of geolog-ical interest; and

c. support the Secretariat in the implementation ofthe actions requested in point 2 above.


WCC-2012-Res-049-ENRedesigning future cities and relatedurban zones with protected areas:cities, return to nature

CONSIDERING that the number of total protectedareas designated for the purpose of nature conservationcurrently exceeds 160,000;

ALSO CONSIDERING that the Convention on Bio-logical Diversity (CBD) continues to urge its MemberStates to expand protected areas;

RECOGNIZING that the outlook on the managementof protected areas has been transformed into the pres-ent-day, future-oriented concept, which takes into ac-count ecosystem services as well as social, economic andecological values from a modern perspective that stressesscenic values;

NOTING that protected areas are generally classifiedinto core areas, buffer zones and transitional areas andmanaged accordingly and that numerous metropolisesand small-sized cities are located on the outskirts of pro-tected areas including transitional areas;

REMEMBERING that the United Nations MillenniumEcosystem Assessment underlines the functions of variousecosystem services (supporting services, provisioning


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services, regulating services, cultural services) essentialfor both surrounding cities and human lives;

CONCERNED that as surrounding cities adjacent toprotected areas grow in size due to population concen-tration and regional development, the ecological sound-ness of border regions of protected areas and transitionalareas has deteriorated and the quality of their ecologicalservices has been undermined;

EMPHASIZING that, in a bid to conserve nature in pro-tected areas and ensure that surrounding areas continueto benefit from ecological services, the ecological and cul-tural values of protected areas should be linked to urbanplanning in surrounding cities, centring around transi-tional areas;

ALSO EMPHASIZING that, in order to manage sur-rounding cities which reflect values of protected areas, itis necessary to establish eco-friendly urban planningbased on scientific mapping for natural and cultural re-sources, and to develop policies and programmes for re-gional collaboration;

RECALLING Resolution 3.063 Cities and Conservationadopted by the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress(Bangkok, 2004) which addressed the benefits that na-ture brings to city dwellers and stressed the necessity ofconserving biodiversity within cities, and Recommenda-tion 4.128 Setting up networks of protected urban and periurbannatural areas adopted by the 4th IUCN World Conserva-tion Congress (Barcelona, 2008) which mentioned thatreckless development of periurban natural areas has ram-ifications on the quality of lives of city residents and bio-diversity; and

ALSO RECALLING Rio+20 Zero Draft Section V.Framework for action and follow-up Paragraph 72 (Cities)which pointed out the importance of implementing poli-cies and strategies for sustainable and effective urbanplanning and urban design;


1. CALLS ON the Director General in collaborationwith experts from the IUCN World Commission onProtected Areas (WCPA), the IUCN Commission onEnvironmental, Economic and Social Policy(CEESP) and the IUCN Commission on EcosystemManagement (CEM) to develop indicators for urban

planning of eco-friendly cities and guidelines for citydesign with the aim of linking ecological and culturalvalues as well as ecosystem services of protectedareas to surrounding cities, spearheaded by WCPAexperts, in collaboration with CEESP experts; and

2. ENCOURAGES IUCN Member States and NGOMembers from those States to:

a. list the functions of ecosystem services providedto surrounding cities by individual protectedareas designated by each country, to analyze thestatus of environmental degradation and poten-tial development demand in transitional areas ad-jacent to protected areas, and to assess themutual relationship between protected areas andsurrounding cities;

b. boost effectiveness of sustainable urban plan-ning and to set ecological development goals anddirections of landscape planning by establishinga spatial database through biotope mapping ofnatural and cultural resources of protected areasand surrounding cities;

c. apply the urban planning indicators and urbandesign guidelines of IUCN considering the goalsand directions of ecological development of sur-rounding cities; and

d. forge and implement collaborative policies andprogrammes for urban planning based on theparticipation of local communities and residentsled by the transitional areas between protectedareas and surrounding cities.

WCC-2012-Res-050-ENProtection of Mediterranean submarinecanyons

APPROVING the recommendations of the meetings inIstanbul (January, 2010) and Procida (September, 2010)for the protection of Mediterranean submarine canyons,approved by the IUCN Mediterranean Forum, held inMalaga, Spain, between 22 and 25 November 2010;

CONSIDERING the unique, vulnerable character of thesubmarine canyons and seamounts in the Mediterranean;and


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RECOGNIZING the Mediterranean as a specific ma-rine system in which submarine canyons and seamountsare of great importance;


ASKS the Mediterranean coastal States to:

a. recognize the importance of submarine canyons asstructural elements in the functioning of Mediter-ranean ecosystems;

b. support the building of a knowledge base on:

i. the ecological role of Mediterranean submarinecanyons and seamounts, in particular to under-line the key role they play in the lifecycle of sev-eral marine species;

ii. the anthropogenic impact suffered by submarinecanyons and seamounts, such as land-based pol-lution, waste, the removal and extraction of nat-ural resources (also including the study of zonesnear the canyons); and

iii. their economic and ecological importance withregard to the services they provide;

c. adopt the Precautionary Principle for developmentsand activities that could have an impact on thosecanyons located in waters under French jurisdiction,notably pollution and waste from land-based activities;

d. support the creation of a coherent network of ma-rine protected areas in the Mediterranean, taking theprotection of canyons into account;

e. support in particular the cooperative project cur-rently underway between France and Spain for thecreation of Specially Protected Areas of Mediter-ranean Importance (SPAMI) in the Gulf of Lion;and

f. continue the support given to activities in the Re-gional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areasunder the Barcelona Convention (RAC/SPA).


WCC-2012-Res-051-ENImproving conservation andsustainability of the Yellow Sea

RECOGNIZING that the natural phenomenon of theAsian Monsoon system coupled with a relatively shallowsea creates both heavy sediment and significant freshwa-ter discharges into the Yellow Sea on an annual basis;

AWARE of the extensive development of cities border-ing on the Yellow Sea, both in Korea and China, and thereliance of the population of these cities on the YellowSea ecosystem for a large portion of their basic and eco-nomic requirements;

CONSIDERING in particular the global significance ofEast Asia’s tidal mudflats evidenced by the fact that ap-proximately 1,600 species have been recorded from ma-rine and coastal habitats in the Yellow Sea, including 70phytoplankton, 300 benthic diatoms, 300 marinemacroalgae, 50 halophytes, 500 marine invertebrates, 150fishes, 230 water birds and sea birds and 10 marine mam-mals, with most of these organisms dependent on tidalflats at least once during their life histories;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the rapid increase incoastal industrialization has contributed to an increase inpollution and disruption in ecosystem functioning in theYellow Sea, compounded by the fact that the sea waterexchange interval between the Yellow Sea and the EastChina Sea is about seven years;

NOTING that advances in fishing technology since themid-1980s have resulted in catches of the ten most im-portant commercial species landed in the Yellow Sea areaincreasing from 400,000 tonnes in 1986 to 2,300,000tonnes in 2004, and that this rapid increase in the annualcatch of fish is considered unsustainable;

FURTHER NOTING that several implemented andproposed large-scale reclamation projects in the regionare having and will have a significant impact on coastalareas;

RECALLING Recommendation 4.129 Strengthening theintegrated management of coastal areas adopted by the 4th

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008)which recognizes the vulnerability of coastal areas andtheir central importance to human needs therein reinforc-ing the principles of integrated coastal zone management;


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FURTHER RECALLING Recommendation V.22 Build-ing a Global System of Marine and Coastal Protected Area Net-works adopted at the Vth IUCN World Parks Congress(Durban, 2003) and Aichi Target 11 of the Strategic Planfor Biodiversity 2011–2020, both of which call for the es-tablishment of representative, effectively and equitablymanaged systems of marine and coastal protected areas;

WELCOMING the commitments made by the Republicof Korea to the Ramsar Convention to ensure appropri-ate management and wise use of internationally impor-tant wetlands that have not yet been formally designatedas Ramsar sites and confirming that no large-scale recla-mations projects are now being approved in the Repub-lic of Korea;

FURTHER WELCOMING the international efforts ofprojects like the United Nations Development Pro-gramme (UNDP)/Global Environment Facility (GEF)Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME) Projectand initiatives such as the United Nations EnvironmentProgramme (UNEP) Regional Seas Programme to focuson improved regional cooperation, governance and con-servation action, noting, however, that more is needed toaddress the acknowledged issues; and

ALARMED however, that the ecological conditions andsustainability of resource exploitation in the Yellow Seacontinue to rapidly deteriorate due to the combinationof its biophysical characteristics along with the overex-ploitation of marine resources and increased pressurefrom urban coastal development and along its coastalborders;


1. CALLS on all countries bordering the Yellow Sea tocollaborate in reversing the current negative impactson the ecosystems of the Yellow Sea resulting fromover-development and resource exploitation, and tomitigate the negative impacts of coastal develop-ment, particularly land reclamation;

2. ENCOURAGES all countries bordering the YellowSea to facilitate agency level working groups to ex-pedite the Strategic Action Programmes already inplace in current programmes such as theUNDP/GEF Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem(YSLME) project;

3. URGES international and regional institutions suchas the Ramsar Convention and the East Asian-Aus-tralasian Flyway Partnership to direct increased at-tention, technical guidance and capacity developmentin support of the conservation and wise use of theinternationally significant tidal mudflats of the Yel-low sea and the region of East Asia;

4. URGES IUCN Members to:

a. promote and support enhanced efforts to con-serve the ecosystems of the Yellow Sea, includingthe unique tidal mudflat ecosystems of East Asia,to ensure the sustainable use of marine resources;

b. support the conservation of the Yellow Seaecosystem by creating and effectively managingnational parks and other marine and coastal pro-tected areas;

c. review the existing Strategic Action Programmes(SAPs) of the UNDP/GEF YSLME project andsupport the urgent implementation of the SAPs;

d. promote increased research and monitoring ofthe ecosystems of the Yellow Sea, especially theunique tidal mudflats and marine waters of theYellow Sea and the region of East Asia; and

e. promote awareness of the need for effective con-servation of regional seas including the YellowSea and the region of East Asia through relevantnational and regional institutions and non-gov-ernmental organizations; and


a. collaborate with IUCN Members, Commissions,and other partners to strengthen regional gover-nance, action and increased international aware-ness for conservation of the Yellow Sea, andstrengthen the protection of East Asia’s tidalmudflat ecosystems, to ensure more coordinatedconsideration of damaging coastal developmentsand to increase international awareness of theneed to conserve these systems;

b. utilize where possible existing mechanisms suchas the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partner-ship, of which IUCN is a member institution,


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and the IUCN World Commission on ProtectedAreas (WCPA) Asian Regional Steering Com-mittee to advance conservation action in the Yel-low Sea; and

c. provide technical and programmatic support tothe above efforts to foster regional tidal expertnetworks and share conservation information.


WCC-2012-Res-052-ENEstablishment of an integratedmanagement system for UNESCOprotected areas

RECOGNIZING that Jeju Island, a world renowned en-vironmental conservation area protected by a number ofinternationally recognized designations covering most ofits 1,847 kilometres, has been managed systematically bylinking environmental information on ecosystems, un-derground water, scenic views, fauna and flora reservesand soil and geological features, to establish an integratedmanagement system for conservation of nature and sus-tainable living in the region, based on the GeographicalInformation System (GIS) in accordance with the Spe-cial Act on the Establishment of Jeju Self-GoverningProvince and the traditional methods of practicing na-ture conservation;

CONCERNED that Jeju Island, being a popular inter-national tourist destination visited by more than10,000,000 people annually, is badly exposed to the pos-sibilities that the protected areas around the entire islandcould be impacted negatively and its diverse flora andfauna could be under serious threat;

EQUALLY CONCERNED that different managementguidelines, time cycles and periods provided and moni-tored by different authorities for the regular evaluationof Jeju protected areas, for example every 10 years by theUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Or-ganization’s (UNESCO) International Co-ordinating Coun-cil (ICC) of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) for theBiosphere Reserve, every six years by the World HeritageCommittee for the Natural World Heritage site, and everyfour years by the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) forthe Global Geopark, impedes the establishment of acomprehensive management regime;

RECALLING Resolution 19.38 Targets for Protected AreasSystems adopted by the 19th IUCN General Assembly,Recommendation 16 of the 4th International Conferenceon Geoparks (Langkawi, 2010) on protecting 10% of thebiosphere in protected areas, and Resolution 2.2 Integrat-ing ecosystem management in IUCN’s Programme adopted bythe 2nd IUCN World Conservation Congress (Amman,2000);

EMPHASIZING that integrated management is an im-portant part of IUCN’s mission, and that the objective ofthe World Heritage Convention is to conserve, while theobjectives of MAB and GGN are education and eco-tourism through conservation, an integrated manage-ment system of the natural resources of Jeju is necessaryand should be established;

FURTHER RECALLING Resolution 4.094 Impetus andsupport for local and regional biodiversity conservation policiesadopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008), which seeks actions from local and re-gional governments to articulate policies for biodiversityconservation and sustainable use of natural resources,and requests the IUCN constituency to undertake a spe-cific work programme with local and regional authoritiesfor the development of local biodiversity and sustainabledevelopment policies and for the management of specieswith natural values;

CONVINCED that an integrated management systemof UNESCO international protected areas is the mostassured method for conservation of wild fauna and flora,and that this approach to management complies with thefundamental concept of IUCN and contributes to thesustainable use of ecosystems; and

FURTHER CONVINCED that the protected areas inJeju have been well managed, assuring sustainable con-servation through the long practice of integrated man-agement in harmony with the history and culture of thepeople of Jeju;


1. REQUESTS the Director General, based on thelearnings of the Jeju experience and in cooperationwith all relevant stakeholders, to develop an integratedconservation management manual that includesguidelines and other prescriptions for the systematicconservation and sustainable use of ecosystems, todevelop and standardize a management system forprotected areas including the integration of the dif-


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ferent cycles for re-evaluation of designations, and todistribute it as a model for IUCN Members;

2. URGES IUCN Members to take action to establishcooperative programmes through which interna-tional institutions collaborate on the conservation ofthe natural environment by establishing integratedmanagement systems for protected areas across theworld; and

2. REQUESTS that support is sought from the UnitedNations organizations, States and nations to legislateintegrated management laws at national or State levelfor appropriate conservation, systematic integrationand management of natural resources to bring aboutthe integration of protected areas such as BiosphereReserves, Natural World Heritage sites and GlobalGeoparks.


WCC-2012-Res-053-ENStrengthening the participatory andequitable governance of the indigenouscommunities and peoples of Mexico

RECALLING previous IUCN Resolutions and Recom-mendations that recognize and promote the appropriateimplementation of conservation policies and practicesthat respect the human rights, roles, cultures and tradi-tional knowledge of indigenous peoples, in accordancewith international agreements and their right to self-de-termination;

APPLAUDING the approval of the UN Declaration onthe Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which gives unprecedentedendorsement of indigenous peoples’ rights to their landsand natural resources, including Indigenous and Com-munity Conserved Areas (ICCAs);

EMPHASIZING the Millennium Development Goals (whichfocus on poverty reduction and environmental sustain-ability) and country commitments under the frameworkof the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Pro-gramme of Work on Protected Areas, ratified by Mexico in1993, and which urges Contracting Parties, by 2008, to:

…Ensure that indigenous and local communities are partici-pating fully and effectively in identifying, implementing and

managing new protected areas…the signatory countries must:– Recognize civil society’s conservation capacity;– Participate in the participatory research, planning and man-

agement with indigenous peoples and local communities;...Rules, criteria and best practices have been developed for plan-ning, identifying, creating and managing their own nationaland regional ways of working with the protected area systems,learning about the different types of protected area governancein certain areas and territories being conserved by indigenouspeoples and local communities (ICCAs) – Establish and com-ply with the principles of “good governance”;

ALSO EMPHASIZING the American Declaration on theRights of Indigenous Peoples, which guarantees indigenouspeoples’ right to self-determination, prior and informedconsultation and to the ownership, use, management andconservation of the biodiversity and natural resources ontheir territories;

FURTHER RECALLING Resolution 4.041 Following upon actions called for by the II Latin American Congress of Na-tional Parks and Other Protected Areas (Bariloche, 2007)adopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008), which called for: “... the participatoryplanning of protected areas, applying the principles ofgood governance such as transparency, fairness, ac-countability and access to conflict management ...”;

EMPHASIZING the fact that Mexico’s National Biodi-versity Strategy and the Action Plans (ENBPA) of 2000established four strategies by which to achieve the objec-tives of the CBD and included: “promoting the sustain-able and diverse use of components of biodiversity”;

FURTHER RECALLING that the Mexican legal frame-work recognizes, promotes and calls for the rights of in-digenous and local communities to land, along with theirright to participate in its conservation;

CONSIDERING that Mexican legislation establishes that:

a. indigenous peoples and communities have the rightto self-determination and autonomy in order to useand enjoy the natural resources in the places inhab-ited and occupied by those communities;

b. the Federation, States and Federal District shall de-sign, develop and apply economic tools that encour-age compliance with the objectives of environmentalpolicies, and through which attempts will be made togrant incentives to those who carry out actions pro-moting the protection, preservation or restoration ofthe ecological balance; and


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c. the indigenous communities and peoples that desig-nate their territory as a Community Conserved Area(CCA) must enjoy full rights and access to the serv-ices and incentives in accordance with Mexico’s leg-islation and the international treaties which thiscountry is party to;

BEARING IN MIND that Mexico is one of the world’smegadiverse countries (being fourth overall in terms ofits wealth of species) and, for example, in the case of theState of Oaxaca, due to the confluence of two mountainranges, this has given rise to an abrupt topography, andwide variations in climate and microclimates, which makeit one of the most biologically and culturally diversestates in Mexico. This favours in particular the develop-ment of community forestry (forests cover 64% of theState’s territory) and creates a wide range of soil types,which in turn give rise to a very high level of biodiversity.Given all of the above, a diverse portfolio of tools is re-quired for the sustainable conservation and managementof natural resources;

BEARING IN MIND that local communities and in-digenous peoples have developed traditional techniquesfor adapting to the different micro-environments inwhich they live. Likewise, for example, each of the 15ethnic groups found in Oaxaca is managing its resourcesin a different way through its own institutions and or-ganizations, alongside its own traditional resource man-agement system, which has survived down the centuries;

CONSIDERING in this same context that there are alreadybodies with a new organizational structure in Oaxaca thathave been incorporated into traditional governmentmechanisms, and that these have been capable of devel-oping territorial management plans to address the com-prehensive environmental and socioeconomic needs ofthe communities, through the integrated management oftheir lands. There are 126 Community Conserved Areasin Oaxaca, 14.5% more than in the National Action Plan,which has been transposed into the State’s legal frame-work by way of a decree. Only 43 of the 126 CCAs arerecognized at a national level; and

INTERESTED in providing relevant information inorder to ensure that CCAs are certified by the MexicanGovernment, and to promote the adoption of these con-servation schemes, in view of the rights and needs of theindigenous communities and peoples of Mexico;


CALLS on the IUCN Secretariat to:

a. request the Mexican Government to strengthenother instruments recognized by Mexican natureconservation legislation, such as CCAs, which shouldpresent a coherent management plan, drawn up bythe indigenous communities and peoples’ manage-ment bodies, with the technical advice that the latterdefine; and

b. request the Mexican Government to increase its in-vestment in the human and social capital of the in-digenous communities and peoples, without whichthe long-term conservation of natural capital is un-sustainable. Moreover, request the Mexican Govern-ment to promote and support the creation of newsources of income from natural resources, such asthose provided by environmental services, sustain-able use plans and community tourism.


WCC-2012-Res-054-ENGuaranteeing the protection of theCabo Pulmo National Park

RECOGNIZING the ecological value of the CaboPulmo National Park on the Baja California Peninsula inMexico, including its 20,000-year-old system of coralreefs, one of the oldest and most significant in the east-ern Pacific;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that this reef, comprising25 species of coral, sustains a rich marine ecosystem thatincludes 154 species of marine invertebrate; five of theworld’s seven species of sea turtle; three species of dol-phin; three species of whale; sea lions; and 226 species offish in the Gulf of California;

BEARING IN MIND that the area was declared a Pro-tected Natural Area in 1995 and reclassified as a NationalPark in 2000;

RECOGNIZING that Cabo Pulmo was designated aWorld Heritage Site in 2005 and a Wetland of Interna-tional Importance under the Ramsar Convention in 2008;


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NOTING that overfishing had reduced fish populationsin the zone but that a recovery of more than 400% hasbeen noted in the zone’s biomass levels since the NationalPark was established, representing one of the best ex-amples of the positive effect of marine protected areas inMexico;

OBSERVING WITH CONCERN that the IUCN RedList of Threatened Species indicates that 12% of the marinespecies of the tropical eastern Pacific are under threatand that the area around the mouth of the Gulf of Cal-ifornia is a priority conservation zone;

AWARE that the Government of Mexico invited a jointIUCN-UNESCO-Ramsar research mission to evaluatethe status of Cabo Pulmo National Park in November2011, and to draw conclusions and make recommenda-tions regarding the potential impact of tourism infra-structures near this site;

THANKING the Government of Mexico for the deci-sion made by the Mexican Ministry of Environment andNatural Resources to deny authorization, due to potentialenvironmental impact, for the tourism and real-estate de-velopment proposal known as Cabo Cortés, on 3,814hectares of adjacent land directly to the north of CaboPulmo National Park, “due to the absence of elementsthat enable it to comply with the aim of protecting theenvironment and preserving and restoring the ecosys-tems, in order to avoid the negative impacts on the envi-ronment or keep them to a minimum”;

RECOGNIZING that despite the cancellation of theCabo Cortés project, there is still a need to protect CaboCortés National Park, its biodiversity and its fragile ma-rine and coastal ecosystems, from other projects, includ-ing large-scale tourism and real-estate developments;

AWARE that tourist activity in coastal areas is one of themost important economic activities in Mexico, but not-ing, however, that the increase in the operation and con-struction of real-estate and tourism infrastructure mayhave social and environmental repercussions thatthreaten ecosystems and communities;

RECALLING the Bariloche Declaration (2007), whichestablished that “coastal and marine areas are underincreasing pressure from fishing, tourism and urbandevelopment”;

RECALLING Resolution 12.2 Marine Parks, approved bythe 12th IUCN General Assembly (Kinshasa, 1975),which recognizes that “marine ecosystems are not easilyprotected by national parks or reserves covering limitedareas,... such protection requires attention to conserva-tion practices over extensive areas of land and sea” andurges governments to “take measures to control, andwhere necessary ban, activities which are damaging ... tomarine habitats ... particularly ... where such activities canbe damaging to marine parks or reserves”; and

ALSO RECALLING Resolution 12.3 Conservation of Crit-ical Coastal Marine Habitats adopted by the 12th IUCNGeneral Assembly (Kinshasa, 1975), which recognizesthat “certain habitats of the coastal zone, such as ... coralreefs and mangroves, are of great importance” and urges“coastal States with such habitats ... to evolve policies tomaintain their continued health and stability”;


1. URGES the Mexican Government, and specificallyits Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources(SEMARNAT), to:

a. guarantee the protection of Cabo Pulmo fromprojects that may constitute a risk for its conser-vation, including large-scale tourism and real-es-tate developments, as it is a priority conservationsite and one which, moreover, represents a modelof success for the rest of the region; this is par-ticularly important given that the Government ofMexico, non-governmental organizations andother interested actors are stepping up the scale,scope and rate of marine conservation efforts;

b. guarantee that Mexican legislation on environ-mental protection is applied impartially andstrictly to all projects carried out in federal, stateand municipal Protected Natural Areas and otherpriority conservation areas and their bufferzones, which have a direct or indirect impact onthe health of surrounding ecosystems;

c. efficiently implement the Marine EnvironmentManagement Plan for the Gulf of California;

d. undertake to follow IUCN principles on biodi-versity conservation as given in the document Sit-ing and Design of Hotels and Resorts: Principles and


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Case Studies for Biodiversity Conservation, IUCN,2012; and

e. comply with the Los Cabos Municipality Envi-ronmental Management Plan;

2. RECOMMENDS that, as far as possible, IUCN con-ducts an analysis of the biodiversity threats in theBaja California peninsula linked to the location anddesign of large-scale tourism and real-estate devel-opments similar to IUCN’s 2011 analysis: Impacts ofhotel siting and design on biodiversity in the insularCaribbean: A situation analysis; and

3. CALLS on all relevant and interested IUCN Mem-bers, as far as possible, to provide Mexico and espe-cially SEMARNAT with all technical and scientificsupport to help ensure the long-term protection ofthe Cabo Pulmo National Park.


WCC-2012-Res-055-ENConsolidation of the IUCN Red List ofEcosystems

NOTING that Resolution 4.020 Quantitative thresholds forcategories and criteria of threatened ecosystems approved by the4th IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona,2008), called for the initiation of “a consultation processfor the development, implementation and monitoring ofa global standard for the assessment of ecosystem status,applicable at local, regional and global levels”;

ALSO NOTING that during the last quadrennium theIUCN Red List of Ecosystems has achieved recognitionas one of the key emerging knowledge products of theUnion, due to the joint efforts of the IUCN Commis-sion on Ecosystem Management (CEM) and the IUCNEcosystem Management Programme (EMP), in closecollaboration with the IUCN Species Survival Commis-sion (SSC) and the Global Species Programme (GSP);

HIGHLIGHTING that draft categories and criteria forthe IUCN Red List of Ecosystems have been publiclyavailable in the three IUCN official languages for exam-ination and testing since 2010 – generating considerableinterest among the Union’s membership and networks of

experts – and that detailed feedback has been receivedfrom participants in 17 conferences and 18 workshopscarried out in 20 countries on five continents;

RECOGNIZING that this consultation process has ledto improvement in the draft categories and criteria for as-sessing the status of terrestrial, freshwater and marineecosystems, to the development of guidelines on how toimplement the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems conceptat both the national and global scale, and to the compila-tion of a portfolio of case studies from different ecosys-tems and regions of the world;

CONSIDERING that the greatest policy impact of theIUCN Red List of Ecosystems in global conservation ef-forts, such as the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020and the Aichi Targets, and the Intergovernmental Sci-ence-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and EcosystemServices (IPBES), as well as in national efforts, such asthe development of National Biodiversity ConservationStrategies, will be achieved by seamless integration withthe other IUCN knowledge products: IUCN Red List ofThreatened Species, Key Biodiversity Areas, and WorldDatabase on Protected Areas;

RECOGNIZING that the IUCN Red List of Ecosys-tems and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species are in-tended to be complementary tools providing differentwindows into the measurement of biodiversity status andtrends, and therefore each can provide important insightsthat the other might not detect;

ANTICIPATING that global coverage of the IUCN RedList of Ecosystems will be coordinated and managed byIUCN by integrating and sharing tools, knowledge andexpertise with the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, andengaging experts primarily from CEM, EMP, SSC andGSP, but also from the Union more generally;

ANTICIPATING that national ecosystem risk assess-ments will probably be undertaken by local, national andinternational organizations, primarily IUCN Members,such as governmental agencies, non-governmental or-ganizations and academia, which will have varying levelsof prior experience and knowledge of the categories andcriteria of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that achieving seamless in-tegration with the family of IUCN knowledge products,as well as accomplishing global coverage of the IUCNRed List of Ecosystems, providing support to emerging


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national assessments, and assuring maximum relevanceof the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems to policy processesfrom the global to the local level, will all require strength-ening existing technical and scientific capacity at the Sec-retariat, the IUCN Commissions and among themembership; and

ACKNOWLEDGING the fundamental role that fund-ing agencies, in particular the MAVA Foundation and theGordon and Betty Moore Foundation have played in pro-viding support to the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems dur-ing the past quadrennium;


1. WELCOMES the significant progress of the IUCNRed List of Ecosystems;

2. CALLS on IUCN Council, once the draft categoriesand criteria have been rigorously tested, to take thenecessary steps for formal approval of the categoriesand criteria as an official IUCN data analysis proto-col for use by Members and any other stakeholderinterested in ecosystem risk assessment, after theyhave been finalized and are submitted to Council byCEM and the Secretariat;

3. REQUESTS CEM to work with the support of SSCand the Secretariat to raise the necessary funds forthe development and implementation of an opera-tional plan for The IUCN Red List of Ecosystemswhich includes a strategy for its integration with theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species and other knowl-edge products. This should ensure that adequatestaff, financial and technical resources are made avail-able for the integration of these two IUCN Red Lists,such that their databases are linked, and users are ableto conduct simultaneous searches on the status ofspecies and ecosystems, including the coverage byKey Biodiversity Areas and the World Database onProtected Areas;

4. URGES CEM and the Secretariat to assess the statusof the world’s terrestrial, freshwater and marineecosystems in order to be able to report on progresstowards achieving Aichi Target 5: “By 2020, the rateof loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is atleast halved and where feasible brought close to zero,and degradation and fragmentation is significantlyreduced;”

5. REQUESTS CEM and the Secretariat to develop amechanism for providing technical support and train-ing for developing national ecosystem risk assess-ments, such that they are carried out in alignmentwith approved categories and criteria, making use ofthe best available data, and aimed at achieving maxi-mum impact on biodiversity conservation policies,and at assuring human livelihoods and well-being;and

6. CALLS ON donors to view the IUCN Red List ofEcosystems and the IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies as products which will eventually be integratedand not as alternatives to each other, and therefore tosupport the enhancement of both.

WCC-2012-Res-056-ENEnhancing connectivity conservationthrough international networking ofbest practice management

NOTING that Resolution 4.062 Enhancing Ecological Net-works and Connectivity Conservation Areas adopted by the 4th

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008)called for enhanced ecological networks and connectivityconservation areas;

RECALLING the urgency underpinning this resolutionthat most biodiversity is today affected by human activities,and that according to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment“…over the past 50 years humans have changed ecosys-tems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparableperiod of time in human history”, as a result of whichmore than 60% of ecosystem services are degraded;

ALSO RECALLING that healthy ecosystems provide amultitude of ecological services to humanity and that assuch they represent its “life insurance” and the world’slargest development agency;

APPLAUDING the Ecosystem Approach developedwithin the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD);

RECOGNIZING the indispensable contribution ofprotected areas, which today cover 12% of emerged landareas, to the conservation of life on Earth;

FURTHER RECALLING that Aichi Target 11 of theStrategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 states that “By


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2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water,and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especiallyareas of particular importance for biodiversity andecosystem services, are conserved through effectively andequitably managed, ecologically representative and wellconnected systems of protected areas and other effectivearea-based conservation measures, and integrated intothe wider landscapes and seascapes” which, if achieved,will significantly reduce the rate of loss of biodiversity;

NOTING however despite the revised 17% target, thatthere is a limit to the area which can be set aside, and thatthose areas reserved have geographically fixed, legally de-fined boundaries;

RECOGNIZING that the majority of the world’s bio-diversity is found outside protected areas and that the lat-ter will not be able to fulfil their protective role withouttaking into account the biodiversity found within a largerarea;

HIGHLIGHTING the vital role that ecological net-works and other connectivity conservation areas play inthe conservation of biodiversity in the face of alterationscaused by changes to climate, through, for example, im-proving the resilience of ecosystems and the dispersionof species, as highlighted by Aichi Target 11;

ENCOURAGED by initiatives for the implementationof networks of protected areas, and initiatives aimed atestablishing ecological networks such as the Pan-Euro-pean Ecological Network (PEEN) and the Natura 2000network in Europe; Yellowstone to Yukon and borealconservation efforts in North America, including theCanadian Boreal Initiative; Great Barrier Reef MarinePark and 2012 National Wildlife Corridors of Australia;the Terai Arc in Nepal and India; the Mesoamerican Bi-ological Corridor; the Vilacamba-Amboró in SouthAmerica, and many others;

RECALLING Recommendation 1.38 Ecological Networksand Corridors of Natural and Semi-Natural Areas adopted bythe 1st IUCN World Conservation Congress (Montreal,1996);

FURTHER RECALLING the CBD Programme of Worktarget that, by 2015, “all protected area systems are inte-grated into the wider landscape and seascape, and rele-vant sectors, by applying the ecosystem approach andtaking into account ecological connectivity and the con-cept, where appropriate, of ecological networks”;

NOTING that connectivity conservation and ecologicalnetworks are a strategic part of landscape and seascapeintegration of protected areas;

RECOGNIZING that infrastructure built by humanscan be a major obstacle to ecological connectivity;

CONVINCED that the loss of connectivity in wildlifecorridors leads to ecosystems becoming less resilient andto irreparable losses that have an effect on human welfareand safety;

RECOGNIZING the critical importance of people inconnectivity conservation areas, their values, rights, needsand aspirations, and the need for them to be part of anintegrated approach to connectivity conservation areasas part of ecological networks and to enable them toshare in the benefits of protecting connectivity;

NOTING the urgency of action required to help retainthese natural, interconnected lands and seas due to thepressures of global change, and in particular, the growthin the world’s population from 6.7 billion in 2008 to 9.2billion people by 2050;

ALSO NOTING that the new carbon economy providesan opportunity for carbon storage and carbon sequestra-tion in ecological networks including protected areas andconnectivity conservation areas, and in particular, in highbiodiversity conservation value sites;

RECOGNIZING the value of terrestrial connectivityconservation areas for the future supply of reliable quan-tities of high-quality water; and

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that connectivity conser-vation corridors including ecological networks require ac-tive management and that the exchange of best practicemanagement information through informal and formalnetworks helps build continuous improvement;


1. REQUESTS States to consolidate and continue toestablish national ecological networks and connec-tivity conservation areas to strengthen the protectionof biodiversity, including, as appropriate, biologicalcorridors and buffer zones around protected areas;


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2. CALLS ON States to continue to strengthen the in-tegration of biodiversity and ecological connectivityin terrestrial and marine planning, including conser-vation planning and especially actions on climatechange mitigation and adaptation; and

3. REQUESTS the Director General, in close collabo-ration with IUCN’s Commissions, Council, Membersand partners, to ensure that IUCN plays an activerole in facilitating the effective management of eco-logical networks and connectivity conservation areasby:

a. actively assisting the development and operationof a new network for the IUCN World Com-mission on Protected Areas (WCPA) called theInternational Connectivity Conservation Net-work (ICCN) whose principal role is to sharebest practice corridor management information,in association with the relevant parts of the Sec-retariat and the IUCN Commissions;

b. further supporting and facilitating the exchangeof best practice connectivity conservation man-agement information through an internationalnetwork of connectivity conservation managersand stakeholders; and

c. supporting and facilitating the dissemination ofinformation and provision of guidance on thelegal aspects of connectivity conservation, bothas an essential component of best practices inthe establishment and maintenance of connec-tivity conservation areas, and as an essential ele-ment of their effective management.

WCC-2012-Res-057-ENConserving island biodiversity andsupporting human livelihoods

RECOGNIZING that islands and their surrounding wa-ters cover one-sixth of the world’s surface, representingone quarter of the nations of the world, containing 16%of the planet’s known plant species, and over half of theworld’s tropical marine biodiversity, with over 20% ofglobal coral atolls and lagoons in French Polynesia alone;

RECOGNIZING the deteriorating overall situation ofisland biodiversity due to invasive alien species, destruc-tion of habitat and over-harvesting, impacts of climate

change, and particularly in Small Island Developing States(SIDS) the limited human, technical and financial capac-ity to effectively manage island biodiversity;

NOTING Resolutions 4.067 Advancing island conservationand sustainable livelihoods and 4.079 European Union and itsoverseas entities faced with climate change and biodiversity lossadopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008);

RECOGNIZING the special vulnerability of Small Is-land Developing States (SIDS), and in particular UnitedNations General Assembly Resolution 65/2 of October2010 which recognized the objectives of the Conventionon Biodiversity (CBD) as vital and indispensable ele-ments of achieving sustainable development in SIDS;

HIGHLIGHTING the importance of the CBD’s IslandBiodiversity Programme of Work, and the role of IUCN insupporting Small Island States and island territories inthe implementation of this Programme of Work, andhighlighting the role of the Global Island Partnership(GLISPA) as a mechanism to support its implementationincluding through inspiring high-level leadership, cat-alyzing commitments, and facilitating collaborationamong all islands;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING the ecological and re-gional connections between many SIDS, countries withislands and the Outermost regions (ORS) and OverseasCountries and Territories (OCTs) of Europe, which aresituated in biodiversity hotpots of global ecological sig-nificance and have the potential to strengthen the sharingof lessons and best practice;

CONCERNED about information gaps, invasivespecies, increasing impacts of climate change, over-har-vesting, disaster risk and vulnerability, and forced migra-tion – all as they relate to the specific situation of islands;

HIGHLIGHTING that while invasive species are oneof the single most important threats to biodiversity, onmost islands the current amount of investment at all lev-els is not sufficient to address this threat adequately;

WELCOMING the steps taken by IUCN to recognizethe particular needs of islands and to establish the GlobalIsland Initiative, the IUCN Caribbean Initiative 2009–2012 and the IUCN programme on EU Outermost Re-gions and Overseas Countries and Territories and thesupport provided to GLISPA;


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RECOGNIZING the significant island leadership andefforts to achieve global conservation targets and sustainlivelihoods of island people through the Coral TriangleInitiative, Micronesia Challenge, Caribbean Challenge Ini-tiative, and the developing Western Indian Ocean CoastalChallenge and Far West Africa Conservation Challenges,New Zealand’s efforts on invasive alien species, and therecent inscription of the Phoenix Islands Protected Areaand Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument(Hawaii) as two of the largest World Heritage sites;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING the importance of re-gional initiatives such as the Pacific Island Roundtable forNature Conservation, the Western Indian Ocean Con-sortium, the Pacific Invasives Partnership (PIP), the Eu-ropean Island Biodiversity Working Group of the BernConvention and the Europe Overseas Roundtable onBiodiversity and Climate Change in promoting collabo-ration, a shared vision and action towards sustaining is-land biodiversity and addressing the challenges of climatechange; and

HIGHLIGHTING the potential of islands to be modelsfor the blue/green economy and for integrating variousmodels of sustainable development at a manageable scale;


1. WELCOMES the leadership provided by the Direc-tor General in:

a. the development of the Global Island Initiativeand appointment of staff for comprehensiveimplementation;

b. hosting GLISPA within IUCN to ensure its con-tinued success as an important platform for is-land action, leadership and collaboration, and itscontinued role in supporting the CBD Programmesof Work on Island Biodiversity and Protected Areas andrelated policies; and

c. including oceans, coastal areas and islands as amid-term, programme priority under the IUCNBusiness Model 2013–2016; and


a. undertake an independent review of theGlobal Island Initiative with due consideration

of opportunities to transition the Initiative to anappropriately resourced IUCN Global IslandsProgramme to enhance implementation of theIUCN One Programme;

b. invest in the development of a Global IslandsPortfolio of activities to conserve island biodi-versity and address related climate change issues,with a clear focus on the vital Red-Listingprocess for island species and ecosystems, inva-sive species, ecosystem-based approaches toadaptation and mitigation, and greening islandeconomies, and including pilot projects involv-ing communities;

c. increase financial support to GLISPA as an im-plementation mechanism of the CBD Programmeof Work on Island Biodiversity, to catalyze andstrengthen island leadership, and ensure collabo-ration of supporting partners; and

d. enhance efforts to strengthen representation andgovernance mechanisms in support of conserv-ing island biodiversity, nature-based solutions toclimate change adaptation and mitigation andgreening island economies within IUCN andwith partners and stakeholders, taking advantageof island Members, IUCN National and RegionalCommittees, and Members’ networks and plat-forms of island-related activities.

WCC-2012-Res-058-ENEcosystem management for disasterrisk reduction (DRR)

RECOGNIZING the United Nations Hyogo ActionFramework and in particular its Priority Action 4 on Re-ducing Underlying Risk Factors as a guide for developingstronger environmentally related policies and practicesfor nature-based disaster risk reduction;

NOTING the protective functions of ecosystems suchas coral reefs, mangroves, wetlands and mountain foreststhrough, inter alia, flood mitigation, drought management,slope stabilization, wildfire control and that this is whythey are referred to as “natural infrastructure” (the stockof ecosystems providing services needed for the opera-tion of the economy and society that complement, aug-ment or replace the services provided by engineeredinfrastructure);


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RECALLING that the poor, women and children, in de-veloping countries are disproportionately more vulnera-ble to natural disasters;

FURTHER CONCERNED that ecological degradationreduces the ability of ecosystems to sequester carbon,provide valuable resources such as food, medicinal plants,clean water, air and fuel, and thus further exacerbates thevulnerabilities to climate change and its related disasters;

CONVINCED that it is urgent to design strategies foradaptation to climate change that are based on environ-mental protection and restoration to reduce future im-pacts from disasters and other related adverse effectsfrom climate change;

CONCERNED that disasters and the responses to themhave a negative impact on biodiversity through the spreadof invasive species, mass species mortality and loss ofhabitat, and that poorly planned post-disaster responseand reconstruction work can further degrade ecosystems;

RECALLING that the frequency and severity of disas-ters, unless reduced through prevention or mitigation andpreparedness measures, will only serve to undermine sus-tainable development initiatives;

AWARE that investing in natural barriers and in main-streaming disaster risk and ecosystem management in de-velopment planning can be cost-efficient and mayrepresent a no-regret solution that has potential to makea major contribution to the goal of achieving sustainablelivelihoods for the poor;

EMPHASIZING that IUCN has experience and expert-ise in ecosystem management and is therefore a valuableresource in contributing to the understanding of under-lying environmental risk factors and the way to reducerelated social vulnerabilities; and

AFFIRMING that IUCN is uniquely positioned to inte-grate ecosystem management, livelihoods, communityvulnerability, climate change adaptation and disaster man-agement;


1. CALLS ON all of IUCN’s State Members to developand establish cross-sectoral policies among relevantsectors such as environment management, disaster

risk reduction and climate change to provide a facil-itating framework for a truly integrated approach todevelop nature-based solutions for reducing com-munity vulnerabilities and disseminate lessons learnton best and worst practices;

2. URGES IUCN State and non-State Members to up-hold the 2009 United Nations International Strategyfor Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP) and IUCN jointpublication Making Disaster Risk Reduction Gender-Sen-sitive: Policy and Practical Guidelines in relation to legis-lation, policies and programmes for sustainabledevelopment;

3. FURTHER CALLS ON State Members to committo establishing innovative nature-based solutions incomplementing engineered infrastructure with natu-ral infrastructure for disaster risk reduction, as well ashaving post-disaster “green recovery” strategies inplace;

4. URGES IUCN Member States to adopt a post“Hyogo Framework” that recognizes and capitalizesupon the role of ecosystem services for disaster riskreduction; and


a. continue developing cross-sectoral partnerships,including through involvement with the Partner-ship for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduc-tion (PEDRR) for integrating ecosystem- andnature-based disaster risk reduction into preven-tative and reactive responses to disasters;

b. continue promoting ecosystem- and nature-based disaster risk reduction at international fora,such as the United Nations Global Platform forDisaster Risk Reduction;

c. prioritize participatory initiatives for coastal, wa-tershed, dryland and mountain ecosystem restora-tion for social-ecological resilience to disasters;

d. identify strategic links and facilitate collaborationbetween climate adaptation and disaster risk re-duction communities for united action in sus-tainable environmental management;

e. further research and promote the economic casefor ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction; and


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f. develop guidelines to integrate disaster-risk re-duction in green reconstruction and recoveryinitiatives.

WCC-2012-Res-059-ENThe importance of adaptation anddisaster risk reduction in coastal areas

RECOGNIZING that nearly half of the human popu-lation lives in coastal areas, that coastlines contain morethan two-thirds of the world’s largest cities, and that thesepopulations are growing more rapidly than global trends;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that many economic ac-tivities and critical infrastructure are concentrated incoastal areas and that the coastal zone is an important en-gine of national economies of most coastal countries;

AWARE that sea level rise is likely to become one of themajor impacts of climate change over the coming cen-tury, causing gradual inundation of lowlands; increasedrates of erosion in many areas, even of higher elevationshores; and the salinization of ground-water in manycoastal and small island territories;

AWARE that in addition to sea level rise, coastal commu-nities are threatened by a number of coastal hazards suchas tropical storms and storm surges, and that these haz-ards are increasing in intensity as a result of climate change;

CONCERNED that many indigenous, local and poorcommunities live in low elevation coastal zones and smallislands, often in substandard housing, and are thereforehighly threatened by small rises in sea level, and othercoastal hazards;

RECOGNIZING the important role that coastal ecosys-tems can play in reducing risks from coastal hazards tocoastal communities, particularly through wave attenua-tion and shoreline stabilization, as well as the large bodyof information now available to provide informationabout the conditions under which ecosystems will pro-vide such services;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that the same ecosystemsoffer multiple additional services that support resilienceof human communities. Examples of such services arefood, fuelwood and timber provision, and water and cli-mate regulation. The full suite of these and other serv-ices that coastal ecosystems provide are an opportunity

for development and job creation, if they are managedsustainably;

ALARMED that coastal ecosystems are experiencingsome of the most rapid environmental change and arebeing lost at a higher rate than most other ecosystems;

FURTHER CONCERNED that most strategies to pro-tect coastal communities and resources from coastal haz-ards and sea level rise involve hard engineering andartificial coastal defences. These may have an impact onthe ecosystem services on which coastal communities de-pend, thereby potentially increasing social and economicvulnerability;

CONSIDERING that, in some cases, artificial structuresaccelerate rates of change and cause erosion of coastlines;

NOTING that ecosystem-based approaches to adapta-tion and disaster risk reduction are the use of biodiversityand ecosystem services to help people to adapt to climatechange and other hazards, and that effective adaptationrequires attention to ecological, social and economic as-pects of sustainability;

RECOGNIZING that ecosystem-based based ap-proaches to adaptation and disaster risk reduction pres-ent tangible opportunities to address impacts of climatechange and other hazards by aligning conservation, de-velopment and poverty alleviation interests;

ALSO NOTING that ecosystems can be used in combi-nation with hard and soft engineering approaches to pro-duce “hybrid” strategies for coastal risk reduction, wheremany ecosystem services remain or can be restored lead-ing to a significant contribution to risk reduction; and

FURTHER CONSIDERING that management effortsare more effective when vulnerable indigenous peoples andlocal communities are respected partners and custodians;


1. CALLS on the Director General to dedicate furtherefforts and resources to promote and advanceecosystem-based adaptation and disaster risk reduc-tion in coastal areas globally, including human andsocial aspects of adaptation as part of the IUCN Ma-rine and Polar Programme under the IUCN Pro-gramme 2013–2016;


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2. URGES IUCN coastal State and government agencyMembers, and other coastal States to:

a. pay special attention to nature-based adaptationin coastal areas in particular when developingtheir national adaptation plans;

b. integrate ecological, economic and social consid-eration when undertaking vulnerability assess-ment and adaptation planning, taking into accountthe critical role that coastal ecosystem play in both1) reducing risks to human communities and theireconomic assets along the coast, and 2) in sup-porting social and economic development;

c. actively involve diverse stakeholders in strategydevelopment and seek collaboration betweengovernments, indigenous and local communities,environmental organizations, relevant private-sector stakeholders, development and humani-tarian aid organizations;

d. encourage collaboration between industry andNGOs in developing and demonstrating ecosys-tem-based approaches for coastal risk reductionand encourage the corporate sector to take aleading role in promoting such approaches;

e. fully account for risks and all costs and benefitsassociated with development in vulnerablecoastal areas, provide incentives for “climatesmart” and integrated coastal development anddiscourage development in vulnerable and sensi-tive coastal habitats;

f. conserve and restore “natural coastal infrastruc-ture”, coastal ecosystems and wetlands (and inparticular mangroves, coral reefs, bivalve banks,saltmarshes, tidal flats and seagrasses) that helpreduce vulnerability and increase resilience to cli-mate change impacts;

g. undertake environmental impact assessmentwhen planning and installing artificial coastal de-fences and consider the risks such structurespose to coastal ecosystems, including the risks forthe ecosystem services they provide to society;and

h. where the use of hard engineering approaches isnecessary, strongly encourage consideration ofhybrid engineering approaches that combine

ecosystem restoration and management with en-gineering techniques to enhance risk reductionand improve efficiency of hard infrastructurewhile continuing to provide additional ecosystemservices;

3. URGES multilateral development banks and agen-cies, national and local government and agencies incharge of coastal development to take into consid-eration the impacts of climate change in the coastalzone when planning new coastal development proj-ects;

4. URGES donor agencies and multilateral develop-ment organizations to increase their support fordeveloping and implementing nature-based ap-proaches to reducing climate and disaster risks incoastal areas, in particular in vulnerable Small IslandDeveloping States, low-lying countries, and deltaicareas;

5. URGES all private-sector actors that are active incoastal areas to consider their direct and indirect im-pacts and dependencies on coastal ecosystems andto embrace and develop best practice that will leadto a net positive impact for these ecosystems; and

6. ENCOURAGES private-sector actors that are ac-tive in coastal areas to collaborate with governmentagencies and NGOs in demonstrating ecosystem-based adaptation at scale.

WCC-2012-Res-060-ENStrengthening the role of IUCN insaving the world’s primary forests

RECALLING IUCN Resolutions 1.20, 1.21, 1.22, 2.39,3.071, 3.101, 4.068, 4.075, 4.076, 4.078, 4.083, and 4.134,referenced in full in Annex I of this Resolution;

NOTING with concern that Earth continues to face anextinction crisis, and that primary forests, particularlytropical primary forests, contain half or more of theplanet’s terrestrial biodiversity;

RECOGNIZING that intact primary forests provideecosystem services at local, regional and global scales,including protection of water quality and quantity, main-tenance of significant carbon stocks and ongoing se-questration of carbon to mitigate climate change,


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regulation of local climate variability, maintenance ofwild relatives of crops, pollinators, soil formation andretention, and other services vital for food security;

ACKNOWLEDGING that while precise definitions of“primary forest” vary, the Food and Agriculture Organ-ization (FAO) of the United Nations defines primary for-est as “Naturally regenerated forest of native species,where there are no clearly visible indications of humanactivities and the ecological processes are not significantlydisturbed”;

NOTING that some 50% of the world’s natural forestcover has been lost, with particular high and continuingrates of loss in tropical forests, and that only around 36%of Earth’s remaining forests are primary forests;

BEARING IN MIND the International Tropical Tim-ber Organization (ITTO)/IUCN Guidelines for the conser-vation and sustainable use of biodiversity in tropical timberproduction forests;

RECALLING the United Nation’s Non-legally Binding In-strument on All Types of Forests and its first Global Objec-tive, to “reverse the loss of forest cover worldwide”;

FURTHER RECALLING that both the United NationsFramework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in-clude reducing deforestation and conserving naturalforests among their objectives, and have requested inputfor improving synergies between the two conventions toachieve both climate change and biodiversity objectives;

RECOGNIZING that the direct drivers of primary for-est degradation and loss have been well documented, andinclude conversion for agriculture and livestock; directand indirect impacts of the expansion of infrastructure,mining, and human settlement; and legally-authorized aswell as illegal logging;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that the indirect driversof primary forest degradation and loss are complex andvary from place to place, but frequently include, inter alia,insecure and inequitable land tenure, inadequate or ab-sent forest land-use planning, deficiencies in the rule oflaw and law enforcement, weak institutional capacities,perverse subsidies and economic incentives;

NOTING also that logging in primary tropical forestsoften acts as the cutting-edge agent of forest degradation

and as a precursor to uncontrolled expansion of agricul-ture, infrastructure and human settlement, frequently re-sulting in massive losses of biodiversity and carbon, thedestruction of local livelihoods, and increased forest andland fires;

REAFFIRMING the central role of protected areas, in-cluding indigenous and community conserved areas, inan overall strategy to slow the loss of primary forests;and

CONVINCED that legitimate human needs and aspira-tions worldwide can be met without destroying theworld’s remaining primary forests, particularly if effortsare significantly increased to optimize use of existing pur-pose planted trees on previously cleared land and re-store degraded lands for agricultural and timber and fibreproduction;


1. REQUESTS the Director General and Council to es-tablish a mechanism involving representatives ofCouncil, the Secretariat, IUCN Commissions andMembers to examine, make recommendations andreport to Council and Members, by the end of 2013,on:

a. opportunities to strengthen relevant IUCNglobal programmes and build synergies betweenthem, as well as the Commissions, with a view tosaving the world’s remaining primary forests;

b. options and opportunities to meet global de-mand for wood and agricultural commoditiesfrom lands other than primary forests;

c. measures that IUCN can take or promote to helpensure that purpose planted trees (plantations)for wood, fibre, or biofuel and biofibre feed-stocks or other agricultural products do not fur-ther encroach on remaining primary forests, andtheir carbon and biodiversity benefits;

d. the current state of the science and practice oflogging in tropical forests, the extent to whichcurrent best practices are in fact compatible withthe maintenance of primary forest as primaryforest, and recommendations for IUCN in ac-cordance with the findings and conclusions ofthis inquiry; and


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e. options and strategies for emphasizing the pro-tection of primary forests in the evolving inter-national REDD+ regime, as well as nationalREDD+ strategies, in ways that provide appro-priate financial and other incentives, respect therights and livelihoods of indigenous and otherlocal communities dependent on primary forests,and maximize biodiversity and carbon sequestra-tion benefits;

2. ALSO REQUESTS the Director General and Coun-cil, in carrying out the tasks in paragraph 1, to reviewand build on relevant IUCN Resolutions, literature onthe drivers of deforestation and other related topics,and to consult as appropriate with IUCN Membersand Commissions, members of the CollaborativePartnership on Forests1, relevant multilateral and bi-lateral development agencies, centres of scientific,technical and policy expertise, the private sector,NGOs, representatives of indigenous and local com-munities, and other stakeholders and institutions asthey may deem necessary;

3. FURTHER REQUESTS the Director General toconvey recommendations to Council and the Mem-bership on ways to strengthen the IUCN Programmeand approach to primary forests, both for the cur-rent Programme and for future Programmes, andalso to conduct outreach to relevant internationalprocesses and bodies such as CBD, UNFCCC,REDD+ Partnership, ITTO, etc.; and

4. FURTHER REQUESTS the Director General to de-velop a work plan and procedures for carrying outthis Resolution, based on IUCN rules, proceduresand best practices for similar exercises, in consulta-tion with Council.

ANNEX I: Past IUCN Resolutions Relevant to thisResolution’s Objectives

1.20 Biological Diversity and Forests1.21 Forest Concessions1.22 Voluntary Independent Certification of Forest Management and Marketing Claims2.39 Corruption in the Forest Sector

3.071 International cooperation on forest management3.101 Advancing boreal forest conservation4.068Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forestDegradation (REDD)4.075 Climate change mitigation targets and actions for biodi-versity conservation4.076 Biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigationand adaptation in national policies and strategies4.078 Appeal for action to address global environmental change4.083 Industrial agrofuel production4.134 Responding to deforestation and land degradation relatedto climate change and desertification

WCC-2012-Res-061-ENIUCN strategy for tropical forestecosystems of Amazonia and CongoBasins and South East Asia basins

RECALLING the Joint Declaration of the Heads ofState and Government on the occasion of the First Sum-mit on Tropical Forest Ecosystems of Amazonia andCongo Basins and South East Asia basins adopted inBrazzaville on 3 June 2011;

RECALLING the conclusions of the Summit of Headsof State and Government on the Forest Ecosystems ofthe Congo Basin held in Brazzaville on 5 February 2005;

RECOGNIZING the fact that sustainable ecosystemmanagement constitutes a crucial and essential elementfor the implementation of the Convention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD) and other international agreements, aswell as national legal instruments;

REAFFIRMING the fact that ecosystem managementplays a key role in the implementation of IUCN’s mis-sion and Programme, and that, whilst constituting the rai-son d’être of the IUCN Commission on EcosystemManagement (CEM), it also plays an important role in thework carried out by the IUCN Commission on Environ-mental Law (CEL), the Species Survival Commission(SSC) and the World Commission on Protected Areas(WCPA); and


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1 Including: Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), CBD, FAO, Global Environment Facility (GEF), ITTO, IUCN,United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UnitedNations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Forum on Forests, UNFCCC, World Agroforestry Centre and TheWorld Bank.

NOTING the crucial and essential role played by tropi-cal forest ecosystems in the mitigation of climate change;


REQUESTS the IUCN Council to create a mechanismto pay special attention to the sustainable managementof tropical forest ecosystems in the Amazon Basin, theCongo Basin and in South East Asia basins, within thecontext of the IUCN 2013–2016 Programme Areas‘Valuing and conserving nature’ and ‘Deploying nature-based solutions to global challenges in climate, food anddevelopment’; and include in the mechanism representa-tives of CEM, the other Commissions involved and men-tioned above, the IUCN Secretariat and the CouncilProgramme Committee.


WCC-2012-Res-062-ENAtlantic Forest in Argentina, Brazil andParaguay, as a priority biome forconservation

CONSIDERING that the Atlantic Forest in Argentina,Brazil and Paraguay is one of the most endangered bio-mes in the world, among the richest in biodiversity (over10,000 plant species; 298 species of mammals; over 200bird species; and more than 140 species of reptiles), andamong the most significant in terms of levels of en-demism (8,000 tree species, 40% of the total; 200 birdspecies, 16%; 71 mammal species, 27%; 94 reptile species,31%; and 286 amphibian species, 60%; to mention onlythe best-known taxonomic groups), there is an absoluteurge to enhance its protection;

RECOGNIZING that in Brazil only approximately 8%of the Atlantic coastal forest remains, that less than 20%of the remaining biome is officially conserved in pro-tected areas, and that high rates of forest loss are still pres-ent, approaching 350 km² or 0.25% per year in Brazil, andeven higher rates in Argentina and Paraguay, internationalrecognition of the importance of conserving the rem-nants of what still exists of the Atlantic Forest may becritical for its protection – from individuals to organiza-tions and societies in general, and from local to national

and global levels – and that IUCN is in a unique positionto influence many levels of decision making and conser-vation policy that may help create change;

AWARE that IUCN, primarily through its Commissionsand Members, can play an important role in advocating theimportance of conserving the Atlantic Forest among theMultilateral Environmental Agreements and conventions;

ANTICIPATING the continuing rapid growth of na-tional, regional and global pressures on natural habitats,especially those where human populations are concen-trated (70% of the Brazilian population lives in clearedlands once covered by the Atlantic Forest, even though itaccounts for only 11% of the nation’s territory, and ap-proximately 80% of the Brazilian gross domestic product(GDP) is generated in the Atlantic Forest region);

UNDERSTANDING that the integrity of the worldtoday may depend on the protection of natural areas – toprovide for food and water security and reduce the pres-sures caused by climate change and soil degradation, pol-lution and other negative impacts on human well-beingand the preservation of the world’s biodiversity;

RECALLING Resolution 4.004 Strengthening IUCN’s in-stitutional presence in South America adopted by the 4th IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008), aimingat strengthening IUCN’s initiatives in South America, andwhich resulted in the establishment of an office in Brazil;and

REAFFIRMING the importance of IUCN’s role forglobal conservation, it is imperative that it provides thefollowing guidance for the implementation of the IUCNProgramme 2013–2016 on this matter;


1. REQUESTS the Director General to include into theIUCN regional programmes specific and measurableinitiatives to influence public policies to better pro-tect the Atlantic Forest in Argentina, Brazil andParaguay, and to contribute more effectively to theimplementation of the Conventions that deal withBiodiversity and Climate Change and, recognizing therole of the organization’s Commissions and Mem-bers in influencing policies and actions, to work onsynergies that may enhance the implementation ofthe Conventions; and


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a. incorporate specific activities and goals regard-ing the conservation of the Atlantic Forest intothe IUCN Programme 2013–2016 pursuant to theaforementioned point;

b. further strengthen IUCN’s bioregional role inSouth America, considering the Atlantic Forestas being present in Brazil, Argentina andParaguay;

c. strengthen IUCN’s role to enhance protection ofAtlantic forests, in one of its most importantniches, which is to integrate South Americancountries in the “IUCN family” approach, en-hancing the application of international conven-tions and regional agreements (such as theConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD), theUnited Nations Framework Convention on Cli-mate Change (UNFCCC), and Mercosul, amongothers);

d. expand IUCN’s recommendations to protect At-lantic forests for the next quadrennium, inte-grating the objectives, themes and specificactivities, specifying responsibilities for the dif-ferent components of the “IUCN family”, suchas Members, Commissions, Secretariat, at bothregional and central levels;

e. take action regarding sending letters to the threecountries’ presidents, ministers and other deci-sion makers in support of Atlantic Forest pro-tection, based on the relevant internationalconventions and regional agreements; and

f. support local member organizations and mem-bers of Commissions in emergency situationsthat may threaten the Atlantic Forest in any ofthe three countries that host this biome.


WCC-2012-Res-063-ENSupport for conservation andsustainable use of Gotjawal forests inJeju, Republic of Korea

RECOGNIZING that the Gotjawal forests of 109.87km2, covering 6% of Jeju Island, is a unique resource cre-ated by volcanic activity in Aa lava areas of Jeju Island,which serves to recharge the island’s groundwater usedas the main source of drinking water for the populationof Jeju, and that these forests are very important in termsof ecosystem services and the application of traditionalknowledge in relation to abundant biological diversity andsustainable uses of the forests;

RECALLING that in connection with Resolutions 4.040Conservation of geodiversity and geological heritage, 4.067 Ad-vancing island conservation and sustainable livelihoods, 4.094 Im-petus and support for local and regional biodiversity conservationpolicies, and 4.055 Integrating culture and cultural diversity intoIUCN’s policy and Programme adopted by the 4th IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008), the pur-chasing properties in the Gotjawal forests as a NationalTrust Movement has been carried out to conserve theseareas under the leadership of the Gotjawal Trust of Jejusince 2007;

NOTING that the Gotjawal forests, including Jeju Vol-canic Island and Lava Tubes, inscribed as a Natural WorldHeritage site as well as a Wetland of International Im-portance (‘Ramsar site’), are home to Mankyua jejuense, anendemic fern of a monotypic genus, and 36 plant specieswhich are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species; inaddition to the bird Fairy Pitta (Pitta nympha), and that tra-ditional knowledge has been accumulated by the indige-nous people in the area for ages; and

CONCERNED that large-scale developments such asgolf course construction are in progress on the privatelands of over 60% in Gotjawal forests, and that as suchdestructive developments continue, they will not only de-stroy the original features of the unique ecosystem of theGotjawal forests, but also eventually threaten the liveli-hood of all Jeju residents;

The World Conser va tion Congr es s, at i t s Se ss ion inJe ju, Republ ic of Kor ea , 6–15 September 2012:

1. REQUESTS the Director General to seek support forconservation programmes on the wise use of natural


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resources of the Gotjawal forests and the sustainabil-ity of livelihoods in connection to Gotjawal becausethe conservation of biological, geological and culturaldiversity, including traditional knowledge of indige-nous people of Gotjawal, is consistent with IUCN’sobjective, and the pattern of sustainable use by in-digenous people is also consistent with the principleof Biosphere Reserve which emphasizes the mutualprosperity of biological organisms as well as human;and

2. URGES the Government of the Republic of Korea,the Government of Jeju Special Self-governingProvince, and the private sector conducting the de-velopments, to take active part in the Gotjawal TrustMovement, to establish long-term plans and to takeimmediate and practical actions for the conservationof the Gotjawal forests.


WCC-2012-Res-064-ENAcknowledging Quebec’s advancementof conservation of the Boreal region

HAVING RECOGNIZED in Resolution 3.101 Advanc-ing boreal forest conservation adopted by the 3rd IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004), the critical im-portance of the world’s remaining intact boreal forest re-gions, and in that resolution having urged governmentsto take steps to conserve those forest regions under theirjurisdiction;

RECALLING that the Convention on Biological Diver-sity (CBD) has noted that the fundamental requirementfor the conservation of biological diversity is the in-situconservation of ecosystems and natural habitats and themaintenance and recovery of viable populations ofspecies in their natural surroundings, and has recognizedthe close and traditional dependence of many indigenouslocal communities embodying traditional lifestyles on bi-ological resources;

RECALLING that the United Nations Declaration on theRights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) has recognized thatrespect for indigenous knowledge, cultures and traditionalpractices contributes to sustainable and equitable devel-opment and proper management of the environment;

AKNOWLEDGING that on May 9, 2011 the Govern-ment of Quebec, represented by Prime Minister JeanCharest, and a “Partners Table” including leaders fromaboriginal communities, environmental organizations, in-dustry and local government, signed together a “Decla-ration of the Partners” regarding the Plan Nord, asustainable development initiative applying to the north-ern two-thirds of the province of Quebec, an area cov-ering 1.2 million square kilometres;

ACKNOWLEDGING WITH SATISFACTION thatthis Declaration recognizes that:

a. the development of the territory that the Plan Nordcovers must be socially responsible, sustainable andenvironmentally sound;

b. the Plan Nord must support development that fos-ters the preservation of the quality of the environ-ment, safeguards biodiversity and the traditional,ancestral way of life of the First Nations and theInuit and allows for collective social and economicenrichment;

c. the Plan Nord must abide by the agreements alreadyconcluded with the First Nations and the Inuit livingin the territory and their ancestral rights and that itsimplementation must be sufficiently flexible to allowfor a case-by-case examination of each developmentproject, take into account current and future negoti-ations, and adapt to changes in such negotiations, inparticular in respect of governance;

d. the Plan Nord must complement the approaches thatthe Government of Quebec has already adopted inrespect of the aboriginal representatives concernedto deal with questions that require immediate actionand that nation-to-nation discussions must be main-tained between the Government of Quebec and theaboriginal nations throughout the implementation ofthe Plan Nord;

e. the territory encompassed by the Plan Nord containssome of the world’s most extensive intact ecosys-tems, which provide an array of ecological goods andservices that it is important to maintain; and

f. mechanisms must be adopted to ensure the continu-ity of the commitment to devote 50% of the terri-tory that the Plan Nord covers to non-industrialpurposes, environmental protection and safeguard-ing biodiversity;


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FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGING WITH SATISFAC-TION that:

a. the Government of Quebec has committed to initi-ate Ecological Planning by 2013 on the whole of thePlan Nord territory with a participation frameworkfor consulting with the territory’s stakeholders andaboriginal peoples to achieve these goals;

b. the Government of Quebec has committed to createProtected Areas on 20% of the Territory of the PlanNord by 2020 as an interim target, which will therebydevote 17% of the territory of the Province of Que-bec to conservation by that date; and

c. the Government of Quebec intends to develop theecological and environmental knowledge needed toassess various conservation practices to ensure theprotection of the environment and the territory;

RECOGNIZING that Plan Nord will make a significantcontribution towards Canada’s commitments to the AichiTargets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 in-cluding Strategic goal B, Target 5, and particularly to Tar-get 11 of goal C which sets global conservation targetsfor 2020, whereby areas of particular importance for bio-diversity and ecosystem services are conserved througheffectively and equitably managed, ecologically represen-tative and well-connected systems of protected areas andother effective area-based conservation measures, and in-tegrated into the wider landscape and seascapes; and

NOTING the importance of the commitment that at allstages of the planning and realization of the projects putforward under the Plan Nord, the protection of the en-vironment and northern ecosystems, which are especiallysensitive to climate change and disturbances stemmingfrom human intervention, will be at the forefront of de-cision making;


1. WELCOMES the policies and commitments of thePlan Nord because of their commitment to conser-vation and sustainable economic development;

2. AFFIRMS that the policies and commitments of thePlan Nord befit a sustainable development modelthat, if implemented in full, will allow natural re-sources to be developed in a spirit of respect for the

environment, thereby creating an exemplary sustain-able development project that integrates energy, min-ing, forest, bio-food, tourism, transportationdevelopment, wildlife management, environmentalprotection, the preservation of biodiversity, and thatwill foster development for the benefit of the com-munities concerned in a spirit of respect for culturesand identities;

3. FURTHER AFFIRMS that the aspirational goal ofmaintaining 50% of the northern territory of Que-bec free from industrial development, if opera-tionalized correctly, has the ability to be a guidinglight to the globe as we combat the enormous globalchallenges of biodiversity loss and climate change;

4. AFFIRMS that Plan Nord is a globally significantsustainable development initiative, if implemented ina manner that safeguards the integrity of the envi-ronment and respects the indigenous peoples’ humanrights in accordance with the principles of UNDRIP;

5. FURTHER AFFIRMS that the proposal to dedicate600,000 square kilometres to non-industrial pur-poses, protecting the environment and safeguardingbiodiversity, is an outstanding and historic conserva-tion policy that will positively reverberate around theworld;

6. AFFIRMS that the ecological planning at the heartof Plan Nord is a critically important strategic com-mitment that will provide a sound long-term foun-dation for conservation;

7. AFFIRMS that the conservation components ofPlan Nord will make an outstanding contribution toclimate change adaptation responses in the borealzone; and

8. CONGRATULATES the Government of Quebecfor its vision and commitments to conservation andaboriginal rights.



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WCC-2012-Res-065-ENThe conservation and protection of theworld’s indigenous temperategrasslands

CONSIDERING that indigenous temperate grasslandsprovide a wide range of ecological services for life onEarth: as a source of food, water and fibre for humanlivelihoods and well-being; for cultural and biological di-versity; and the sequestration of carbon, particularly inthe face of global climate change;

ACKNOWLEDGING that indigenous temperate grass-lands, that occur on every continent except Antarctica,have been modified by human activity to such a degreethat very little remains in its natural state and that theyare currently considered by the IUCN World Commis-sion on Protected Areas (WCPA) as one of the most at-risk ecosystems in the world;

CONFIRMING that indigenous temperate grasslandshave a global level of protection of only 4–5%, the low-est of all terrestrial biomes, and that many new, large andecologically viable protected areas need to be establishedto achieve conservation and protection on a landscapescale to reach the Aichi Biodiversity Target of 17%;

RECOGNIZING that the remaining areas of indige-nous temperate grasslands continue to be threatened byinappropriate policies that lead to further loss throughconversion and unsustainable land use and managementpractices;

ACKNOWLEDGING that many indigenous temperategrasslands play an important role in poverty and hungeralleviation and food production, and thus are not onlystrategic ecologically but are essential for contributing tothe achievement of the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs);

REALIZING the importance of indigenous temperategrasslands to the life and cultural survival of mobile in-digenous peoples and, in turn, the value of the accumu-lated knowledge and experience of traditional temperategrasslands users to their on-going conservation andmanagement;

ACKNOWLEDGING that climate change seriously af-fects the biodiversity of, and the provision of goods andservices by, indigenous temperate grasslands, thus having

a negative impact on biodiversity and people that de-pend on these grasslands for sustaining their lives andlivelihoods;

CONSCIOUS that developing and implementing effec-tive incentives for good land stewardship, restoration andthe sustainable management of indigenous temperategrasslands is essential to guaranteeing their long-termsustainable use as healthy and living environments; and

RECOGNIZING that the Temperate Grasslands Con-servation Initiative (TGCI) of the WCPA GrasslandsSpecialist Group is focused on achieving the conserva-tion and protection of the world’s indigenous temperategrasslands to meet the Convention on Biological Diver-sity (CBD) targets and to contribute to the MDGs andthe United Nations Convention to Combat Desertifica-tion (UNCCD), in coherence with the IUCN DrylandsProgramme, having achieved the following goals over thepast decade:

a. assembled an international network of grasslandsprofessionals to address the issues surrounding theirconservation and protection;

b. improved communications on the subject throughworkshops, a newsletter, publications and website;

c. compiled a list of existing protected areas in thegrasslands biome and identified priorities for futureconservation and protection;

d. assessed the current state of knowledge on the eco-nomic value of intact indigenous temperate grass-lands; and

e. observed an increase in the level of protection forthis biome of 600%, from 0.69% to 5%, since theTGCI’s inception in 1996;


1. REQUESTS the Director General and the IUCNCommissions to:

a. acknowledge that indigenous temperate grass-lands are one of the most imperilled and the leastprotected ecosystems and are under-representedin the world’s protected area system and, as aconsequence, include this issue in the implemen-tation of the Global and Regional Programmes;


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b. encourage governments, non-government or-ganizations and private interests to protect in-digenous temperate grasslands, with the aim ofachieving Aichi Target 11, with a minimum of10% by 2014, as proposed at the IVth World Con-gress on National Parks and Protected Areas in1992 in Caracas, Venezuela;

c. recognize that indigenous temperate grasslandsrequire urgent and targeted action to protect,maintain and restore their biodiversity and themany valuable social, cultural, economic and eco-logical services they provide to sustain human lifeand well-being under the IUCN Programme 2013–2016; and

d. support the work of the Temperate Grasslands Con-servation Initiative and the WCPA Grasslands Spe-cialist Group;

2. REQUESTS relevant governments to:

a. increase the efforts to designate protected areaswithin indigenous temperate grassland regions,and integrate them into broader, multiple uselandscapes; and

b. promote the sustainable use of indigenous tem-perate grasslands through the development ofincentive mechanisms and certification schemes;and

3. REQUESTS international funding mechanisms, in-cluding the Global Environment Facility, to supporta targeted increase in funds available for temperategrassland conservation, protection and sustainablemanagement.

WCC-2012-Res-066-ENAntarctica and the Southern Ocean

RECALLING Resolutions 2.54 Antarctica and the South-ern Ocean adopted by the 2nd IUCN World ConservationCongress (Amman, 2000), 3.36 Antarctica and the SouthernOcean adopted by the 3rd IUCN World ConservationCongress (Bangkok 2004) and 4.034 IUCN’s engagementon Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, and Recommenda-tion 4.118 Antarctica and the Southern Ocean adopted bythe 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona,2008);

ALSO RECALLING Resolutions 16.9 Antarctica (II)adopted by the 16th IUCN General Assembly (Madrid,1984), 18.74 The Antarctic Conservation Strategy adopted bythe 18th IUCN General Assembly (Perth, 1990) and 19.96Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, and Recommendation19.95 Improved Protection for Wildlife in Subantarctic IslandEcosystems adopted by the 19th IUCN General Assembly(Buenos Aires, 1994);

FURTHER RECALLING the commitment made byheads of State and government at the 2002 World Sum-mit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg) forStates to facilitate development of representative net-works of marine protected areas (MPAs) by 2012, and therecommendations of the 2003 World Parks Congress(Durban) calling for the establishment and effective man-agement by 2008 of at least five scientifically and globallyrepresentative High Seas MPAs, and for relevant organi-zations by 2012 to devote urgent attention to creating andexpanding MPA networks, including marine biodiversityand ecosystem processes in the world oceans that lie be-yond national jurisdiction, including Antarctica with theRoss Sea highlighted as a priority for protection as thelargest largely intact marine ecosystem remaining on earth;

NOTING that the 10th Meeting of the Conference ofParties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBDCOP10) in Nagoya, Japan, agreed to the ecologically andbiologically significant area criteria and the associatedprogramme of work;

ACKNOWLEDGING the steps taken by the Commis-sion for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Re-sources (CCAMLR) to develop a network of MPAs inthe Southern Ocean, and decisions taken by the Antarc-tic Treaty Consultative Parties to designate Antarctic Spe-cially Protected Areas (ASPAs) and Antarctic SpeciallyManaged Areas (ASMAs) in both terrestrial and marineenvironments;

RECOGNIZING the primary role of the agreements ofthe Antarctic Treaty System in the conservation and man-agement of the Antarctic region;

WELCOMING Antarctica’s status as a natural reserve de-voted to peace and science under the Antarctic Treaty andits Protocol on Environmental Protection, and the workof the Parties to those agreements through the AntarcticTreaty Consultative Meetings and its Committee on En-vironmental Protection to advance the Protocol objectiveof comprehensive environmental protection;


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CONCERNED about the potential for cumulative im-pacts on the Antarctic from the growing intensity, diver-sity and spread of human activities;

CONCERNED about the emerging impacts on Antarc-tic ecosystems from global climate change and oceanacidification;

CONCERNED by the absence of appropriate ice-clas-sification requirements for the increasing number of ves-sels operating in the Southern Ocean and noting thepossible opportunities to improve the routing of vesselsto increase safety and avoid sensitive areas, and improverequirements for the prevention of pollution;

NOTING with concern the number of serious accidentsinvolving fishing vessels in the Southern Ocean in the lasttwo years that have resulted in loss of life and environ-mental impacts, and at the same time the likelihood thatvessel traffic will increase in the years to come;

WELCOMING the International Maritime Organization(IMO) agreement to prohibit use and carriage of heavyfuel oils in the Southern Ocean;

AWARE of increasing interest in biological prospectingand applications for patents for commercial exploitationof genetic material from unique organisms in the Antarc-tic Treaty area and the Convention for the Conservationof Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) areaof the Southern Ocean;

CONCERNED that Parties to the Protocol on Environ-mental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty have not brought intoforce its Annex VI on Liability and Emergency ResponseAction, which is an important tool to encourage higheroperational and shipping standards;

RECOGNIZING the role of IUCN in providing aforum for the discussion by governmental and non-gov-ernmental bodies of issues affecting Antarctica’s envi-ronment, and in contributing to the work of thecomponents of the Antarctic Treaty System; and

NOTING that protection and management of the landand marine components of the Antarctic and SouthernOcean is fully consistent with Area 1 – Valuing and con-serving nture and Area 2 – Effective and equitable governance ofnature’s use of the IUCN Programme 2013–2016;

The World Conser va tion Congr e ss, at i t s se ss ion inJeju, Republ i c of Kor ea 6–15 Se ptember 2012:

1. ENCOURAGES all CCAMLR members, in additionto implementing previous Recommendations andResolutions, to:

a. include large areas and potentially the whole ofthe Ross Sea and other large areas in the South-ern Ocean, in a representative system of marinereserves, based on the best available scientific in-formation; and

b. take coordinated action to further improve theCCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program(CEMP), which is fundamental for the propermanagement of the krill fishery, including sup-port for and use of the recently establishedCEMP Fund;

2. URGES all Parties to the Antarctic Treaty, the Pro-tocol on Environmental Protection and CCAMLR totake the steps necessary to:

a. reflect climate change effects in strategies andmeasures for the conservation and managementof Antarctic marine living resources, includingthe designation of MPAs, and engage with theUnited Nations Framework Convention on Cli-mate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovern-mental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) topromote the important climate change researchresults flowing from Antarctica; and

b. coordinate steps to manage and minimize and aspracticable remove marine debris from the oceanin the CCAMLR area;

3. SUPPORT the work of the International MaritimeOrganization (IMO) to develop a legally binding andmandatory Polar Code that will cover both new andexisting vessels operating in the Antarctic, which mayaddress: (a) appropriate ice-classification require-ments in relation to ice-cover; (b) regulation of bal-last water and grey water discharges; (c) preventionof the entry of alien species through various path-ways; (d) prohibiting the dumping of food wastesand sewage into the Southern Ocean; and (e) reduc-ing air emissions and in particular black carbon emis-sions through the use of increased voyageoptimization, vessel speeds, and further energy effi-ciency and emission control measures;

4. AGAIN URGES all Parties to the Antarctic Treaty,the Protocol on Environmental Protection andCCAMLR to take the steps necessary to:


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a. stop the illegal, unreported and unregulated fish-ing for toothfish (Dissostichus spp.) in the oceansaround Antarctica, by using port state enforce-ment tools, ratifying the Agreement on Port StateMeasures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Un-reported and Unregulated Fishing, sharing relevantsatellite data, and direct interdiction in the South-ern Ocean; and

b. continue to consider issues related to bioprospecting in Antarctica and the SouthernOcean, resolve legal and environmental issues ifany, and if necessary consider the need for an ap-propriate set of management rules and measures;

5. AGAIN URGES all Parties to the Protocol on En-vironmental Protection to take the necessary stepsto:

a. enforce existing rules and establish new rules, asneeded, to ensure that Antarctic tourism is con-ducted in a safe and environmentally sound man-ner, including limits to the concentration oftourists at particular sites, consideration of theoverall number of tourists, and not allowing con-struction of land-based tourism infrastructurewith significant environmental impacts such ashotels;

b. protect wilderness values;

c. plan activities in Antarctic Treaty areas so as toavoid degradation of wilderness areas and mini-mize the impacts of human activities in theAntarctic; and

d. ratify Annex VI to the Protocol as soon as prac-tical to bring into force this important instrumenton liability for harm to the environment andemergency response action; and

6. CALLS ON the Director General and Council, inimplementing Area 1 – Valuing and conserving natureand Area 2 – Effective and equitable governance of nature’suse of the IUCN Programme 2013–2016, to take stepsto ensure that it strengthens its participation in theAntarctic Treaty and CCAMLR meetings and inters-essional work, that IUCN information and data areregularly presented to the Antarctic Treaty System ina timely manner, and that IUCN includes Antarcticain its policy and Polar priorities and allocates ade-quate resources for this work.

The State Member Japan provided the following state-ment for the record:

“The delegation of Japan expresses appreciations to all the partici-pants for their hard work to develop a consensus text throughContact Group meetings.

However, as stated at the Contact Group meeting, Japan has afundamental concern in this Motion that, MPAs or marine reservesare highlighted as the only tool for conservation and management ofAntarctic marine living resources in the Commission for the Conser-vation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources or CCAMLR.

There are many management tools in RFMOs such as limiting fi-shing effort and/or catch, and it is the CCAMLR members tochoose the most suitable tool or combination of tools for each spe-cies and/or fishing type based on science. Japan believes that IUCNshould not prejudge CCAMLR’s decision.

For this reason, Japan did not support this Motion.”


WCC-2012-Res-067-ENIUCN and the Arctic region – intensifiedand coordinated work

NOTING that the Arctic environment is one of theworld’s most threatened ecosystems; the threats are man-ifold: from the on-going changes originating in climatechange, to an increase of competition for the natural re-sources of the area;

RECALLING decisions by previous General Assemblies(GA) and World Conservation Congresses (WCC): 4th

GA Copenhagen 1954, 7th GA Warsaw 1960, 10th GANew Delhi 1969, 11th GA Banff 1972, 14th GAAshkhabad 1978, 15th GA Christchurch 1981, 16th GAMadrid 1984, 17th GA San José 1988, 18th GA Perth 1990,19th GA Buenos Aires 1994; 1st WCC Montreal 1996, re-garding the development of an action plan for Arcticconservation and sustainable development, working withindigenous peoples, et al.; 2nd WCC Amman 2000, re-garding the need for an Arctic strategy and action plan,integrated ecosystem management, ecological integrity,and environmental security, et al.; 4th WCC Barcelona2008, regarding IUCN representation by appropriate ex-perts at relevant negotiations;


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RECOGNIZING that IUCN throughout the history ofthe Union has been working in different areas for pre-serving the natural ecosystems of the Arctic, and has sup-ported different initiatives to strengthen this work;

ACKNOWLEDGING the excellent work undertaken bythe Arctic Council in promoting sustainable developmentin the Arctic region;

ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING the responsibility of allnations bordering the Arctic region jointly to make everyeffort to create a sustainable ecosystem-based manage-ment approach to development in the Arctic area;

UNDERLINING that what happens in the Arctic regionaffects global nature, and thus all societies in the world;

RECOGNIZING that Arctic ecosystems provide essen-tial services including those necessary for the livelihoodsof indigenous peoples;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that IUCN’s effort couldbe more effective by increasing the coordination withinthe Union;

APPRECIATING the work done by the IUCN SpeciesSurvival Commission (SSC) Specialist Groups in the Arc-tic region; and

RECOGNIZING the excellent scientific work under-taken by IUCN in working out the ecologically or bio-logically significant marine areas (EBSA) criteria,including consideration of the way they may be used forinforming future decisions regarding conservation of themarine environment both within and beyond national ju-risdiction;


1. AFFIRMS the interest of IUCN in playing a signifi-cant role in the Arctic region based on its major assets;

2. REQUESTS the Director General to continue tocollaborate with the Arctic Council;

3. ENCOURAGES IUCN Members, Councillors,Commissions and the Secretariat to continue and tointensify joint work in cooperation with governmentsand relevant organizations in the Arctic and Subarc-tic region;

4. RECOMMENDS that the Director Generalstrengthen the IUCN presence in the Arctic Councilthrough its contribution to the work of the ArcticCouncil;

5. REQUESTS that IUCN Member and Commissionexperts in issues related to the Arctic, in collabora-tion with the Secretariat, develop a comprehensiveIUCN Action Plan for its work in the Arctic region,with the aim of securing increased and relevant con-tributions from IUCN to ongoing and upcoming ac-tivities within the Arctic Council, its Member States,permanent participants and observers; and

6. REQUESTS the Director General to promote theimplementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity2011–2020 and relevant programmes of work of theConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in rela-tion to the Arctic environment.

The State Member Denmark provided the followingstatement for the record:

“Denmark, on behalf of Greenland welcomes Motion 086‘IUCN and the Arctic Region – intensified and coordinated work’sponsored by the Swedish Museum of Natural History. The Spon-sor supports the amendments [made].

Climate change and the increased activities in the Arctic have re-sulted in new and rapidly developing challenges to Arctic biodiver-sity, Indigenous Peoples and residents of the Arctic.

Increased cooperation is essential to understand, address and re-spond to these challenges.

Denmark, as one of the eight arctic states of the Arctic Council,sees this circumpolar cooperation as the main regional forum foradvancing the goals of the international nature conventions andagreements in the Arctic Region.

Denmark would in this regard like to use the opportunity to wel-come fruitful cooperation between IUCN as an Observer in theArctic Council and the Arctic Council’s working groups such as theConservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF).

In light of the challenges facing Arctic biodiversity, there is a needto emphasize and encourage increased collaboration between theArctic Council’s working groups and IUCN.

In regard to the suggested Motion, Denmark finds that there is aneed to highlight the importance of strengthening of the IUCN


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presence in the Arctic Council and its contribution to the work ofthe Arctic Council.

Denmark finds that a comprehensive IUCN Action Plan for theArctic Region should take into account the Arctic Council and itsworking groups plans and that an action plan should be developedwith the aim of securing increased and relevant contribution to on-going and upcoming activities within the Arctic Council.

We therefore support the Motion as amended.”


WCC-2012-Res-068-ENThe importance of assessing the waterneeds of wetlands in order to preservetheir ecological functions

CONSIDERING the basic ecological functions of wet-lands as regulators of hydrological regimes and as habi-tat for characteristic fauna and flora;

RECOGNIZING that wetlands provide a wide range ofecosystem services which contribute to human well-being, that their conservation and wise use is vital for thecontinued provision of these services, and that wetlandsare both sources of water and water users;

NOTING that the lack of hydrological resources forwetlands is due to the growing human demand for waterextraction which is one of the main factors that producescontinuous alterations and causes the deterioration anddisappearance of wetlands and their services;

RECALLING that the growing demand for water andits overexploitation endanger human well-being and theenvironment, and that there is often insufficient water tosatisfy direct human needs and to maintain the wetlandsthat we need;

CONSCIOUS that it is vital to manage and protect ourwetlands wisely, ensuring the availability of the quantitiesof water that they need to maintain their ecological char-acteristics, and thus to improve people’s means of sur-vival, in particular for people who are vulnerable,marginalized or dependant on wetlands;

HIGHLIGHTING that knowledge of the water needsof wetlands would contribute effectively to the wise useof the latter, establishing the water contributions neces-sary and assessing potential alterations through appro-priate monitoring programmes;

RECOGNIZING that establishing and consolidating thewater needs of wetlands would contribute to better man-agement of river basins, harmonizing water use strate-gies with those relating to land use, considering theimportance of the water management cycle and the rela-tionship that exists between ground and surface watersfor the purpose of their management and administration;

ALSO RECOGNIZING that the scientific methodsused to justify decisions on the management of water re-sources pertaining to wetlands, including establishing theenvironmental water needs of wetlands, must be credibleand must be supported by the opinion of the scientificcommunity;

HIGHLIGHTING that organizations with shared inter-ests in terms of data, information and knowledge (in-cluding indigenous and traditional knowledge) mustincrease their efforts in seeking to adopt common ap-proaches, which are in harmony and accessible, so thattheir knowledge and experience (for example, in bestpractice) may be exchanged more efficiently, includingthrough appropriate uses of information technology; and

RECALLING that, as a result of progress in the field ofwetland management, a set of technical and scientificguidelines and other materials are available for the appli-cation of measures to promote conservation and wiseuse of wetlands, as well as allocation of water resources,with the objective of maintaining the ecological charac-teristics of wetlands;


1. CALLS UPON States to renew the commitment toassessing and guaranteeing appropriate allocation andmanagement of water resources for the maintenanceof the ecological functions of wetlands, and to en-suring that the principles stated by IUCN (i.e. theecosystems approach, sustainability, etc.) are incor-porated into their national policies on water re-sources and wetlands;


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2. PROPOSES that States compile credible informa-tion and bring it to the attention of those directlyconcerned with responsibilities in order to improvemanagement of wetlands of ecological importance,in particular the sites listed under the Ramsar Con-vention, including administrators of wetland sites,ministries, governmental departments and bodies, or-ganizations responsible for water and river basinmanagement, non-governmental organizations andcivil society, encouraging the aforesaid interested par-ties to take into account the importance of estab-lishing the water needs of wetlands in adoptingdecisions and in activities related to ensuring the wiseuse of wetlands through preservation of their eco-logical characteristics;

3. URGES the Director General, the IUCN Commis-sions and scientific community in general to developprojects, initiatives and activities to identify valid andappropriate methods for assessing the water needsof wetlands, and to ensure immediate disseminationof the results of such assessments among its offices,the IUCN Commissions and membership as well asgovernments with the aim of taking informed deci-sions on wetlands management;

4. INVITES the Director General to use the Union’sObserver Status at the United Nations General As-sembly to disseminate this approach and seek its for-mal adoption within the United Nations structureand its components;

5. URGES riparian States with wetlands located intransboundary river basins to work together for theequitable, reasonable and optimum utilization ofwater resources;

6. URGES the Parties to the Ramsar Convention to ap-prove at the 12th Conference of the Parties scheduledin 2015 in Uruguay, a technical resolution with guide-lines for the application of methods which facilitateassessing the water needs of wetlands for the pur-pose of maintaining their ecological functions andensuring water allocation;

7. URGES multilateral and bilateral donors to ensurethat assessing water needs for the purpose of main-taining the ecological functions and production po-tential of wetlands is fully taken into account in thecreation, planning and application of managementprojects for river basins and water resources, takinginto consideration the circumstances and special lim-itations of the countries involved; and

8. ENCOURAGES States and other interested organ-izations to create projects and other activities thatpromote and demonstrate best practice in assessingthe water needs of wetlands for the purpose ofmaintaining their ecological functions, to make theseexamples of best practice available to other interestedparties through the information exchange mecha-nisms of IUCN, and also the Joint Ramsar/CBDRiver Basin Initiative, and to provide informationabout the successes achieved and lessons learnedfrom these activities.


WCC-2012-Res-069-ENStrengthening coordination formanaging the aquatic ecosystems ofEast Asia

ACKNOWLEDGING that conserving biodiversity andmaintaining the resilience of aquatic ecosystems is es-sential for “sustainable nature for human well-being”, ad-dressed as a priority area by IUCN;

AWARE that East Asia is a very densely populated areawhere one-third of the world’s human population resides;most of them reside in river basins and coastal areas wherepopulation and economic growth have been the fastest,threatening food security and the sustainability of aquaticecosystems, especially in coastal and estuarine areas wherefreshwater and marine ecosystems actively interact;

NOTING that the rivers and adjacent seas of East Asiaare productive enough to support approximately 40% ofthe global fisheries yield and to account for about 80% ofglobal aquaculture production, and that most East Asiansare dependent on fisheries;

EMPHASIZING the importance of large rivers and es-tuaries in East Asia (e.g. the Mekong, Huang He andChang Jiang Rivers) for sustaining biodiversity and theproductivity of marine ecosystems;

CONCERNED that, together with climate change ef-fects and overfishing, increasing anthropogenic activityin the rivers and coasts of East Asia is expected to re-duce water availability and quality, biodiversity, resilienceand sustainability of aquatic ecosystems;


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ALARMED that the recent nuclear accident inFukushima, Japan, in March 2011, caused internationalconcern over the possible spread of radiation via oceancurrents and food chains, and potential exposure to con-taminated marine products through international tradeand the migration of marine animals, expediting an in-ternational network for monitoring and managing theseas adjacent to East Asia;

RECOGNIZING that a local environmental accident orproblem in a country can directly or indirectly influenceand threaten the sustainability and food security of theaquatic ecosystems of neighbouring countries;

RECALLING the World Conservation Congress Reso-lutions and Recommendations for managing aquaticecosystems, including: Resolution 1.17 Coastal and MarineConservation and Management adopted by the 1st IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Montreal, 1996); Resolu-tions 2.20 Conservation of Marine Biodiversity and 2.56 Land-use Policies and Legal Tools for Coastal Conservation adopted bythe 2nd IUCN World Conservation Congress (Amman,2004); Resolution 4.031 Achieving conservation of marine bio-diversity in areas beyond national jurisdictions; Resolution 4.065Freshwater biodiversity conservation, protected areas, and manage-ment of transboundary waters and Recommendation 4.116Fisheries management by Regional Fisheries Management Organ-izations (RFMOs) adopted by the 4th IUCN World Con-servation Congress (Barcelona, 2008);

RECOGNIZING that IUCN works closely with inter-national organizations to research and manage aquaticecosystems, including the Global Water Partnership, In-tergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC),United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),Global Environment Facility (GEF), and Food and Agri-culture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); and

CONSIDERING Resolution 3.003 Engagement by IUCNwith local and regional government authorities adopted by the3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok,2004), and Resolution 4.003 Strengthening IUCN’s Nationaland Regional Committees adopted by the 4th IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008);


1. RECOMMENDS States establish an internationalnetwork for monitoring and managing freshwater

and marine ecosystems in East Asia and the adjacentseas to conserve biodiversity, maintain sustainability,and build resilience under the threats of climatechange, overfishing, anthropogenic intervention andenvironmental accidents;

2. CALLS ON the regional Members and NationalCommittees of South and East Asia and the govern-ments of South and East Asian countries to initiatediscussion on strengthening coordination for themonitoring and management of cross-boundaryfreshwater, coastal, estuarine and marine ecosystems;and

3. REQUESTS the Director General to promote re-gional governance for managing aquatic ecosystemsin East Asia; and to collaborate with international or-ganizations, including the IOC, FAO, GEF, Partner-ships in Environmental Management for the Seas ofEast Asia (PEMSEA), the North Pacific Marine Sci-ence Organization (PICES), Northwest Pacific Ac-tion Plan, Coordinating Body on the Seas of EastAsia (COBSEA) and related non-governmental or-ganizations, to initiate discussion on establishing a re-gional organization for this purpose.


WCC-2012-Res-070-ENRío de la Plata Basin wetlands regionalinitiative

OBSERVING that the Río de la Plata Basin, with a sur-face area of over 3,200,000 km2 is the second largestdrainage basin in South America and the fourth largest inthe world; that it covers the whole of Paraguay as well asconsiderable parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil andUruguay, including within its central plain the most ex-tensive corridor of fluvial wetlands on the planet, as wellas some of the most densely inhabited mega-cities inSouth America and in the world;

CONSIDERING that the ecosystems in the region, andits wetlands in particular, are significant examples of theabundance, variety and quality of natural resources,which facilitate the production of a large number of en-vironmental goods and services of great economic andecological importance;

CONCERNED that the natural resources of the Río dela Plata Basin and the associated goods and services arethreatened by factors such as the fragmentation of natu-ral ecosystems, the expansion of agricultural borders,large-scale livestock rearing, major infrastructure projects,urban development and pollution, which not only affectthe wetlands and biodiversity but also the local commu-nities that depend on these resources, not to mentionfood safety and the global climate;

RECOGNIZING that unsustainable production is af-fecting the traditional production models in the region,increasing the impact of drought and flooding, and re-ducing the capacity for adaptation to climate change,which has a negative impact on the welfare of local pop-ulations, creating conditions that give rise to migration tolarge cities and increasing poverty;

AWARE of the need:

a. for the economic and social benefits of natural re-sources and associated ecological goods and servicesto be recognized by the stakeholders involved in thedevelopment of environmental and social policies;

b. to promote initiatives that improve existing knowl-edge, its systematization and application to sustain-able production practices and management, whichboth contribute to the conservation and sustainabledevelopment of the region, and improve the qualityof life of the local communities that depend on theseresources;

c. to support examples of sustainable ecosystem bestpractices, including the participation of the privatesector, producers, social organizations, communitiesand local governments, in coordination with all sec-tors; and

d. to develop the skills of the stakeholders and author-ities responsible for the management of natural re-sources in the Río de la Plata Basin;

RECALLING Recommendation 2.85 Conservation of theMiddle and Lower Paraná River adopted at the 2nd IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Amman, 2000); Recom-mendation 3.097 Conservation of the Wetland Corridor of theFluvial Littoral, Argentina adopted at the 3rd IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004); Recommenda-tion 4.029 Conservation and sustainable use of fish in the Río dela Plata Basin and Resolution 4.004 Strengthening IUCN’s

institutional presence in South America approved at the 4th


RECOGNIZING the important precedents of regionalprogress, such as the Poconé Accord (2005), theParaguay-Paraná System Alliance Initiative, the IUCN-Río de la Plata Basin Initiative (2009), the Ramsar Con-vention Río de la Plata Basin Regional Initiative (2009),the ClimPlata initiative for the management of risks andadaptation to climate change and variability in the Río dela Plata Basin (2010), and the Ecosystem Alliance initia-tive (2011–2015) – coordinated by the Netherlands Na-tional Committee of IUCN Members, Both Ends andWetlands International – focused on the Río de la PlataBasin, with activities in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil andParaguay; and

BEARING IN MIND that it is necessary to consolidatea regional approach for the Río de la Plata Basin in thelight of new global challenges, which include climatechange, water scarcity, the advancing of the agriculturalfrontier and in particular soya bean cultivation, defor-estation, infrastructure projects, urban development andpollution from agricultural products;


CALLS ON the Director General to:

a. support the governments, IUCN Members in the re-gion and the IUCN Commissions in order to main-tain the integrity of the wetland ecosystems in theRío de la Plata Basin, strengthen the capacities ofcivil society, contribute to food and water safety andto promote the sustainable economic developmentof the region, through management with an ecosys-tem approach; and

b. to analyze the possibilities for strengthening the in-stitutional presence of IUCN in the Southern Coneof South America, and to consider opportunities forfacilitating resources to develop and implement astrategic plan with a regional approach in the Río dela Plata Basin, aimed at influencing public policiesand strengthening processes involving communities,grassroots organizations, NGOs, local and nationalgovernments, and academic and scientific institutionsin terms of better organization, the improvement ofskills and the drawing up of agreements.


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WCC-2012-Res-071-ENConservation of the Panama Baywetlands

RECOGNIZING that the Panama Bay wetlands havefundamental ecological functions, that they constitute asource of goods and services that contribute to humanwell-being, regulating the water regimes and are an im-portant habitat for both fauna and flora; that each yearthese coastal wetlands provide food, shelter and restingplaces for over one million migratory shorebirds of 36species (which breed in Canada and the United States),and that this has led the area to be declared an ImportantBird Area (IBA), a Wetland of International Importanceunder the Ramsar Convention, a Western HemisphereShorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) site, a Key Biodi-versity Area (KBA), and a protected area at a nationallevel; and that, therefore, it is a priority to maintain its eco-logical features, conserve its ecosystems and make wiseuse of its resources;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that in 2009 the State ofPanama informed the Ramsar Convention of the exten-sion of the boundaries of the Ramsar Site, in accordancewith the protected area created that same year;

CONCERNED because on 27 April 2012, the ThirdChamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Re-public of Panama, in a decision that affects the sustainablemanagement of the wetlands, provisionally suspended theResolution of the National Environmental Authority ofPanama NºAG-0072-2009, through which the ‘PanamaBay Wetland’ Wildlife Refuge was created on 3 February2009, constituted following the recommendations of theRamsar Advisory Mission Nº 63, carried out in Novem-ber 2008; and because this news was received by civil so-ciety organizations on 17 May 2012 and confirmed by theauthorities on 21 May 2012; and NOTING that on 5 July2012 civil society organizations filed a claim in the ThirdChamber of the Supreme Court in order to be admittedas third parties in the process, and asked for the re-estab-lishment of the protected area declaration, with no replyhaving been received to date regarding whether they willbe allowed to participate in the process;

ALSO CONCERNED because after the Supreme Courtsuspended the status of protected area, the Ministry of

Housing and Land-use Planning (MVIOT) approvedLand-use Planning Schemes (changes of land use thatwould allow construction on the wetlands), one on 25May 2012 and the other in June 2012, which would nothave occurred if the protected area declaration had notbeen suspended; and because if the protected area statusis not restored in time, the approved projects will lead tohabitat fragmentation, causing biodiversity loss and trans-forming the natural landscapes, rapidly replacing themwith residential, tourism and industrial development,which will destroy wetlands recognized internationallydue to their importance and their biodiversity, making asignificant impact on hundreds of hectares of mangrovesin the Ramsar Site and surrounding areas, which are pro-tected by Law, as well as on the flyways of migratorybirds of hemispheric importance;

RECOGNIZING that Panama City Hall, with civil soci-ety experts, is currently working to define an alternativeprotection for the Panama Bay wetlands, and that envi-ronmental organizations are carrying out actions to high-light the national and international importance of thegoods and services provided by these wetlands in the nat-ural and urban environment;

ALARMED at the fact that the development of coastalinfrastructure currently underway encourages similar de-velopment in all of the Panama Bay wetlands, withouttaking into account extreme weather events, which arepotentially catastrophic for coastal areas, the results ofglobal climate change and sea level projections, andalarmed at the acceleration in the pace of extremeweather events, whose combined effects will contributeto the increase in the number of people vulnerable to theeffects of disasters caused by flooding;

FURTHER OBSERVING that although the country hassigned international environmental protection conven-tions (the Ramsar Convention, the Convention on Mi-gratory Species, the Convention on Biological Diversityand the United Nations Framework Convention on Cli-mate Change), and that national environmental legisla-tion commits the Government of the Republic ofPanama to the continuous improvement of the environ-ment and the well-being of its citizens, the principle ofnon-regression has not been applied and, therefore, thehuman right to a healthy environment is not being met;and

CONSIDERING that the global aim of the IUCN Pro-gramme 2013–2016 is the effective and equitable governance


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of nature’s use, improving the governance of Key Bio-diversity Areas in the world and human dependency onnature;


1. URGENTLY REQUESTS the Government ofPanama to restore the ‘Panama Bay Wetland’ sus-pended protected area and to re-establish the regula-tions for the protection of wetland ecosystems,particularly mangroves, based on the principle ofnon-regression; and that likewise the public manage-ment for the conservation of these wetlands shouldbe strengthened, through the approval of the Na-tional Wetlands Policy (process supported by the Na-tional Wetlands Committee), and the adaptation ofthe legislation that affects its conservation or wise use;

2. URGENTLY REQUESTS FURTHERMORE theGovernment of Panama to suspend the approval ofLand-use Planning Schemes that contravene theland-use allocations established in Decree Nº 205 of2000 for the Panama Bay wetlands and to amendMIVIOT Resolution Nº 4 of 20 January 2009, inorder to establish technical environmental criteria fordecision making;

3. URGES the competent authorities of the Republicof Panama to adopt a comprehensive approach tothe environmental governance of wetland areas, ap-plying ecosystem-based adaptation, and to restore theecological features of the ecosystems affected by in-frastructure projects, in order to achieve wise use andmaintain the goods and services that these ecosys-tems offer as a site of hemispheric importance wheremillions of migratory birds can stop to feed and rest,taking steps to reduce the danger of environmentaldisasters that threaten the safety of coastal commu-nities and the lives of local inhabitants;

4. ENCOURAGES regional cooperation agencies,funding institutions and the private sector to allocatetechnical and financial resources for the ecologicalrestoration of the affected wetlands in Panama Bay;and urges them to act consistently in their interven-tions in order to guarantee that measures for adapta-tion to climate change are adjusted and adopted; and

5. REQUESTS the Director General of IUCN, in co-operation with IUCN’s World Commission on Pro-tected Areas (WCPA) and the Commission on

Environmental Law (CEL) and the IUCN Environ-mental Law Centre, to assess the situation and issuea technical recommendation addressed to the Gov-ernment of Panama, establishing the priorities for ac-tions regarding the conservation of the Panama Baywetlands within the framework of the principle ofnon-regression, given the suspension of the ‘PanamaBay Wetland’ protected area declaration, the modifi-cation of the regulations for the protection of man-grove ecosystems, and the impact on other wetlands;and to inform IUCN Members as soon as possibleabout progress on this issue.


WCC-2012-Res-072-ENSupport from IUCN for the sustainabledevelopment of wetlands and marineareas in Central and West Africa

RECOGNIZING that wetlands and neighbouring areasprovide essential resources, notably fresh water, fisheryresources, tourism and leisure activities, thus playing avital role in the development and well being of localcommunities;

AWARE that the impact of intensive human activities inwetlands, in particular the expansion of agriculture, urbandevelopment, pollution and unsustainable managementof resources constitute a substantial threat to ecologicaland social conditions;

RECALLING Recommendation 17.38 Protection of thecoastal and marine environment, adopted by the 17th IUCNGeneral Assembly (San Jose, 1988), Recommendation1.37 Protected marine areas, adopted by the 1st IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Montreal, 1996) and Recom-mendation 19.56 Global fisheries, adopted by the 19th

IUCN General Assembly (Buenos Aires, 1994);

FURTHER RECALLING that Article 197 of the UnitedNations Convention on the Law of the Sea – UNCLOS(1982) asks States to “cooperate on a global basis and, asappropriate, on a regional basis”, etc. “for the protectionand preservation of the marine environment, taking intoaccount characteristic regional features”;


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FURTHER RECALLING that Decision 7/1 (22) of theUnited Nations Commission on Sustainable Develop-ment “encourages States to establish and manage marineprotected areas, along with other appropriate manage-ment tools” “in order to ensure the conservation of bi-ological diversity, and the sustainable management anduse of oceans”;

RECOGNIZING the biodiversity of the marine envi-ronment, and marine turtles in particular (a resourceshared by numerous countries in Central and WestAfrica), and that it is either under the jurisdiction ofcoastal States or on the high seas, as defined by UNC-LOS, and constitutes an integral part of the world’s nat-ural and cultural heritage;

CONSIDERING that the regions of Central and WestAfrica are a typical case, where it is important that all thestakeholders combine efforts to apply the principle ofwise use and the framework of international cooperationestablished by the Convention on Wetlands (RamsarConvention), and noting that the principle of wise useinvolves the collaboration, exchange of information, ex-perience and full participation of all stakeholders; inother words the management organizations, research in-stitutions, NGOs, local community organizations; and

CONCERNED to see that the major contribution madeby so many different initiatives has nevertheless not yetled to sufficient improvement in concrete terms in thesustainable development of wetlands and marine areas inCentral and West Africa, and that the pernicious phe-nomenon of the degradation of wetlands and marineareas is increasing;


1. ASKS IUCN to provide greater, unflagging supportfor countries in Central and West Africa and to leadthe multilateral organizations in exploring a relevantrange of tools, in order to ensure more efficient pro-tection and conservation of the environments con-cerned, together with their biological diversity, as wellas their restoration and sustainable use; and

2. URGES the national governments of the regionsconcerned, international organizations and the non-governmental community to join the existing multi-lateral agencies and legal mechanisms in carrying outactions targeting wetlands and marine areas, and to

reach a consensus on the conservation and manage-ment regimes for ecosystems in these regions.


WCC-2012-Res-073-ENConservation and sustainablemanagement of mangroves in CentralAfrica: the case of Cameroon

RECALLING that mangroves in Cameroon play an im-portant role in the protection of beaches against coastalerosion, through the stabilization of coastal substrates,protecting them from wind and waves, and by acting as anatural biological purifying agent, retaining eroded soiland silt by means of their root system and also filteringpollutants, as well as by producing organic nutrients, as-sisting to stabilize micro-climates and also favouring eco-tourism activities;

RECALLING that mangroves in Cameroon provideshelter and breeding grounds for fishery resources, leavesfor the marine food web, trap sediments from uphill ero-sion, serve as resting and feeding grounds for migratorybirds, as well as biotopes for native species such as theBlue Monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) and a wide variety ofprotected species, and also constitute important carbonsinks;

RECALLING that mangroves in Cameroon are home toa wide diversity of flora, that they are living ecosystems,generate new inhabitable land by advancing towards thewater, while at the same time protecting local inhabitantsfrom natural disasters, and also reducing erosion ofcoastal areas and small islands by the action of water;

NOTING that for the past 50 years the mangroveecosystems in Cameroon have been under enormoushuman pressure, which has led to the loss of over 33%of their surface area (from 600,000 ha to 400,000 ha todate), in other words around 4,000 ha/year, and that, asa result of this destruction, Cape Cameroon and thesmall surrounding islands are threatened by wave action,with many homes destroyed, and that the rise in sea levelthreatens not only the supply of drinking water, but alsoof wood, thatch used for covering roofs, and fodder fordomestic animals, and other non-timber forest products(NTFP) which coastal communities depend heavily on;


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FURTHER NOTING that mangroves have often beentransformed for a variety of purposes, including fishfarming, agriculture, salt production, sand mining andurban development;

NOTING that, given the root system of mangroveforests forms an ecological transition zone between sev-eral ecosystems, the destruction of mangroves could leadto coastal erosion, that each hectare of mangroves de-stroyed releases around 110 kg of carbon into the at-mosphere, that vast areas of mangroves have also beendegraded by pollution and wood harvesting, and thatmangroves also suffer from illegal exploitation; and

AWARE that fishing constitutes the main traditional ac-tivity carried out by coastal communities, who view it pri-marily as a cultural activity rather than simply as onenecessary to cover financial needs, and mangroves play akey role for sustaining fisheries;


1. RECOGNIZES the need to conserve the resourcesprovided by mangroves in Cameroon;

2. CALLS ON the Cameroonian Government to adoptrules regulating activities linked to the resources pro-vided by mangroves carried out by several organizations;


a. as part of the IUCN Programme 2013–2016 takeup a leadership role in order to mobilize re-sources in favour of the sustainable managementof mangroves globally and with special referenceto the situation in Cameroon;

b. encourage all IUCN Member States and theGovernment of Cameroon in particular to des-ignate, in line with Aichi Target 11, mangrovesas protected areas (for Cameroon the mangroveareas of Rio del Rey, Cameroon Estuaries andRio Ntem); and

c. encourage the establishment of platforms for di-alogue between the stakeholders involved inmangrove management;

4. ENCOURAGES IUCN Members to raise publicawareness about the need for a sustainable management

of fauna, flora, fisheries and birdlife resources in man-grove ecosystems, and the recognition of the impor-tant ecological, educational, climate, economic andsocio-cultural roles mangroves play;

5 URGES governments of the Congo Basin States todeclare the mangroves under their jurisdiction as pro-tected areas;

6. ENCOURAGES Cameroonian NGO Members andother NGOs working in Cameroon to:

a. work in collaboration with local populations torestore the degraded mangrove areas of Rio delRey, Cameroon Estuaries, and Rio Ntem inCameroon;

b. strengthen the capacity of populations livingclose to the mangroves to protect and optimizethe management of arborescent flora, in this casethe Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), the BlackMangrove (Avicennia germinans), White Mangrove(Laguncularia racemosa), Button Mangrove (Cono-carpus erecta), and the flora of the backshorezones, in this case beach Morning Glory (Ipomoeapes-caprae), Marine Couch (Sporobolus virginicus),Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera), Beach Moonflower(Ipomea macrantha), and Shoreline Purslane (Sesu-vium portulacastrum);

c. convince the populations, whose main activity isfishing, to use regulatory mesh fishing nets andto ban the use of chemicals for fishing;

d. popularize and generalize the use of improvedstoves in fish smokehouses;

e. create biological corridors for transhumancearound public infrastructures;

f. restore degraded breeding grounds;

g. restore degraded beaches used by migratory birdsas resting grounds;

h. monitor the physical and chemical quality of themangrove water;

i. raise awareness among the urban communitiesof Douala and Kribi of the problems of aquatic,atmospheric and soil pollution;


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j. assess and set up a monitoring system for the Riodel Rey, Cameroon Estuaries and Rio Ntem man-groves; and

k. strengthen the skills of the populations livingnear the mangroves in terms of the developmentof mangrove nurseries in order to reforest thedegraded mangrove areas;

7. ENCOURAGES the Cameroonian administrativeand municipal authorities as well as those of theCongo Basin to work incessantly to protect the man-groves and control all types of pollution;

8. ENCOURAGES both the economic operators andthe local communities to optimize the managementof the waste they produce; and

9. ENCOURAGES the local municipalities located inthe area near the mangroves to create controlledwaste disposal facilities.


WCC-2012-Res-074-ENImplementing conservation andsustainable management of marinebiodiversity in areas beyond nationaljurisdiction

RECOGNIZING the key role oceans play in sustaininglife on our planet and the urgent need to maintain andconserve the resilience of the oceans’ resistance tohuman impacts especially in light of climate change andocean acidification;

ACKNOWLEDGING that the 1982 United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) providesthe overarching legal framework for governance ofhuman activities in marine areas beyond national juris-diction, including the conservation and management ofliving resources and the protection and preservation ofthe marine environment;

ACKNOWLEDGING also Articles 117, 118, 119, 192and 197 of UNCLOS for the protection and conservationof marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction;

ACKNOWLEDGING further that the Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD) provides the legal frameworkfor the conservation of biological diversity, the sustain-able use of its components and the fair and equitablesharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization ofgenetic resources, and the role of the CBD for the pro-vision of scientific and, as appropriate, technical infor-mation and advice relating to marine biological diversitywith respect to areas beyond national jurisdiction as setforth in Decision VIII/24, paragraph 42, of the 8th Meet-ing of the Conference of the Parties (COP8) to the CBD;

RECOGNIZING that the high seas comprise some 64%of the world’s oceans, cover nearly half of the planet’s sur-face, harbour an enormous reservoir of biological diver-sity, and are under increasing threat from human activities,yet our knowledge of them is still far from complete;

RECOGNIZING FURTHER that sustainable manage-ment of marine areas beyond national jurisdiction is es-sential to safeguarding marine biodiversity andproductivity, and maintaining ecological services:

NOTING WITH CONCERN the international com-munity’s failure to achieve the CBD target to achieve “by2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodi-versity loss at the global, regional and national level as acontribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit ofall life on Earth;”

ACKNOWLEDGING that this target was subsequentlyendorsed by the World Summit on Sustainable Develop-ment and the United Nations General Assembly –UNGA (A/RES/60/1) and was incorporated as a targetunder the Millennium Development Goals;

ACKNOWLEDGING the commitment in paragraph32(c) of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, which callson States to take action at all levels to “develop and fa-cilitate the use of diverse approaches and tools, includingthe ecosystem approach, the elimination of destructivefishing practices, the establishment of marine protectedareas consistent with international law and based on sci-entific information, including representative networks by2012 and time/area closures for the protection of nurs-ery grounds and periods, proper coastal land use and wa-tershed planning and the integration of marine andcoastal areas management into key sectors”;

ACKNOWLEDGING further the Aichi Targets of theStrategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, adopted in 2010, in


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particular Target 11 by which governments agreed by2020, that “at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inlandwater, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, espe-cially areas of particular importance for biodiversity andecosystem services, are conserved through effectively andequitably managed, ecologically representative and wellconnected systems of protected areas and other effectivearea-based conservation measures, and integrated intothe wider landscapes and seascapes”;

RECOGNIZING international support for area-basedmanagement tools, including marine protected areas andmarine reserves, as important measures to support con-servation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity bothwithin and beyond national jurisdiction;

RECALLING IUCN’s commitment to the goal of im-plementing effective protection, restoration and sustain-able use of biological diversity and productivity andecosystem processes in Areas Beyond National Jurisdic-tion (ABNJ) (including the water column and seabed) andthe establishment of a representative system of marineprotected areas at regional and global scales that includesABNJ;

RECALLING also IUCN’s commitment to protectingspecies that rely on marine areas beyond national juris-diction for at least part of their life cycle and to promot-ing the improved management of activities that mayaffect biodiversity in such areas, as well as to encouragingenhanced governance of specific ocean regions, as evi-denced by Resolutions adopted by the 4th IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008) as well as ear-lier World Conservation Congress Resolutions;

ACKNOWLEDGING the ongoing CBD process toidentify and maintain a global inventory of ecologicallyand biologically significant areas (EBSAs) in marineABNJ, while EMPHASIZING that the CBD can onlyidentify areas that are candidates for protection, but can-not establish marine protected areas;

NOTING that despite progress on many issues andfronts, much work remains to be done to secure full im-plementation of international legal duties and commit-ments under UNCLOS, the CBD, the UN Fish StocksAgreement and associated UN Resolutions, Chapter 17 ofAgenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and theMillennium Development Goals with respect to conservationand sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond na-tional jurisdiction;

DEEPLY CONCERNED by the absence of a legalmandate in current ocean governance to identify, cre-ate/designate, manage and monitor marine protectedareas and reserves in most ABNJ;

RECOGNIZING the central role of the UNGA relatingto the conservation and sustainable use of marine bio-logical diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction;

WELCOMING Resolution A/RES/66/231 on Oceansand the law of the sea adopted by the 66th UNGA Sessionwhich decided to initiate a process to address legal gapsin the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodi-versity on the high seas, including through the possibledevelopment of a multilateral agreement under UNC-LOS; and

ACKNOWLEDGING that there is substantial supportfrom a broad spectrum of developed and developingStates and civil society, as evidenced by inputs to thecompilation document of the United Nations Confer-ence on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20),for the negotiation of a new implementing agreementunder UNCLOS for the conservation and sustainable useof marine biological diversity, with a particular mandateto address the absence of high seas marine protectedareas, environmental impact assessments and benefitsarising from marine genetic resources originating fromareas beyond national jurisdiction;


1. CALLS ON States individually and as IUCN Mem-bers to address ocean governance gaps in the pro-tection and conservation of biodiversity in areasbeyond national jurisdiction through the negotiationof a new implementing agreement under UNCLOSfor the protection and conservation of high seas bio-diversity which could:

a. identify, designate and effectively manage a globalnetwork of fully comprehensive, adequate andrepresentative high seas marine protected areas,including reserves and other effective spatialmanagement measures;

b. require comprehensive prior environmental im-pact assessments and strategic environmental as-sessments, together with ongoing monitoring ofthe marine environment;


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c. ensure the provision of access to and dissemina-tion of information and transparency in deci-sion-making processes;

d. consider the question of the sharing of benefitsderived from marine genetic resources in areasbeyond national jurisdiction;

e. require application of the precautionary ap-proach as set out in Principle 15 of the Rio Dec-laration on environment and development, andof the ecosystem approach in decision makingand management, and ensure that activities arein conformity with relevant international com-mitments and resolutions; and

f. ensure that effective monitoring, control, sur-veillance and compliance and enforcement meas-ures are implemented to support the long-termconservation and sustainable use of high seasbiodiversity;

2. FURTHER CALLS upon States, acting individuallyor through multilateral organizations, to promoteconsistent, coordinated and coherent application ofthe best conservation and governance principles andapproaches, through actions to:

a. ensure, through spatial and regional approaches,the identification, protection and where neces-sary, restoration of areas of importance for ma-rine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction,including support to the Global Ocean Biodi-versity Initiative (GOBI) and similar scientific ef-forts that assist in identifying Ecologically orBiologically Significant Areas (EBSA), Vulnera-ble Marine Ecosystems (VME) and other im-portant areas and the design of marine protectedarea networks, as well as broader scale spatialplanning and management;

b. contribute to regional governance, by promotingrelevant stakeholders to implement ecosystem-based management in the high seas and seabedarea, and support increased transparency as wellas accountability of Regional Fisheries Manage-ment Organizations (RFMO) including regularRFMO reviews;

c. encourage the marine private sector and relatedhigh seas stakeholders to better integrate ma-rine conservation and sustainable development

priorities into fishing, maritime transport, min-ing, trade, energy, tourism and other activitieswith the potential to impact the marine environ-ment and its biodiversity in areas beyond nationaljurisdiction;

d. support efforts to improve the implementationof existing agreements and to strengthen theglobal institutional framework for sustainableand ecosystem-based ocean management builton transparency, accountability, precautionaryand ecosystem approaches, and improving har-monization of regional approaches and appro-priate global oversight of regional institutions;

e. promote the conservation of deep sea biodiver-sity, implementation of UNGA resolutions andfurther assessments of biodiversity values ofdeep ocean areas, and the impacts of deep seaexploration and mining operations;

f. support the Regular Process for global assess-ment and reporting on the state of the marineenvironment and promote the sharing of infor-mation, data and best practices;

g. encourage mobilization of finance for ocean andregional seas conservation actions, including thesustainable management of marine areas beyondnational jurisdiction, with priority given toseamounts, submarine canyons and other VMEs,or EBSAs;

h. promote the strengthening or development ofnew agreements at the regional level to encom-pass the protection of the marine environmentand conservation and sustainable use of marinebiodiversity beyond national jurisdiction includ-ing the development and implementation of re-gional marine protected area networks, whereneeded; and

i. ensure long-term conservation and sustainableuse of fisheries resources in areas beyond na-tional jurisdiction while protecting marine biodi-versity, safeguarding vulnerable species andhabitats, and maintaining ecosystem goods andservices, including by:

i. recognizing that illegal, unregulated and un-reported fishing in waters beyond national ju-risdiction threatens sustainable management


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of global fish stocks and sustainable devel-opment and is often linked to organizedcrime, ensuring that appropriate resourcesare deployed to combat this form of illegalactivity, including global information shar-ing and policing agreements, the use of flagState, port State, national measures and mar-ket State measures and coordinated regionaland global actions;

ii. promoting and ensuring compliance with in-ternational commitments and resolutions re-lated to the prevention of significant adverseimpacts on vulnerable marine ecosystemsand ensuring the sustainability of deep seafish stocks;

iii. ensuring that only precautionary, science-based and well-managed fisheries activitiesare allowed in a given area, ensuring that allfishing activities are carried out in conform-ity with relevant international commitmentsand resolutions;

iv. encouraging States to eliminate harmfulsubsidies that contribute to fisheries overca-pacity and lead to over-harvesting of fish-eries stocks; and

v. ensuring transparency and accountability ofRFMOs through regular independent per-formance reviews, public reports on meas-ures taken to address any shortcomings, andconsider UNGA oversight, within the ob-jective of ensuring that all RFMOs incor-porate a broader ecosystem conservationmandate; and

3. CALLS ON the Director General and all compo-nents of IUCN to promote and support the actionsdescribed in paragraphs 1 and 2 above, with the viewto having these achieved.

The State Member Japan provided the following state-ment for the record concerning this Motion:

“Japan is committed to conservation and management of biodiver-sity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, but not yet convincedwhether a new implementation agreement under UNCLOS willbe the best option to address this issue. As has been already agreedin New York and Rio, we would like to discuss this issue furtherthrough the two workshops to be held under the UN Ad-hoc

Working Group next year and see what approach will be best, in-cluding starting of a negotiation on the new implementation agree-ment. At this point, we cannot support any language whichprejudges the outcome of the process. Therefore, we support inser-tion of “including potentially” in the first paragraph. Withoutthese two words, we cannot support this motion.”

State and agency Members of the United States votedagainst this Motion.

The State Member United States of America providedthe following statement for the record:

“The United States believes that this Motion is beyond the scope ofwhat IUCN should address. This issue is already under active con-sideration in the UN General Assembly Working Group on ma-rine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction, and this Motionprejudges the work of that group.”

WCC-2012-Res-075-ENStrengthening policies relating to theseas and oceans

RECALLING that the seas and oceans cover approxi-mately 70% of the Earth’s surface;

AWARE of the opportunities and the hope that the seasand the oceans offer our societies and that a significantpart of the solution to the world’s crises will come fromthe sea;

EMPHASIZING that most ecosystem services providedby marine and coastal ecosystems are within continentaland island shelf systems and in areas within national ju-risdictions and that these provide the highest contribu-tions to human well-being and economies and are mosthighly impacted by human activities;

ALSO RECOGNIZING that the high seas, the marinezone that falls in areas beyond the limits of national ju-risdiction, represents 64% of the total surface of theEarth covered by the seas and oceans, and supplies re-sources and ecosystem services, which are indispensablefor the planet;

NOTING that the sea’s resources are limited and thatthose that are exploited are often under great threat,despite attempts to adopt sustainable managementmethods;


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RECALLING that the future of livelihoods and jobslinked to the sea (sea transport, fishing and aquaculture,energy, etc.), involve millions of individuals across theworld, and depends on the preservation of the ecologi-cal services provided by marine and coastal ecosystems;

RECALLING IN PARTICULAR that the preservationof marine ecosystem services requires effective manage-ment of economic activities and human-related pressure(land-based pollution, coastal development, etc.);

CONCERNED by the intense acceleration of the use ofocean space for new and emerging activities;

FURTHER RECALLING the need for an ecosystem ap-proach to guarantee an economic development compat-ible with the preservation of all marine ecosystemservices;

RECOGNIZING the need for real, coordinated, inte-grated policies relating to the sea and coasts, for govern-ment authorities to bring the different stakeholderstogether, and for independent environmental consultancyand assessment authorities; and

FURTHER RECOGNIZING the importance of hav-ing the necessary means to ensure the implementation ofstrategies relating to the sea and the oceans;


1. CALLS ON States and IUCN Member organizationsto integrate ecosystem-based management of humanmaritime activities, the creation of resilient networksof marine protected areas (MPAs), and effective ma-rine spatial planning in all relevant national and re-gional plans and programmes, in accordance with theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS); and

2. CALLS ON the Director General to promote poli-cies aiming at improving the conservation and man-agement of the marine and coastal environment andresources, and to ensure that IUCN positions in in-ternational fora address the priorities and concernsof areas within and beyond national jurisdiction in abalanced manner.


WCC-2012-Res-076-ENAccelerating the global pace ofestablishing marine protected areasand the certification of their effectivemanagement

RECOGNIZING the significance of the Strategic Plan forBiodiversity 2011–2020 and the Aichi Targets, and the re-newed commitment embodied in Target 11 to achieveconservation of “at least 17 per cent of terrestrial andinland water and 10 per cent of coastal and marineareas”, and that these areas should be “of particular im-portance for biodiversity and ecosystem services”, “eco-logically representative and well-connected”, but also“effectively and equitably managed”;

NOTING that the international target set in 2002 by theWorld Summit for Sustainable Development for the es-tablishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) has notbeen met;

AWARE that the World Conservation Monitoring Centrereports that as of 2010, protected areas covered 12.7% ofthe Earth’s land area outside Antarctica but only 1.6% ofthe Earth’s oceans, including only 4.0% of the seas withinnational jurisdiction (0–200 nautical miles);

INCREASINGLY CONCERNED that marine biodi-versity continues to decline in the face of direct and in-direct anthropogenic impacts, including overfishing,habitat loss, pollution and climate change;

ANTICIPATING that as climate change continues, itsimpacts on marine and coastal biodiversity and ecosys-tem services will also become more pronounced;

NOTING that MPAs, particularly those that are effec-tively managed, provide important social and economicbenefits to neighbouring communities;

RECALLING item 4 of the Convention on BiologicalDiversity’s (CBD) Programme of Work on Protected Areaswhich commits the Parties to the Convention to assessand improve the effectiveness of the management ofprotected areas;

ALSO RECALLING that the Parties to the CBD, at the10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10)in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, 18–29 October 2010,committed to assessing the management effectiveness of


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60% of the total area of their protected areas by 2015,and to sharing their results in the database managed bythe United Nations Environment Programme WorldConservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC);

FURTHER RECALLING several IUCN Recommen-dations and Resolutions urging Member States to createand effectively manage networks of MPAs, in particularResolutions 1.37 Marine Protected Areas adopted by the 1st

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Montreal, 1996),2.20 Conservation of marine biodiversity adopted by the 2nd

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Amman, 2000),and 4.045 Accelerating progress to establish marine protectedareas and creating marine protected area networks adopted atthe 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona,2008);

HIGHLIGHTING the importance of cooperation be-tween MPAs to ensure the effective protection of highlymigratory species in line with the conclusions made atthe second Conference of the International Committeeon Marine Mammal Protected Areas, Fort-de-France,France, 7–11 November 2011;

WELCOMING initiatives such as the United States Na-tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) international campaign on MPAs; Germany’smarine Natura 2000 network which covers around 45%of the German marine area; the CBD’s SustainableOcean Initiative (SOI); the organization of the 3rd Inter-national Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC 3);the IUCN initiative to develop an international certifica-tion system of protected areas to promote good man-agement practices, and to integrate an objective for asystem of certification and evaluation to ensure the im-plementation of effective marine protected coastal areasin IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme (2013–2016) strategic plan; the European Marine Blue Belt initiativeto promote governance and management best practicesin European MPAs; and regional initiatives such as theMicronesia Challenge, the Caribbean Challenge and theCoral Triangle Initiative that intend to expand andstrengthen protected areas in these regions;

WELCOMING also activities undertaken by several re-gional sea conventions, in particular the Helsinki Con-vention for the Baltic Sea, where HELCOM Baltic SeaProtected Areas cover more than 10% of the marinearea, and the OSPAR Convention for the Northeast At-lantic, where apart from 175 MPAs situated in nationalwaters of Contracting Parties, six MPAs are located inareas beyond national jurisdiction;

ENCOURAGED by efforts to establish MPAs andWELCOMING the accelerated progress of the creationof MPAs and MPA networks at all scales;

CONCERNED by the fact that a great deal of work re-mains to be done, often due to lack of technical and fi-nancial means, to ensure the management, monitoringand effective enforcement of MPAs and that society’sawareness of the issues confronting ocean health remainslimited, and by the inadequate communication of the ev-idence supporting the role of MPAs as one importanttool in an ecosystem-based approach to protecting ma-rine and coastal biodiversity and maintaining ecosystemservices and sustainable harvesting of living marine re-sources in the face of these impacts;

ALSO CONCERNED that these factors affect the pub-lic and political will to address ocean health and marineand coastal biodiversity challenges by applying appropri-ate conservation and management tools, including by es-tablishing, expanding and effectively managing MPAnetworks;

NOTING that mounting evidence indicates that effec-tively managed MPAs, ranging from no-take reserves tomanaged multiple use zones, can help restore marine bio-diversity and support sustainable marine economies in-cluding sustainable fisheries;

ALSO NOTING the growing scientific consensus un-derlining the importance of often including no-take re-serves as one approach within MPA networks in order tomaximize the protection that these networks provide tomarine biodiversity;

RECOGNIZING the potential of market-based ap-proaches to foster awareness of and support for MPAsthat help provide measurable, ecologically sustainablefisheries and other sustainable economic activities bothwithin and beyond their boundaries;

BELIEVING therefore that concerted efforts should beundertaken to improve public and political understandingof the relevance of MPAs, ranging from no-take reservesto managed multiple use zones, where appropriate, inprotecting marine biodiversity, in supporting economic,cultural and social prosperity through the recovery andmaintenance of marine biodiversity in and near them,and in mitigating the impacts of climate change on ma-rine and coastal biodiversity; and


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NOTING that the First International Marine ProtectedArea Agencies Summit, held in San Francisco, UnitedStates of America, in February 2012, concluded thatdemonstrating the relevance of MPAs to the conserva-tion of the biodiversity of the oceans while also foster-ing the sustainable use of living marine resources is afundamental challenge that requires urgent attention;


1. CALLS UPON IUCN Members, including States,government agencies and non-governmental organ-ization Members, as well as political and/or eco-nomic integration organizations, to champion theimplementation of national or regional efforts to as-pire to have the world’s oceans and seas managed ac-cording to an ecosystem approach, and to meet AichiTarget 11 objectives with respect to marine conser-vation, including the establishment of coastal andmarine protected areas and the implementation ofother effective area-based conservation measures;

2. REQUESTS IUCN Members, including State, gov-ernment agency and non-governmental organizationMembers, to work closely with the Food and Agri-culture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations,the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP), the International Maritime Organization(IMO), national resource management agencies andrelevant industries at international, national and re-gional levels to work together to establish represen-tative networks of MPAs, ranging from no-takereserves to multiple use zones where the pressuresof extractive use on marine species and habitats areminimized, consistent with international law, includ-ing customary international law, as reflected in theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS) and based on the best scientific infor-mation available, and to develop other effective man-agement and protection tools to complement thoseefforts in the oceans, addressing areas within and be-yond national jurisdiction as appropriate;

3. CALLS UPON members of the IUCN World Com-mission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and the IUCNCommission on Education and Communication(CEC) to support and participate actively in globalefforts to transform the manner in which the valuesof MPAs are communicated;

4. REQUESTS WCPA and MPA agencies to buildawareness of the potential role of MPAs, ranging

from no-take reserves to managed multiple usezones, in conserving marine and coastal biodiversityand contributing to a sustainable marine economy;

5. CALLS UPON WCPA and MPA agencies to workwith relevant industries, the marketing sector, stew-ardship bodies, communities and indigenous peoplesto demonstrate how marine and coastal biodiversitycan be sustained and restored in MPAs to the bene-fit of extractive marine industries, communities, in-digenous peoples, and consumers and to contributeto the ongoing health and resilience of the oceans;and

6. REQUESTS the Director General, in collaborationwith IUCN Members and WCPA, to support the rec-ommendations above and to jointly strive to achieveimplementation of coherent, representative and ef-fective networks of MPAs at all levels, as fundamen-tal tools to give proper protection to species and tomarine and coastal habitats, and resilience to marineecosystems, by:

a. supporting global initiatives to programme theeffective implementation of the Aichi Targets,by:

i. supporting CBD’s SOI in order to effec-tively deliver on Aichi Targets 6 (sustainablefisheries) and 11 (MPAs);

ii. supporting the 3rd International Marine Pro-tected Areas Congress (IMPAC3) and theSecond International Summit of MarineProtected Area Agencies which are to beheld in October 2013 in France as structur-ing and determining steps to mobilize theinternational community and to reach AichiTarget 11; and

iii. developing a realistic and coherent plan toachieve Aichi Target 11, submitted for dis-cussion at IMPAC3 and presentation to the2014 World Parks Congress;

b. encouraging the designation and implementationof MPA networks with strong involvement ofmarine and coastal communities, by:

i. calling on States to focus on the creation ofeffectively managed MPA networks in orderto achieve Aichi Target 11 and to ensure that


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some undisturbed ecosystems remain as ref-erence areas in the oceans;

ii. calling on States to base the creation of theMPA networks on strong scientific consid-erations to ensure that the areas of impor-tance for biodiversity and ecosystemservices are effectively conserved and con-tribute to global objectives;

iii. calling on States to increase the establish-ment of MPAs and other effective area-based conservation measures that aredesigned to conserve important ecosystemservices, and provide benefits to humancommunities;

iv. encouraging the designation of marine andcoastal protected areas as UNESCO WorldHeritage sites, National Parks, Biosphere Re-serves, Ramsar sites and Geoparks;

v. encouraging the use of the Ecologically orBiologically Significant Areas (EBSA) repos-itory and other relevant sources of infor-mation, to inform the identification ofpotential MPAs within and beyond nationaljurisdiction; and

vi. ensuring the integration of MPAs and othereffective area-based conservation measuresinto a larger seascape approach, includingthrough marine spatial planning;

c. promoting the regional integration of MPA net-works, by:

i. promoting regional and transboundary co-operation, to specifically facilitate coopera-tive protection and management ofneighbouring MPAs; and

ii. facilitating cooperation between States tosuggest networking marine corridors, re-ferred to as the “marine blue belt”, coher-ent and consistent zoning within largeMPAs and between MPAs to take into ac-count of mobile or migratory populationsand to follow the ocean currents;

d. reinforcing capacity building and professional-ization of managers, including by:

i. strengthening existing programmes that pro-vide capacity development to MPA managerssuch as the Reef Resilience network, devel-oping a global programme for enhancing theprofessionalism of MPA personnel and MPAmanagement using the MPA PRO model andthe proposed Global Partnership for Profes-sionalizing Protected Areas Management(GPPPAM) initiative recognizing that theseinitiatives support existing professional asso-ciations and management organizations informally using all elements of a professionand that a shared global brand and recog-nized core standards would support regionsto tailor and implement the programme;

ii. calling on States to participate in regionalMPA networks and to provide or obtain thenecessary technical and financial resources,for example by creating national MPA agen-cies, establishing dedicated sources of fund-ing for protected areas (such as Green Fee inPalau, or the dedicated trust funds for Mi-cronesia and the Caribbean), to provide orassist in the task of setting up and managingMPAs, activities for the national MPAs net-work, monitoring, controlling and surveil-lance at sea;

iii. calling on States to establish appropriatefunding mechanisms for the managementof MPAs;

iv. encouraging networking among the man-agers of MPAs to share their expertise andmanagement skills concerning regional ma-rine ecosystems, and to disseminate theirecological knowledge and data; and

v. developing communication activities andcultural approaches to facilitate the involve-ment of stakeholders and marine users inMPA management actions;

e. implementing management effectiveness assess-ment systems, by:

i. putting in place a mechanism to monitorand evaluate management effectiveness;

ii. developing and testing an IUCN certificationscheme for effective and equitablemanagement of MPAs, according to the


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IUCN categories, building upon the IUCNGreen List, and making sure to take intoaccount the specificity of the marineenvironment;

iii. maximizing the synergies and opportunitiespresented by other certification programmessuch as the Blue Flag and the Green Key tosupport conservation objectives in or nearMPAs;

iv. encouraging marine management initiativesin large marine areas at both global and re-gional levels (involving the different oceaneconomy sectors); and

v. developing and distributing methodologicaltools for the implementation of MPA man-agement plans, and evaluating the effective-ness and quality of management in annualscore-cards, dashboards or other effectivecommunication tools; and

f. generating and sharing information on MPAprogress and management effectiveness, by:

i. compiling and analyzing, where feasible, allavailable information about management ef-fectiveness of MPAs globally; and

ii. developing protected area maps and databaseswhich clearly show which protected areashave full protection, which areas are partlyprotected and which areas are unprotected.


WCC-2012-Res-077-ENPromoting Locally Managed MarineAreas as a socially inclusive approachto meeting area-based conservationand Marine Protected Area targets

NOTING the 2010 decision by the Convention on Bio-logical Diversity (CBD) to set the global target for MarineProtected Areas (MPAs) and other effective area-basedconservation measures at 10% (Aichi Target 11 of theStrategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020);

NOTING IUCN’s leadership in promoting equity, goodgovernance and human rights and elements of protectedarea management effectiveness;

RECALLING that a Locally Managed Marine Area(LMMA) is an area of nearshore waters and its associ-ated coastal and marine resources that is largely or whollymanaged at a local level by the coastal communities, land-owning groups, partner organizations, and/or collabora-tive government representatives who reside or are basedin the immediate area;

NOTING the important work done by the LMMA net-work and other agencies in the Pacific Region to promotethe use of traditional and Locally Managed Marine Areasas the foundation of national MPA systems;

NOTING also the important work by many indigenouspeoples, local communities and small-scale fishers world-wide in sustainably managing their marine resourcesbased on their local and traditional knowledge;

CONSIDERING that conservation has been shown tobe more effective when indigenous peoples, small-scalefishers and local communities are respected as partnersand custodians in site conservation, and that numerouscommunities have a long history of sustainably using ma-rine resources, while providing for both biodiversity andhuman needs; and

CONSIDERING that climate change and overuse of re-sources is posing serious threats to marine biological andgenetic diversity, with potentially serious consequencesfor food security;


1. CALLS ON the Director General to promote aware-ness of the Pacific Region’s use of Locally ManagedMarine Areas, as well as other similar models of com-munity governance by indigenous peoples, small-scale fishers and local communities, as a criticalfoundation for achieving global MPAs and otherarea-based management targets and national MPAsystems;

2. FURTHER CALLS ON the Director General to en-courage marine and coastal resource user advocacygroups to partner with IUCN in promoting the roleof indigenous peoples, small-scale fishers and local


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communities as custodians of these resources inachieving sustainable, equitable, effective conserva-tion and sustainable use of the marine environment,coastal zones and reef systems; and

3. URGES States and government agencies to fosterthe development of MPAs and effective area-basedconservation measures that, where appropriate, aremanaged or co-managed by local communities, aspart of their efforts to achieve Aichi Target 11.

WCC-2012-Res-078-ENConservation of marine phytoplankton

RECOGNIZING that the phytoplankton in the oceansof the Earth are primary producers and constitute thefoundation of the food web for myriad species, are keyindicators of ecosystem integrity and function, and con-tribute to the socioeconomic welfare of human commu-nities throughout the world;

CONSCIOUS that the vast marine phytoplankton stocksprovide essential services for Earth’s climate as produc-ers of oxygen and sequestration of carbon dioxidethrough photosynthesis;

ALARMED that in 2010 a scientific study published inNature reported that phytoplankton populations in eightout of 10 ocean regions had declined over the past cen-tury, with a 30% decline globally since 1950;

CONCERNED that human activity on land and at seafurther threatens phytoplankton populations and thatocean acidification, land-based pollution of the oceansand other adverse impacts are contributing to the threatof a drastic negative impact upon phytoplankton com-munity structures and species compositions in comingdecades;

AWARE that the States party to the United Nations Con-vention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) have a solemnduty to protect the marine environment and that theUnited Nations has appointed an Ad Hoc Open-endedInformal Working Group to study issues relating to theconservation and sustainable use of marine biological di-versity beyond areas of national jurisdiction;

TROUBLED, however, that there is no international, in-tergovernmental support to study and care for phyto-plankton in areas beyond national jurisdiction; and

CONVINCED of the needs to strengthen internationalenvironmental law and international cooperation to mit-igate and avert further anthropogenic impacts on phyto-plankton;


1. REQUESTS the Director General, with appropriatescientific advice, to convene a study of legal instru-ments and approaches to ensure stewardship of ma-rine phytoplankton; and

2. CALLS UPON all States, as far as applicable, to co-operate with the Director General in producing thestudy and based thereon take all appropriate meas-ures to reverse the decline in phytoplankton globally.


WCC-2012-Res-079-ENProtection of the deep oceanecosystem and biodiversity from thethreats of seabed mining

RECALLING the pertinent provisions of the UnitedNations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as wellas the activities and recommendations implemented forthe oceans and seas of the world, in particular by the In-ternational Seabed Authority (ISA), and the scientific re-ports and studies carried out to date;

CONSIDERING the unique, vulnerable character ofdeep ocean and seabed ecosystems and their importancein terms of biodiversity and genetic heritage, which arelikely to suffer a major impact in relation to the futureexploitation of mining resources, namely in the seabedecosystems with polymetallic nodules, the seabed ecosys-tems with cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts, and hy-drothermal ecosystems with sulphide deposits;

NOTING that a number of countries have signed con-tracts for prospecting and exploration for polymetalic sul-phides and polymetalic nodules with the InternationalSeabed Authority which may influence the pace and de-velopment of future deep seabed mining;


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NOTING ALSO the obligations under the CBD, in par-ticular Articles 1, 3, 4, 8 and 14, related decisions, and ref-erencing Aichi Targets 3, 4, 11, and 19;

RECALLING that Resolution 14.6 Deep Sea Mining,adopted by the 14th IUCN General Assembly(Ashkhabad, 1978) “urged all nations engaged in, or con-sidering, deep sea mining activities to: (a) precede com-mercial mining operations by commissioning acomprehensive ecological survey to determine the impactof such mining activity; designate appropriate areas ofthe deep seabed as base line reference and resource zonesin which no mining will be allowed; designate the size andshape of such area or areas to ensure that their stabilitywill be maintained; (b) establish guidelines for scientificresearch to ensure minimum disruption of the naturalstate of such areas”;

NOTING that the 15th IUCN General Assembly(Christchurch, 1981) in Resolution 15.18 Deep Sea Miningand Establishment of Protected Areas of the Deep Ocean rec-ommended the establishment of large sanctuaries in theareas where mining is contemplated before licensing toexplore and exploit the deep ocean begins;

RECALLING Resolution 16.11 on Deep Sea Mining andthe Establishment of Protected Areas of the Deep Oceanadopted by the 16th IUCN General Assembly (Madrid,1984), and Principle 15 of the 1992 Rio Declaration on En-vironment and Development;

FURTHER RECALLING Resolution 4.031 adopted bythe 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona,2008) Achieving conservation of marine biodiversity in areas be-yond national jurisdictions which noted with alarm the mul-tiplying threats to marine biodiversity;

AWARE that the first commercial deep sea mining li-cense was issued in Papua New Guinea in January 2012,for a 20-year period;

ALSO AWARE that the Governments of Fiji and Nauruhave issued seabed minerals exploration licenses for ex-ploration of areas of the seabed in their respective ex-clusive economic zones;

FURTHER AWARE that approximately 600,000 km2 ofthe Pacific Ocean are the subject of applications for deepsea mining leases or exploration licenses in the westernPacific, specifically in Papua New Guinea, the SolomonIslands, Fiji, Vanuatu and Tonga, as well as in interna-tional waters in the eastern Pacific;

RECOGNIZING the importance of the role and theongoing work of the ISA in accordance with UNCLOS;

ACKNOWLEDGING indigenous peoples’ and localcommunities’ collective governance of their traditionalterritories, areas, and natural resources in some countries;

WELCOMING the adoption of the IUCN Programme2013–2016 and current regional and international com-mitments to conserve the natural environments and pro-tect the livelihoods of communities;

RECOGNIZING the increasing interest in mining theminerals on the deep sea floor and around thermal vents;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that, while economicbenefits may be gained from seabed mining, this activitymay also generate significant costs and damage other eco-nomic activities including food security and sustainabletourism and other values, often adversely impacting in-digenous and local communities, host economies, the fu-ture and the environment;

CONCERNED about the potential for significant im-pacts on marine biodiversity of exploration and anyseabed mining operation, when undertaken at depths thathave not yet been adequately explored or understood andusing processes and machinery that have not been provenadequate for containing environmental impacts;

FURTHER CONCERNED to ensure that areas of ex-ploration do not foreclose the ability to protect key areasof ecological, biological, historic or scientific interest, andthat the system of Areas of Particular Environmental In-terest are established with full scientific rigour regardlessof pre-existing Areas of Exploration; and

REMAINING CONCERNED about the potential im-pact on the marine environment of future deep seabedmining activities given the current level of knowledge andunderstanding of deep seabed mining;


1. CALLS on the Director General, IUCN Commis-sions, Members and partners to urgently dedicate ef-forts, expertise and resources to conducting researchto determine the impacts on biodiversity of deepseabed mining activities, especially on deep sea biodi-versity in areas where deep sea exploration or mining


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may be undertaken, or are currently underway, recog-nizing the value of deep ocean ecosystems as the es-sential elements of the biodiversity of the ocean floor;

2. URGES all State Members of IUCN, national, re-gional and global agencies, and all other States, inter-national organizations and stakeholders to facilitate:

a. the identification of areas that should be set asideas representative marine protected areas recog-nizing the importance of ocean biodiversity andocean ecosystems;

b. comprehensive strategic and environmental im-pact assessments, including environmental, cul-tural and social impact studies, ensuringstakeholders are engaged to provide rigour andtransparency and allowing for independent re-view prior to any decision to authorize explo-ration or seabed mining; and

c. the adoption of precautionary and ecosystem ap-proaches, including the precautionary principle,to protect the marine environment and applysafeguards such as financial security and trust-funds, prior to any decision to approve explo-ration or seabed mining, in order to ensure thatadverse environmental impacts are avoided;

3. CALLS on all constituent parts of IUCN to cooper-ate to develop specialist groups and knowledge prod-ucts on impacts of seabed exploration or miningactivities;

4. URGES all States and relevant intergovernmental or-ganizations to work to improve the governance ofthe seabed beyond national jurisdiction by imple-menting and, as appropriate, strengthening interna-tional and regional instruments to protect the marineenvironment; and

5. RECOMMENDS that States ensure that indigenousand local people are able to participate effectively indecisions that impact on ocean biodiversity andocean ecosystems which may affect their rights andinterests as custodians over their territories.


WCC-2012-Res-080-ENMitigating the impacts of recreationaldiving on the marine environment

RECOGNIZING that recreational diving (includingsnorkelling, free diving, scuba diving and other relatedpractices) can degrade marine habitats and have adverseeffects on marine biodiversity ranging from disturbanceto injury and even mortality;

CONCERNED that the volume of recreational diving,and thus the impacts of recreational diving on the marineenvironment, have increased significantly over the lastthirty years, especially in sensitive and protected coastalareas;

RECOGNIZING the transboundary nature of marineenvironments;

CONCERNED that there are no international guidelinesto ensure that the potential environmental impacts ofrecreational diving are effectively regulated and managed;

DISTURBED by various scientific reports demonstrat-ing increased non-environmentally conscious practices inrecreational diving, especially in marine protected areasand in habitats containing vulnerable species such as ma-rine mammals, and by experimental evidence of physicaland behavioural impacts of such recreational diving prac-tices on marine ecosystems around the world;

AWARE that recreational diving is an important incomegenerator for many countries, that it is a growing eco-nomic sector, and that it is therefore essential to ensurethat the development of this sector progresses in a sus-tainable manner;

ALSO AWARE that recreational diving is an importantactivity to improve education and raise awareness aboutthe marine environment;

ACKNOWLEDGING the important contribution ofrecreational diving towards conservation of the marineenvironment, through volunteer programmes, educationand reporting;

WELCOMING preliminary steps taken by some gov-ernments to address the impacts of recreational divingon the marine environment, but noting that in mostcountries the environmental practices and impacts of thissector are not sufficiently regulated;


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ALSO WELCOMING steps taken by non-governmen-tal organizations and industry role players (especially div-ing operators and training companies) to develop moresustainable practices in the recreational diving sector;

RECOGNIZING that further research on the effectsand mitigation of recreational diving impacts on the ma-rine environment is urgently needed; and

RECALLING IUCN’s strong commitment to the con-servation of marine species and habitats, as reflected inIUCN Resolutions and Recommendations, for exampleResolution 4.031 Achieving conservation of marine biodiversityin areas beyond national jurisdiction and Resolution 4.045 Ac-celerating progress to establish marine protected areas and creatingmarine protected area networks adopted by the 4th IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008);


1. REQUESTS the Director General, with the assis-tance of IUCN Members, Commissions and Coun-cil, to identify appropriate measures and to promotetheir implementation among world governments forthe reduction of impacts from recreational diving onthe marine environment, such as by drawing this res-olution to the attention of the secretariats of, andmeetings of Contracting Parties to, United NationsEnvironment Programme (UNEP) Regional SeasProgrammes, UNEP Governing Council, and otherrelevant intergovernmental organizations, particularlythose with whom IUCN enjoys observer status, andby keeping Union Members informed of progresson this issue;

2. ALSO REQUESTS the Director General to encour-age IUCN Members and Commissions to supportand conduct further research on the effects and mit-igation of recreational diving impacts on the marineenvironment and use these results to assist in the de-velopment of an international environmental codeof conduct for recreational diving to reduce its im-pacts on the marine environment with the long-termaim of consolidating this code into a broader codeof conduct for sustainable recreational diving;

3. CALLS ON the relevant IUCN Commissions tomainstream this issue in their relevant scope ofwork, especially the Commission on Environmental,Economic and Social Policy (CEESP) which shouldconsider recreational diving in its work on the social

and environmental accountability of the private sec-tor, assisting the development of methods and toolsto strengthen the capacity of relevant role players inthe recreational diving industry to become more en-vironmentally and socially accountable;

4. ASKS IUCN Member governments, through themechanisms available to them under domestic andinternational law, including the development of legalor voluntary instruments, to:

a. monitor and investigate the impacts on the ma-rine environment that are associated with recre-ational diving;

b. encourage the development and implementationof best practices for reducing impacts fromrecreational diving on the marine environment,especially in:

i. marine protected areas;

ii. habitats containing vulnerable species;

iii. special events such as migrations and massspawning; and

iv. in areas where marine mammals or threat-ened species may be concentrated;

c. consider the regulation of recreational diving inmanagement guidelines for all marine protectedareas;

d. encourage established diver training organiza-tions to increase their basic training requirementswith a focus on conservation and protection; and

e. work together with national and internationalnon-governmental organizations, with the scien-tific community, with the relevant industry role-players, and with representatives from the divingcommunity to accomplish these goals;

5. URGES IUCN Member governments:

a. to collaborate on the development of an inter-national code of conduct for recreational divingwhich should guide the development of similarnational and local environmental codes (cus-tomized to specific local circumstances, needsand interests) for recreational diving;


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b. to assist in the implementation of specific na-tional and local environmental codes of conductfor recreational diving; and

c. to ensure that such codes are implemented by allcommercial/private recreational diving operatorsand other relevant industry stakeholders; and

6. URGES Parties to UNEP’s Regional Seas Agree-ments, and to other regional marine agreements andconventions, to include the regulation of recreationaldiving in their strategies, action plans and measures forthe preservation of habitats and the conservation ofmarine biological diversity, including, once it is devel-oped, adoption of the international code of conduct.


WCC-2012-Res-081-ENAddressing ocean noise pollution inAfrica

RECOGNIZING that anthropogenic ocean noise, de-pending on source and intensity, is a form of pollution,comprised of energy, that may degrade habitat and haveadverse effects on marine life ranging from disturbanceto injury and mortality;

RECOGNIZING that noise levels have increased in theAfrican continent’s oceans as a result of human activitiessuch as recreational use of the marine environment, oil,gas and mineral exploration and production, vessel traf-fic, offshore installations, underwater telecommunicationdevelopments and other activities;

ACKNOWLEDGING and WELCOMING Resolution3.068 Undersea noise pollution adopted by the 3rd IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004);

ACKNOWLEDGING and WELCOMING the variousinternational and national efforts, including those of theInternational Maritime Organization, to address oceannoise pollution;

DISTURBED and CONCERNED, however, that nosignificant interventions and measures have been devel-oped and implemented in Africa to address noise levelsin the continent’s oceans;

RECOGNIZING that further research on the scale, ef-fects and mitigation of anthropogenic noise on marinespecies in Africa is urgently needed and must be con-ducted to the highest standards of science and publiccredibility, avoiding conflicts of interest; and

FURTHER RECALLING IUCN’s strong commitmentto the conservation of marine species and habitats, as re-flected in its previous Resolutions and Recommendations;


1. REQUESTS the Director General, with the assis-tance of IUCN Members, Commissions and Coun-cil, to promote and support the development andimplementation of measures to promote amongAfrican governments the reduction of anthropogenicocean noise in the African continent’s oceans, such asby drawing this Resolution to the attention of thesecretariats of, and meetings of Contracting Partiesto, the Regional Seas Programmes of the United Na-tions Environment Programme (UNEP), UNEPGoverning Council, and other relevant intergovern-mental organizations, particularly those with whomIUCN enjoys observer status, and by keeping IUCNMembers informed of progress on this issue;

2. FURTHER REQUESTS the Director General to en-courage IUCN Members and Commissions to sup-port and conduct further research on the scale, effectsand mitigation of anthropogenic noise on marinespecies in Africa, to ensure that such research is con-ducted to the highest standards of science and publiccredibility, avoiding conflicts of interest, and to en-courage the application of the results of research inmitigating anthropogenic ocean noise pollution;

3. CALLS ON IUCN Member governments in Africa,through the mechanisms available to them under do-mestic and international law, including the develop-ment of legal instruments, to:

a. monitor and investigate, in a publicly open, in-clusive and transparent manner, the impacts onmarine species, including but not limited to massstrandings and deaths, that coincide with periodsand/or locations of intense anthropogenic noise;

b. encourage the development of alternative tech-nologies and require the use of best-available


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control techniques and other mitigation meas-ures in reducing adverse impacts from individualnoise sources;

c. consider how to limit the use of powerful noisesources until their short-term and long-term ef-fects are better understood, and, to the maximumextent possible, to avoid the use of such sourcesin habitats of vulnerable species and in areaswhere marine mammals or other endangeredspecies may be concentrated;

d. in the case of military active sonar and oil andgas seismic exploration, act with particular ur-gency to reduce risks and impacts on cetaceans,and other potentially vulnerable species, by re-stricting military active sonar training exercisesand seismic surveys to low-risk areas and/ortimes of year, and by working actively toward theimplementation and further development of in-ternational best practices and standards that reg-ulate its use;

e. include noise restrictions, as appropriate, in theirmanagement guidelines for marine protectedareas; and

f. work together with national and internationalnon-governmental organizations and with thescientific community in accomplishing thesegoals; and

4. URGES IUCN Member governments in Africa thatare Parties to the UNEP Regional Seas Agreements,and to other regional marine agreements and con-ventions, to include the reduction of anthropogenicocean noise and mitigation of adverse impacts intheir strategies, action plans and/or measures for thepreservation of habitats and the conservation of ma-rine biological diversity.


WCC-2012-Res-082-ENSupporting the sustainability of JejuHaenyeo as a unique marine ecologystewardship

CONSIDERING that for centuries the Haenyeo free-divers in Jeju Island, Korea, an almost exclusively femalegroup, have pursued a profession of controlled marineharvesting in a system of collaborative economic activityand have maintained their profession;

FURTHER CONSIDERING that their skills, tools,labour songs, shamanistic belief system, practice of col-lective economic activity, community reinvestment, ap-prenticeship and mutual aid, and above all, theirunparalleled knowledge of marine ecology represent aunique body of indigenous wisdom and both tangibleand intangible cultural heritage and render them “tradi-tional wisdom carriers”;

NOTING that their practices include such environmen-tal sustainability as reseeding the ocean’s shellfish popula-tion, controlling their harvest by diving without breathingapparatus and limiting the days and hours that they dive,and dedicating specific dives each month to cleaning theseabed of refuse, rendering them a 21st century conser-vation model of benign human cohabitation with nature;

RECOGNIZING the uniqueness of their marine stew-ardship and the contribution they have made to the con-servation of local marine resources for centuries thoughsustainable harvesting with minimal acknowledgment todate on the global stage;

CONCERNED that their population has dramaticallydecreased from a registered 23,081 in 1965 (21.2% of thetotal female population in Jeju Island) to 4,995 in 2010(2.1% of the total female population), and that the ma-jority (97.5%) of these divers are now over 50 years ofage, indicating that inter-generational transmission hasessentially diminished;

ALARMED that the coastal pollution in conjunctionwith the aquaculture industry has led to reduced yieldsand decreased economic prospects for this female work-force, and that these and other environmental and socialchanges brought about by modern society have negativelyimpacted upon the Jeju Haenyeo community to such a de-gree that this traditional culture of living sustainably inharmony with nature is imminently facing extinction;


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CONSIDERING and building upon a number of relatedresolutions adopted at the 4th IUCN World ConservationCongress (Barcelona, 2008) which focused on the rightsand sustainability of indigenous peoples, including Res-olution 4.049 Supporting Indigenous Conservation Territoriesand other Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Areas,Resolution 4.052 Implementing the United Nations Declara-tion on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and seekingspecific actions from the Director General and other par-ties on Resolution 4.055 Integrating culture and cultural di-versity into IUCN’s policy and Programme, Resolution 4.056Rights-based approaches to conservation, Resolution 4.058 Con-servation and poverty reduction, and most notably, Resolution4.067 Advancing island conservation and sustainable livelihoods;

RECOGNIZING that IUCN supports the principles ex-pressed in the United Nations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Biodiversity and Cli-mate Change Programme;

NOTING that Jeju Island is a unique site in the world tohave received UNESCO’s designation in all of the threeNatural Science categories: Biosphere Reserve, NaturalWorld Heritage site, and Global Geopark, and that JejuSpecial Self-Governing Province of Korea has an estab-lished endeavour to further achieve UNESCO’s recogni-tion for the Jeju Haenyeo, as well as multiple local effortsfor their role in preservation; and

ACKNOWLEDGING that the United Nations Millen-nium Development Goals include foci of environmental sus-tainability, gender equality and global poverty elimination,and that the UN has a primary focus on Rural Women’sEmpowerment, which was highlighted at the 56th Com-mission on the Status of Women (New York, 2012);


1. URGES all IUCN Members, partners and organiza-tions of the conservation community at large to ac-knowledge and investigate the history, scientificimportance, present condition and unique culturalvalue of Jeju Haenyeo, including in the Korean penin-sula, in order to assist in the development of com-prehensive plans for their preservation; and

2. REQUESTS IUCN Members and partners to en-dorse, support, participate in, and advocate the de-velopment of policies and practices which will helpto protect and enhance the aforementioned commu-nity, at local, regional and central government levelsin Korea as well as internationally.


WCC-2012-Res-083-ENAdvancing the role of nature-basedsolutions to climate change mitigationand adaptation and their potential tocontribute to the global climate changeregulatory regime

RECALLING Resolution 2.16 Climate change, biodiversity,and IUCN’s Overall Programme, Resolution 2.17 Climate andenergy and Recommendation 2.94 Climate change mitigationand land use adopted by the 2nd IUCN World ConservationCongress (Amman, 2000);

FURTHER RECALLING Resolution 3.057 Adapting toclimate change: a framework for conservation action and Recom-mendation 3.084 Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol of the UNFramework Convention on Climate Change adopted by the 3rd

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004);

FURTHER RECALLING Resolution 4.075 Climatechange mitigation targets and actions for biodiversity conservationadopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008), which urges Parties to the United Na-tions Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN-FCCC) to conclude negotiations on an effective,comprehensive and equitable climate change regime post-2012 and for the regime to include, among others, the in-tegration of ecological and social considerations,including the value of ecosystems;

RECALLING Resolution 4.077 on Climate change andhuman rights, also adopted by the 4th IUCN World Con-servation Congress;

REITERATING the concerns expressed in Resolution4.075, viz. that a global temperature increase of morethan 2°C above pre-industrial levels would cause, with avery high probability, severe impacts for ecosystems andlivelihoods, and moreover that the rate of change of tem-perature affects the ability of ecosystems and livelihoodsto adapt;

RECOGNIZING that the third Programme Area ofthe IUCN Programme 2013–2016, Deploying nature-basedsolutions to global challenges in climate, food and development,


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concerns the application of IUCN’s knowledge to sustain-able development, empowerment and poverty reduction;

WELCOMING the outcomes of the UNFCCC 2010Cancun and 2011 Durban Conferences of the Parties, in-cluding progress on the Adaptation Framework, themechanism for Reducing Emissions from Deforestationand forest Degradation in developing Countries(REDD+), and the establishment of a Green ClimateFund to provide assistance to developing countries intheir mitigation and adaptation efforts; and agreement todevelop a new instrument with legal force under the Con-vention, applicable to all Parties;

REMAINING DEEPLY CONCERNED, however,about the significant gap between the aggregate effect ofthe mitigation pledges up to 2020 made by these Partiesand the emission pathways needed to secure a likely prob-ability of holding the increase in global average temper-ature below 2°C or 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels1;

NOTING that the Parties to the UNFCCC decided thatthe process shall raise the level of ambition and shall beinformed, inter alia, by the Fifth Assessment Report ofthe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC)and by the outcome of the 2013–2015 review on the ad-equacy of the long-term 2°C global goal, on the basis ofthe best available scientific knowledge, including in rela-tion to temperature rises of 1.5 °C;

FURTHER WELCOMING the decision by the Partiesto the Kyoto Protocol that the second commitment pe-riod under the Protocol would start at 1 January 2013;

EMPHASIZING the value of nature-based solutions toboth climate change mitigation and adaptation, andNOTING widespread acceptance of the role of biodi-versity in ecosystem processes and the mainstreaming ofthe concept of ecosystem services; and

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the Convention on Bio-logical Diversity’s (CBD) Decision X/2 on the StrategicPlan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the Aichi Targets, inparticular Target 15: “by 2020, ecosystem resilience andthe contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks hasbeen enhanced, through conservation and restoration,

including restoration of at least 15 per cent of degradedecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mit-igation and adaptation and to combating desertification”;

The World Conser va tion Congr es s, at i t s Se ss ion inJe ju, Republ ic of Kor ea , 6–15 September 2012:


a. in collaboration with IUCN Commissions and Mem-bers, further develop and improve a strategy forIUCN’s sustained policy input into the UNFCCCprocess and related fora including the REDD+ Part-nership and the Nairobi work programme;

b. promote coherent and prioritized action throughoutthe Union to advance nature-based solutions for cli-mate change mitigation and adaptation, including atnational, regional and local level;

c. in collaboration with IUCN Commissions, Nationaland Regional Committees and Members, undertake astudy to establish to what extent nature-based solu-tions to climate change can contribute to closing the“emissions gap” between global commitments andaction needed to prevent dangerous climate change ;and to widely circulate this study, including to theUNFCCC;

d. support, in collaboration with IUCN Commissions,National and Regional Committees and Members,“early action” for the implementation of ecosystem-based adaptation and mitigation at national, regionaland local level; and

e. develop key knowledge products that will contributeto the work of the IPPC and of the Intergovern-mental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity andEcosystem Services (IPBES); and in developingthese products, draw upon, inter alia, regional infor-mation collected in the course of IUCN’s projectactivities.



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1 Assessed at 5-9 GtCO2e (depending on the policies implemented in addition to the pledges) in The Emissions Gap Report, UNEP,November 2010. www.unep.org/publications/ebooks/emissionsgapreport

WCC-2012-Res-084-ENPromoting ecosystem-basedadaptation

RECALLING Resolution 2.16 Climate change, biodiversity,and IUCN’s Overall Programme, adopted by the 2nd IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Amman, 2000), which re-quests the Director General to promote activities forecosystem resilience to climate change, including through:buffer zones and migratory corridors; ecosystem restora-tion, conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems; pro-tection of species, and maintenance of forest quality;

FURTHER RECALLING Resolution 4.075 Climatechange mitigation targets and actions for biodiversity conservationadopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008), which urges Parties to the United Na-tions Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN-FCCC) to conclude negotiations on an effective,comprehensive and equitable climate change regime post-2012, and for the regime to include, among others, theintegration of ecological and social considerations, in-cluding the value of ecosystems;

NOTING the Convention on Biological Diversity’s(CBD) Decision VII/15 and Decision VIII/30, whichrefer to the role of ecosystem goods and services inadaptation;

FURTHER NOTING CBD Decision X/33, whichmakes direct reference to ecosystem-based approachesfor adaptation, inviting Parties to recognize that ecosys-tems can be managed to limit climate change impacts onbiodiversity and to help people adapt to the adverse ef-fects of climate change;

FURTHER NOTING the report of the CBD’s SecondAd Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biodiversity and Cli-mate Change ‘Connecting Biodiversity and ClimateChange’;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the CBD Decision X/2on the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and theAichi Targets, in particular Target 15;

EMPHASIZING the value of nature-based solutions toclimate change, the role of biodiversity in ecosystem

processes, and the increasing importance attached to andmainstreaming of the concept of ecosystem services;

RECOGNIZING that ecosystem-based adaptation canbe applied to both (1) assisting natural adaptation byspecies and ecosystems, and (2) facilitating adaptation bypeople to the unavoidable impacts of climate change;

NOTING that ecosystem-based adaptation is widely rec-ognized as an adaptation option, and is included in Na-tional Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) ofLeast Developed Countries and Adaptation Plans andStrategies of other countries;

NOTING that the UNFCCC’s Cancun AdaptationFramework invites Parties to enhance action on adapta-tion through, inter alia, building resilience of socio-eco-nomic and ecological systems through sustainablemanagement of natural resources;

NOTING that the outcomes of the 17th Conference ofthe Parties to UNFCCC agreed, inter alia, to pursue workon ecosystem-based adaptation in the context of theNairobi work programme1; and

FURTHER NOTING that in promoting the conserva-tion and sustainable use of natural resources, ecosystem-based adaptation provides policy coherence with othernational and international commitments;


1. ENDORSES the definition of ecosystem-basedadaptation provided in the report of the CBD’s Sec-ond Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biodiversityand Climate Change ‘Connecting Biodiversity and Cli-mate Change’ (2009), i.e. “Ecosystem-based adapta-tion is the use of biodiversity and ecosystem servicesas part of an overall adaptation strategy to help peo-ple to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change”;

2. RECOGNIZES that an ecosystem-based approachto climate change adaptation is also relevant to theconservation and sustainable use of species;

3. CALLS ON IUCN Members and other interestedparties to promote ecosystem-based adaptation in


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1 Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change.

their climate change adaptation work, includingthrough conservation and sustainable managementactions that protect and restore the resilience andadaptive capacities of ecosystems;

4. ACKNOWLEDGES that ecosystem-based adapta-tion is best implemented as part of an overall adap-tation strategy that takes into account the multiplesocial, economic and cultural co-benefits for localcommunities;

5. CALLS on donor countries and financial institutionsto recognize ecosystem-based adaptation as a sus-tainable and potentially cost-effective adaptation op-tion, which can complement or substitute for othermodes of adaptation and which is readily available tothe rural poor; and

6. REQUESTS the Director General to ensure thatecosystem-based adaptation is effectively deployed asa nature-based solution within the IUCN Programme2013–2016 and in particular by:

a. promoting ecosystem-based activities that arecountry driven, aligned to national or sub-na-tional priorities, gender sensitive, and inclusive oflocal stakeholders;

b. exploring in depth the linkages between ecosys-tem-based adaptation and ecosystem conserva-tion, water, disaster risk reduction and the marineenvironment; and

c. encouraging the dissemination of knowledgeproducts on lessons learned from ecosystem-based activities and projects.

WCC-2012-Res-085-ENClimate change justice and equityconsiderations

NOTING that IUCN provides a platform for govern-ments, NGOs and the private sector to discuss pro-grammes, policies and projects for climate changeadaptation and mitigation;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT Resolution 4.076 on Bio-diversity conservation and climate change mitigation and adapta-tion in policies and strategies adopted by the 4th IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008), as well as re-lated Resolutions;

REITERATING its support for the United NationsFramework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)as the primary vehicle for international collaboration andaction to address climate change and its impacts;

ACKNOWLEDGING that climate change raises diffi-cult issues of justice, particularly with respect to the dis-tribution of burdens and benefits among poor andwealthy nations; and

CONCERNED that inadequate targeting of adaptationassistance to poor nations, or to poor people in poor na-tions, could be detrimental to addressing climate changeeffects;


1. CALLS ON IUCN Members to commit to suchadaptive measures that minimize loss and damageand promote the Green Climate Fund and similarfunds, including packages to move towards a greeneconomic development;

2. REQUESTS the Director General to promote eco-nomic justice and equity considerations in the globalagreement on climate change (concerning the im-pacts and mitigation of climate change); and

3. RECOMMENDS IUCN Members to include princi-ples of equity and justice in climate change adaptationamongst natural resource-dependent communities inthe developing world.


WCC-2012-Res-086-ENIntegrating protected areas into climatechange adaptation and mitigationstrategies

RECOGNIZING that one of the three Programme Areasfor the IUCN Programme 2013–2016 is Deploying nature-basedsolutions to global challenges in climate, food and development;

NOTING that the IUCN Programme 2013–2016 advancesecosystem-based adaptation and ecosystem-based miti-gation as two principal nature-based solutions to climatechange, with the aim of influencing specific sectoral


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policies and demonstrating the effectiveness of these so-lutions on the ground;

FURTHER NOTING that the IUCN Programme 2013–2016 does not identify contributions made by protectedareas to specific approaches and results related to gener-ating knowledge and developing solutions related to De-ploying nature-based solutions to global challenges in climate, food,development and does not include programme developmentinitiatives related to protected areas and climate change;

RECOGNIZING that the IUCN World Commission onProtected Areas (WCPA) and its partners, through thepublication Natural Solutions: Protected Areas Helping PeopleCope with Climate Change and related initiatives, has im-proved understanding of the contribution of effectivelymanaged, ecologically representative and well-connectedsystems of protected areas as effective nature-based so-lutions for meeting challenges associated with climatechange; and

RECALLING that Resolution 4.076 Biodiversity Conser-vation and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Na-tional Policies and Strategies adopted by the 4th IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008) requested theIUCN Director General to support the development ofnational strategies that address the impacts of climatechange on biodiversity through adequate integratedlandscape and seascape management and effective pro-tected area systems by, inter alia, developing guidelinesand case studies of best practice in consultation withCommissions;


1. WELCOMES the work of the WCPA and its part-ners in improving understanding of the contributionof effectively managed, ecologically representativeand well-connected systems of protected areas toecosystem-based climate change adaptation andmitigation;

2. AFFIRMS that efforts aimed at expanding the globalprotected areas system enhance the benefits to allfrom biodiversity and ecosystem services;

3. CALLS UPON all IUCN constituencies to supportgovernments and other stakeholders in implement-ing actions related to strengthening the contributionof protected area networks to addressing climate

change impacts, increasing resilience to climate change,and contributing to climate change mitigation;

4. FURTHER CALLS UPON all IUCN constituenciesto support the Director General in implementing theinitiatives enumerated below;

5. REQUESTS the Director General to work in closecooperation with the IUCN Commissions, particu-larly WCPA and all global thematic programmes,along with international terrestrial and marine pro-tected area organizations, indigenous peoples, learnedsocieties, sectoral management bodies, industries, andnon-government organizations to:

a. develop guidelines and case studies of on-the-ground best practices for integrating the estab-lishment, expansion, ecological restoration andeffective management of protected area net-works into national, sub-national, and sectoralpolicies and strategies for climate change adap-tation and mitigation; and

b. undertake research and analysis, develop assess-ment methodologies and implement tools andstrategies for:

i. assessing, qualitatively and quantitatively, thecurrent and potential contribution of exist-ing protected areas and protected area net-works to ecosystem-based climate changeadaptation and mitigation;

ii. expanding the protected area system in away that takes advantage of opportunitiesfor conserving biodiversity and ecosystemservices, contributing to human well-being,protecting and enhancing carbon stocks,maximizing the potential of natural carbonsequestration processes through healthyecosystems, and providing climate changeadaptation benefits; and

iii. managing protected areas, including ecolog-ical restoration of areas that are importantfor biodiversity conservation, the conserva-tion of associated protected area values, andthe maintenance and restoration of carbonstocks, such that climate change mitigationand adaptation and biodiversity conserva-tion and associated benefits of protectedareas are maximized; and


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6. FURTHER REQUESTS the Director General to in-clude the actions enumerated above as specific ap-proaches that will be undertaken as part of the IUCNProgramme 2013–2016 related to Deploying nature-basedsolutions to global challenges in climate, food and development.

WCC-2012-Res-087-ENEnergy and conservation

NOTING that 2012 is the UN International Year of Sus-tainable Energy for All and that the significant role ofIUCN in designing global policy has been recognizedthrough the appointment of IUCN’s Director Generalas a member of the UN Secretary General’s High LevelGroup on Sustainable Energy for All;

MINDFUL of the fundamental importance of access toaffordable energy to alleviate poverty and achieve safelivelihoods;

NOTING that energy future affects all people, womenand men, youth and elderly, and that women and childrenare, in many cases, the ones who stand to benefit themost from the introduction of sustainable and renewableenergy services;

RECOGNIZING that over 1.3 billion people are with-out access to electricity and 2.7 billion rely on biomassfor cooking1, with severe health consequences;

FURTHER RECOGNZING that renewable energy2 hasa critical role in the transition to a green economy2;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the current share offossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) in the global energy mix is81% and is responsible for 65% of all greenhouse gasemissions globally1, and that through the combined ef-fects of improved standards of living and populationgrowth global energy demand is projected to increase by40% between 2009 and 20351;

CONVINCED that one of the most important contribu-tions to reaching energy-related goals to mitigate climate

change, reducing pollution and public health hazards, andaddressing energy poverty, comes from more efficient useof energy, with pricing regimes that reflect the true envi-ronmental costs of different sources of energy;

ACKNOWLEDGING that even in scenarios that in-clude effective energy efficiency measures, all energysources including fossil fuels are likely to be part of theglobal energy mix for the foreseeable future;

CONCERNED that due to declining conventional sup-plies that become increasingly difficult to access, a grow-ing share of fossil fuels is projected to come fromunconventional sources (e.g. oil sands and shale gas) withpotentially significant but as yet unquantified ecosystemimpacts, therefore the need for a precautionary approachis important;

NOTING that in order to have a 50% chance of meet-ing the goal to limit the increase in the average globaltemperature to two degrees Celsius (Cancun Agreements,United Nations Framework Convention on ClimateChange COP163), (a goal which is unlikely to be reachedand would already lead to severe environmental, eco-nomic and social consequences), the share of renewableenergy in the global energy mix must at least double fromits share of 13% in 2009 to 27% by 2035, even with ef-fective energy efficiency measures1;

SUPPORTIVE of the more than 100 countries with re-newable energy policies in place4, and recognizing thatthe implementation of such policies, alongside energy ef-ficiency measures and nature-based solutions for mitiga-tion and adaptation, is imperative to avoid dangerousclimate change and its effects;

MINDFUL that all energy sources – including renewableenergy – and associated production and transmission in-frastructure have potential negative environmental andsocial impacts, and therefore impact assessments andcareful planning to avoid, minimize and manage these im-pacts are essential;

CONCERNED that current discourses on existing andnew energy sources and technologies that are regarded


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1 IEA (2011) World Energy Outlook 2011. International Energy Agency.2 “Renewable energy that is derived from natural processes that are replenished constantly (…) Included in the definition is energy

generated from solar, wind, biofuels, geothermal, hydropower, and ocean resources”. IEA. (2011). Renewables Information 2011.International Energy Agency.

3 http://cancun.unfccc.int/4 REN21 (2012). Renewables 2012: Global Status Report. Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century.

as ‘clean’ and/or renewable typically focus on reducinggreenhouse gas emissions without fully accounting forbiodiversity and livelihood impacts;

FURTHER CONCERNED that energy security is inex-tricably linked to food and water security that must be ad-dressed together but are often treated as separate issues,

RECALLING IUCN Recommendation 12 Energy andconservation adopted by the 12th IUCN General Assembly(Kinshasa, 1975) which recommends “that governmentsfoster large-scale public understanding and balanced dis-cussion of the wide range of energy choices available,public awareness of natural limits to man’s use of energy,and public readiness to engage in ways of life compatiblewith these principles”;

RECALLING IUCN Resolution 15/9 Renewable Energyadopted by the 15th IUCN General Assembly(Christchurch, 1981) that highlights “the harnessing ofsome renewable forms of energy may not be benign inthe effects on the natural environment … and urges na-tional and international agencies to ensure that the envi-ronmental impact of any energy developments areassessed before decisions are taken to proceed and, whensuch decisions are taken, that these developments takeaccount of the need to ensure that their design and im-plementation give adequate attention to ecologicalprocesses, living resources and landscape”;

RECALLING that the 3rd IUCN World ConservationCongress (Bangkok, 2004) adopted Resolution 3.059IUCN’s energy-related work relevant to biodiversity conservation,which builds on Resolution 2.17 Climate and energyadopted by the 2nd IUCN World Conservation Congress(Amman, 2000), and asks IUCN to advance “ecologi-cally-sound energy systems for sustainable development,as a necessary and core part of the biodiversity conser-vation objectives of the Union”, and that the 4th IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008) adoptedResolution 4.081 Equitable access to energy which requestsIUCN Members to inform national and sub-national pol-icy and investment decisions for increasing access to en-ergy, as well as Resolutions 4.082 on Sustainablebiomass-based energy and 4.083 on Industrial agrofuel productionparticularly highlighting negative impacts on biodiversityand food security;

RECALLING the Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD) COP10 Decision X/33 Biodiversity and climate changewhich urged Parties, other governments, and relevant

international and other organizations to inter alia: in plan-ning and implementing effective climate change mitiga-tion and adaptation activities, including renewableenergies, take into account impacts on biodiversity andthe provision of ecosystem services and avoid the con-version or degradation of areas important for biodiver-sity through: (i) considering traditional knowledge,including the full involvement of indigenous and localcommunities; (ii) building on a scientifically credibleknowledge base; (iii) considering components of biodi-versity important for its conservation and sustainable use;(iv) applying the ecosystem approach; and (v) developingecosystem and species vulnerability assessments; and

REALIZING that there are increasing investments in re-newable and unconventional fossil fuel energy produc-tion, and that governments are implementing newrenewable energy mandates and policies, there is a needfor IUCN to advise governments and the business sectorto take into account impacts on biodiversity and the pro-vision of ecosystem services, and in an integrated man-ner along with considerations for food and water security,sustainable natural resource use and livelihoods;


1. CALLS ON governments and the business sector to:

a. recognize that all energy sources – including re-newable energy – and associated production andtransmission infrastructure have potentially neg-ative environmental and social impacts, and there-fore assessments and careful planning to avoid,minimize and manage these impacts, in particularto biodiversity and livelihoods, are essential;

b. recognize that deciding between energy sourcesmust take into consideration the inextricable link-ages between energy, food and water security;

c. adopt a precautionary approach for the develop-ment of unconventional fossil fuel sources;

d. adopt ecosystem-based approaches – as definedand urged by the CBD – for any energy devel-opment, including renewable energies, to ensuretheir long-term viability and resilience; and

e. collaborate on rapidly scaling up decentralizedenergy solutions that provide universal access to


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clean energy alternatives, and to involve and em-power women and youth in the design and im-plementation of sustainable energy systems;

2. Specifically URGES governments to:

a. ensure policies uphold commitments to interna-tional conventions and agreements;

b. ensure energy policy coherence with biodiversity,livelihood, food and water security and energyaccess policies, by energy ministries coordinatingwith other relevant ministries including those re-sponsible for environment and planning;

c. undertake strategic Social and EnvironmentalImpact Assessment (SEIA) to understand howmultiple energy policies and developments affectlandscapes and seascapes, particularly with re-spect to impacts on biodiversity and livelihoods;and

d. remove subsidies for energy options that consti-tute high environmental and social risks and pro-mote opportunities for effective and efficientrenewable options;

3. Specifically URGES the business sector to:

a. direct investments to projects that not only re-duce greenhouse gas emissions but also favourbiodiversity conservation, including sustainingand restoring ecosystems, and improve access toenergy; and

b. undertake relevant integrated SEIA, includingfull life-cycle assessments of direct and indirectimpacts, and incorporate these into project plan-ning and execution, and use industry best prac-tices when designing, constructing, operating anddecommissioning energy developments;

4. CALLS ON IUCN Members and Commissions (inparticular the Commission on Environmental, Eco-nomic and Social Policy (CEESP) and the WorldCommission on Environmental Law (WCEL)) to:

a. work with the energy sector to avoid and effec-tively manage the environmental and social im-pacts of energy options, and to help the sectorand the companies therein to understand, avoid,

minimize and manage the associated risks andopportunities for biodiversity conservation, liveli-hoods and improving access to energy; and

b. identify ways that nature can provide solutionsto the energy challenge, within ecological limits;and

5. CALLS ON the Director General to, with regard tothe relevant areas of the IUCN Programme 2013–2016:

a. build on the achievements of the thematic pro-gramme area Naturally Energizing the Futureunder the IUCN Programme 2009–2012 whenimplementing the IUCN Programme 2013–2016;

b. advise governments and the business sectorabout the risks and opportunities for biodiversityconservation, livelihoods and improving accessto energy in relation to all energy sources;

c. develop principles and guidelines for the busi-ness sector to integrate biodiversity considera-tions at the assessment and design phases ofenergy projects, particularly large-scale energyprojects, but also multiple small-scale energyprojects; and

d. promote nature-based solutions to access to en-ergy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and theapplication of ecosystem-based approaches (asdefined by the CBD) for sustainable energy de-velopment to all concerned stakeholders – espe-cially with regard to all renewable energy sources,which are based on natural processes and there-fore depend on the long-term viability and re-silience of ecosystems.


WCC-2012-Res-088-ENResponsible renewable energy sources

RECALLING that the mission of the IUCN is to “in-fluence, encourage and assist societies throughout theworld to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature


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and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equi-table and ecologically sustainable”;

CONSCIOUS that access to energy sources is importantto human development;

RECOGNIZING that demand for energy is growing inmany parts of the world;

RECALLING that the world is facing problems resultingfrom global warming, a consequence of the greenhousegases produced by the use of fossil fuels;

RECOGNIZING the important role of renewable en-ergy sources in replacing fossil fuels in order to reducegreenhouse gas emissions;

RECALLING that the 4th IUCN World ConservationCongress (Barcelona, 2008) adopted Resolution 4.081Equitable access to energy which expressed the need to di-versify energy supply (...) developing cleaner, healthy,more efficient, socially acceptable and environmentallysound technologies;

ALSO RECALLING that the same Congress adoptedResolutions 4.082 Sustainable biomass-based energy and 4.083Industrial agrofuel production in which concern was ex-pressed over the environmental and social impacts re-sulting from the use of biofuels;

CONCERNED that industrial biofuel production is:

a. causing serious deforestation and degradation offorests, which are replaced by monocultures for bio-fuel production;

b. forcing people to leave their lands and removing theircapacity to produce the foods that they need to sur-vive; and

c. responsible for the increase in greenhouse gas emis-sions during different phases of the production cycleof the aforesaid biofuels; and

RECOGNIZING the potential risk to biodiversity fromdevelopment of renewable energy technologies and theimportance of mitigating direct negative impacts on habi-tats and species where they occur;


1. RECOMMENDS that governments:

a. conduct analyses of the potential social and en-vironmental impacts, and the impacts on humanrights, throughout the life cycle of large scalebiofuel productions and other renewable energytechnologies;

b. conduct environmental impact assessments onrenewable energy technologies, in accordancewith the legislation in force in each country;

c. assess the effects of proposed renewable energyprojects, including effects on protected naturalareas of regional, national and international im-portance such as the European Natura 2000 sites,and on habitats of especially sensitive and vul-nerable species; undertake effective mitigationmeasures, which may include avoidance, and en-force actions in cases where national regulationshave not been adhered to; and

d. include in their energy plans the decentralizationof renewable energy source production systemsin order to avoid the large scale infrastructure as-sociated with centralized systems, thus reducingsocial and ecological impacts;

2. REQUESTS the Director General to promote, onthe basis of IUCN data, the compilation of a reportto be made available to Members, including an as-sessment of the environmental and social impactswhich, to date, have been caused by the productionand use of biofuels on a global scale;

3. URGES governments to take forward new first andsecond generation biofuel production projects andother renewable energy projects which are safe andsustainable; and

4. REQUESTS governments to consider the impor-tance of protected spaces and to avoid setting uplarge space energy projects within them.



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WCC-2012-Res-089-ENDams and hydraulic infrastructure

RECALLING that IUCN (then known as the WorldConservation Union), together with the World Bank,helped to establish the World Commission on Dams(WCD) in May 1998 in response to the escalating localand international controversies over large dams;

RECALLING that Resolution 2.19 Responding to the recom-mendations from the World Commission on Dams and Recom-mendation 3.087 Financial institutions and the WorldCommission on Dams recommendations adopted by the 2nd and3rd IUCN World Conservation Congresses (Amman, 2000and Bangkok, 2004, respectively) took note of the globalreview of large dams conducted by the World Commis-sion on Dams (WCD), and recommended comprehensiveassessments of major dam projects to balance environ-mental, social and economic needs in line with the sevenstrategic priorities1 published by the WCD in 2000;

ACKNOWLEDGING that the WCD continues to be areference point, but that WCD recommendations are notaccepted by all actors; and recognizing other sets of in-ternationally published policies produced by differentparties to the dams debate with particular purposes orconstituencies in mind, particularly: (i) the Safeguard Poli-cies of the World Bank; (ii) the Performance Standardsof the International Finance Corporation; (iii) the Equa-tor Principles; (iv) the Hydropower Sustainability As-sessment Protocol; and (v) the Rapid Basin-wideHydropower Sustainability Assessment Tool; and look-ing to convene actors to construct further steps taken incommon which constitute good practice and build on el-ements of the priorities of the WCD;

RECALLING that the existing IUCN policy on dams isestablished by preceding Resolutions of the IUCN Gen-eral Assembly and sessions of the World ConservationCongress, specifically: Resolutions 19.28 Environmental Im-pact Assessment and 19.29: Dam construction, irrigation andwater diversions (adopted in Buenos Aires,1994); Recom-mendation 1.98 Environmentally sustainable development of theMekong River Basin (Montreal, 1996); Resolutions 2.19 Re-sponding to the recommendations from the World Commission on

Dams, 2.34 Multilateral and bilateral financial institutions andprojects impacting on biodiversity and natural features and 2.58Ecological management issues relating to large dams (Amman,2000); Resolution 3.061 IUCN’s interaction with the privatesector and Recommendations 3.087 Financial institutions andthe World Commission on Dams recommendations and 3.110Promoting responsible management of water resources in theMekong Region (Bangkok, 2004); and Resolutions 4.052 Im-plementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights ofIndigenous Peoples, 4.087 Impacts of infrastructure and ex-tractive industries on protected areas, and 4.091 Strategic envi-ronmental assessment of public policies, plans and programmes asan instrument for conserving biodiversity (Barcelona, 2008);

AWARE of the need to consolidate and increase waterstorage capacity in the face of intensifying variations inwater availability as a result of climate change, that de-mands for water and energy due to demographic growthand economic development are putting increasing pres-sure on available water resources with knock-on impactson biodiversity, that interest in hydropower as a replace-ment for fossil fuels has increased considerably, and un-derscoring the importance of advancing sustainability indesign, construction and operation of dams and man-agement of reservoirs for generation of hydropower, ir-rigation, water storage, fisheries and other uses essentialfor local communities;

ACUTELY AWARE of the consequences and potentialconflicts in disrupted lives/livelihoods and damaged en-vironments where lesser standards of diligence and per-formance take effect, including failure to take adequatemeasures to follow the hierarchical process to avoid, mit-igate or compensate for negative impacts; and highlight-ing the urgency of efforts to eliminate such lesserstandards from dam and hydraulic infrastructure projectswhere the option to avoid built infrastructure does notexist;

COGNIZANT of evolving financial flows to develop-ing countries, including funding alternatives to overseasdevelopment assistance from OECD countries (sover-eign funds, funding from non-OECD countries as grantsand loans, and finance from other sources including car-bon-offsets) which offer significant opportunities forfunding infrastructure projects;


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1 1) Gaining Public Acceptance, 2) Comprehensive Options Assessment, 3) Addressing Existing Dams, 4) Sustaining Rivers andLivelihoods, 5) Recognizing Entitlements and Sharing Benefits, 6) Ensuring Compliance, 7) Sharing Rivers for Peace, Develop-ment and Security.

CONSCIOUS of the constant need to promote partic-ipatory decision-making processes which identify watermanagement options and infrastructure alternatives thatavoid negative impacts on river and wetland ecosystemsand on the livelihoods of affected populations, includingsupport to processes where affected indigenous peoplescan express their free and informed consent prior to theapproval of any water infrastructure project affectingtheir lands or territories and other resources and whichensure that, where such impacts cannot be avoided,measures to mitigate or compensate for negative proj-ect impacts are adopted, in-line with the Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD) Akwé: Kon VoluntaryGuidelines;

RECALLING the natural storage functions of ground-water, as well as wetlands and surface waters – each com-ponents of the natural infrastructure of river basins,alongside built infrastructure alternatives (dams, reser-voirs, irrigation systems, levees and canals);

UNDERLINING that the functioning of built as wellas natural water infrastructure relies on ecosystem serv-ices, as do the livelihoods of societies and peoples, espe-cially the poor, and that key industry sectors andgovernments are often not fully aware of options for in-vestment in management and development of water re-sources that rely on natural infrastructure;

RECOGNIZING that good practice can afford project-affected populations with viable alternatives to existinglivelihoods, based on measures protecting ecosystemsand species that may improve local populations’ devel-opment prospects, provided that no relocation related towater infrastructure projects shall take place without thefree, prior and informed consent of the peoples con-cerned and following agreement regarding just and faircompensation, and that appropriate measures should beput in place to mitigate adverse environmental, economic,social, cultural or spiritual impacts arising from water in-frastructure projects;

ADOPTING, from environmental management and sus-tainability assessment initiatives, and adapting as appro-priate, the concept of ‘continuous improvement’whereby lessons from past or current practices are in-corporated into future development as part of a sus-tained and systematic process of learning, to help achieveprogressive advances in sustainability performance ofdam and hydraulic infrastructure projects;

CONSCIOUS of the value of assessment tools and pro-tocols in bringing together different actors in dialoguearound dam and hydraulic infrastructure projects, and ac-knowledging the body of internationally published poli-cies now available, which offer alternative sets ofstandards on which systems for monitoring improve-ments in the sustainability performance of dams and in-frastructure may be based, encompassing environmentaland social, as well as technical and financial criteria;

IDENTIFYING as a common step which may be takenby States, industry, civil society and other actors, andwhere the option to avoid construction is impossible, en-dorsement of the concept of continuous improvementand its application to site identification, planning, design,construction and operation of dams and hydraulic infra-structure, and supporting them in their efforts to attaingood standards in dam and infrastructure siting, design,construction and operation; and

REAFFIRMING IUCN’s role of mobilizing its member-ship, convening and empowering stakeholders, buildingpartnerships, creating and providing knowledge and analy-sis, fostering innovation, supporting advocacy for increasedequity in the use of natural resources and ecosystem serv-ices, and working to advance nature-based solutions;


1. CALLS ON governments of all States, including (butnot limited to) State Members of the Union, to com-mit to promoting and supporting the concept of‘continuous improvement’ so as to maintain ad-vancement in sustainability policy and practice ap-plying to large dam and hydraulic infrastructureprojects, whether projects in their own territory or inthe territory of another State or States (where, forexample, a government is contributing finance orother support to dams or hydraulic infrastructureprojects in that/those other jurisdictions) by:

a. choosing an international policy: by identifyingthe policy on the basis of which improvementsin sustainability performance will be assessed,being an internationally-published and recog-nized policy, and by publicly declaring adherenceto the objectives and operational principles, andrequirements of the chosen international policyaround existing or proposed dam and hydraulicinfrastructure projects;


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b. defining a process for monitoring: by determin-ing or defining the process – including catch-ment, regional, national, or international planningprocesses – which is to be applied in order to as-sess and monitor sustainability performance andto monitor direct and indirect impacts, such asapplying a basin-wide understanding and ap-proach, using an independent observer wherepossible;

c. identifying responsible institutions: by identifyingthe institutions (national, regional and interna-tional) responsible for implementing and over-seeing the assessment and monitoring process, aswell as the procedures and principles for ensur-ing transparency, accountability and participation(and, to those ends, measures to strengthen insti-tutional capacity, where appropriate);

d. using legal and comprehensive concession agree-ments (such as contracts or licenses), which willbe made public, and which will cover the respec-tive responsibilities and obligations of the par-ties involved in dam-building projects, not least inrespect of social (resettlement, livelihood devel-opment of the resettlers, etc.) and environmen-tal (water quality issues in reservoirs anddownstream, fisheries impacts, climate changeimplications of greenhouse gas production etc.)requirements;

e. determining/declaring a means of benchmark-ing continuous improvement: by determiningand publicly identifying the screening,scoring/rating, benchmarking or other methodsor frameworks for assessment, including meas-ures in line with the chosen policy to protect par-ticular categories of habitat or populations;

f. establishing open reporting for disclosure ofconclusions of assessments: by establishing andoperating regular reporting of the sustainabilityperformance assessment and monitoringprocess, conducted in a transparent, accountableand participatory manner, including publishingthe reports and making disclosure of the find-ings, conclusions and recommendations from theassessments to promptly put them into the pub-lic domain; and

g. collaborating with neighbouring and basinStates: by working in collaboration with other

neighbouring and basin States as well as interna-tional river basin agencies;

2. INVITES industry, supported by public and privatefinancing institutions, to commit to continuous im-provement in sustainability policy and practice oflarge dam and hydraulic infrastructure projects by car-rying out assessment processes, adopting monitoring,screening, scoring/rating or other methods or frame-works for assessment and benchmarking, based on aninternationally published policy and reflecting thosein key performance indicators in plans and reports;

3. RECOMMENDS that civil society organizations andother actors support sustained and systematicprocesses of lesson-learning from large dam and hy-draulic infrastructure practice, in a solutions-orientedapproach, to achieve continuous improvements insustainability performance, for the needs and benefitof all actors, including indigenous peoples and localcommunities, with particular attention to the mostvulnerable groups and to gender equity, as well as act-ing as independent observers of the assessmentmethods, and monitoring and reporting processesconducted by States, industry and financial institu-tions, including the transparency, accountability andparticipation aspects of those methods andprocesses; and

4. RESOLVES that IUCN, through its Members, Com-missions and Secretariat, actively promotes and sup-ports such improvements in sustainability policy andpractice by States, industry and financial institutions,by:

a. acting as an independent and neutral convenerof actors at global, regional and national levelsto support and promote the concept of contin-uous improvement in large dams and hydraulicinfrastructure sustainability policy and practice;

b. compiling and bringing to bear, including by a re-view and updating of the World Commission onDams Report, using a participatory approach,knowledge to contribute to the putting into placeby States, industry and financial institutions, ofthe sustainability performance assessment, mon-itoring and reporting processes, including advis-ing, as appropriate, on assessment frameworks,screening and scoring/rating methods, informa-tion exchange and appraisal, monitoring and re-porting tools;


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c. mobilizing IUCN Members and Commissionswith identified and credible experience in theprovision of technical support and advice whererequested and actively seek invitations to join for-mal processes around dam and hydraulic infra-structure options, including identifying entrypoints to engage in regional to national policywork on water and dams in river basins;

d. coordinating actions at basin/local level for test-ing nature-based solutions to sustainability chal-lenges relating to large dams and hydraulicinfrastructure projects, including credible non-dam options, and where required focus on localdevelopment around reservoirs, e.g. through se-cured access to land, rules for sustainable naturalresource management and fair access to benefitscreated;

e. strengthening the capacity of responsible insti-tutions in developing countries (in support of theimplementation of this Resolution), includingwithin the Union on EIA/SEA processes andprocedures; and

f. contributing, during the implementation of theabove assessment, monitoring and reportingprocesses, to continuous learning, disseminationand communicating results and impacts throughmulti-stakeholder dialogue.

The State Member Turkey provided the following state-ment for the record:

“The Republic of Turkey objects to any references made to the re-port of the World Commission on Dams”.


WCC-2012-Res-090-ENExploration and exploitation ofunconventional fossil fuels

NOTING the rapid and unprecedented expansion of ex-ploration and exploitation of unconventional fossil fuels,including, inter alia, shale gas, tight gas coal seam gas, coalliquefaction and coal gasification;

NOTING that hydraulic fracturing is a method of re-source extraction that involves injecting, at an extremelyhigh pressure, a mixture of water, sand, and a mix ofchemicals to break up rock formations otherwise imper-meable to the flow of fuels;

CONCERNED that hydraulic fracturing to release nat-ural gas, petroleum or other substances for extraction hasnegative impacts on the environment, including causingseismic phenomena, such as earthquakes and landslides,and pollution of the air, soils, surface water and ground-water;

CONCERNED that unconventional fossil fuel activitiesresult in the extraction, use and contamination of largequantities of fresh water, reducing the availability ofclean, safe water for local communities, food productionand natural ecosystems;

CONCERNED that the construction of numerous gaswells, pipelines and associated infrastructure can result inthe removal, fragmentation and degradation of extensiveareas of natural habitat, including forests and woodlands;

CONSIDERING the potential for serious unintendedconsequences associated with unconventional explo-ration and exploitation methods on the natural environ-ment, agricultural resources and on local populations;

ACKNOWLEDGING the gaps in and inconsistenciesbetween States’ laws regulating oil and gas explorationand exploitation activities;

CONCERNED that the body of research on the im-pacts of hydraulic fracturing on the environment and rel-evant legal mechanisms is limited;

CONSIDERING that the world is facing global climatechange and that the large-scale exploitation of fossil fuelswill accentuate its impact on the planet, undermining thecommitments made by the international community; and

NOTING the decisions by France and Bulgaria to forbidthe exploitation of shale gas through hydraulic fractur-ing and the suspension of numerous projects in Ger-many, the United Kingdom, Romania and Quebec, whilstawaiting complementary studies;



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1. CALLS ON States to:

a. prohibit hydraulic fracturing unless the followingmeasures to protect human health and the envi-ronment are first enacted:

i. unconditional prohibition in the vicinity ofmajor drinking water supplies, in areas ofseismic faults, drinking water shortages andhigh conservation value (HCV);

ii. specifications for pipeline construction andwastewater repositories to prevent leakage ofchemical and radioactive materials andmethane under all foreseeable contingencies;

iii. disclosure of chemicals used, at least to theregulatory authorities;

iv. prohibiting of the transmission of water totreatment plants lacking the ability to re-move toxic and radioactive materials;

v. specifications for road transport of waste-water with adequate safeguards against leak-age in the event of accidents or drivernegligence, including appropriate training insafe handling of materials;

vi. requirements for regular testing and moni-toring of drinking water supplies;

vii. procedures for foreseeable accidents andequipment necessary to handle such eventsat each site;

viii. repeal of the exemption of operations fromenvironmental laws;

ix. enforcement of regulations with severepenalties for failure to abide while hiring andadequately training enforcers;

x. strict liability for damages caused by opera-tions while requiring a fund or insurance tocompensate all persons and communities thatsuffer damages resulting from operations;

xi. assistance to developing countries enablingthem to adopt and enforce these regulatorymeasures; and

xii. measures paid for by a tax on the revenuesfrom operation;

b. consistent with the preceding paragraph, reeval-uate and strengthen the regulation and monitor-ing of existing unconventional fossil fuelactivities to prevent adverse impacts on the envi-ronment and local communities;

c. cease to issue new permits for the exploration orexploitation of unconventional fossil fuels untilnew techniques and practices that avoid adverseimpacts on the environment and local commu-nities have been assessed and then approvedthrough independent scientific review;

d. ensure the necessary transparency and dialogue,in particular with environmental stakeholders re-garding their countries’ energy choices; and

e. strengthen energy conservation policies and sup-port for the development of renewable energysources as the main alternatives to the exploita-tion of fossil fuels;

2. ASKS the Director General to commission the de-velopment of a report on the impacts of the exploita-tion of unconventional fossil fuels on biodiversity,ecosystems, climate and local communities; and

3. REQUESTS the IUCN Environmental Law Pro-gramme to coordinate a comparative study of thevarious legal regimes governing the exploration andexploitation of unconventional fossil fuels and toprovide guidance on best practices and draft legisla-tion or regulations.


WCC-2012-Res-091-ENSolar cooking and its contribution tohealthy and resilient ecosystems andcommunities

NOTING that 2012 has been designated as the UnitedNations International Year of Sustainable Energy for All;

RECOGNIZING that 2.7 billion people, women in par-ticular, currently cook over biomass fires or stoves, with


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significant negative consequences for human health (1.9million deaths per year), household economics, defor-estation, ecosystem degradation and climate change;

ACKNOWLEDGING that even taking into accountboth the warming and cooling effects of the variousemissions from cooking fires, several studies suggest thatthe combined emissions from household cooking firesand stoves may have a net warming effect equivalent tomillions of tonnes of CO2 annually, as well as one quar-ter of global emissions of black carbon;

RECOGNIZING the urgent need for ecologically sus-tainable, healthier, reliable, safer cooking options formuch of the world, and aware that an array of technolo-gies exist and are being further developed to fulfil thisneed;

NOTING that the widespread adoption of better cook-stove technologies is hindered by supply side and demandside constraints, as well as policy barriers;

NOTING that the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves(initiated by the UN Foundation and the Shell Founda-tion) has set a target of replacing open fires with 100 mil-lion clean cookstoves by 2020, with a primary emphasison clean-burning biomass cookstoves to improve humanhealth;

RECOGNIZING that solar thermal cooking (non-photo-voltaic) requires no fuel other than sunlight, in-cluding no use of wood or biomass;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that cooking with cleansolar ovens produces zero pollution or carbon emissions,being healthy for people and the atmosphere;

NOTING that solar thermal cooking can help commu-nities, women in particular, adapt to changing climatesthat may reduce the availability of wood and other bio-mass traditionally used for cooking;

RECALLING that Recommendation 12.12 Energy andConservation adopted by the 12th IUCN General Assembly(Kinshasa, 1975) recommends “that governments fosterlarge-scale public understanding and balanced discussionof the wide range of energy choices available, publicawareness of natural limits to man’s use of energy, andpublic readiness to engage in ways of life compatible withthese principles”;

ALSO RECALLING that Resolution 4.082 Sustainablebiomass-based energy adopted by the 4th IUCN World Con-servation Congress (Barcelona, 2008) highlights the po-tentially negative impacts of biomass-based energy onbiodiversity and food security;

NOTING that the Sustainable Energy Initiative ofIUCN promotes energy solutions that are economically,socially and environmentally sustainable; and

ALSO NOTING that increased use of sustainable solarthermal cooking contributes to all three of the GlobalProgramme Areas in the IUCN Programme 2013–2016:Valuing and Conserving Nature, Effective and Equitable Gover-nance of Nature’s Use, and Deploying Nature-based Solutions toGlobal Challenges in Climate, Food and Development;


1. CALLS ON IUCN Members and governments to:

a. explore the appropriate applications of solarcooking in their own countries, including ex-panding research into improving the technologyand its adoption and adding solar cooking totheir own renewable energy policies;

b. disseminate widely the report referenced in para-graph 2c below concerning research and currentuse of solar cooking; and

c. promote in international fora in which Membersparticipate, the inclusion of solar thermal energyas part of a complete and sustainable solution forclean cooking where it can contribute to healthy,resilient ecosystems and communities;


a. promote the inclusion of solar thermal energy aspart of a complete and sustainable solution forclean cooking and integrate it into the SustainableEnergy priority and other relevant ProgrammeAreas of the IUCN Programme 2013–2016;

b. examine the possible contributions of expand-ing the use of solar cooking for healthy and re-silient ecosystems, including forested and aridlands, and report to the next IUCN World Con-servation Congress; and


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c. consider the reports from IUCN Members onsolar cooking research and use, and compilethese into a global report on the Global State ofSolar Cooking and Its Contribution to Healthy and Re-silient Ecosystems and Communities, including womenand children, to be submitted to the next IUCNWorld Conservation Congress for review;

3. CALLS ON IUCN Members and Commissions, inparticular the Commission on Environmental, Eco-nomic and Social Policy (CEESP), the Commissionon Ecosystem Management (CEM) and the WorldCommission on Protected Areas (WCPA), to:

a. consider the ways in which replacing biomass-fu-elled cooking fires and cookstoves with solarovens and other renewable energy cooking op-tions can contribute to their mandates, particu-larly, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem health,improving livelihoods and mitigating climatechange; and

b. contribute to the Report on the Global State ofSolar Cooking and Its Contribution to Healthy and Re-silient Ecosystems and Communities; and

4. CALLS ON IUCN Members participating in theGlobal Alliance for Clean Cookstoves to:

a. encourage the Global Alliance to increase re-search, distribution and use of non-biomasscookstoves, such as solar ovens and stoves, aspart of the Alliance objectives, and to participatein these activities as part of their own contribu-tion to the Alliance’s efforts; and

b. ensure that any of the global cookstove stan-dards agreed include criteria appropriate for de-termining the effectiveness of non-biomass aswell as biomass stoves, and for measuring all im-pacts of various types of cookstoves, includingeconomic, ecosystem, human health and atmos-pheric impacts.

WCC-2012-Res-092-ENPromoting and supporting communityresource management andconservation as a foundation forsustainable development

RECALLING that already in 1975 IUCN Members,through Resolution 12.5 Protection of Traditional ways ofLife adopted by the 12th IUCN General Assembly (Kin-shasa, 1975), promoted recognition of the rights of in-digenous peoples in conservation areas;

RECALLING Resolution 17.28 National and Regional Con-servation Strategies adopted by the 17th IUCN General As-sembly (San José, 1988) which recognized thatindigenous peoples have a long and rich history ofknowledge and experience in the sustainable use of theirenvironment, which has often been excluded from eco-nomic development strategies as well as conservationstrategies and activities;

MINDFUL of Resolution 15.7 The Role of Traditional LifeStyles and Local People in Conservation and Developmentadopted by the 15th IUCN General Assembly(Christchurch, 1981), which considers “the still existingvery large reservoir of traditional knowledge and experi-ence within local cultures” and recommends fostering“further research into the ecology of traditional lifestyles”, and “provide the means for local people whomaintain ecologically sound practices to play a primaryrole in all stages of development in the area they identifywith, so that they can participate and benefit directly, ina manner which is consistent with their values, timeframes and decision making processes”;

ALSO RECALLING the IUCN Policy Statement on Sus-tainable Use of Wild Living Resources at the 2nd IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Amman, 2000), which con-cluded that use of wild living resources, if sustainable, isan important conservation tool because the social andeconomic benefits derived from such use provide incen-tives for people to conserve them;

AWARE of Resolution 19.22 Indigenous People adopted bythe 19th IUCN General Assembly (Buenos Aires, 1994),and Resolution 19.23 Importance of Community Based Ap-proaches adopted by the 19th IUCN General Assembly(Buenos Aires, 1994), which emphasizes the importanceof indigenous and traditional knowledge and urges IUCNto make this a cross-cutting theme of its programmes, and


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urges IUCN to build strong partnerships with local or-ganizations to further community-based conservation;

FURTHER RECALLING Resolution 3.012 Governanceof natural resources for conservation and sustainable developmentadopted by the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress(Bangkok, 2004), which urged IUCN to serve in a lead-ership role in relation to governance of natural resourcesfor conservation and sustainable development;

ALSO RECALLING Resolution 4.047 Empowering localcommunities to conserve and manage natural resources in Africa,which “called on African governments to confer legalrights on local people to establish institutions for com-munal conservation and management of natural re-sources”, and Resolution 4.049 Supporting IndigenousConservation Territories and other Indigenous Peoples’ and Com-munity Conservation Areas, both of which were adopted bythe 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona,2008);

MINDFUL of Resolutions 4.055 Integrating culture and cul-tural diversity into IUCN’s policy and Programme and 4.099Recognition of the diversity of concepts and values of natureadopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008), which promote the consideration ofcultural values and traditions as key elements of success-ful conservation;

FURTHER RECALLING the aim of the 9th Session ofthe United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues;

NOTING ways for a better integration of indigenouspeoples’ issues into the IUCN Programme 2013–2016;

RECALLING the outcome of the Symposium on “TheRelevance of Community-based Natural Resource Man-agement (CBNRM) to the Conservation and SustainableUse of CITES-listed Species in Exporting Countries”(Vienna, Austria, May 2011);

NOTING that currently, a range of terms are in use whenreferring to conservation and sustainable developmentprogrammes carried out by local communities (e.g. com-munity-based natural resource management, communityconservation, participatory forest management, sustain-able resource management, integrated conservation anddevelopment, and decentralized land and resource man-agement) and it may thus be timely to devise common ter-minology that reflects the variety of relevant activitiescarried out by local communities; wherever possible and

allowing for the legal system in force, ‘community re-source management’ (CRM) may be an appropriategeneric description;

ACKNOWLEDGING that, while community resourcemanagement is not a universal panacea for all terrestrialspecies and ecosystem problems, for many rural areas ofthe world it could provide a solution to the classic prob-lem of the Tragedy of the Commons; through collectivemanagement and self-interest, local communities can ful-fil a role in protecting natural resources which is beyondthe capacity of governments or international treaties;

EMPHASIZING that community resource managementinvolving terrestrial species has proven to be most success-ful where legal rights have been conferred on local peoples;

RECOGNIZING that both consumptive and non-con-sumptive use, where sustainable and linked to communityresource management programmes, can be an effectiveinstrument to conserve terrestrial biological diversity;

NOTING that adaptive management, carried out by thecommunities themselves, is both a necessary and appro-priate methodology for implementing and monitoringcommunity resource use;

ACKNOWLEDGING that good governance, appropri-ate legislation and even-handed enforcement are essentialto ensure that community resource management pro-grammes prosper and are not undermined by illegaland/or unsustainable exploitation of living natural re-sources; and

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that conservation out-comes and income generation are only two measures ofsuccess of terrestrial community resource managementprogrammes, with others being civic development andeducation, greater empowerment and participation indemocratic processes, shifts to more positive attitudesand increased tolerance to wildlife, as well as a greatersense of pride in community identity and cultural values;


1. REQUESTS the Director General and Secretariat towork with Members and governments to:

a. facilitate and enhance a broad exchange of in-formation on current community resource


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management programmes and systems, their lev-els of success, or reasons for failure, to take placeamongst practitioners, relevant interest groupsand international conservation and developmentorganizations, and that emphasis should beplaced on capacity building to contribute to thefurther development of community resourcemanagement programmes;

b. develop and implement broad policy coherenceamong Multilateral Environmental Agreementsand conservation organizations which would bebeneficial to conservation of terrestrial biodiver-sity through community resource managementprogrammes;

c. recognize the various forms and names of com-munity conservation, such as Al-Hima ,(ىمحلا)Mahjar, Agdal, Qoroq, Adat or any similar systemsof community-based management present inWest Asia and North Africa, as a holistic ap-proach that empowers local and traditionalknowledge, culture and heritage, in addition toconservation of natural resources and a boost tolivelihoods; and

d. work together with IUCN Programmes andCommissions to revitalize community-basedmanagement systems, such as the Al-Hima;and others (ىمحلا)

2. REQUESTS the Director General and IUCN Com-missions to recognize and promote the aforemen-tioned community-based natural resourcemanagement and conservation systems as traditionalcommunity-based management systems that supportthe conservation and sustainable use of natural re-sources by the local community, through adoptingand applying local and traditional knowledge, andthrough customary institutions and regulations; and

3. CALLS ON IUCN State Members and NGOs to as-sist and promote all of the preceding activities on in-digenous peoples’ issues in the implementation ofthe IUCN Programme 2013–2016.

WCC-2012-Res-093-ENPrioritizing community-based naturalresource management for social andecological resilience

REITERATING the deep concerns that the essentialconditions of life for present and future generations ofhuman and natural communities are highly threatened bythe impacts of environmental change, including climatechange, natural disasters, conflict and insecurity, ex-pressed in previous IUCN Resolutions and Recommen-dations, including inter alia:

a. Resolution 19.41 Armed Conflict and the Environmentadopted by the 19th IUCN General Assembly (BuenosAires, 1994);

b. Resolution 2.83 Armed Conflicts in Natural Areasadopted by the 2nd World Conservation Congress(Amman, 2000);

c. Resolution 17.15 The International Decade of NaturalDisaster Reduction adopted by the 17th IUCN GeneralAssembly (San José, 1988);

d. Resolution 2.95 Drought and Flood Mitigation adoptedby the 2nd World Conservation Congress (Amman,2000);

e. Resolution 4.078 Appeal for action to address global envi-ronmental change adopted by the 4th World Conserva-tion Congress (Barcelona, 2008); and

f. Resolution 4.077 Climate change and human rightsadopted by the 4th World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008);

ALARMED that many of the world’s major armed con-flicts are coinciding with biodiversity hotspots and en-dangered cultures;

RECOGNIZING that natural disasters and armed con-flicts are often interlinked phenomena that can compli-cate recovery strategies for human and ecologicalcommunities;

GRAVELY CONCERNED that climate change is a riskmultiplier that conflates the impacts of environmentalchange, disasters and conflict;


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NOTING that the severity of these threats impacts dis-proportionately on marginalized communities including,inter alia, women and children, people with disabilities,minority groups, rural populations, and indigenous peo-ples and some of the world’s most critical ecosystems;

UNDERSTANDING that social and ecological resilienceincludes community-based disaster risk reduction, non-violent socio-environmental conflict management, humanand environmental security, recognition of the collectiverights of indigenous peoples, protection of biological andcultural diversity, long-term integrity of ecosystem serv-ices, and just peace;

EMPHASIZING that top-down, external or centralizedapproaches to conservation, security and international aidcan suppress communities’ abilities to propose their ownsolutions and strategies for sustainable recovery and re-silience to catastrophic events, armed conflict and inse-curity, particularly within humanitarian and governmentalprogramming;

RECOGNIZING the role that adaptive community-based natural resource management has in influencingthe nature and severity of armed conflicts, disasters andinsecurity, as well as in promoting environmental peacebuilding and strengthening social and ecological re-silience;

AFFIRMING previous IUCN Resolutions and Recom-mendations that have promoted community-based ap-proaches to conservation and natural resourcemanagement:

a. Resolution 19.23 The Importance of Community-BasedApproaches adopted by the 19th IUCN General As-sembly (Buenos Aires, 1994);

b. Resolution 3.049 Community Conserved Areas adoptedby the 3rd World Conservation Congress (Bangkok,2004);

c. Resolution 4.047 Empowering local communities to conserveand manage natural resources in Africa adopted by the 4th

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona,2008);

d. Resolution 4.109 Funding programmes for small-scale civilsociety projects for global biodiversity conservation adoptedby the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008);

e. Resolution 3.022 Endorsement of the Earth Charter(Bangkok, 2004); and

f. Resolution 3.046 Conservation in regions in violent conflictof West Asia – strengthening IUCN’s presence to protect thenatural and human environment (Bangkok, 2004), recall-ing principles 23, 24 and 25 of the Rio Declarationon Environment and Development adopted by theUnited Nations Conference on Environment andDevelopment (Rio de Janeiro, 1992); and

REAFFIRMING Resolution 15.2 Conservation and Peaceadopted by the 15th IUCN General Assembly (Auckland,1981) that “peace is a contributory condition to the con-servation of nature, just as conservation itself con-tributes to peace through the proper and ecologicallysound use of natural resources”;

The World Conser va t ion Congr es s, at i t s se ss ion inJeju , South Kor ea, 6–15 September 2012:

1. CALLS UPON the international community, aid andhumanitarian agencies, all IUCN Members and otherorganizations to recognize and promote the rights ofcommunities to exercise self-determination in theformulation of policies and projects affecting theirenvironment and security;

2. REQUESTS the Director General and all members ofIUCN to prioritize and promote community-based ap-proaches to disaster risk reduction, conflict manage-ment, and integrated conservation and development,so as to strengthen social and ecological resilience;

3. REQUESTS the Director General and the IUCNCommission on Environment, Economics and So-cial Policy (CEESP), to support community gover-nance frameworks on matters regarding disaster riskreduction, integrated conservation and development,and conflict management; and

4. CALLS ON the Director General and the IUCNWorld Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL),to identify and support customary and traditionallegal systems, legal and policy frameworks, relevantinternational Conventions, institutions and proce-dures that can secure the rights of local people in thecontext of community-based natural resources man-agement for social and ecological resilience.



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WCC-2012-Res-094-ENRespecting, recognizing andsupporting Indigenous Peoples’ andCommunity Conserved Territories andAreas

AWARE that a considerable part of the Earth’s biologi-cal and cultural diversity is concentrated in the custom-ary territories and areas of indigenous peoples andtraditional communities, including both mobile andsedentary peoples;

ACKNOWLEDGING the significant role that such In-digenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Territo-ries and Areas (ICCAs) play in the global preservation,sustainable use, and restoration of biodiversity, naturalresources, ecosystem functions and cultural (includinglinguistic and spiritual) values, in the prevention of natu-ral disasters and in local adaptation to global change, in-cluding climate;

UNDERSTANDING the intrinsic value and irreplace-able nature of our global biocultural heritage for futuresurvival and well-being;

STRESSING that ICCAs embrace customary and con-temporary collective efforts for sustainable livelihoods,culturally sound development and the practice of buenvivir among indigenous peoples and traditional and localcommunities around the world;

CONCERNED that the commercialization of life, mili-tarization of economies, inequitable “development”,massive infrastructure and large-scale, unsustainable ex-traction and use of renewable and non-renewable re-sources pose enormous threats to the rights andlivelihoods of indigenous peoples and traditional andlocal communities and to the unique biocultural diversityembedded in their territories and areas;

ALSO CONCERNED that indigenous peoples and tra-ditional and local communities are often disproportion-ately affected by the costs of imposed development andconservation measures, including dispossession fromcustomary territories and areas, exclusion from decision-making processes, and lack of free, prior and informedconsent before activities are undertaken that affect them;

AWARE that lack of respect and inadequate or inappro-priate recognition and support for ICCAs by governments,

conservation organizations and donors, among others, un-dermine their integrity and conservation effectiveness andviolate a range of procedural and substantive rights;

CELEBRATING the 2007 adoption of the United Na-tions Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN-DRIP) by the United Nations General Assembly and theendorsement by IUCN of UNDRIP;

RECALLING that the Durban Action Plan of the Vth

IUCN World Parks Congress (Durban, 2003) called forglobal action to recognize and support ICCAs and thussecure the rights of indigenous peoples, including mo-bile indigenous peoples, in relation to natural resourcesand biodiversity conservation;

REAFFIRMING Resolutions 4.049 Supporting IndigenousConservation Territories and Other Indigenous Peoples’ and Com-munity Conserved Areas, 4.050 Recognition of Indigenous Con-servation Territories, 4.052 Implementing the United NationsDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 4.053Mobile indigenous peoples and biodiversity conservation, 4.056Rights-based approaches to conservation, and Recommendation4.127 Indigenous peoples’ rights in the management of protectedareas fully or partially in the territories of indigenous peoples, alladopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008);

EMPHASIZING that the Convention on Biological Di-versity (CBD) adopted the Programme of Work on ProtectedAreas (PoWPA) in 2004, including its Programme Ele-ment 2 on Governance, participation, equity and benefit-sharingand 13 suggested activities of relevance to ICCAs;

HIGHLIGHTING the adoption of Decision X/31,paragraphs 31–32 on fair and equitable sharing of costsand benefits, full and effective participation of indige-nous peoples and traditional and local communities ingovernance, and recognition of ICCAs as a type of pro-tected area governance at the 10th Meeting of the Con-ference of the Parties (COP10) to the CBD;

STRESSING the essential role that ICCAs can play to-wards fulfilling Aichi Targets 11, 14, and 18 of the Strate-gic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 as either fully recognizedprotected areas or “other effective area-based conserva-tion measures”; and

WELCOMING the important advances made by somegovernments, international organizations, and donors torespect and appropriately recognize and support ICCAs;


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1. CALLS UPON all IUCN Members, Commissionmembers, Secretariat and Council to respect and ap-propriately recognize and support ICCAs by pro-moting, adopting and fully implementing laws,policies and programmes that:

a. recognize and uphold indigenous peoples’ rightsto self-determination, self-governance, full andeffective participation in decisions that affectthem, equitable sharing of costs and benefits,and other essential rights and responsibilities en-shrined in UNDRIP, ILO Convention No. 169Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, andother international human rights instruments;

b. recognize indigenous peoples’ and traditional andlocal communities governance of and rights tothe lands, territories and resources which theyhave traditionally owned, occupied or otherwiseused or acquired;

c. recognize and engage accordingly with custom-ary laws, institutions, protocols and decision-making processes and practices, also by usingindigenous and local languages, as relevant;

d. refer to indigenous peoples as “indigenous peo-ples”, in accordance with UNDRIP and theirright to self-identification;

e. recognize and support ICCAs in situations wherethey overlap with protected area or other desig-nations, including through customary mecha-nisms for conflict prevention, management andresolution;

f. encourage and strengthen the capacities of in-digenous peoples and traditional and local com-munities to monitor, document and assessICCAs and all values therein;

g. uphold the intrinsic natural and cultural valuespresent in ICCAs; and

h. support the CBD Secretariat and Parties in rele-vant regional and sub-regional capacity-buildinginitiatives, in particular those concerning the im-plementation, monitoring, evaluation and revi-sion of Element 2 of the Programme of Work on

Protected Areas and of National BiodiversityStrategies and Action Plans;

2. URGES the IUCN Council, the Director Generaland Commissions to strengthen support to the CBDSecretariat, through appropriate mechanisms and col-laboration, such as with the United Nations Envi-ronment Programme World ConservationMonitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the ICCAConsortium, to enhance the commitment and ca-pacity of the Parties to the CBD to:

a. strengthen international, national and sub-na-tional environmental and other laws and policiesand their implementation in accordance with in-ternational human rights standards, particularlyUNDRIP;

b. respect and appropriately recognize and supportICCAs in the implementation of all aspects ofthe CBD, including but not limited to the Pro-gramme of Work on Protected Areas, Articles 8(j) and10(c), and Aichi Targets 11, 14 and 18, withoutimpinging upon customary governance and man-agement systems;

c. utilize and further develop and support availableresources such as the Global ICCA Registry,hosted by UNEP-WCMC, on conservation byindigenous peoples and traditional and localcommunities; and

d. promote the increase of contributions to the CBDVoluntary Fund to support the participation ofindigenous peoples and traditional and local com-munities in relevant decision-making processes;

3. FURTHER URGES the IUCN Council, DirectorGeneral, Commissions and the Secretariat in partic-ular to call upon global financing mechanisms, in-cluding but not limited to the Global EnvironmentFacility, the UN Indigenous Peoples Partnership, of-ficial development assistance, LifeWeb, and interna-tional financial institutions and lenders, to establishnew or strengthen existing policies, programmes,mechanisms and procedures to ensure appropriaterecognition of and support for ICCAs and associ-ated rights and responsibilities in all aspects of theirfunding processes; and

4. REQUESTS the Director General, given the impend-ing CBD COP11, to take timely and forceful action


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on the previous paragraphs in IUCN’s direct commu-nication liaison initiatives with the CBD Secretariat andParties.


WCC-2012-Res-095-ENTraditional knowledge of indigenouspeoples and local peasantcommunities in the Andes and theAmazon Rainforest as a mechanism foradaptation to climate change

OBSERVING that climate change affects the most vul-nerable populations in the Andes and the Amazon Rain-forest, especially with regard to their productive andsubsistence activities related to farming and the manage-ment of natural resources, especially biodiversity;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the fact that there is aglobal approach to the identification of the differentmechanisms for adapting to climate change in order tolessen the vulnerability and increase the resilience of theaffected populations and ecosystems;

RECOGNIZING that, over the course of history, in-digenous peoples and local communities have developedknowledge and practices, which in many cases have al-lowed them to adapt successfully to climatic variations;

BEARING IN MIND that this knowledge is a culturallegacy, which forms part of the identity of the indige-nous peoples and local communities, who want to buildtheir own means of development;

CONSIDERING that there are relevant, frequent coin-cidences between local perceptions and the available sci-entific knowledge on the effects of climate change, andthat the complementarity of traditional knowledge andscientific knowledge may help indigenous peoples andlocal communities adapt successfully to climate change;

ALSO TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that this knowl-edge, and these innovations and practices, can be taken asreferences by society in general to find better alternativesfor adapting to climate change, highlighting the fact that,at the same time, the approval and participation of the

owners both of this knowledge and of these innovationsand practices are required, as is the promotion of theprinciple that the benefits derived from their use shouldbe shared;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT Article 8(j) of the Con-vention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in which the Con-tracting Parties engage to “respect, preserve and maintainknowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous andlocal communities embodying traditional lifestyles relevantfor the conservation and use of biological diversity”; and

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the fact that, according toArticle 10(c) of the CBD, the Contracting Parties engageto “protect and encourage customary use of biologicalresources in accordance with traditional and cultural prac-tices that are compatible with conservation or sustainableuse requirements”;


1. CALLS ON the institutions and agencies of the na-tional States to promote the research, recovery anduse of traditional knowledge and practices as a strat-egy for adaptation to climate change and to includeit in their public policies; and

2. ASKS the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Man-agement (CEM) to ensure that traditional knowledgeand practices are included in the comprehensive in-ventory of tools to combat climate change compre-hensively, in other words, as part of a strategy thatincludes biodiversity conservation and ecosystemmanagement.


WCC-2012-Res-096-ENRecognizing the indigenous territoriesas conservation areas in the AmazonBasin

CONSIDERING that the Amazon Basin is the largesttropical forest ecosystem in the world, covering an areaof 7.8 million km2, and that it holds the greatest terres-trial biodiversity on the planet, for which it is a region ofstrategic global importance;


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BEARING IN MIND that the Amazon is shared bymore than 390 indigenous peoples who have inhabited itsince time immemorial, including more than 60 peoplesliving in voluntary isolation;

CONSIDERING that the Amazonian indigenous peo-ples have conserved and continue to conserve the ecosys-tems and biodiversity of their ancestral territories as aguarantee of their physical and cultural existence;

OBSERVING that the indigenous Amazonian territoriesact as vital carbon stocks and hold a high concentrationof biodiversity, that they contain biomass of high valuefor regulating the global climate and that they guaranteethe food and medicinal security of the indigenous peo-ples and humanity as a whole;

BEARING IN MIND that the Amazonian indigenousterritories are formed of the tropical forests in which in-digenous peoples live out their daily lives, and that theirsocial and cultural significance is thus as important astheir environmental significance and importance;

FURTHER BEARING IN MIND that the indigenouspeoples in isolation or initial contact live in the most in-tact and best conserved tropical forests of the AmazonBasin;

CONCERNED that the Amazonian indigenous territo-ries are under constant environmental threat from ex-tractive activities, logging concessions and the constantpressure of colonization, all of which are endangeringindigenous territorial rights and ecosystem integrity; and

CONSIDERING that the Amazon’s future depends onmaintaining the ecological processes that enable climatechange pressure and natural resource demands to be re-sisted, processes in which the indigenous territories playan important role in conserving biodiversity and as astrategy to face up to climate change;


1. REQUESTS that the Director General:

a. in collaboration with the IUCN Members work-ing in the Amazon, and in particular the Coordi-nadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la CuencaAmazónica (COICA), strengthens the implemen-tation in the Amazon region of Resolution 4.049

Supporting Indigenous Conservation Territories and otherIndigenous Peoples’ and Community Conservation Areas,adopted by the 4th IUCN World ConservationCongress (Barcelona, 2008), including the stateof progress of national policies and regulationsrelevant to protecting indigenous territories andthe inclusion of this theme in its Members’ pro-gramme and project implementation; and

b. works, in cooperation with IUCN Members, thegovernments of the Amazon Basin, indigenousorganizations and other relevant organizations,as appropriate, on a regional initiative to protectthe Amazonian indigenous territories as priorityspaces for biodiversity and ecosystem conserva-tion and for maintaining and developing indige-nous cultures, based on an integral managementof their territories for their well-being, in thecontext of a strategy of climate change adapta-tion and sustainable development based on ac-tivities that produce lower greenhouse gasemissions;

2. CALLS on IUCN Members active in the Amazon re-gion to support this initiative and join forces in a co-ordinated manner, with the active participation of theindigenous organizations;

3. INVITES the governments of the Amazon Basin, inparticular, to harmonize their efforts to protect theindigenous territories and to work jointly on this ini-tiative with IUCN; and

4. REQUESTS international cooperation agencies tosupport this initiative, which will benefit not only theindigenous peoples but all inhabitants of the regionand planet.


WCC-2012-Res-097-ENImplementation of the United NationsDeclaration on the Rights of IndigenousPeoples

RECALLING IUCN’s adoption at the 4th IUCN WorldConservation Congress of the United Nations Declara-tion on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, through Resolution


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4.052 Implementing the United Nations Declaration on theRights of Indigenous Peoples (Barcelona, 2008);

GRATIFIED that a number of States and NGOs haveendorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights ofIndigenous Peoples after the World Conservation Congressurged wide adoption of the Declaration;

COMMENDING the IUCN Commission on Environ-mental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP) and theIUCN Director General for their productive endeavoursto design the “Whakatane Mechanism,” a multi-stake-holder approach for resolving human rights conflicts inprotected areas, which implements Resolutions 4.052 and4.056 Rights-based approaches to conservation, and Recommen-dation 4.127 Indigenous peoples’ rights in the management of pro-tected areas fully or partially in the territories of indigenous peoples;

NOTING that two inter-Commission structures havebeen established to promote the rights of indigenouspeoples furthering the mission of IUCN, namely theTheme on Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, Eq-uity and Protected Areas (TILCEPA) with the IUCNWorld Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) andCEESP, and the Specialist Group on Indigenous Peoples,Customary & Environmental Laws and Human Rights(SPICEH) with CEESP and the IUCN World Commis-sion on Environmental Law (WCEL);

RECOGNIZING that since the last World ConservationCongress IUCN has presented regular progress reportsto the United Nations Permanent Forum on IndigenousIssues (UNPFII) concerning implementation of the Dec-laration in all its components;

WELCOMING the work being developed through the“Whakatane Mechanism” as a significant contribution tothe Programme’s “rights-based and equitable conserva-tion” undertakings and One Programme approach; and

AWARE also of the ongoing deliberations of theUNPFII, which in May of 2012 again examined the so-called “doctrine of discovery” as a discredited rationalefor denying both the human rights of indigenous peo-ples and their rights as now enshrined in the United Na-tions Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;


1. REQUESTS that the IUCN President, Council, Di-rector General and Commissions develop a policy and

strategy for ensuring that the principles of the UnitedNations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples areobserved throughout the work of the Union; and

2. REQUESTS, as directed in Resolution 4.052 and asfunding permits, that the Council establish a task-force to examine the application of the Declaration toevery aspect of the IUCN Programme (includingCommission mandates), policies and practices and tomake recommendations that guarantee its imple-mentation in the IUCN Programme 2013–2016, espe-cially with respect to the Programme’s focus on“rights-based” nature conservation.


WCC-2012-Res-098-ENThe human right to water andsanitation

AWARE that humans depend on ecosystems and naturalresources for their survival and to meet their basic needssuch as food, housing and health;

ALSO AWARE that water is fundamental for life andthat it should be made accessible and affordable in suffi-cient quantity and quality for safe drinking, bathing,cleaning, cooking and sanitation;

RECALLING that human rights are internationally rec-ognized and generally enforceable standards which areuniversal and inalienable, interdependent and indivisible,equal and non-discriminatory;

ALSO RECALLING that the right to water and sanita-tion can be seen as a component of other existing fun-damental human rights (right to life, health, food,self-determination, adequate standard of living, housing,education);

ACKNOWLEDGING the numerous provisions in in-ternational law which recognize the need to ensure phys-ical accessibility, safe quality and quantity of water inorder to secure other human rights, such as the UnitedNations General Assembly Resolution 64/292 on thehuman right to water and sanitation, and General Com-ment 15 of the United Nation’s Economic, Social andCultural Rights Committee;


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AWARE that the international community set out the ob-jective of halving by 2015 “the proportion of peoplewho are unable to reach, or to afford, safe drinkingwater” in paragraph 19 of the Declaration establishingthe United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals and ofhalving by 2015 the proportion of people who do nothave access to basic sanitation (World Summit on Sus-tainable Development, Johannesburg, 2002);

ALSO AWARE of international conventions which ex-plicitly recognize the need to ensure the human right towater and non-discrimination against the most vulnerableand marginalized groups of society, in particular women,especially in rural areas, as reflected in the Conventionon the Elimination of All Forms of Discriminationagainst Women (CEDAW, 1979) and children as includedin the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989);

CONSCIOUS of the explicit recognition of the humanright to water regionally, such as in the European Coun-cil of Environmental Law (ECEL) Resolution on theright to water (2000), and nationally, such as in the Con-stitutions of Bolivia, Ecuador and Uruguay, in particularin relation to indigenous communities;

CONSIDERING that human rights cannot be fully se-cured in a degraded or polluted environment and that theright to water which focuses on an environmental re-source, not only supports the establishment of alreadyaccepted human rights but also environmental principles;

CONVINCED therefore that the recognition of theright to water should have a positive impact on the re-spect of international environmental provisions that re-late to the protection and management of water(mismanagement and/or depletion of surface andgroundwater resources);

OBSERVING that agriculture and industrial produc-tion require huge quantities of water and that such ac-tivities are not components of the human right to water(which covers basic human needs), appropriate ecosys-tem management has an important role in the provisionof water for safe drinking, bathing, cleaning, cookingand sanitation;

EMPHASIZING that water management should takeinto account the fulfilment of basic human needs tomeaningfully strengthen and uphold any right to waterand sanitation;

ALSO EMPHASIZING that at local level, ‘nature-based’solutions to water management are often easiest, cheaper,most cost effective, and replicable for implementation bylocal communities;

EMPHASIZING FURTHER that water governance ca-pacity should be understood as the competence of a so-ciety to ensure the development of sustainable waterresources and the implementation of effective watermanagement by means of transparent, coherent, and costeffective policy law and institutions (e.g. for progress onsafe water supply and sanitation services, for integratedwater resource management, etc.);

CONVINCED that due to the interdependence of nat-ural resources and in order to promote biological diver-sity and resilience to climate change, maintaining safewater supplies relies on the health of land and ecosys-tems and thus requires the integrated management ofwater, land and coastal areas;

ALSO CONVINCED of the vital role of ecosystemservices in securing access to and maintaining the qualityand quantity of water (e.g. wetlands can store and filterwater and forests help to regulate water flow);

RECOGNIZING the IUCN Policy on Conservation andHuman Rights for Sustainable Development and the substantialwork done by IUCN:

a. on building capacity for water management and goodgovernance of natural resources;

b. on demonstrating implementation of sustainablewater management, including support for improvedarrangements for water governance; and

c. in particular, on work towards the adoption of arights-based approach (RBA) as an underlyingstrategy for conservation action throughout theUnion, e.g. need for equity as there continues tobe major disparities in terms of access to wateramongst regions;

CONCERNED that water is becoming a scarce resourceand that in light of global challenges, such as climatechange, growing population, increased consumption, re-current contamination and pollution of water sources,mismanagement and the development of industrial in-frastructure, the distribution of water is increasingly un-equal, which in turn also exacerbates poverty;


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NOTING that according to current data, 884 millionpeople do not have access to the UN recommendedamount of freshwater per person per day (20–50 litres)that is necessary for meeting basic needs (drinking, cook-ing, cleaning, etc.);

FURTHER NOTING that according to theWHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) forWater Supply and Sanitation, despite improvements inaccess to safe drinking water, (decrease from 1.2 billion to884 million people without access) the number of peoplewho still lack access to basic sanitation has increased (2.4to 2.6 billion, one billion of these being children); and

COMMITTED to IUCN’s vision of “a just world thatvalues and conserves nature” and mission to ensure that“any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologi-cally sustainable”;


1. CALLS ON IUCN’s governmental and non-govern-mental Members as well as non-member States andnon-State actors to:

a. recognize the value of working towards the real-ization of the right to water and sanitation forsustainable development and in view of securingwater resources for future generations, ensuringaccess to safe and affordable drinking water andbasic sanitation for all citizens;

b. respect, protect, promote and fulfil the humanright to water by, inter alia: establishing effectivepolicies and strategies; promoting the realizationof the procedural human right to water (right toinformation, just administrative action, publicparticipation, access to courts of justice to obtainredress against violations, injuries or damages car-ried out by private multinational companies);

c. ensure governments support access to water ofsufficient quality and quantity;

d. provide financial resources, for research, capacitybuilding and technology transfer to assist coun-tries to provide safe, clean, accessible and af-fordable drinking water and sanitation for all;

e. multiply efforts to implement existing commit-ments as set out in relevant international, regionaland national instruments;

f. recognize the importance of ecosystem servicesto the viability of programmes for the access towater for basic needs and sanitation by nationaland local governments;

g. promote understanding of responsibilities andsynergies between the human right to water andthe conservation of water for the needs of na-ture; and

h. strengthen the capacity of society to managewater resources through appropriate legal and in-stitutional frameworks as well as effective poli-cies (water governance capacity); and

2. REQUESTS the Director General in collaborationwith IUCN Commissions, Members and other rele-vant partners in line with the One Programme ap-proach, to:

a. develop knowledge products which promote thefulfilment and the practical implementation ofthe right to water to be considered at the nextIUCN World Conservation Congress;

b. work towards delivering action on the ground,giving special attention to the integrated man-agement of water resources, land and coastalecosystems; and

c. strengthen governance arrangements by:

i. engaging the private sector to recognize theright to water and sanitation, and to assist inits achievement;

ii. implementing the provisions set forth in thisrecommendation in light of the IUCN Policyon Conservation and Human Rights for Sustain-able Development ;

iii. enhancing coordination, consensus and ca-pacity building on activities or programmeswhich relate to rights;

iv. promoting and reinforcing water gover-nance capacity at all levels (local, such as thecommunity-based level, to national) as ameans of empowering and enabling peopleto implement the human right to water andsanitation services;


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v. providing effective access to justice andcourts; and

vi. promoting adequate information and dem-ocratic participation within the process ofgoverning and managing water resourcesand services.


WCC-2012-Res-099-ENIUCN Policy on Conservation andHuman Rights for SustainableDevelopment

RECALLING that the IUCN Council and the DirectorGeneral, in collaboration with the IUCN Commission onEnvironmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP),the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law(WCEL) and other Commissions, IUCN Members, rep-resentatives of indigenous peoples and local communi-ties, and other relevant partners, were called upon inResolution 4.056 to “[...] develop a comprehensive IUCNPolicy on Conservation and Human Rights, includingguidance on rights-based approaches to conservation, tobe tabled for adoption at the 5th IUCN World Conserva-tion Congress; [...]”;

AWARE of IUCN Resolutions relating to rights and eq-uity, including Resolution 3.015 Conserving nature and reduc-ing poverty by linking human rights and the environment adoptedby the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok,2004), and Resolutions 4.052 Implementing the United Na-tions Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and4.056 Rights-based approaches to conservation, adopted by the 4th


ALSO AWARE of IUCN Resolutions relating to rightsand protected areas, such as Resolution 1.053 IndigenousPeoples and Protected Areas adopted by the 1st IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Montreal, 1996), Resolution3.055 Indigenous peoples, protected areas and the CBD Pro-gramme of Work adopted by the 3rd IUCN World Conser-vation Congress (Bangkok, 2004), and Resolution 4.048Indigenous peoples, protected areas and implementation of the Dur-ban Accord adopted by the 4th IUCN World ConservationCongress (Barcelona, 2008);

ALSO AWARE of the Universal Declaration of HumanRights (1948) and the numerous provisions in interna-tional, regional conventions or national laws which rec-ognize the inter-linkages between human rights andenvironmental protection, including but not limited tothe Stockholm Declaration (1972), the World Charter for Na-ture (1982), the ILO Convention No. 169 concerning In-digenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries(1989), the Rio Declaration (1992), the Aarhus Convention(1998) or the United Nations Declaration on the Rights ofIndigenous Peoples (2007);

WELCOMING the substantial work done on rights-based approaches to date by WCEL, CEESP, the IUCNEnvironmental Law Centre (ELC) and the IUCN SeniorSocial Policy Advisor in collaboration with IUCN Re-gional Offices and IUCN Members;

WELCOMING in particular the establishment of a jointWCEL-CEESP Specialist Group on Indigenous Peoples,Customary and Environmental Laws, and HumanRights which was created in spirit of the One Pro-gramme approach;

NOTING the ‘rights-based approach to conservation in-ternet portal’ which provides an important tool and plat-form for collecting and sharing information andexperiences about worldwide initiatives which promotethe integration of human rights considerations withinconservation practices;

RECOGNIZING IUCN’s commitment to the Conser-vation Initiative on Human Rights (CIHR), a consortiumof international conservation organizations that seek toimprove the practice of conservation by promoting in-tegration of human rights in conservation policy andpractice; and

CONCERNED that for the fulfilment of its mission,IUCN has a responsibility to promote transparency anddevelop tools to address and be accountable for the so-cial effects of its activities and to mainstream rights-basedapproaches to conservation as a cross-cutting principlewithin its work;


1. ADOPTS the IUCN Policy on Conservation and HumanRights for Sustainable Development contained in theAnnex to this Resolution;


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2. CALLS ON IUCN’s governmental and non-govern-mental Members as well as non-member States andnon-State actors, to:

a. recognize the value of rights-based approachesto conservation for sustainable development, inparticular to:

i. promote the understanding that adopting arights-based approach implies acknowledg-ing not only the rights of all parties (includ-ing indigenous and local communities)under both positive and customary law, butalso their duties; and

ii. acknowledge the importance of taking suchrights-based approaches into account as abasic underlying strategy for any conserva-tion action;

b. develop their own policies on conservation andhuman rights for sustainable development whichare adjusted to their particular needs and situa-tions and in line with the IUCN policy containedin the Annex to this Resolution, thus includingstrong accountability tools and mechanisms;

c. develop mechanisms/tools for implementinghuman rights policies in conservation planningand practice; and

d. disseminate any lessons learnt through interac-tive tools, such as the IUCN ‘rights-based ap-proach to conservation internet portal’, and byencouraging dialogues and the exchange of in-formation; and

3. REQUESTS the Director General in collaborationwith IUCN Commissions, Members and other rele-vant partners, to:

a. ensure that the IUCN Policy on Human Rights andConservation for Sustainable Development as includedin the Annex to this Resolution is implementedwithin all policies, programmes and activities ofthe Union;

b. develop arrangements and processes that ensureaccountability concerning the implementation ofthe policy;

c. support and actively engage in the ConservationInitiative on Human Rights;

d. assist IUCN Members and partners as appropri-ate in the development and implementation oftheir own rights policies; and

e. enhance coordination, consensus and capacitybuilding on activities or programmes which re-late to rights.


ANNEX: IUCN Policy on Conservation and HumanRights for Sustainable Development

In line with, and as a reflection of, IUCN’s vision of a justworld that values and conserves nature, this statement isan overarching policy for IUCN to consider and integratehuman rights issues into its work, including but not limitedto, the development and implementation of rights-basedapproaches (RBAs) within its projects and programmes.By referring to the need for the equitable utilization ofnatural resources, IUCN’s mission explicitly recognizes theimportance and value of fairness, impartiality and respectfor rights in the practice of conservation.

Introduction

This policy statement aims to reinforce the Union’s socialpolicies by offering a comprehensive framework laying outthe rights-related foundations of social equity and justice.It calls for IUCN to work towards ensuring that rights arerespected for the sustainable and equitable use, manage-ment, governance, and conservation of natural resources.

This statement builds on the IUCN Mission and rights-re-lated resolutions and policies adopted by IUCN WorldConservation Congresses such as the IUCN policy ongender1 and policy on social equity2 which respectively rec-ognize that there is a need for a “mainstreaming strategy


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1 IUCN Policy on Gender (Presented at the 48th meeting of the IUCN Council 27–29 April 1998).2 IUCN Policy on Social Equity in Conservation and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources (2nd World Conservation Congress, 2000)

to integrate a gender perspective in a broad socio-culturalcontext, into IUCN’s Policies, Programmes and Projects”and for “an effective and coherent strategy to ensure con-servation does not accentuate or perpetuate existing so-cial, economic and cultural inequities and inequalities”.

IUCN began incorporating rights issues into its pro-gramme as early as 19753. More recently, Resolution3.015 Conserving nature and reducing poverty by linking humanrights and the environment adopted during the 3rd World Con-servation Congress in 2004 welcomed the identificationof human rights issues as cross-cutting themes across theEnvironmental Law Programme. In 2008 during the 4th

World Conservation Congress the IUCN Council andDirector General were called upon by Resolution 4.056Rights-based approaches to conservation to “promote the analy-sis of rights-based approaches as a cross-cutting princi-ple within IUCN and its membership”4, and to“undertake further work to support and guide IUCN onthe implementation of policies and actions reflecting arights-based approach to conservation”5. The Resolutioncalls on the IUCN Council and Director General, in col-laboration with CEESP, WCEL and others to “develop acomprehensive Policy on Conservation and HumanRights, including guidance on rights-based approaches toconservation, to be tabled for adoption at the 5th IUCNWorld Conservation Congress”6.

In addition, IUCN is also a founding member of theConservation Initiative on Human Rights (CIHR), a con-sortium of international conservation organisations es-tablished in 2009 to seek to improve the practice ofconservation by promoting the integration of humanrights in conservation policy and practice. IUCN hassigned the CIHR framework, a common, initial frame-work of principles and management practices.

Linkages between rights and conservation

Conservation activities have the potential to clash withor infringe upon human rights. Failure to respect, ensureand fulfil internationally and domestically guaranteed orcustomary rights can be a trigger for environmental

destruction and degradation as people can be forced toengage in unsustainable practices for their survival. Like-wise, conservation can achieve short-term successthrough measures that fail to respect human rights suchas forced resettlements.

Rights-based approaches (RBAs) can be seen as one ofthe tools to make rights and conservation mutually rein-forcing. RBAs can be considered as the integration ofrights considerations within any policy, project, pro-gramme or initiative.

Scope of the policy

This policy builds upon past and ongoing IUCN effortsrelated to RBA, by reflecting the highest internationalstandards of human rights protection and describing themechanisms (safeguards and action points) by whichIUCN will uphold those standards, because respect fornature and respect for people are inextricably linked.

It addresses human rights, which are the rights that allpeople are entitled to regardless of nationality, sex, origin,race, religion, language, political association or other, andwhich are protected and recognized in international andnational laws, and rights in a broader sense, which maynot be internationally or nationally recognized and pro-tected, such as many of the customary rights of indige-nous peoples or local communities (e.g. tenure rights).

This policy calls for a strengthening of procedureswithin IUCN to promote and monitor compliance withthe mechanisms developed in this policy, and for the ad-equate allocation of resources for the implementationof such mechanisms throughout IUCN ComponentProgrammes.

Furthermore, IUCN is committed to work with all stake-holders on the integration of rights and conservation is-sues. IUCN is particularly committed to engage with itsmembership. Considering the diversity of its members –from small NGOs to national governments – IUCN ac-knowledges that one size cannot fit all.


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3 A Resolution adopted during the 12th IUCN General Assembly in Kinshasa in 1975 relates to indigenous people’s rights to landin the context of land displacements for conservation purposes. Furthermore, Resolution 1.53 focuses on “Indigenous Peoplesand Protected Areas” (1st World Conservation Congress, Montreal, 1996).

4 Resolution 4.056 Point 3. (a).5 Resolution 4.056 Point 3. (d).6 Resolution 4.056 Point 3. (b).


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Mainstreaming Respect for Rights across the Union

Rights are cross-cutting issues and are essential to theconcepts of equity and sustainability. As such, the re-spect, protection and fulfilment of rights within the con-text of nature conservation will contribute to realizingIUCN’s mission, the fulfilment of IUCN’s position onAccountability and Values1 which underlines, inter alia, theneed for ethical behaviour, transparency, equality, and in-clusiveness and will strongly support the realization ofIUCN´s current and future programmes.

Guiding principles

While mainstreaming respect for rights within its activi-ties, IUCN should be guided by the following principleswhich seek to:

Respect, protect, promote and fulfil all proceduraland substantive rights, including environmental andcustomary rights, for just and equitable conservation;

Promote the implementation of the provisions of in-ternational conventions and policy processes whichrespect human rights in all approaches to conserva-tion, whether multilateral environmental agreementssuch as the Convention on Biological Diversity orhuman rights instruments such as the United NationsDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)– e.g. the right of indigenous peoples to engage intheir traditional cultural practices but also, amongstothers, rights to the ownership and use of territoryand natural resources, self governance and self de-termination as embedded in UNDRIP. Whilst theUNDRIP is an instrument of ‘soft’ international law,it represents nonetheless a strong moral position onthe part of its signatory states and should inspiremajor conservation actors such as IUCN;

Take into account the multiple recommendations ofthe Vth World Parks Congress and the 2003 WCPADurban Action Plan which refer to rights and whichIUCN has endorsed concerning protected areas, in-cluding the acknowledgement of rights to the resti-tution of lands taken without free, prior andinformed consent and the right to full and effective

participation in protected area governance and man-agement, in particular the targets under the DurbanAction Plan’s outcome 5;

Consider and realize the rights of people that can beaffected in development and conservation activitiessuch as women, indigenous peoples and other mostvulnerable groups and who could, at the same time,benefit from rights-inclusive and socially sensitive de-velopment measures (such approaches may providetools to secure/address issues related to cultural con-servation and diversity, community-based conserva-tion in the context of (new) protected areas, theprotection of the customary rights of local commu-nities vis-à-vis the state, and the restitution of for-feited rights);

Work towards ensuring the respect for, and seekingfurther protection and the realization of, generallivelihood and human well-being considerations al-ways keeping in mind gender balance as an essentialcomponent;

Focus on the roles and corresponding responsibilitiesof duty-bearers, rights-holders and all other actors in-volved, for the integration of these considerations atevery possible level of a conservation process. Indeed,adopting approaches that respect rights should bebased on the principle that communities are notmerely stakeholders whose views governmental andconservation agencies may take into account, but arerights-holders to whom implementing agencies havestatutory obligations2;

Promote transparency and develop tools to addressand be accountable for the social effects of IUCN´swork. Accountability is critical for the governance ofany natural resource management system, providingthe regulatory feedback that prevents over-use ofnatural resources and abuse of people;

Ensure that IUCN programmes, projects, and activitiesundertaken, sponsored or supported by the IUCN, areassessed using international human rights standards.Such measures should include social, environmental,

7 http://www.iucn.org/about/values/8 Jonas, H., Shrumm H., Bavikatte K., Biocultural Community Protocols and Conservation Pluralism, Policy Matters n°17, Exploring the

right to diversity in conservation law, policy, and practice, October 2010.

and human rights impact assessments prior to anyproject implementation;

In line with UNDRIP standards, require free, priorand informed consent when IUCN projects, activi-ties, and/or initiatives take place on indigenous peo-ples’ lands and territories and/or impact natural andcultural resources, sites, assets etc.;

Apply the principles developed by the IUCN Envi-ronmental Law Centre in the Annex to IUCN Reso-lution 4.056 Rights-based approaches to conservation(adopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Con-gress, Barcelona, 2008), as the basis for the furtherdevelopment of tools/methods to promote fair andequitable conservation action.

Action plan

To implement the above principles, the following actionplan should direct the work of the Union in main-streaming respect for rights within IUCN projects andprogrammes. The implementation of the action planshould be facilitated by the IUCN Secretariat (in partic-ular the Environmental Law Centre (ELC), the GlobalPolicy Unit (GPU), the Social Policy Unit (SPU), theGender Programme, and others) in close collaborationwith IUCN Commissions (in particular the World Com-mission on Environmental Law (WCEL), the Commis-sion on Environmental and Economic and Social Policy(CEESP) and the Commission on Education and Com-munication (CEC)) and Members.

In this context, IUCN should take the following actions:

1. Mainstream respect for rights within the Unionby:

a. developing and updating guidance on rights-re-lated issues, such as that provided by the step-wise approach for the integration of RBA withinIUCN projects3;

b. developing specific recommendations to theIUCN Component Programmes based on the

principles set out in this policy and on the les-sons learnt on the implementation and monitor-ing of RBAs; and

c. mainstreaming the principles set out in this pol-icy by following the guidance and recommenda-tions which will be developed under points a. andb. above.

2. Set up institutional arrangements for accounta-bility on compliance with this policy by:

a. establishing a focal point in charge of taking ap-propriate measures to ensure the respect and im-plementation of this policy, including but notlimited to:

i. the development of rights-related safe-guards for IUCN project design and man-agement, including a focus on gender equityand equality;

ii. the production of periodic reports on com-pliance with IUCN’s rights-related safe-guards (including reports to IUCN Councilas well as to the general public); and

iii. an internal process which would address al-legations of IUCN non-compliance withthis policy by investigating such situationsand recommending measures for redress;and

b. establishing a group composed of focal pointsto be identified in all IUCN Component Pro-grammes which will be in charge of supportingthe focal point in the implementation of his/hermandate, in particular through:

i. the provision of technical expertise in thedevelopment of rights-related safeguards;

ii. the development of reports on the activitiesof each office in relation to the implemen-tation of this policy; and


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9 The step-wise approach is a methodology which includes the following steps: 1. Undertake a situation analysis, 2. Provide infor-mation, 3. Ensure participation, 4. Take reasoned decisions, 5. Monitor and evaluate the application of an RBA, 6. Enforce rights.

iii. investigations of cases of alleged non-compliance.

3. Build capacity within IUCN by:

a. developing training materials, tools and mecha-nisms for IUCN Component Programmes to im-plement this policy; and

b. using the RBA portal as a platform for sharinglessons learnt and as a tool for better dissemina-tion of information on rights and conservationrelated issues.

4. Support IUCN members by:

a. actively engaging with the Conservation Initia-tive on Human Rights (CIHR); and

b. supporting the integration of rights in their con-servation programmes.

WCC-2012-Res-100-ENIncorporation of the Rights of Nature asthe organizational focal point in IUCN’sdecision making

NOTING that countries are increasingly incorporatingthe Rights of Nature or of Mother Earth into their reg-ulatory frameworks as a new paradigm for societies thatrecognize the right of nature and its constituent elementsto exist and continually regenerate themselves;

RECOGNIZING that Ecuador is the first country in theworld to incorporate the Rights of Nature into its Con-stitution as part of the legal, political and economic in-strument of the State, which establishes in Article 71“Nature or Pacha Mama [Mother Earth], where life is re-produced and exists, has the right for that existence to berespected entirely and for its life cycles, structure, func-tions and evolutionary processes to be maintained andregenerated”;

RECALLING that the Peoples’ World Conference onClimate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth held inCochabamba, Bolivia, in April 2010, resulted in a Univer-sal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth, announced andsupported by indigenous peoples and social movements,who, as representatives of an active civil society call ontheir governments and the United Nations to include this

topic in key debates such as those on climate change andbiodiversity;

NOTING that global economies, especially those of de-veloped countries, maintain production and consump-tion patterns that do not consider the limits of ourplanet, and that this has led not only to the incalculableloss of cultural diversity and any associated knowledge,but also to biodiversity loss, deterioration of ecosystems,environmental pollution, a decline in the quality andquantity of available water and a worsening of the prob-lems related to global warming;

ALSO NOTING that, in addition to seriously impactingthe environment, the current production and consump-tion model has shown itself to be inadequate when itcomes to combating poverty and improving the qualityof life of most of the world’s population;

CONSIDERING that in order to maintain the currentproduction and consumption levels, many countries haveincreased their ecological footprint through the use ofresources and lands beyond their borders, whilst othercountries, especially those whose economies are based onthe extraction of natural resources or the production ofgoods to meet foreign demand – often sumptuary – aresacrificing their natural heritage in order to do so, andthat this has highlighted the differences and gaps betweenrich and poor countries;

NOTING that the quality of life of current and futuregenerations depends not only on the health of nature, itsconstituent elements, functions and ecosystem services,but also on their capacity to regenerate;

ALARMED at the central importance given to economicgrowth in countries’ policies and decision-makingprocesses to economic growth, with little respect for thecycles and characteristics of nature, and, from an ethicalpoint of view, without any promotion of humanity’sshared responsibility in relation to the natural heritage;and

CONCERNED because the welfare of human beings isbasically measured in terms of the level of a country’sincome or economic growth, without considering indi-cators that reveal how sustainable their economy actuallyis;



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1. RECOMMENDS to the Director General to initiatea process that considers the Rights of Nature as afundamental and absolute key element for planning,action and assessment at all levels and in all areas ofintervention including in all decisions taken with re-gard to IUCN’s plans, programmes and projects aswell as in IUCN policy on rights;

2. URGES the Director General to initiate a dialoguefor designing and implementing a strategy for dis-semination, communication and advocacy concern-ing the Rights of Nature;

3. URGES IUCN Members to contribute to this effortby bringing forward their national experiences con-cerning the Rights of Nature as part of the processof developing a Universal Declaration of the Rightsof Nature that contributes to a new philosophy ofhuman well-being; and

4. INVITES the Director General and IUCN Membersto promote the development of a Universal Decla-ration of the Rights of Nature, as a first step towardsreconciliation between human beings and the Earthas the basis of our lives, as well as the foundationsof a new civilizing pact.


WCC-2012-Res-101-ENChild’s right to connect with nature andto a healthy environment

OBSERVING that there is a significant decline in thequality and quantity of children’s direct experience withthe natural world as a result of global developments suchas urbanization (already 50% of the world populationlives in cities and this will be 70% in 2050 according topredictions of the United Nations), biodiversity loss,deforestation, industrialization and environmentaldegradation;

RECOGNIZING that there is a widely shared concernabout the increasing disconnection of people and espe-cially children from nature, and the adverse consequencesfor both healthy child development (‘nature deficit dis-order’) as well as responsible stewardship for nature andthe environment in the future;

BUILDING ON Resolution 4.105 Communication, educa-tion and public awareness (CEPA) in conservation adopted bythe 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona,2008), which acknowledges the vital importance of con-necting children and nature, and states that “connectingchildren to nature as part of their everyday lives in mean-ingful ways tends to be a precursor to their growing up asadults with passion and commitment to work actively insupport of conservation of the environment and naturalresources” and in addition requests the IUCN DirectorGeneral to assist the IUCN membership in reconnectingpeople, especially children, and nature as a priority inorder to assure responsible stewardship of the environ-ment for the generations to come;

DEEPLY CONCERNED about the significant conse-quences of increasing environmental problems such asclimate change, species extinction and degradation ofecosystems, for the lives and development of children,the most vulnerable group of society in this respect, andfor their future;

CONVINCED that children, since they are an inalien-able part of nature, not only have the right to a healthyenvironment, but also to a connection with nature andto the gifts of nature for their physical and psychologicalhealth and ability to learn and create, and that until theyhave these rights they will not bear responsibility for na-ture and the environment;

ALSO CONVINCED that growing up in a healthy en-vironment and connecting children with nature is of sucha fundamental importance for both children and the (fu-ture of) the conservation of nature and the protection ofthe environment, that it should be recognized and codi-fied internationally as a human right for children;

WELCOMING the identification of human rights issuesas a cross-cutting issue within IUCN and the IUCNRights Based Approach mandate based on Resolution4.056 Rights-based approaches to conservation adopted by the4th IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona,2008);

FURTHER WELCOMING the significant and substan-tial work done by the IUCN Environmental Law Centre(ELC) in collaboration with the IUCN Commission onEnvironmental Law (CEL), aiming to further develop theconcept of a rights-based approach to conservation,among others in the publication Conservation with Justice: arights-based approach;


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NOTING that the concept of a child’s right to connectwith nature and a healthy environment fits with theRights Based Approach to conservation, since it con-tributes positively to the valuation and conservation ofnature and to the realization of existing children’s rights– such as the right to life and development, health, an ad-equate standard of living and the right to engage in play;

RECALLING that links between human rights and theenvironment have been recognized in Article 1 of theAarhus Convention (1998), and in several United Nationspolicy instruments, among others the Stockholm Declaration(1972), the World Charter for Nature (1982), the Rio Decla-ration (1992) and Agenda 21, the Millennium DevelopmentGoals, in particular Goal 7 on ensuring environmentalsustainability, as well as in The Earth Charter: a ‘peoples’document which provides an ethical framework for sus-tainable development;

ALSO RECALLING the explicit recognition of ahuman right to water and sanitation as part of other ex-isting human rights in the United Nations General As-sembly Resolution 64/292 of 28 July 2010 and inGeneral Comment No 15 (2002) of the United NationsCommittee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;

AWARE of the recent appointment of an independentexpert on human rights and the environment by theUnited Nations Human Rights Council in its resolutionHRC/19/L.8/Rev.1 of 20 March 2012;

EMPHASIZING that the relatively new concept of theright to connect with nature is known and recognized forindigenous peoples in article 25 of the UN Declaration onthe Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007): “Indigenous peopleshave the right to maintain and strengthen their distinc-tive spiritual relationship with their traditionally ownedor otherwise occupied and used lands, territories, waterand coastal seas and other resources and to uphold theirresponsibilities to future generation in this regard”, andthat their right to a healthy environment is recognized inArticle 29;

FURTHER EMPHASIZING that the Convention onthe Rights of the Child contains specific anchors onwhich the child’s right to connect with nature and ahealthy environment could be based: Article 29 (1e) onthe development of respect for the natural environmentas an aim of the child’s education and Article 24 (2c ande) on the child’s right to health which refers to cleandrinking water, the dangers and risks of environmentalpollution and environmental sanitation;

CONSCIOUS of the potential of children as agents ofchange to which Principle 21 of the Rio Declaration refers:“The creativity, ideals and courage of the youth should bemobilized to forge a global partnership in order toachieve sustainable development and ensure a better fu-ture for all” in conjunction with IUCN Resolution 4.098Intergenerational partnerships: fostering ethical leadership for a just,sustainable and peaceful world adopted at the 4th IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008);

CONSIDERING the explicit recognition of a humanright to a healthy environment regionally, such as in theAfrican Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and the Amer-ican Convention on Human Rights, and nationally inmultiple national constitutions; and

CONCLUDING HOWEVER, that a human right forchildren to connect with nature and to a healthy envi-ronment has not yet been internationally recognized norcodified in any legally binding United Nations (humanrights) treaty, like the Convention on the Rights of theChild;


1. ENDORSES the child’s right to nature and a healthyenvironment, which includes inter alia:

a. the child’s inherent right to connect with naturein a meaningful way, as a substantial part of hisor her everyday life and healthy development,and to enjoy, maintain and strengthen this con-nection through the direct and ongoing experi-ence of nature;

b. the child’s right to live in an environment that isnot harmful to his or her health or well-being,and to the assurance of the conservation of na-ture and the protection of the environment, forthe benefit of present and future generations;and

c. the child’s right to be equipped for the responsi-bility to help address the environmental chal-lenges he or she will unfortunately be confrontedwith, and to help realize a sustainable world thatvalues nature and where people live in harmonywith nature;


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2. CALLS ON IUCN’s governmental and non-govern-mental Members, its Permanent Observer Mission tothe United Nations and the Director General to:

a. promote and actively contribute to the interna-tional acknowledgement and codification of thechild’s right to nature and a healthy environmentwithin the United Nations human rights frame-work, preferably in an additional protocol to theConvention on the Rights of the Child; and

b. help introduce the draft text “The child’s right tonature and a healthy environment” on the agendaof the United Nations Human Rights Council;and

3. REQUESTS the Director General in collaborationwith the Secretariat and the IUCN World Commis-sion on Environmental Law (WCEL), within thescope of their mandates, to:

a. contribute to the further development andknowledge of the legal concept: the child’s rightto nature and a healthy development as part ofthe rights-based approach to conservation; and

b. advise on the draft text “The child’s right to na-ture and a healthy environment” and provideguidance on the aims to be achieved and actionsto be undertaken in order to have this right rec-ognized and codified within the framework ofthe Convention on the Rights of the Child.


WCC-2012-Res-102-ENHuman rights and access to naturalresources in Latin America

HIGHLIGHTING the fact that although Latin Americais a region extremely rich in natural resources, the avail-ability of and access to natural resources for human useare not always equitable;

RECOGNIZING that, despite substantial progress,water resources are at risk of pollution through the mis-management of wastewater, and, according to the Stateof the Region Report for Central America (2011), thelack of regulation of productive activities;

HIGHLIGHTING the fact that access to water and landare basic requirements for food safety, especially for themost deprived communities;

CONSIDERING the growing number of social and en-vironmental conflicts resulting from disputes over accessto water and land, through the development of activitiessuch as open-pit metal mining, oil and gas production,and due to large-scale hydroelectric and tourism projects;

CONCERNED about the data generated by the Obser-vatory of Mining Conflicts in Latin America, which up to2011 recorded a total of 35 mining conflicts in Meso-america, involving 42 communities;

CONCERNED by the large number of hydroelectricprojects planned or in construction within binationalbasins, protected or indigenous areas, and in areas rich inbiodiversity and agricultural production;

HIGHLIGHTING the fact that mining, oil and gas, andhydroelectric projects have made or will make consider-able impacts on key ecosystems and have led to substan-tial movements of thousands of peasants and indigenouspeoples in the Latin American region;

RECOGNIZING the importance of electricity genera-tion, oil and gas production and metal production proj-ects throughout the world, but also the high biodiversityin the Latin American region and its vulnerability to theimpacts of climate change and the high risks of naturaldisasters;

RECALLING Resolution 4.056 Rights-based approaches toconservation adopted by the 4th IUCN World ConservationCongress (Barcelona, 2008);

REITERATING THE SUPPORT for the Rio Declarationand Agenda 21 approved by the United Nations Confer-ence on Environment and Development (UNCED), of1992; and for the United Nations Declaration on the Rightsof Indigenous Peoples adopted by the General Assembly on13 September 2007; and the recognition of the rights ofindigenous peoples with regard to the sustainable devel-opment objectives in the United Nations DevelopmentGroup Guidelines on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues of 2008; and

HIGHLIGHTING Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration,which states that, “Environmental issues are best han-dled with the participation of all concerned citizens, atthe relevant level. At the national level, each individual


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shall have appropriate access to information concerningthe environment that is held by public authorities, in-cluding information on hazardous materials and activi-ties in their communities, and the opportunity toparticipate in decision-making processes. States shall fa-cilitate and encourage awareness and participation bymaking information widely available. Effective access tojudicial and administrative proceedings, including redressand remedy, shall be provided”;


1. CALLS ON government and non-governmentMembers, and on the IUCN Commissions and theDirector General to:

a. promote among the IUCN Commissions and in-ternational cooperation, assessments of the im-pact of mining, oil and gas, and hydroelectricprojects on human populations, livelihoods andecosystems, especially in tropical zones that arehighly vulnerable to the impacts of climatechange and social and environmental disasters;and

b. produce tools and support activities for moni-toring the soil and water at a community level,with a view to attaining the above-mentionedobjectives;

2. URGES Latin American governments to guaranteethe human rights of both the indigenous peoples andsettlements with regard to access to water and land,carrying out the necessary evaluations over a widearea in connection to possible mining, oil and gas orhydroelectric projects in order to provide informa-tion for decision making, giving priority to the use ofnatural resources for human well-being and foodsafety; and


a. identify possible donors interested in supportingthe development of skills in Latin Americancountries through workshops and the productionof educational material covering subjects such as:

i. national and international regulations re-garding human rights and their link to theenvironment, including Principle 10 of theRio Declaration;

ii. the possible impacts of mining, oil and gas,and hydroelectric projects and best mitiga-tion practices, thereby supporting the con-sultation and assessment/approval processesfor these projects; and

iii. the key, comprehensible contents that the En-vironmental Impact Assessments of miningand hydroelectric projects should contain; and

b. promote the exchange of information and expe-riences among the communities affected or po-tentially affected by mining, oil and gas, orhydroelectric projects through media such as net-works, blogs and regional meetings.


WCC-2012-Res-103-ENSupporting, promoting andstrengthening local agri-food systems

OBSERVING that, we are in a globalized environmentwhich is characterized by profound and rapid change, andwhich is facing great challenges in the quest for sustain-able development, including the fight against climatechange, biodiversity conservation, prevention of foodhealth crises, and the need to provide the resources nec-essary for a growing population that is increasingly con-centrated in urban and metropolitan centres;

CONSCIOUS of the growing pressures to which met-ropolitan and periurban spaces are subjected, especially inthe Mediterranean where urban expansion and the de-velopment of new infrastructures pose a significantthreat for agricultural and natural areas and, by extension,for the balance between urban, periurban and rural areas;

RECOGNIZING that the changes in periurban areas,not only in terms of space or soil use but also at social,economic, political and administrative levels, give rise tonew tensions and expectations;

NOTING the need to work at regional level, and notonly in spaces subject to protection measures, and REC-OGNIZING the role of the land-use matrix in thepreservation of biodiversity and its contribution to theprovision of environmental services;


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WISHING to propose and promote new land-use visionsand new processes of creating land-use projects in thoseperiurban spaces for the purpose of strengthening socialcohesion and environmental balance, and to enable thosenew areas under construction to anticipate the effects ofchanges and to build a better future for themselves;

ASSUMING that policies are necessary, and essential,not only for protection but also for appreciation and thesymbolic sense of taking ownership on the part of citi-zens, but also for the promotion and management of thenatural and agrarian parts of those emerging periurbanareas;

CONVINCED that Local Agri-food Systems, by relo-cating food and its functions, which are not only nutri-tional but also economic, social, environmental andcultural, to the centre of the living space of citizens inthe areas in question, can assist in:

a. a democratization of food according to a principleof social equity, guaranteeing access for all (in termsof availability, diversity, quality and fair prices) tofood that is healthy, balanced and appetizing, as far aspossible on the basis of local production and the cre-ativity of communities;

b. the promotion of food that is a true vehicle of uni-versal values, as the inalienable right of every humanbeing to live with dignity and in a good state ofhealth, the right of every person to enjoy an envi-ronment with a quality of life and cultural transmis-sion and creation;

c. the promotion of food with nutritional qualities ap-propriate to preserving the health of all;

d. a worldwide reduction in the ecological footprint andan improvement in the environmental situationthrough the development of local distribution chan-nels and appreciation of the links between farmingand the environment;

e. a consolidation of the values, functions and envi-ronmental services of the land-use matrix of thesenew periurban areas, among them the maintenanceof biodiversity and, in the case of agrarian areas,agrobiodiversity;

f. a consolidation of the local socio-economic fabricand a better safeguarding of local resources, includ-ing natural resources, and incomes with support for

local consumption, production and organization ofthe processing and sale of local products;

g. appreciation of an ‘economy of daily life’ in whichwoman play a key role;

h. closer links of partnership and solidarity among in-habitants of shared living spaces, and lessons in col-lective management;

i. the emergence of a sense of belonging to an area fora society which includes and recognizes the role andplace of each person in relation to food;

j. creation of a land-use project through the consoli-dation of practices and activities which belong to thearea of the project and which will be able to con-tribute to strengthening the protection, appreciationand management of the land-use matrix and thearea’s environmental services; and

k. the opening of emerging periurban areas to the out-side world, developing inter-area and regional coop-eration, solidarity and the exchange of knowledgeand best practice between areas as a means of en-richment and innovation for land-use projects; and

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the following frame-works which provide elements that assist in the devel-opment and strengthening of Local Agri-food Systems:International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food andAgriculture, adopted 3 November 2001 at the 31st ses-sion of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) Conference; IUCN Congress Resolutions suchas 3.012 Governance of natural resources for conservation andsustainable development, 3.017 Promoting food sovereignty toconserve biodiversity and end hunger and 3.063 Cities and con-servation, adopted by the 3rd IUCN World ConservationCongress (Bangkok, 2004), as well as Recommendation4.128 Setting up networks of protected urban and periurbannatural areas, adopted by the 4th IUCN World Conser-vation Congress (Barcelona, 2008); the Opinion of theCommittee of the Regions (2011/ C 104/1), publishedin the Official Journal of the European Union on theoccasion of the 88th plenary session, in favour of pro-moting Local Food Systems in the territories of theMember States of the European Union; and the Euro-pean Charter on Local Governance and Food signed inBarcelona in November 2011 by nine European localand regional authorities and adopted by, among others,the Arco Latino Association;


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1. INVITES local authorities to develop Local Agri-food Systems in their areas of intervention, estab-lishing and applying political strategies and actionplans at local level; and


a. support local authorities in the initiation and de-velopment of food policies integrated with otherpolices (land-use planning, environmental,health, social, cultural, agricultural) in order tofoster and coordinate the operation of LocalAgri-food Systems underpinned by numerousdistribution channel initiatives for local agri-foodproducts and to create a Local Food Strategy;

b. defend, support and encourage the creation andstrengthening of covenants between authorities(at all levels) and actors in Local Agri-food Sys-tems to facilitate the creation of regional gover-nance around food as a means of guaranteeingfood production, the preservation of biodiver-sity and sustainable land-use management in anuncertain and complicated environment; and

c. facilitate the sharing and exchange of tools,methods and best practices that strengthen theparticipatory approach, across the regions in-volved in this type of strategy.


WCC-2012-Res-104-ENFood security, ecosystem restorationand climate change

OBSERVING that the deforestation and degradation ofland in the entire equatorial belt, notably in CentralAmerica, reduces food security and access to clean waterfor human consumption, affects the lands belonging toindigenous peoples, as well as biodiversity, and increasesvulnerability to climate change;

CONSIDERING that the demand for food increaseswith growth in the world’s population;

CONSIDERING that the accumulated knowledge, prac-tices and experience in relation to the sustainable pro-duction of food and the restoration of degradedecosystems are now accessible;

RECOGNIZING that the knowledge and the practiceof traditional cropping systems such as the so-called‘Guama Model’, which includes ‘alley cropping’ withplants of the genus Inga (family Fabaceae), or similarhave, among others the following applications:

a. the production of basic grains, vegetables, and ingeneral ‘clean’ crops or those that do not requireshade to ensure the variety of food species;

b. the generation of family income by producing shadeover crops such as cocoa, coffee, black pepper etc.;and

c. the establishment of biological corridors for therestoration of ecosystems with native species, whichimproves the microclimate and the conditions re-quired for the reestablishment of fauna populationssuch as invertebrates, reptiles, mammals, and birds);

RECOGNIZING that these applications include im-portant aspects such as:

a. the stabilization of deforestation;

b. the restoration of soil productivity;

c. the restoration of sources of water;

d. adaptation and resilience to climate change;

e. the mitigation of carbon emissions; and

f. the reduction of vulnerability to the risk of disasters;

RECOGNIZING that the implementation of thesetypes of initiative will require sufficient funding for dis-semination, the development of skills, and the provisionof supplies; and

CONCERNED because there is a need for urgent ac-tion, and for the formation of coalitions and alliances, inorder to obtain results;



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1. CALLS ON the Director General, the IUCN Com-missions, Members and Council, especially within theequatorial belt, to use available resources as well asany others that can be raised, to strengthen work onfood security, ecosystem restoration and the promo-tion of traditional, indigenous practices for managingnatural resources, as follows:

a. establishing the current situation and trends forexpansion of the agricultural and logging frontierin countries of the equatorial belt, using satellitetechnology and other available technologies tocreate corresponding maps that reveal the seri-ousness of deforestation and environmentaldegradation; and

b. defining the impact of the expansion of defor-estation on indigenous peoples’ territories, withspecial focus on their land rights;

2. RECOMMENDS that the Director General and theIUCN Commissions, Members and Council, espe-cially within the equatorial belt, begin to take actionat a community level with a global vision regarding:

a. the establishment of land-use planning in areaswhere deforestation is expanding, defining thepotential use of the land and the integrated man-agement of micro-basins;

b. the establishment of initiatives for food securityand land and ecosystem restoration bearing inmind the Guama Model, and other similar models;and

c. the establishment of management for water-sup-plying micro-basins; and

3. URGES the Director General and the IUCN Com-missions, Members and Council, especially within theequatorial belt, to establish alliances with govern-mental and non-governmental institutions, and withinternational cooperation, to become more effectivein terms of results, using impact indicators in thedrive for sustainable food security, the restoration ofnatural ecosystems and the use of traditional prac-tices for managing natural resources and the protec-tion of lands inhabited by indigenous peoples.


WCC-2012-Res-105-ENConserving cultures and nature forfood security

MINDFUL of the fact that more than 13% of theworld’s population is malnourished;

NOTING that the global energy crisis is causing millionsof hectares of fertile land and forest to be shifted tomono-cropping for the production of agrofuels, leadingto a loss of biodiversity and of indigenous peoples’ liveli-hoods and traditional cultures in the southern hemisphere;

OBSERVING that the effects of climate change, com-bined with changes in land use and the waste and con-tamination of water caused by extraction andagro-industrial companies along with consumptionhabits, are putting the poorest sectors of the planet’s pop-ulation in a position of increasing vulnerability;

RECOGNIZING the key relationship between ecosys-tems (biodiversity) and the livelihoods of those humanpopulations that will be affected by climate change, forwhich reason adaptation and mitigation measures will benecessary; and

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that the loss of biodiver-sity and local ancestral knowledge is gradually under-mining knowledge bases concerning species managementand, thus, food security;


URGES the Director General:

a. in the 2013–2016 IUCN Programme Area Deployingnature-based solutions to global challenges in climate, food anddevelopment, to allocate financial, technical and institu-tional resources to promote comprehensive inter-vention measures aimed at reducing the vulnerabilityof livelihoods to the effects of land-use change andclimate change, with the aim of improving food se-curity and access to water on the part of the poorestsectors of society;

b. in the 2013–2016 IUCN Programme Area Valuingand conserving nature, to allocate financial, technicaland institutional resources to implement and pro-mote applied research focused on recovering and en-hancing ancestral and current knowledge of


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biodiversity management for food security, and todeepen, extend and disseminate knowledge on theimportance of halting land-use change and protect-ing water for human consumption, food security andnature; and

c. in the 2013–2016 IUCN Programme Area on Effec-tive and equitable governance of nature’s use:

i. to publicly condemn all attempts to transformforests or lands intended for food productionover to the production of agro- or biofuels;

ii. to publicly denounce all activities on the part oftransnational companies that may endanger safewater supply for local people; and

iii. to urge the world’s governments to take all polit-ical and regulatory action necessary to prioritizefood security over and above the production ofagrofuels, and to prioritize water for human con-sumption, food security and nature over andabove its industrial use.


WCC-2012-Res-106-ENSafeguarding the contribution of wildliving resources and ecosystems tofood security

DEEPLY CONCERNED about the significant chal-lenge of feeding a global population of nine billion by2050, particularly as more than one billion people, 70%of whom live in rural areas, still live below the povertyline and strive daily to find the minimum amounts offood to sustain their lives;

STRESSING SUPPORT for global commitments to theMillennium Development Goals, including the goal of eradi-cating extreme poverty and hunger (MDG 1);

NOTING WITH CONCERN the impacts of volatilecommodity and food prices in undermining the nutri-tional status and food security of the poor and vulnera-ble, as well as sustainable development and povertyreduction more broadly for developing countries;

NOTING that industrial-scale food systems tend to becharacterized by growing carbon and ecological foot-prints, high water demands and use of agrochemicals thatdamage the health of wildlife and humans, and that agri-food corporations exert significant control over foodcommodities, agricultural inputs, and global markets;

RECOGNIZING that food security depends on theavailability, access to and utilization of food, as well asthe stability of the food system (as defined in the 2010Updated Comprehensive Framework for Action of theUnited Nations High Level Taskforce on the GlobalFood Security Crisis);

FURTHER RECOGNIZINIG that an approach to foodsecurity that extends beyond growing, gathering andcatching food, taking into account wider livelihood andecosystem considerations, is necessary to provide long-term resilience, security and development opportunitiesfor men and women;

ACKNOWLEDGING the fundamental role biodiver-sity and ecosystem services play in achieving food andnutrition security, as also recognized by the above-men-tioned Updated Comprehensive Framework for Action,and the Conference of the Parties of the Convention onBiological Diversity through the Strategic Plan for Biodiver-sity 2011–2020 (and Aichi Targets 2, 3, 11, 13, 14, 16 and18);

STRESSING that gender and food security are closelyinterrelated given that in many societies women play themain role in the provision, access and utilization of foodand in assuring nutritional standards for children, and yetthey often suffer greater vulnerability than men due to alack of access to production inputs, support services,land, facilities and decision-making processes over the re-sources needed to ensure food security at householdlevel;

CONVINCED that achieving food security in the worldis not only a matter of assisting the vulnerable, but isabove all an ethical imperative determined by the rightof everybody to be free from hunger and to live in dig-nity, and therefore requires strong approaches of socialequity and support to the realization of human rights, in-cluding the right to food;

NOTING that the IUCN Congress has adopted severalresolutions highlighting the links between ecosystems andfood security and providing a mandate and guidance to


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IUCN to contribute, from its Mission, to the objectiveof eliminating food insecurity and hunger in the world;

RECALLING in particular Resolution 3.014 Poverty re-duction, food security and conservation adopted by the 3rd

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004),that called for IUCN initiatives and actions to be “con-centrated, as a priority, on ensuring tangible contributionsfrom biodiversity conservation to equitable food security,within the framework of the strategic areas proposed bythe Food and Agriculture Organization of the UnitedNations, in application of Principle 20 of the Rio Decla-ration (Rio de Janeiro, 1992)”;

FURTHER RECALLING Resolution 3.017 Promoting foodsovereignty to conserve biodiversity and end hunger also adopted bythe 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok,2004), which urged all IUCN Members, Commissions andthe Director General to “give due consideration to poli-cies in support of food sovereignty as they relate toachieving the Mission and Vision of IUCN and to theirapplication in all stages of biodiversity conservation, nat-ural resource management and poverty eradication”;

REITERATING the guidance provided in Resolution2.29 Policy Statement on Sustainable Use of Wild and LivingResources adopted by the 2nd IUCN World ConservationCongress (Amman, 2000) which highlights the necessityof minimizing losses from biodiversity when wild livingresources are used and that enhancing sustainability ofsuch resources requires on-going improved management;

CONVINCED that a wide range of approaches areneeded to meet the food security objectives in differingnational contexts of countries affected by ecosystemdegradation, food insecurity and hunger;

ALARMED by the insufficient recognition in food se-curity and national development strategies of wild livingresources and ecosystems in contributing to the food se-curity of rural and coastal communities, considering, forinstance, that 25–30% of the income of forest-depen-dent communities comes from forests and forest prod-ucts, and forest goods and services are valued at least atan estimated US$130 billion a year;

STRESSING also that fisheries and aquaculture providethe primary source of animal protein for a billion peopleworldwide and recalling agreement at the World Summiton Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002) to“Maintain or restore stocks to levels that can produce the

maximum sustainable yield with the aim of achievingthese goals for depleted stocks on an urgent basis andwhere possible not later than 2015”;

HIGHLIGHTING that if the use of wild living resour-ces or ecosystems as a contribution to food systems isnot sustainable the resultant decline in biodiversity willultimately undermine people’s food security;

CONFIRMING the need to address the problems ofecosystem degradation and food insecurity using a sys-tem-wide approach that integrates all relevant ecosystemsand the goods and services they provide, including waterecosystems, as requested by Resolution 4.065 Freshwaterbiodiversity conservation, protected areas, and management of trans-boundary waters adopted by the 4th IUCN World Conser-vation Congress (Barcelona, 2008) which called forintegrated river basin management that supports sustai-nable solutions for improving access to affordable food,energy, water and sanitation, especially for the poorestcommunities; and

EMPHASIZING ALSO the importance of including in-digenous peoples and ethnic minorities in decision-ma-king processes which affect their rights, lifestyles,capacity, and access to traditional lands and natural re-sources which are critical for their food security and nu-tritional requirements;


1. URGES governments, civil society, United Nationsagencies, development and humanitarian agencies,the private sector and the media to recognize the roleof sustainable management and conservation of wildliving resources and ecosystems, including marineecosystems, in achieving the four dimensions of foodsecurity (availability, access, utilization and stability),and to implement an ecosystem-based approach tocomplement and enhance sustainability in food se-curity strategies;

2. CALLS on IUCN Members, Commissions and theDirector General to:

a. advocate for increased equity and sustainability inthe use of natural resources and ecosystem serv-ices between small-holder farming and fishingsystems and industrial large-scale food produc-tion, with a particular focus on the importance ofsafeguarding the integrity of local food systems;


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b. contribute to initiatives and cooperation frame-works aimed at reducing the impacts of illegal,unreported and unregulated fisheries, and tostrengthen the governance of the seas, fisheriesresources and coastal territories, includingthrough encouraging full application of the FAOInternational Guidelines for the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries in the High Seas and implementationof the 1995 Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheriesand its related International Plans of Action, inorder to secure rights of access to marine andcoastal resources for communities that dependon them; and

c. raise awareness concerning the need to managecarefully the expansion of industrial agriculturalland in such a way as to avoid compromising theintegrity of sites of high biodiversity value andcorridors essential for maintaining wildlife, notleast the many natural systems that act as impor-tant sources of wild food for local communities;

3. CALLS on IUCN Commissions, in collaborationwith the Secretariat, and other relevant partners, todevelop state-of-the art knowledge concerning therole and extent of ecosystem goods and services atlandscape, river basin and seascape level in support-ing the four dimensions of food security;

4. REQUESTS the Director General to proactivelybuild partnerships within the food security commu-nity to:

a. in close collaboration with the IUCN Commis-sions, document, quantify and widely disseminatethe scope and extent of the direct contributionof wild species and natural ecosystems to thefood security of both local and indigenous, ruraland coastal communities;

b. demonstrate actions that improve food securitythrough ecosystem management, incorporatingthe promotion of social and gender equity, tostrengthen the provision of ecosystem goodsand services;

c. advocate appropriate policy change at national,regional and global levels, such that food securityis enhanced while sound ecosystem stewardshipis rewarded through the sustainable and equitableproduction and distribution of food; and

d. advance understanding, knowledge and learningas to how to better conserve and sustainablymanage wild species for food and nutritionalneeds, safeguard key centres of diversity of wildcrop relatives, assist in recovery of wild speciesused for food where these have been depletedand apply sustainable, locally-controlled conser-vation and management regimes; and

5. REQUESTS the Director General to use IUCN’sconvening ability to work with all relevant actors toidentify options that reconcile the competing demandsof small-scale and large-scale food production sys-tems and to ensure that all are underpinned by princi-ples of ecosystem sustainability and social equity.


WCC-2012-Res-107-ENAddressing the impacts ofenvironmentally unsustainableindustrial-scale agricultural and animalhusbandry enterprises on climatechange, food security and biodiversity

NOTING the IUCN Programme 2013–2016 which states“people, communities, governments and private actorsare underutilizing the potential power of nature and thesolutions it can provide to global challenges in fields suchas climate change, food security, social and economic de-velopment. IUCN terms these nature-based solutions”;

RECALLING many previous Resolutions and Recom-mendations recognizing climate change as a threat topeople and biodiversity that requires immediate actionfor mitigation and adaptation, including Resolution 2.16Climate change, biodiversity, and IUCN’s Overall Programmeadopted by the 2nd IUCN World Conservation Congress(Amman, 2000), World Parks Congress Recommenda-tion V.5 Climate Change and Protected Areas adopted at theVth IUCN World Parks Congress (Durban, 2003), Reso-lutions 3.057 Adapting to climate change: a framework for con-servation action and 3.084 Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol tothe United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Changeadopted by the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress(Bangkok, 2004), and Resolutions 4.075 Climate change mit-igation targets and actions for biodiversity conservation (Barcelona,


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2008) and 4.076 Biodiversity conservation and climate changemitigation and adaptation in national policies and strategiesadopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008);

RECOGNIZING that environmentally unsustainable in-dustrial-scale agricultural and animal husbandry enter-prises are operations based on chemical-intensivemonocultures and genetically modified organisms, dis-place forestlands and other natural areas, interrupt eco-logical networks and threaten biodiversity, take overindigenous peoples’ community lands, and are leading tothe loss of traditional knowledge about sustainable agri-cultural practices;

EMPHASIZING the importance of Resolution 3.017Promoting food sovereignty to conserve biodiversity and end hungeradopted by the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress(Bangkok, 2004) on food security that states “hunger andpoverty will not be ended by increased globalization offood production, which is linked to an increased de-pendency on very few species of crops cultivated aslarge-scale monoculture systems”;

RECALLING Resolution 4.083 Industrial agrofuel productionadopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008) on social and environmental problemscaused by industrial-scale production of agrofuels;

RECOGNIZING the linkages between the conservationof indigenous lands and populations and the protectionof food security and biodiversity, recognized in Resolu-tions 3.017, 3.049 Community Conserved Areas and 3.056 In-digenous peoples living in voluntary isolation and conservation ofnature in the Amazon region and Chaco adopted by the 3rd

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004),and Resolutions 4.049 Supporting Indigenous ConservationTerritories and other Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Con-served Areas, 4.050 Recognition of Indigenous Conservation Ter-ritories, 4.052 Implementing the United Nations Declarationon the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and 4.53 Mobile in-digenous peoples and biodiversity conservation adopted by the 4th


CONCERNED that environmentally unsustainable in-dustrial-scale agricultural and animal husbandry enter-prises use vast quantities of water and that contaminantsfrom industrial agriculture, including manure, antibiotics,and chemical pesticides and fertilizers, run off into wa-tersheds and pollute drinking water and already-jeopar-dized freshwater resources;

ALARMED that global demand for meat is already oneof the principal contributors to global greenhouse gasemissions, with livestock-generated CH4 (methane), N2O(nitrous oxide) and CO2 (carbon dioxide) accounting forabout one-fifth of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide;

CONCERNED as well that the industrial production ofmeat by means of Concentrated Animal Feeding Opera-tions (CAFOs), high-density confinement of animals in aseverely concentrated area, uses and pollutes more waterthan all other industrial and municipal water uses com-bined, causes inhumane treatment of animals, and posesnumerous threats to the environment and human health,including air and water pollution, infectious diseases ofboth animals and humans with increased risk of pandemicinfluenza, mounting antibiotic resistance, and decreasedquality of life for communities located in CAFO areas;

RECOGNIZING that environmentally unsustainable in-dustrial-scale agricultural and animal husbandry enter-prises pose serious threats to the global climate,biodiversity, sustainability, the survival of indigenouspopulations and their knowledge of traditional agricul-ture and the health of human and animal populations;

GRAVELY CONCERNED that these problemsthreaten to increase dramatically as human global popu-lation, currently projected to grow to nine billion by 2050,drives increased demand for food and energy, and in-creasing pressure to resort to unsustainable industrialagriculture to meet these needs; and

CONVINCED that to conserve the diversity and in-tegrity of nature, ensure that natural resources are usedsustainably, and mitigate the effects of climate change,there is an urgent need for the international communityto promote a worldwide shift to sustainable agricultureby providing assistance to farmers and communities andby developing regulations that will eliminate practices thathave led to the problems caused by industrial agriculture;


1. REQUESTS the Director General, DIRECTS IUCNCommissions, and CALLS ON IUCN Members topromote a worldwide shift to sustainable agricultureby advocating for an appropriate mix of nature-basedand environmentally sound technological solutions tothe global challenges of climate change, food secu-rity, social and economic well-being;


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2. CALLS ON IUCN and its Commissions in collabo-ration with Members, to advocate for the effectiveand appropriate regulation of environmentally un-sustainable industrial-scale agricultural and animalhusbandry enterprises and to provide technical assis-tance and incentives for conversion to practices ofsustainable agriculture which will build resilience tothe impacts of climate, restore the productivity ofsoils, and improve food security for the people of theworld;

3. REQUESTS that IUCN collaboratively supportsleadership in sharing information and knowledge onappropriate means of ensuring that agricultural prac-tices have minimal adverse impacts on the environ-ment and human health; and

4. REQUESTS that IUCN collaborates with other in-stitutions such as FAO and IISD on holding a seriesof regional conferences in areas where there are con-flicts between environmentally unsustainable indus-trial-scale agricultural and animal husbandryenterprises and nature-based agricultural practices.Such conferences will present recommendations thataddress the impacts of these practices on climatechange, biodiversity, sustainability, food security, en-vironmental degradation, indigenous populations,and human and animal health, and how healthy andrestored ecosystems can make cost-effective contri-butions to meeting global challenges of climatechange, food security, and economic and social de-velopment, and highlight practical solutions andcases demonstrating efforts at reducing the negativeimpacts.


WCC-2012-Res-108-ENThe green economy and corporate,social and environmental responsibility

NOTING that the structural cause of global climatechange and major environmental problems is the con-sumer development model, which threatens to destroythe bases of human subsistence;

CONSIDERING that several global forums and institu-tions, such as the IUCN World Conservation Congress,Rio+20 – United Nations Conference on Sustainable

Development, etc., have defined the green economy as animportant topic, which is of relevance to conservation;

BEARING IN MIND that the proper approach to agreen economy must be based on economic activities thatrespect and maintain the integrity of ecosystems, and thattherefore there are biodiversity values that cannot bequantified in economic terms;

BEARING IN MIND that business should play a vitalrole in driving countries’ transitions to a green economy,it is important that governments use policy tools such asregulation and taxation to create the conditions underwhich business will minimize ecological impact, innovate,invest and grow in a sustainable way, which includes en-abling business to take a leadership role through a rangeof actions, such as corporate social and environmentalresponsibility and signing up to voluntary agreements;

CONSIDERING that for several years the CorporateSocial and Environmental Responsibility (CSER) pro-grammes have been used increasingly frequently, as vol-untary measures to improve social and environmentalbehaviour, and in order to create an alternative to envi-ronmental management based on competitiveness;

CONCERNED because these CSER programmes havebecome a mechanism taken advantage of by some com-panies with negative social and environmental behaviour,who do not comply with environmental regulations, toclean up their image; and

BEARING IN MIND that the CSER tools should neverreplace compliance with regulations regarding the con-servation of the environment and natural resources;


1. RECOMMENDS that the IUCN Council and theDirector General do not sign any agreement withcompanies if they do not comply with the social andenvironmental regulations of their countries of ori-gin, irrespectively of where they do business;

2. RECOMMENDS that the constituencies of IUCN,the Council and the Director General promote thegreen economy as a means to address global climateand environmental problems;

3. URGES governments to incentivize business throughregulation and wider policy tools to minimize their


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ecological impact, but also to encourage business toengage in credible CSER in order to avoid ‘green-washing’;

4. URGES governments to design the necessary insti-tutional and legal mechanisms to allow economic ac-tivities to adequately internalize environmental costsand, similarly, to design economic development indi-cators that adequately incorporate the concepts ofquality of life and a good life; and

5. RECOMMENDS that civil society should ensurethat the green economy, in order to respond to con-servation, respects the balance and conservation ofecosystems.


WCC-2012-Res-109-ENGreen growth as a sustainable strategyfor nature conservation and economicdevelopment

RECALLING that “Green Growth means fostering eco-nomic growth and development while ensuring that nat-ural assets continue to provide the resources andenvironmental services on which our well-being relies. Todo this, it must catalyse investment and innovation whichwill underpin sustained growth and give rise to new eco-nomic opportunities” (Toward Green Growth. OECD,2011);

CONSIDERING that as mankind continues to expandits activities for economic growth, the global communityhas been faced with the issues of exhaustion of natural re-sources and environmental damage. Ultimately theseproblems will lead to increased societal costs, restrictedeconomic growth, and impaired sustainability. GreenGrowth, as one of the alternative paradigms to solve thesechallenges, is a strategy through which sustainable devel-opment can be supported and societal benefits enhanced;

ACKNOWLEDGING that after recognizing these chal-lenges, a number of countries have accepted ‘GreenGrowth’ for sustainable development. The Republic ofKorea adopted ‘Low Carbon Green Growth’ in August2008 as a national vision and strategy;

NOTING that, in the context of the IUCN Programme2013–2016, there is common ground to be found be-tween the IUCN ‘Greening the Economy’ and KoreanGreen Growth Mandates that both promote significantinvestments in ecosystem services; and

RECOGNIZING that green growth can be a usefulmeans for economic opportunities based on natural re-sources, a key target area for IUCN initiatives. In addition,continued links between the IUCN vision and goals andthose pursued by green growth, all of which endeavour toadvance the value and conservation of natural resources,will serve to strengthen current sustainability efforts;



a. positively consider green growth in implementing thevalues and conservation of natural resources world-wide, which IUCN continues to pursue;

b. support green growth, which seeks to provide eco-nomic opportunities through the conservation andsustainable utilization of natural resources while as-suring sustainable economic development;

c. improve the values and conservation of natural re-sources in conjunction with green growth, by con-sidering the following:

i. prepare political and systematic foundations ofgreen growth which will serve as a basis to ad-dress the diverse characteristics and realities ofeach country and/or region;

ii. prepare an evaluation tool to regularly measureand review the implementation of green growthbased on the conservation of natural resources;and

iii. prepare strategies to deliver green growth in con-nection with efforts to value and conserve natu-ral resources by ensuring participatory processes;

d. endeavour to achieve political cooperation with therelated nations and organizations for research and de-velopment and information sharing, and endeavourto establish continued cooperative relationships andpartnerships with international organizations; and


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e. communicate the above, especially in relation togreen growth, to Members so that they may fully rec-ognize them.


WCC-2012-Res-110-ENBiodiversity offsets and relatedcompensatory approaches

NOTING that mining and logging practices, infrastruc-ture development and the expansion of primary produc-tion for food, fibre and fuel through land conversion areoften a major cause of the loss of biodiversity throughhabitat loss and degradation;

ACKNOWLEDGING that such practices remain cen-tral to many countries’ economic development andpoverty reduction strategies and that governments arefacing the challenge of how to align economic develop-ment with the conservation and sustainable use of bio-diversity and ecosystem services;

RECOGNIZING the growing use of biodiversity off-sets, by governments, by companies undertaking biodi-versity offsets voluntarily for business reasons, by banksand investors requiring biodiversity offsets as a conditionto access credit, and by civil society encouraging devel-opers to undertake biodiversity offsets;

UNDERSTANDING that the best practice of biodi-versity offsets is to address the residual impacts only afterthe full mitigation hierarchy is applied;

RECOGNIZING that, although biodiversity offsets arealready a part of the legal framework of several coun-tries, including wetland and conservation banking in theUSA and habitat compensation requirements in Australia,Canada and the European Union, global and regionalguidelines for application by the private sector are still indevelopment;

RECOGNIZING that although these schemes differ intheir features and implementation around the world, theyshare an aim to mitigate biodiversity loss by allowing ac-tivities that destroy or degrade biodiversity in one place tobe compensated by conservation in another location;

NOTING the work and products, developed by the Busi-ness and Biodiversity Offset Programme, including itsproposed ‘Standard on Biodiversity Offsets’;

NOTING the contribution of the private sector in de-velopment and implementation of biodiversity offsetsapproaches;

NOTING that the Convention on Biological Diversity’s(CBD) Decision X/21 Business engagement requests the Ex-ecutive Secretary “to encourage the development and ap-plication of tools and mechanisms that can furtherfacilitate the engagement of businesses in integrating bio-diversity concerns into their work…”, including offsets;

NOTING also that biodiversity offset mechanisms areone of the six areas designated for further developmentas an innovative means of mobilizing resources for theimplementation of the CBD, identified in CBD DecisionIX/11;

ALSO NOTING that Ramsar Resolution X.12 “encour-ages decision makers, especially business leaders, to de-velop and adopt policies, strategies and operationalapproaches…which avoid, remedy or as a last option ‘off-set’ adverse impacts on wetland ecosystems, including con-sidering the potential benefits that could be derived fromthe Business and Biodiversity Offsets Programme…”;

NOTING that there are increasing scientific and policyquestions being asked about the ecological validity andpractical effectiveness of biodiversity offset schemes andrelated mechanisms, in particular in critical habitat, andthat there is increasing work in this area involving theIUCN Secretariat and Members, plus increasing demandfrom all sectors for IUCN’s advice on biodiversity off-sets and related mechanisms; and

ACKNOWLEDGING that the effectiveness of biodi-versity offsets in practice is dependent on the existenceof an enabling policy environment including, inter alia,good governance, the rule of law, and accountable gov-ernment and corporate institutions;


CALLS ON the Director General to:

a. establish a working group to develop an IUCN gen-eral policy on biodiversity offsets. The working group


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will also consider the desirability of IUCN develop-ing global biodiversity offset guidelines. The workinggroup’s membership and mode of operating will bebased on the One Programme approach involvingrelevant experts, including from the Secretariat,Members and Commissions. It should arrive at itsrecommendations following consideration of:

i. an evidence-based analysis of existing offsetschemes and standards to identify the conceptualweaknesses and strengths and the opportunitiesand risks associated with the practical imple-mentation of biodiversity offsets;

ii. scientific literature and expertise to ensure thatpolicy is solidly grounded in robust ecologicalprinciples;

iii. modes of implementation given different na-tional and regional contexts cognizant that bio-diversity offset schemes need to specify, amongother things, (i) an appropriate conceptual frame-work(s), (ii) metrics and other methodologies,and (iii) governance and financing mechanismsincluding means of verification with respect todelivering no net loss, or preferably net positive,outcomes for biodiversity;

iv. the theoretical and practical meaning and utilityof the terms ‘no net loss’ and ‘net positive im-pacts’ in the context of biodiversity conserva-tion; and

v. the particular scientific and practical challengesof applying the full mitigation hierarchy to ad-dress the impact of activities in critical habitat;

b. the working group should expedite the preparationof recommendations for consideration by the IUCNCouncil by no later than end of 2014; and

c. as a parallel activity, continue to contribute to the cur-rent state of knowledge about the practical imple-mentation of biodiversity offsets by (a) undertakingproject work with partners, IUCN Members andCommissions and (b) the sharing of experiences.

WCC-2012-Res-111-ENA critical review of biodiversity benefitsof alternative livelihood projects

RECOGNIZING the potential importance of alterna-tive livelihood projects in meeting the Aichi Targets ofthe Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the Millen-nium Development Goals;

ACKNOWLEDGING that alternative livelihood proj-ects can make significant contributions to human so-cioeconomic development;

APPRECIATING that alternative livelihood projects arewidely implemented with a goal of improving the statusof biodiversity;

CONSIDERING the significant funds that have beencommitted to developing alternative livelihood projectsglobally;

CONCERNED that a systematic review of alternativelivelihood projects has not been undertaken to determinethe extent to which they are meeting their goals for bothpeople and biodiversity, thus reducing the possibility tolearn from past successes and failures when designingnew projects; and

DETERMINED to understand the impacts of alternativelivelihood projects on species, ecosystems and people;


1. APPLAUDS the efforts of IUCN Members to inte-grate the needs of people and biodiversity in theirprogrammes;

2. URGES IUCN Members to rigorously measure theimpacts of alternative livelihood projects on species,ecosystems and people, and disseminate the results;and

3. REQUESTS that the Director General, in collabora-tion with Commissions, IUCN Members and donors,develops best practice guidelines for alternative liveli-hood projects to ensure sustainable benefits tospecies, ecosystems and people.


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WCC-2012-Res-112-ENDeveloping the concept of biodiversitysecurity

NOTING that many States are taking steps to securetheir supplies of essential commodities such as food,water and energy through mechanisms such as tradingarrangements, new technologies, infrastructure develop-ment and others;

AWARE that the IUCN Programme 2013–2016 promotesnature-based solutions to global challenges, with a majoremphasis on the relationships between biodiversity con-servation, food production, water supplies and humansecurity;

NOTING that the project on The Economics of Ecosystemsand Biodiversity (TEEB) has shown that ecosystem serv-ices provide benefits of vast value, comprising those thatcan be quantified and those that cannot;

CONCERNED that while all people depend on ecosys-tems and biodiversity, those communities that are poorand most reliant on natural products and processes areespecially vulnerable to the disruption of ecosystems andloss of biodiversity;

AWARE that species richness, abundance, distributionand presence in functioning communities underlie allecosystem services;

ALSO AWARE that remedial or preventive actions takennow against ecosystem deterioration and biodiversity losswill prove less costly than future restoration of ecosystemservices;

NOTING that the IUCN Programme 2013–2016 cites ev-idence that halting the loss and degradation of naturalsystems has the potential to contribute more than one-third of the projected necessary mitigation to reduce theimpacts of climate change by 2030; and

RECOGNIZING that biodiversity is an essential ele-ment for securing supplies of food, water and energy, butthat additional scientific research is needed to better un-derstand the relationship between biodiversity and secureecosystems and their services;


1. RECOGNIZES that biodiversity is the basis for allecosystem services, and is essential for efforts toachieve security in food and water and often in energy;

2. CALLS ON IUCN Members, Council, Commissionsand the Director General to develop the concept ofbiodiversity security because of its direct relevanceto the IUCN Programme 2013–2016, and to identifypractical ways to incorporate the concept of biodi-versity security within the overall goal of environ-mental security; and

3. REQUESTS the Director General to report to thenext IUCN World Conservation Congress onprogress of the abovementioned process and its con-tribution to meeting the Aichi Targets of the Strate-gic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and to disseminateresults to other agencies as appropriate.

WCC-2012-Res-113-ENManagement of secondaryenvironmental damage from naturaldisasters

MINDFUL OF the significant impact on human life andthe environment of natural disasters such as earthquakes,tsunamis, storms, landslides, floods, volcanic eruptionsand other disasters;

RECALLING that damage caused by disasters to humanbeings and the environment can come from the second-ary damage through industrial accidents after a naturaldisaster;

UNDERSTANDING that we cannot stop a natural dis-aster itself; however, we can prevent, prepare and re-spond to the secondary environmental damage from anatural disaster in order to reduce the frequency andseverity of the damage;

AWARE that many industrial zones and nuclear powerplant complexes are located on watercourses exposedto flooding or coastal zones vulnerable to storms ortsunamis;

AFFIRMING that all prevention measures to reduce se-rious adverse effects of secondary industrial accidents bynatural disasters on human beings and the environmentare necessary;


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ENCOURAGING the promotion of rational, economicand efficient use of preventive, preparedness and re-sponse measures to enable environmentally sound andsustainable economic development;

AWARE of the necessity of a natural disaster action sys-tem through a manual for disaster emergency response,disaster recovery and ecological restoration;

EMPHASIZING restoration research through consis-tent monitoring regarding environmental damage by nat-ural disasters;

CONSCIOUS of the role played in this respect by gov-ernments, non-governmental organizations and the public;

AFFIRMING the importance of public access to infor-mation on natural disasters and subsequent industrial ac-cidents, and subsequent measures;

NOTING that secondary damage to the environment in-fluences areas outside a single nation’s domestic jurisdiction;

AFFIRMING the need to promote active internationalcooperation among the States concerned before, duringand after an accident, to enhance appropriate policies andto coordinate action at all appropriate levels for the pre-vention of, preparedness for, and response to, the trans-boundary effects of natural disasters and subsequentindustrial accidents;

RECALLING the significant adverse impact of theFukushima nuclear accident to human well-being andecosystem services;

NOTING that the Republic of Korea, Japan and Chinareached common recognition in May 2011 after theFukushima accident to start discussion on establishingan early notification framework in case of an emergency,exchange of experts, and to contemplate an exchangeof information regarding the analysis and forecast ofair-flow trajectory on a real-time basis in case of a nu-clear accident;

DESIRING consensus on the role of international gov-ernmental organizations and international non-govern-mental organizations based on new global governance inthe international environmental regime; and

RECOGNIZING the importance of the early andprompt notification rule regarding natural disasters andsubsequent industrial accidents, and subsequent measuresfor the management or mitigation of the damage;

The World Conser va tion Congr e ss, at i t s se ss ion inJeju, Republ i c of Kor ea 6–15 Se ptember 2012:

1. AFFIRMS that urgent action is necessary for the pre-vention and post-management of secondary envi-ronmental damage from natural disasters;

2. CALLS ON government agencies to:

a. review their prevention and post-managementsystems for secondary environmental damagefrom natural disasters;

b. make a manual for disaster emergency response,disaster recovery and ecological restoration;

c. cooperate with other countries in the appropriateregion that could be affected in the case of natu-ral disasters and industrial accidents resulting fromnatural disasters, including the establishment ofregional agreements for early and prompt notifi-cation and consultations;

d. cooperate for the exchange of experts regardingdisaster emergency response and ecosystem mon-itoring action; and

e. recognize the right of the public to access the in-formation provided by affected countries, takinginto account also the non-discriminatory rightsof the foreign public;

3. CALLS ON non-governmental organizations to:

a. enhance public awareness of public access to en-vironmental information related to natural disas-ters and secondary damage from natural disasters;

b. urge governments to develop and establish trans-parent and effective systems for access to rele-vant information; and

c. hold stakeholder meetings in regional groups fordiscussing systems for public access to relevantinformation;


a. participate in monitoring projects in ecosystemsdestroyed by natural disaster;

b. include the issue of management of secondaryenvironmental damage by natural disasters tobiodiversity and ecological services when imple-menting the IUCN Programme 2013–2016; and


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c. contribute to the work of relevant organizationsto assess the vulnerability of protected areas tonatural disaster and support the introduction ofearly notification systems; and

5. REQUESTS North East Asian countries, includingthe Republic of Korea, China and Japan, to discussan early notification framework in the case of a nu-clear accident and/or natural disaster, as the threecountries decided on 22 May 2011, as a pilot pro-gramme for this Resolution.


WCC-2012-Res-114-ENPromotion of sustainable tourism, rural development and the value ofnatural heritage

CONSIDERING that the World Tourism Organization,together with other institutions linked to the world ofbusiness and nature conservation, define sustainabletourism as the type of “tourism that meets the needs oftoday’s tourists and host regions, while protecting and en-hancing opportunities for the future”;

NOTING that well-managed sustainable tourism gener-ates employment and provides financial benefits for thelocal population;

RECOGNIZING that sustainable tourism has a positiveimpact on society, the economy and the environment, bysupporting goods produced in a sustainable manner,services beneficial to the local economy, and the conser-vation of the natural heritage;

RECOGNIZING that if the tourism sector is not de-veloped using sustainable, responsible criteria, it can leadto many externalities, both environmental and socio-eco-nomic (the generation of waste, pollution, land use andfragmentation, biodiversity loss and the degradation ofthe geological heritage);

ASSUMING that rural parts of Spain are of great im-portance, since they account for 90% of the entire coun-try and are inhabited by 20% of the population ifperiurban areas are excluded, and 35% if they are in-cluded (Spanish Law 45/2007 on the Sustainable Devel-opment of Rural Areas (LDSMR));

AWARE that it is in these areas that the greatest riches interms of natural heritage are located, and that they alsocontain most of the cultural heritage; and

NOTING that Spain has the highest level of biodiversityin Europe, and also contains a substantial amount of itscultural diversity;


1. CALLS ON the Spanish Government, the au-tonomous governments and the local authorities todefine and apply political strategies and action plans,which encourage the development of high-qualitysustainable tourism that supports sustainable ruraldevelopment and guarantees the conservation ofbiodiversity and geological diversity (geodiversity) aswell as the protected areas included in the Natura2000 Network;

2. CALLS ON the Director General, with regard to therelevant areas of the IUCN Programme 2013–2016, tofoster and support the improvement of competitive-ness and new business initiatives in rural, natural, cul-tural, responsible, sustainable and eco-friendlytourism such as geotourism (geological tourism),coastal tourism, ethno-tourism, ornithologicaltourism (birdwatching), tourism devoted to whale-watching, butterfly watching, the observation offauna in general, botanical tours, etc.;

3. CALLS ON the Director General to foster and sup-port the development of training, awareness cam-paigns and environmental education in protectedareas included in the Natura 2000 Network, in orderto raise the awareness of companies, tourists and thelocal populations with regard to the importance ofrespecting nature and conserving biodiversity and ge-odiversity; and

4. CALLS on the Director General to foster and sup-port the development of networks that establish syn-ergies between entities, companies and professionals,in order to allow for the development of a green, so-cially responsible economy for the common good.



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WCC-2012-Res-115-ENStrengthening biocultural diversity andtraditional ecological knowledge in theAsia-Pacific island region

RECOGNIZING that the rapid change seen in islandecosystems of the Asia-Pacific region, occasioned by thechange in fishing grounds due to climate change and nat-ural disasters such as mega-earthquakes and tsunamis, aswell as due to excessive fishing activities and marine pol-lution, is leading to the decline of biocultural diversity;

RECALLING that Article 8j of the Convention on Bio-logical Diversity (CBD) highlights the importance of tra-ditional knowledge related to the sustainable use andconservation of biodiversity and that IUCN has imple-mented related actions based on the idea that biodiversityand cultural diversity are interlinked;

CONSIDERING the need to make progress on discus-sions and actions about conservation models based ontraditional ecological knowledge relevant to the wise useof biodiversity in island-coastal areas whose ecosystemsare weakened by climate change and over-exploitation ofresources, and where associated traditional cultures areaffected by such changes in ecosystems; and

CONVINCED that the establishment of specialistgroups within the IUCN Commissions would be a veryuseful step to advance the conservation of biocultural di-versity in island-coastal areas of the Asia-Pacific region;


1. CALLS ON Members of the United Nations, in-cluding IUCN State Members in the Asia-Pacific re-gion, to support activities for conservation ofbiocultural diversity and traditional ecological knowl-edge in island-coastal regions based on its uniquenessand scarcity;

2. ENCOURAGES IUCN Members, local govern-ments and NGOs, to recognize the importance oftraditional ecological knowledge for the wise use ofbiological resources in island and coastal areas, and toengage in supporting the preservation of traditionalknowledge and biocultural diversity;

3. REQUESTS the IUCN Commission on EcosystemManagement (Island Ecosystems Thematic Group) to:

a. advance the conservation of biocultural diversityand traditional ecological knowledge in island-coastal regions providing support for research ac-tivities related and carried out by institutes andNGOs; and

b. explore the need for an international instrumentwithin the United Nations for the conservationof biocultural diversity and traditional ecologicalknowledge in island-coastal regions, invitingIUCN State Members to engage in its promotionand support; and

4. URGES the Director General, under the Global Is-land Initiative, to pursue a focus on Asia-Pacific is-land biocultural diversity, led by specialists on policyand practice of island-coastal biocultural diversityconservation, including scientists specializing in hu-manities, in conjunction with related organizationssuch as the CBD and the United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).


WCC-2012-Res-116-ENSupport for the implementation of theNagoya Protocol on Access andBenefit Sharing

RECOGNIZING the central role played by IUCN inpromoting the conservation of biological diversity byurging the development of a Convention on the Con-servation of Biological Diversity;

RECALLING Resolution 18.28 Convention on the Conser-vation of Biological Diversity adopted by the 18th IUCN Gen-eral Assembly (Perth, 1990), which called upon all parties,international agencies and other bodies involved in thenegotiating process, to devise an effective and compre-hensive international legal instrument for the conserva-tion of the world’s biological diversity and urgednegotiating parties to ensure that the Convention’s pri-mary focus be wild genetic resources and the conserva-tion of biodiversity in situ;

REMINDED that Resolution 18.28 further urged nego-tiating parties to develop sound and adequate fundingmechanisms for the successful implementation of the


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Convention, “especially to favour less developed nationswhere the bulk of the world’s biological diversity exists,and to whom resources must be primarily and equitablydirected”;

ACKNOWLEDGING Resolution 15.10 Genetic Resourcesadopted by the 15th IUCN General Assembly(Christchurch, 1981), which recognized that genetic ma-terial is part of mankind’s natural heritage and shouldtherefore remain available to all nations, considered theconservation of genetic material essential for the main-tenance and development of animal and plant resourcesfor a large number of beneficial uses, and considered thatStates have a duty of stewardship towards the conserva-tion of genetic resources;

NOTING that IUCN was instructed through Resolution15.10 to undertake an analysis of the technical, legal, eco-nomic and financial matters relating to the conservation,accessibility and use of these resources “with the view toproviding the basis for an international arrangement andfor rules to implement it”;

MINDFUL of the important role of indigenous andlocal communities and their traditional knowledge insafeguarding and sustainably using biological resourcesand the genetic resources within them;

ALARMED at the continuously increasing loss of bio-diversity in all its components, including species, ecosys-tems and genes;

ACKNOWLEDGING that the World Summit on Sus-tainable Development in Johannesburg, 2002, called forthe negotiation of an international regime, within theframework of the Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD), to promote and safeguard the fair and equitablesharing of benefits arising from the utilization of geneticresources;

ACKNOWLEDGING AS WELL that the 7th Meetingof the Conference of the Parties to the CBD (CBDCOP7) in 2004 mandated an Ad Hoc Open-ended Work-ing Group on Access and Benefit-sharing to elaborateand negotiate an international regime in order to effec-tively implement Articles 15 Access to Genetic Resources and8(j) (concerning traditional knowledge) as well as thethree objectives of the Convention;

WELCOMING the adoption at the 10th Meeting of theConference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological

Diversity (CBD COP10) in Nagoya, Japan, 2010, of theNagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair andEquitable Sharing of the Benefits Arising from their Utilization(Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing – ABS)after six years of complicated negotiations;

WELCOMING AS WELL the adoption at COP10 ofthe Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the AichiTargets;

NOTING that the Nagoya Protocol on ABS creates aninternational legal framework which provides for con-crete measures, rules and procedures to implement theCBD’s third objective and is intended to provide benefits(monetary and/or non-monetary) to a Party providinggenetic resources (that is the country of origin of suchresources or a Party that has acquired the genetic re-sources in accordance with the CBD) from Parties utiliz-ing the genetic resources;

ALSO NOTING that by promoting the use of genetic re-sources and associated traditional knowledge and strength-ening the opportunities for fair and equitable sharing ofbenefits from the use of these resources, the Nagoya Pro-tocol on ABS creates incentives to conserve and sustain-ably use biodiversity and further contribute to sustainabledevelopment, human well-being and poverty alleviation;

RECOGNIZING that the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity2011–2020 represents a comprehensive and flexibleglobal framework aiming at halting biodiversity loss andNOTING that Aichi Target 16 calls for the Nagoya Pro-tocol on ABS to be in force and operational, consistentwith national legislation, by 2015;

RECALLING IUCN’s continuous support to the imple-mentation of the Convention on Biological Diversity andthe advancement of its three objectives;

NOTING in particular the work carried out by IUCN’sEnvironmental Law Centre in the development of nu-merous studies providing technical guidance related tothe legal aspects of access and benefit sharing; and

NOTING AS WELL the development of an IUCN Ex-planatory Guide to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and BenefitSharing, to be launched at CBD COP11 (Hyderabad,India, 2012) that provides legal and policy guidance onthe provisions of this complex instrument, thus further-ing its understanding and ultimately its implementationat the national level;


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1. WELCOMES the adoption of the Nagoya Protocol onAccess to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Shar-ing of the Benefits Arising from their Utilization to theConvention on Biological Diversity as a major stepforward in the implementation of the Convention ingeneral and its third objective in particular;

2. CALLS ON Parties to the CBD to ratify the NagoyaProtocol on ABS in order to provide for its entry intoforce at the earliest opportunity;

3. ENCOURAGES Parties as appropriate to take meas-ures to ensure that prior informed consent, or ap-proval and involvement, is obtained from indigenousand local communities who have an established rightto grant access to these resources, if necessary throughamendments to national ABS laws and regulations;

4. CALLS ON Parties to take measures to ensure thatbenefits arising from the utilization of genetic re-sources held by indigenous and local communitiesare shared in a fair and equitable way with the com-munities concerned based on mutually agreed terms;

5. REQUESTS the Director General, through theIUCN Environmental Law Programme and theGlobal Policy Unit, and in close collaboration withIUCN Members and the six expert Commissions, inparticular the IUCN World Commission on Environ-mental Law (WCEL) and the IUCN Commission onEnvironmental, Economic and Social Policy(CEESP), to provide the necessary technical assistanceto Parties and other stakeholders as appropriate, forthe development of ABS laws, regulations and policiesas a vital part of national ratification processes;

6. REQUESTS the Director General, in collaborationwith IUCN Members and the six expert Commis-sions, to further support national ratificationprocesses and the operationalization of the NagoyaProtocol on ABS by promoting awareness raising andcapacity development initiatives directed at govern-ment officials, National Focal Points, Competent Na-tional Authorities, relevant stakeholders, includingnon-governmental organizations, indigenous andlocal communities, scientific and research organiza-tions, and the private sector, among others, and in-cluding women; and

7. REQUESTS the Director General to encourageIUCN Thematic and Regional Programmes as wellas Commissions to incorporate, as appropriate,within the results and activities planned in the frame-work of the IUCN Programme 2013–2016, actionsthat support the implementation of the Nagoya Pro-tocol on ABS.


WCC-2012-Res-117-ENOperationalization of theIntergovernmental science-policyPlatform on Biodiversity andEcosystem Services (IPBES)

RECOGNIZING the need to enhance efficient science-policy interface on biodiversity and ecosystem servicesfor human well-being and poverty eradication;

WELCOMING the establishment of the Intergovern-mental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity andEcosystem Services (IPBES) in Panama City, Panama on21 April 2012 and other outcomes of that plenary meet-ing to determine modalities and institutional arrange-ments for this Platform;

RECALLING that the Platform’s objective is tostrengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversityand ecosystem services for the conservation and sustain-able use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being andsustainable development;

MINDFUL of regional needs such as availability of doc-umented scientific information, training and capacity de-velopment; and

RECOGNIZING the scientific independence of IPBES,and realizing the role to be played by various institutions,centres of excellence, independent researchers, scientistsand governmental and non-governmental organizations;

The World Conse r vat ion Congr e ss, a t it s Ses sion inJeju , Republi c of Kor ea, 6–15 September 2012:

1. ENCOURAGES IUCN State Members to supportthe functions of IPBES of knowledge generation,assessments, policy support and capacity building by


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taking urgent action to ensure that the key steps forthe operationalization of an effective and efficiententity are undertaken;

2. Urges governments and REQUESTS the DirectorGeneral and other relevant organizations, to collab-orate in their efforts to ensure relevant and appro-priate capacity building and technology transfer foreffective participation of developing countries, SmallIsland Developing States and countries witheconomies in transition; and

3. CALLS on IUCN Members and governments, toprovide resources to support the implementation ofthe capacity building component of the IPBES workprogramme, considering that capacity building is acritical priority for the implementation of the IPBESwork programme in many developing countries.

WCC-2012-Res-118-ENA significant role for IUCN in theIntergovernmental science-policyPlatform on Biodiversity andEcosystem Services (IPBES)

APPRECIATING that IUCN has long been a leader ingenerating knowledge about biodiversity and ecosystemservices, has contributed to virtually all of the relevantglobal environmental assessments, including the Millen-nium Ecosystem Assessment and its follow-up, has designed,alone or in collaboration with other organizations, nu-merous knowledge products to support policy develop-ment and implementation, including the IUCN Red Listof Threatened Species, the World Database on ProtectedAreas, the Global Invasive Species Database, and theECOLEX database, and has significantly contributed tobuilding capacity for enhancing the science-policy inter-face on biodiversity and conservation related issues;

RECOGNIZING that IUCN works closely with a num-ber of international organizations including United Na-tions (UN) agencies or programmes such as the UnitedNations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP), the UnitedNations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO), scientific networks such as the InternationalCouncil for Science (ICSU) and its current programmes,and with the full range of Multilateral Environmental

Agreements and their scientific subsidiary bodies includ-ing the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), theConvention concerning the Protection of the World Cul-tural and Natural Heritage, the Convention on Interna-tional Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna andFlora (CITES), the Convention on Migratory Species(CMS) and the Convention on Wetlands of InternationalImportance (Ramsar Convention on Wetlands);

RECOGNIZING that IUCN is a science-policy interfaceorganization that has been actively participating in dis-cussions on the establishment of IPBES for several yearsand has devoted resources to help this establishment;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that IUCN brings amulti-stakeholder perspective to IPBES through its con-stituent Members, Commissions, National and RegionalCommittees, Secretariat and its considerable capacity toadvance multidisciplinary work from the scientific andpolicy communities to advance thinking on biodiversityand ecosystem services;

ALSO RECOGNIZING that IUCN functions as a neu-tral convenor for governments, government agencies,non-governmental organizations, scientists and scientificbodies and other civil organizations; and

RECOGNIZING the benefits and effectiveness ofbuilding IPBES’s structure, programme and work planon existing initiatives and on effective involvement ofIUCN;


1. WELCOMES the establishment of IPBES as an au-thoritative mechanism to foster science-policy inter-face on biodiversity and ecosystem services andEXPRESSES APPRECIATION to those involvedin its establishment including the many governmentswho have participated, as well as to UNEP, UN-ESCO, FAO and UNDP who are working togetherto provide support to the future Secretariat of IPBESand to the non-governmental organizations whohave contributed to the process of establishment ofIPBES;

2. AFFIRMS the interest of IUCN to play a significantrole in IPBES based on its major assets; and RE-QUESTS the Director General to pursue this rolewith the governments and UN agencies involved


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with IPBES, including support to the governancestructures, particularly subsidiary bodies such as theMultidisciplinary Expert Panel, regional structures,working groups and external review groups, andprovision and management of scientific data andknowledge;

3. EMPHASIZES the necessity for IPBES to build onexisting initiatives and ongoing work, including thoseconducted by IUCN and other organizations, partic-ularly related to assessments of status and trends ofspecies, protected areas, ecosystem management rel-evant for water and food security, climate change mit-igation and adaptation, disaster risk reduction, andnatural resource governance;

4. NOTES the scientific expertise of IUCN’s Com-missions and involvement of its government andnon-governmental Members dedicated to biodiver-sity which IUCN can contribute to the future workprogramme of IPBES;

5. URGES IPBES members to provide the platformwith a strong set of operational modalities includingan ambitious and robust work programme for thefirst years of its implementation, supported by ade-quate funding, and to ensure that it responds to theneeds expressed not only by governments but alsoby civil society, including the scientific community,conservation NGOs and the business sector;

6. ENCOURAGES IUCN Members, Councillors,IUCN National and Regional Committees, IUCNCommissions and the Secretariat to engage actively inIPBES as providers of knowledge and expertise andpotential beneficiaries of its outputs; this involve-ment could take the form of, inter alia, nominatingexperts, proactively proposing tools and methodolo-gies, offering data and knowledge, developing capac-ities of policy makers for the best use of IPBESknowledge and services, and disseminating and com-municating IPBES activities and outputs; and

7. REQUESTS the Director General to make use ofthe IUCN Programme 2013–2016 as the opportunityto establish early cooperation between the Secre-tariat, IUCN Members, Commissions, National andRegional Committees, and IPBES in areas wheretheir respective programmes of work support eachother, and to report to the next World ConservationCongress.

WCC-2012-Res-119-ENCollaborative Partnership on Wildlife

AWARE of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s(CBD) Addis Ababa Principles and Guidelines for the Sustain-able Use of Biodiversity as a framework for assisting gov-ernments, indigenous and local communities, officials,resource managers, the private sector and other stake-holders to ensure that their use of and decisions on bio-logical diversity will not lead to its long-term decline;

RECALLING that the mission of IUCN is “to ensurethat any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologi-cally sustainable”;

NOTING the CBD Executive Secretary’s Notificationof 19 January 2012 on Soliciting expressions of interest for par-ticipating in a collaborative partnership on sustainable wildlife man-agement to “explore options for the development of acollaborative partnership on sustainable wildlife manage-ment to enhance cooperation and coordination for im-plementation of the recommendations of the LiaisonGroup on Bushmeat” and document UNEP/CBD/COP/11/29 on Options for the development of a collaborativepartnership on sustainable wildlife management made availableby the CBD Secretariat for the attention of Parties at the11th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CBDCOP11);

EXPRESSING CONCERN that the programmes of in-ternational organizations, conventions and other stake-holders in the wildlife sector frequently face scarceresources, often covering individual issues in isolation andsuffering from a lack of coordination, all of which resultin poor public visibility and under-utilized knowledge andexpertise in many fora; and

RECOGNIZING a variety of wildlife management-re-lated issues to be addressed, such as species conserva-tion, wildlife welfare, food security, animal and humanhealth, climate change, knowledge management, and thenon-existence of an appropriate global platform to co-ordinate these issues;

The World Conser va t ion Congr es s, at i t s se ss ion inJeju , Republi c of Kor ea, 6-15 September 2012:

1. SUPPORTS the initiative of establishing a voluntaryCollaborative Partnership on Sustainable WildlifeManagement (CPSWM), initially among MultilateralEnvironmental Agreements, intergovernmental andnon-governmental organizations with demonstrated


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contributions to the sustainable management ofwildlife, which incorporates conservation, health andlivelihood dimensions and with a Programme ofWork initially focused on the enhancement of coop-eration and coordination for implementation of theRecommendations of the Liaison Group on Bush-meat as proposed to CBD COP11;

2. REQUESTS the Director General to support the es-tablishment of such a global voluntary partnership, inclose collaboration with relevant Members, in partic-ular the Sustainable Use and Livelihoods SpecialistGroup (SULi) and TRAFFIC, and to participate inits activities when established;

3. ENCOURAGES the partners to share their profes-sional knowledge and expertise, to utilize their net-works, and as a consequence to assist in theimplementation of wildlife-related conventions andgenerate added value and an integrated approach tothe solution of existing and arising problems relatedto wildlife; and

4. FURTHER ENCOURAGES Parties to the CBD tosupport at COP11 paragraphs 25. (a) to (g) of sectionIII. Proposed Way Forward in the above-referenced doc-ument UNEP/CBD/COP/11/29.

WCC-2012-Res-120-ENBiodiversity conservation fordevelopment in the South throughSouth-South cooperation

ACKNOWLEDGING that biodiversity is critical foreconomic and social development as well as poverty re-duction and that the loss of biodiversity undermines sus-tainable growth of developing countries;

NOTING that the South hosts the majority of the Earth’sbiodiversity while facing significant sustainable develop-ment challenges and an urgent need for increased invest-ment and new interventions to conserve biodiversity;

ALSO NOTING that an integral vision for South-Southcooperation on biodiversity conservation for develop-ment is urgently necessary;

RECALLING Decision 25 of the 10th meeting of theConference of the Parties (COP10) of the Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD), encouraging developing

country Parties to engage in South-South cooperationon the issue of biodiversity, complemented and sup-ported by North-South cooperation, and to incorporatebiodiversity concerns in regional and sub-regional co-operation agreements and associated activities, and en-courage Parties to establish, as appropriate, multi-stakeholder collaborative partnerships among Parties toaddress biodiversity concerns at regional, sub-regional,national and sub-national levels;

WELCOMING CBD Decision X/23 encouraging Par-ties, including governments, regional and internationalorganizations to further contribute to the developmentof an Action Plan for South-South Cooperation on Bio-diversity for Development and establishment of multi-stakeholder collaborative partnerships;

RECOGNIZING the support of the G-77 and China inpreparing a Multi-Year Plan of Action for South-South Cooper-ation on Biodiversity for Development, and the support of theRepublic of Korea, through its National Institute of Bi-ological Resources, to host an expert meeting, May 18–20, 2011, to further discuss the modalities of South-Southand triangular cooperation and the roadmap towards thepossible adoption of a Plan at CBD COP11; and

CONSIDERING that South-South cooperation is nec-essary for the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Bio-diversity 2011–2020 and that countries in the South needto enhance South-South and triangular cooperation withappropriate solutions intended for developing countries’economic development as a complementary approach totraditional North-South cooperation;


1. CALLS on all developing nations to recognize theimportance of strengthening policies linking coop-eration with national development and planningprocesses by enhancing and expanding their mecha-nisms to share experience, information and tech-nologies and mobilize resources among themselves;

2. REQUESTS developed nations in the North to en-hance investment on transfer of technology and ca-pacity building in developing nations in the South;

3. URGES all stakeholders to implement CBD Deci-sion X/23 Multi-Year Plan of Action for South-South Co-operation on Biodiversity for Development in the context ofnationally determined priorities, capacities and needs;


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4. CALLS on the scientific community to step up re-search on effective approaches to biodiversity con-servation and to make their findings more accessibleto policy makers and the general public particularly inthe developing world;

5. ENCOURAGES bilateral and multilateral agenciesto strengthen their support for biodiversity conser-vation through their respective policies and opera-tional programmes; and

6. REQUESTS the Director General of IUCN tostrategically commit to:

a. initiating the formation of an Expert Group todevelop innovative modalities on how IUCN canbe mobilized to support the implementation ofthe Multi-Year Plan of Action for South-South Coop-eration on Biodiversity Conservation for Development asa priority action to realize the Strategic Plan for Bio-diversity 2011–2020 and the Aichi Targets;

b. supporting the establishment of the South-Southcooperation network/platform to engage IUCNMembers and other stakeholders in facilitatingmulti-stakeholder collaborative partnerships, inexchanging knowledge on culturally and ecolog-ically appropriate technologies and positioningIUCN as the knowledge clearing house to fosterfurther cooperation within its constituency;

c. initiating the formation of an expert team to for-mulate and develop methodologies to evaluate,measure and report on the benefit and value ofSouth-South cooperation in biodiversity conser-vation taking into account economic, social andcultural aspects in furtherance of regional, sub-regional and inter-regional South-South cooper-ation and collaboration;

d. facilitating raising of funds through different in-ternational funding mechanisms and in triangularcooperation with Members from developedcountries to support effective programmes onSouth-South cooperation and improve on-ground activities; and

e. supporting the efforts of other parties in imple-menting South-South cooperation on biodiver-sity conservation for development.


WCC-2012-Res-121-ENPromoting external internationalresponsibility with regard to impacts onglobal biodiversity

OBSERVING that the internationalization of the econ-omy is common in many countries and regions of theworld, and that national and regional government policieshave increasing social, economic and environmental im-pacts on countries beyond their own geographical borders;

RECOGNIZING that although the calculation of theecological footprint has been a strategy of great value interms of communication, it has rarely helped reduce acountry’s impact on global biodiversity;

BEARING IN MIND the conclusions of recent stud-ies, for example The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity(TEEB), which propose an economic approach to thevalue of the natural heritage taking into account the costsand benefits of its degradation or conservation;

ASSUMING that the economic and social policies inmost countries and regions, especially those with a highlevel of consumption of resources and energy, affect thecondition of ecosystems and environmental services inthe countries from which goods and energy are imported,but also have an impact on their ability to recover;

NOTING that these socio-economic policies rarely takeinto consideration the status of these goods and re-sources, whether they are being well managed or erodedby their countries of origin, or the fact that they are oftenlocated in biodiversity hotspots;

TAKING ACCOUNT OF the experience gainedthrough the study La responsabilitat exterior de Catalunya enla pèrdua de biodiversitat global (“Catalonia’s external re-sponsibility for the loss of global biodiversity”) (2010),and the major study carried out by the Inter-Depart-mental Ministerial Group on Biodiversity (IDMGB) onthe United Kingdom’s impact on international biodiver-sity (2008); and

SUMMING UP the contents of:

a. the Thematic Programme of the Convention on Bi-ological Diversity (CBD) devoted to Economics,Trade and Incentive Measures;


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b. the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, specifically Target 3:“…incentives, including subsidies, harmful to biodi-versity are eliminated, phased out or reformed inorder to minimize or avoid negative impacts, and pos-itive incentives for the conservation and sustainableuse of biodiversity are developed and applied…”;

c. the European Union Biodiversity Strategy up to2020, which includes the goal of stepping up its con-tribution to averting global biodiversity loss; and

d. the Earth Charter and principles of ecological respon-sibility, global interdependence and social well-being;


1. REQUESTS the IUCN Commission on Environ-mental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP) to de-velop criteria and guidelines, including reference torelevant existing criteria, to calculate the impact ofgovernment policies in countries and regions on thebiodiversity and incentives for conservation of thecountries and regions that provide them with goods,energy resources and materials;

2. CALLS on States and sub-national governments, witha view to minimizing the negative impact and maxi-mize the positive impact on global biodiversity, tak-ing into account existing international obligations toconsider environmental and social responsibility cri-teria in existing public policies or when developingpublic policies, and more specifically in: the importof goods and resources, the export of waste, bio-prospecting, the international trade in species, the in-ternationalization of the economy, investment in thirdcountries and the design of cooperation programmes;

3. CALLS on States and sub-national governmentscommitted to implementing the CBD and the AichiBiodiversity Targets, to adopt, as appropriate, theperspective of international environmental responsi-bility when achieving their goals and in the develop-ment of biodiversity conservation and sustainabilitystrategies and policies; and

4. URGES the Director General to highlight, in theIUCN Programme 2013–2016 and within the Pro-gramme Area Effective and equitable governance of nature’suse the need to adopt the perspective of countries’international responsibility as set out in internationalenvironmental agreements and international law interms of the loss of global biodiversity.


WCC-2012-Res-122-ENPromotion of Innovative FinancialMechanisms (IFM) for biodiversity –World Conservation Congress (IUCN)

RECALLING that financing sustainable development,either by means of implementation or funding strategies,was one of the major issues of the United Nations Con-ference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) which washeld from 20 to 22 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)and which concluded with a statement entitled The FutureWe Want (the Rio Declaration);

WELCOMING the outcomes of the Rio Conferenceand steps to advance the issue at the international level,in particular, through the establishment of an intergov-ernmental process “to assess financing needs, to con-sider the effectiveness, consistency and synergies ofexisting instruments and frameworks and evaluate addi-tional initiatives, with a view to preparing a report pro-posing options on an effective sustainable developmentfinancing strategy to facilitate the mobilization of re-sources and their effective use in achieving sustainabledevelopment objectives” (paragraphs 255 and 256 of theRio Declaration);

RECALLING paragraph 267 of the Rio Declarationwhich recognizes that innovative financing can make apositive contribution to raising additional resources fordevelopment, and calling for a scaling-up of presentinitiatives;

RECALLING paragraph 200 of the Rio Declaration basedon the commitment taken within the Convention on Bi-ological Diversity (CBD), to substantially increasing re-sources from all sources in support of biodiversity;

RECALLING the work of the Leading Group on Inno-vative Financing for Development, the Permanent Sec-retariat of which is hosted by France, which definesInnovative Financial Mechanisms (IFM) as stable andpredictable sources of funding, complementary to Offi-cial Development Assistance (ODA) and based on newpartnerships between countries of different levels of de-velopment as well as on public-private partnerships;


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RECALLING initiatives taken by the Leading Group forthe promotion of options on IFM, including a tax on in-ternational financial transactions, proceeds of whichcould be used to finance sustainable development, in-cluding biodiversity;

WELCOMING the side event organized by the LeadingGroup in the margins of Rio+20, which gathered manyhigh-level government officials and organizations in sup-port of innovative financing towards sustainable devel-opment, and its environmental pillar;

RECALLING objective 20 of the Strategic Plan for Biodi-versity 2011–2020 adopted at the 10th Meeting of the Con-ference of the Parties (COP10) to the CBD, which states“By 2020, at the latest, the mobilization of financial re-sources for effectively implementing the Strategic Plan forBiodiversity 2011–2020 from all sources, and in accordancewith the consolidated and agreed process in the Strategyfor Resource Mobilization, should increase substantiallyfrom the current levels. This target will be subject tochanges contingent to resource needs assessments to bedeveloped and reported by Parties”;

NOTING the IUCN Programme 2013–2016, which em-phasizes the need for greater integration of biodiversityvalues in the economy to mobilize new and additional fi-nancial sources for conservation, in particular point 7 ofAnnex 1 Solutions Based on Nature, highlighting the poten-tial to harness both public and private sources of fund-ing for the conservation of biodiversity; and

RECALLING the objectives of Decision X/6 adoptedat the CBD COP10, on the integration of biodiversityinto related poverty eradication plans and strategies anddevelopment processes;


1. CALLS ON IUCN Members and experts, in partic-ular through the National Committees:

a. in line with the outcomes of the Rio+20 Con-ference and ongoing discussions within the CBD,to contribute to reflections on innovative financ-ing options, as complementary fundraising toolsfor the effective implementation of the StrategicPlan for Biodiversity 2011–2020; and

b. to enhance the identification of best practicescomplementing the work carried out within the

CBD, including the Quito Seminar on Scaling upBiodiversity Finance (6–9 March 2012) and theMontreal CBD Workshop on Financing Mecha-nisms for Biodiversity: Examining Opportunitiesand Challenges (12 May 2012); and

2. REQUESTS the Director General:

a. in light of the outcomes of Rio+20, to activelypromote collaboration between the IUCN Sec-retariat and the Permanent Secretariat of theLeading Group on Innovative Financing for De-velopment in order to enhance synergies betweenthe two Secretariats, and foster a shared approachon innovative financing of the environmental pil-lar of sustainable development;

b. to consider joining the Leading Group, which,with the support and expertise of IUCN, couldstart a joint work programme in 2013 and estab-lish a joint taskforce on IFM; and

c. in line with the ongoing discussions under theCBD, and in collaboration with the CBD Secre-tariat, to follow up the work of the Quito andMontreal Seminars: identification of best prac-tices, development of potential safeguards andsupport to the work of the CBD in defining thescope of IFM.


WCC-2012-Res-123-ENAdvocating Private, Public, CommunityPartnerships (PPCPs) for sustainabledevelopment

RECALLING Resolutions 19.1 The Strategy of IUCN –The World Conservation Union and 19.23 The Importance ofCommunity-based Approaches adopted by the 19th IUCNGeneral Assembly (Buenos Aires, 1994);

NOTING that the building of partnerships is one of thegreat strengths of IUCN;

RECOGNIZING that the effective management of re-sources involves measures that acknowledge the rightsand aspirations of different cultures and the conditions


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of different environments and are specific to each ofthem;

UNDERSTANDING that many individuals and institu-tions have a stake in how natural resources are managedand need to be involved in decisions affecting such man-agement and that the concerns of those who depend onusing natural resources in traditional ways necessary formeeting their basic needs should have special weight indecisions affecting them;

RECALLING Resolution 3.061 IUCN’s interaction with theprivate sector adopted by the 3rd IUCN World Conserva-tion Congress (Bangkok, 2004); and

NOTING that the private sector can play a major role inachieving sustainable development, promoting biodiver-sity conservation and contributing to the Millennium De-velopment Goals (MDGs);


REQUESTS the Director General, in consultation withIUCN Commissions and Members to:

a. consider new and inclusive approaches that includelocal communities so as to achieve sustainable devel-opment when implementing the IUCN Programme2013–2016;

b. consider Private, Public, Community Partnerships(PPCPs) in any current and future developments soas to achieve the MDGs and sustainable develop-ment; and

c. consider capacity building as a major component ofthe innovative PPCP approach since communitypartnerships are critical.

WCC-2012-Res-124-ENEstablishment of an InternationalCommons Standard for conservationand governance of Commons

UNDERSTANDING that nature’s benefits bestowed onhumankind extend over ecosystem services like land-scapes, water, air and biodiversity, and are not restrictedto supporting the production of food, clothing, housingand materials;

AWARE that nature’s benefits should be fairly and equi-tably distributed to all, including present and future gen-erations who should use the natural resources in such away as to ensure sustainability and contribute to reducingthe impact of climate change;

CONCERNED that economic policies on industrializa-tion and modernization based on market economy prin-ciples have impacted heavily on Commons thus decreasingnature’s benefits bestowed upon low-income groups;

NOTING that socially alienated groups are often hin-dered from achieving environment-friendly economicdevelopment;

RECOGNIZING that a community-based economy de-veloped in harmony with the market economy system,requires communal lands including village pastures, wa-terfronts, coastal areas and communal forests managedon the basis of trust, respect and understanding;

AWARE that regulation by government, developed tocontrol the market-based economy, should be improved;that the ambiguous concept of Commons should bemore concretely defined, that trust for the acquisition ofCommons should be enhanced, and that the community-based economy should be revitalized;

MINDFUL that there is a need to help developing coun-tries, civil society organizations (CSOs) and indigenouspeoples to enhance their country’s social capital in theareas of trust, cooperation, networking, customary lawand traditional knowledge, as well as to utilize the com-munity’s common properties so as to achieve environ-ment-friendly economic development;

RECOGNIZING that the fair and equitable sharing ofnature’s benefits is a fundamental right of humankindwith a corresponding governance responsibility;

SUPPORTING indigenous peoples and local communi-ties in their consideration of future generations, in theircommitments to retain their customary and traditional au-thority and rights over communally owned Commons; and

NOTING that every government, standing proxy for thePublic Trust, supports restoration of collapsed and frag-mented local communities resulting from economic de-velopment and adopts flexible laws that allow indigenouspeoples and local communities to achieve sustainabledevelopment;


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1. REQUESTS the Director General to develop an In-ternational Commons Standard (ICS) for establish-ing criteria and categories of Commons, which differamong countries, for the purpose of enhancingproperty rights and ensuring stability of Commons;and

2. URGES international organizations, civil society or-ganizations, indigenous peoples and local communi-ties working with governments to conserveCommons and to build a harmonious social networkto promote trust, respect and understanding amongstakeholders, and to fulfil their role of monitoringrights violations related to Commons.


WCC-2012-Res-125-ENPromotion of the Asia-PacificBiodiversity Observation Network (AP-BON)

ACKNOWLEDGING that biodiversity is very impor-tant for economic, social and sustainable development aswell as poverty alleviation in developing countries;

NOTING that the degradation of nature and its struc-ture and function ultimately affects the lives of futuregenerations;

RECALLING Decision X/7 of the Convention on Bi-ological Diversity (CBD) at the 10th Meeting of the Con-ference of the Parties (COP10), which invited the Groupon Earth Observation Biodiversity Observation Network(GEO BON), working through organizations including,inter alia, the United Nations Environment ProgrammeWorld Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC)and IUCN, to publish an information document entitledAdequacy of Biodiversity Observation Systems to support the 2020Aichi Targets for evaluating existing observation capabili-ties relevant to the targets contained in the Strategic Planfor Biodiversity 2011–2020;

ACKNOWLEDGING that observation and monitoringof the status of nature in biodiversity and ecosystemservices are among the key tools in designing and imple-menting successful interventions toward conservation of

nature and sustainable use of natural resources in forests,grasslands, wetlands, agricultural lands, human dominatedurban areas, coastal areas and oceans, deserts, alpine tun-dra, etc., at local, national, regional and global scale;

ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING that integration of cur-rent activities on biodiversity observation in the Asia-Pa-cific region is one of the key activities in Valuing andconserving nature, which is one of the three ProgrammeAreas of the IUCN Programme 2013–2016;

UNDERSTANDING that GEO BON was establishedunder the Global Earth Observation System of Systems(GEOSS) with a view to developing a worldwide biodi-versity observation network to collect, manage, share andanalyze the data and information on the status and trendsof the world’s biodiversity, and enabling decision makingin support of the conservation and improved manage-ment of natural resources and that Asia-Pacific Biodi-versity Observation Network (AP-BON) was establishedas the regional network for biodiversity observation inthe Asia-Pacific region with a similar mandate;

ACKNOWLEDGING the generous support from theMinistry of the Environment, Japan, for the AP-BONsince 2009 and the kind sponsorship of the Ministry ofEnvironment, Republic of Korea, in the proposal of thismotion for the promotion of AP-BON;

UNDERSTANDING that this regional BON is beingintegrated from the national level BON activities in-cluding such countries as Japan (J-BON), the Republicof Korea (K-BON), Nepal (N-BON) and Bangladesh(B-BON), and that establishments of similar BON ac-tivities are being encouraged in other countries in theAsia-Pacific region;

EMPHASIZING that the networking activities of bio-diversity observation will bring synergy in conservationof biological diversity at local, national, regional andglobal levels; and

FURTHER RECALLING that some gaps remainingamong biodiversity observation networks could be bridgedutilizing the frameworks of IUCN and the capacities ofits Member networks in the Asia-Pacific region;

The World Conser va t ion Congr es s, at i t s se ss ion inJeju , Republi c of Kor ea, 6 –15 September 2012:

1. URGES State and government agency Members ofIUCN in the Asia-Pacific region to:


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a. support currently existing biodiversity observa-tion network activities to be fully functional intheir States;

b. encourage their activities to be linked with re-gional and global network activities through theAP-BON; and

c. encourage the establishment of a biodiversity ob-servation network in those countries where onedoes not exist;

2. ENCOURAGES the non-governmental organiza-tion Members of IUCN in the Asia-Pacific region to:

a. actively participate in the activities of the existingbiodiversity observation networks;

b. work with other relevant stakeholders to create abiodiversity observation network in those Stateswhere one does not exist; and

c. try to link their activities with regional and globalbiodiversity observation network activitiesthough the AP-BON;

3. ENCOURAGES governments in all countries in theAsia-Pacific Region to extend support to the biodi-versity observation networks in their countries by:

a. establishing its governance structure;

b. constructing network infrastructure to bring to-gether the existing observation networks;

c. supporting research and monitoring activities;and

d. promoting outreach, education and capacitybuilding activities;


a. encourage IUCN Members and Commissions toplay a key role in facilitating the establishmentand functioning of the biodiversity observationnetworks in the region as well as globally; and

b. promote capacity building within the network sothat the network can generate valuable informa-tion on the status of species and ecosystems; and

5. INVITES the Director General and IUCN Com-missions to utilize information generated by the

AP-BON in the process of listing of threatened andendangered species and the sustainable managementof ecosystems and protected areas, as relevant.


WCC-2012-Res-126-ENThe development of an Evaluation andCertification System for WorldEnvironmental Hubs

RECOGNIZING the importance of the role of localgovernment in achieving IUCN’s vision and goal asadopted in Resolution 2.5 Regionalization of IUCN – TheWorld Conservation Union by the 2nd IUCN World Conser-vation Congress (Amman, 2000), Resolution 3.003 En-gagement by IUCN with local and regional government authoritiesadopted by the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress(Bangkok, 2004), Resolutions 4.003 Strengthening IUCN’sNational and Regional Committees, 4.004 Strengthening IUCN’sinstitutional presence in South America, and 4.008 Including localand regional governmental authorities in the structure of the Unionadopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008);

FURTHER RECOGNIZING the need to extend op-portunities for strengthening the conservation of natureby incorporating urban components, as adopted in Res-olution 3.063 Cities and conservation by the 3rd IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004) and Resolution4.094 Impetus and support for local and regional biodiversity con-servation policies by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Con-gress (Barcelona, 2008) and the Memorandum ofUnderstanding between IUCN and Local Governmentsfor Sustainability (ICLEI) signed in 2007;

CONCERNED that even though a wide range of activ-ities by local governments over the world has resulted inmodel cases at regional level rather than at national level,numerous cases of environmental deterioration occur asa result of indiscriminate urban expansion undertaken bylocal governments;

RECALLING that IUCN’s vision and goal can beachieved by promoting environmental policies at locallevel as an integrated framework for development cover-ing environment, economy and society;


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RECALLING that local authorities are in an unique po-sition to promote sustainable development, in particularin the management of natural resources, sustainable pro-duction and consumption processes, including throughtheir purchasing policies, and that sustainable public pro-curement as a concept is gaining ground in various partsof the world;

NOTING that the organizational activities of local gov-ernments, such as the C40 Cities Climate LeadershipGroup and ICLEI, for the conservation of the world’senvironment would be enhanced through the develop-ment of an Evaluation and Certification System recog-nizing World Environmental Hubs at local level inharmony with the vision and goals of IUCN;

CONVINCED that the promotion of such an endeav-our will guide future socioeconomic development to-wards ecologically and environmentally sustainableecosystems and habitats;

ALSO CONVINCED that the effort to set up WorldEnvironmental Hubs can be implemented on the basisof inputs from IUCN Members, Commissions and Sec-retariat as adopted by the 4th IUCN World Conserva-tion Congress (Barcelona, 2008) in Resolution 4.001Strengthening the links between IUCN Members, Commissionsand Secretariat;

FURTHER CONVINCED that this project would en-able the Commissions to implement various relevant pro-grammes as adopted in Resolution 4.002 Coordination ofthe IUCN Programme by the 4th IUCN World Conserva-tion Congress (Barcelona, 2008) to build capacity toachieve sustainable development, and the ability to solveproblems related to globalization as adopted by the 3rd

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004) inResolution 3.083 Improving capacity to achieve sustainable de-velopment and address the consequences of globalization, and toestablish regional institutions and improve their capacitybuilding ability as adopted by the 4th IUCN World Con-servation Congress (Barcelona, 2008) in Resolution 4.004Strengthening IUCN’s institutional presence in South America;and

RECOGNIZING that Jeju, the host venue of the 2012World Conservation Congress, is an ideal location forlaunching this endeavour since several steps have alreadybeen taken towards setting up an environmentally sus-tainable habitat, such as:

a. three UNESCO-designated sites: Biosphere Reserve,Natural World Heritage site, and Global Geopark;

b. four Ramsar Sites;

c. the 2011 selection of Jeju as one of the New SevenWonders of Nature, demonstrating that Jeju is a placewhere human beings and nature co-exist in harmony;

d. the designation of Jeju by the Republic of Korea’sGovernment as a model for climate change and en-vironmental education, and for being carbon neutral;and

e. the development of The Comprehensive Programme forPromoting World Environmental Hub in 2010, imple-mented since 2011;


1. REQUESTS the Director General, with assistancefrom organizations with expertise in developing cer-tification systems, such as the International StandardsOrganization (ISO), and with support from IUCNMembers, Commissions and the Secretariat, to workon the development and implementation of an eval-uation and certification system for World Environ-mental Hubs;

2. FURTHER REQUESTS the Director General to con-vene a Working Group on World Environmental Hubscomposed of IUCN Members, relevant Commissionmembers and other constituents such as national andlocal government organizations/representatives; and

3. URGES the Director General to host the first meet-ing of the Working Group in Jeju at the earliest op-portunity and within available resources, togetherwith the Government of the Republic of Korea andthe Government of Jeju Special Self-GoverningProvince in order to prepare a concrete long-termroadmap and practical programmes for the Evalua-tion and Certification System for the establishmentof World Environmental Hubs.


WCC-2012-Res-127-ENIslamic principles for conservation

EXPRESSING gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Ara-bia and the IUCN World Commission on Environmental


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Law (WCEL) for encouraging and supporting the firstand second editions of the Islamic Principles for Conserva-tion of the Natural Environment;

WHEREAS these Islamic Principles were drafted by emi-nent scholars and serve as an important source of mate-rial for connecting Islam with environmental conservationand sustainable development;

CONSIDERING that the 185,000 copies of the first andsecond editions were published and distributed widelywith the gracious assistance of the Kingdom of SaudiArabia;

NOTING that there have been numerous requests toproduce a third revised edition taking into account theagreed international principles on the conservation ofthe environment and sustainable development since pro-duction of the second edition; and

APPRECIATIVE to the President-General of the Pres-idency of Meteorology and Environmental Protection ofthe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for engaging in discussionsto call a meeting to produce an amended and improvededition to ensure that the Islamic Principles are up to speedwith contemporary developments;

The World Conse r vat ion Congr e ss, a t i ts s es sion inJe ju, Republi c o f Kor ea , 6 –15 September 2012:

1. CALLS UPON IUCN to cooperate with the relevantpartners in the drafting and publication of a thirdedition of the Islamic Principles; and

2. REQUESTS knowledgeable experts from IUCNMembers and Commissions to present their com-ments and proposed amendments to the text of thesecond edition to the Chair of WCEL.


WCC-2012-Res-128-ENNeed for non-regression inenvironmental law and policy

ALARMED that the human ecological footprint exceedsglobal biocapacity and that the planetary boundaries ofkey processes in the Earth are being exceeded;

MINDFUL of the multiple threats that weigh on envi-ronmental policies and regulations, at international, re-gional, national and local levels, and that may lead,explicitly or by stealth, to diminished levels of protectionof biodiversity and increased risks of pollution;

NOTING however that all current international envi-ronmental conventions, whether universal or regional,and most national environmental legislation, provide thatStates commit themselves to the continuous improve-ment of the environment and of the well-being of citi-zens along with social progress and poverty eradication;

OBSERVING therefore an international consensus onthe need for legal measures to attain a high level of envi-ronmental protection and improvement in environmen-tal quality;

CONVINCED that the principle of constant advance-ment of protected rights, and the non-regression of fun-damental rights, must apply to the human right to ahealthy environment;

CONSIDERING that human society has a collective re-sponsibility not to harm the rights of future generationsto life, dignity, health and sound environment, which in-cludes a responsibility not to backslide on existing levelsof environmental protection in policy and law;

RECOGNIZING that non-regression is a prerequisitefor effectiveness of all sustainable development policies,laws and regulations;

CONVINCED of the need for measures to prevent allbacksliding or regression on the level of environmentalprotection attained by each State according to its devel-opment status;

CONSIDERING that non-regression may be based onan express provision in the Constitution or legislation, aswell as on case law;

TAKING NOTE of the European Parliament resolu-tion of 29 September 2011 on developing a common Eu-ropean Union position ahead of the United NationsConference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20),which in paragraph 97 calls for the recognition of non-regression in the context of environmental protection aswell as fundamental rights;

TAKING NOTE of the call by the International Organi-sation of La Francophonie, adopted in Lyon on 8 February


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2012, urging recognition of the non-regression principle inenvironmental matters; and

TAKING NOTE of the Declaration on the Principle ofNon-regression of Environmental Protection in Antici-pation of the United Nations Conference on SustainableDevelopment (Rio+20), adopted at the international col-loquium organized by the Brazilian Senate in Brasilia on29 March 2012;


1. URGES national governments to recognize thatnon-regression in their environmental policy andlaw is necessary for achieving sustainable develop-ment objectives except where flexibility enhancesconservation; and

2. REQUESTS the IUCN World Commission on En-vironmental Law (WCEL) to continue studying andpromoting non-regression in environmental policyand law globally, in international law, regional law aswell as national law.


WCC-2012-Res-129-ENCourts and access to justice

ALARMED that four billion people on Earth live be-yond the protection of the rule of law and have no accessto justice to protect their environmental rights (UNDP,Making the Law for Everyone, 2008);

RECOGNIZING that access to justice is a fundamentalprinciple of law, enshrined in Principle 10 of the 1992Rio Declaration on Environment and Development;

AWARE that States provide access to justice through theirjudiciary and that the courts are fundamental to ensuringthe rule of law and for the realization of rights to sus-tainable development and environmental conservation;

NOTING that many States have codified this right ofaccess to justice through their national Constitutions orthrough adhering to the 1998 Aarhus Convention on Accessto Information, Public Participation in Environmental Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters;

WELCOMING the decisions of authorities in Australia,Brazil, China, India, Kenya, the Philippines and 50 othernations to establish more than 400 new environmentalcourts and tribunals, dedicated to ensuring access to jus-tice and judicial decisions that enforce laws on natureconservation and protection of the environment;

GRATEFUL to the symposia and consultations con-ducted by the IUCN World Commission on Environ-mental Law (WCEL), many IUCN Members, and theUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) overthe past 15 years to build consensus at the national level toexpand the judicial capacity regarding environmental laws;

CONCERNED that ensuring access to justice throughthese many new courts and tribunals, as well as throughthe environmental chambers within courts of general ju-risdiction, necessitates measures that strengthen judicialcapacity through exchanging best judicial practicesamong their judges and court administrators; and

TROUBLED that today there exists no internationalagency, institution or programme to provide on-goingcapacity building that sustains and enhances the capac-ity of courts to provide access to justice for environ-mental matters;


1. Calls upon WCEL to continue its leadership, in co-operation with appropriate national and internationalauthorities, to build the capacity of courts for envi-ronmental adjudication;

2. Invites all IUCN Members to collaborate withWCEL in undertaking appropriate measures tostrengthen the best judicial practices in existingcourts and tribunals and in any established in thefuture; and

3. Calls upon States to establish an autonomous inter-national judicial institute on the environment, in part-nership with national judicial institutes and othercourt administrative authorities, in order to sustainand enhance the capacity of the judiciary with respectto access to justice in environmental matters.



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WCC-2012-Res-130-ENECOLEX – the gateway toenvironmental law

RECALLING IUCN Resolution 4.092 Maintenance ofECOLEX: the gateway to environmental law adopted by the 4th


AWARE of the progress made in the development ofECOLEX since then, including the improvement of thesystem software, as well as the expansion of the variousdata sets by their respective custodian partners;

WELCOMING the decision and action taken by IUCNto recognize ECOLEX as one of its flagship KnowledgeProducts;

NOTING the inclusion of ECOLEX in the list of Vol-untary Partnerships for the United Nations Conferenceon Sustainable Development (UNCSD ‘Rio+20’); and

CONVINCED that ECOLEX is a unique tool fromwhich essential legal information can be obtained to as-sess the state of environmental and natural-resource lawdevelopment globally, and that can inform individual re-search, plans and programmes with data on governance,policy and law;


1. REQUESTS the ECOLEX partners to intensifytheir efforts to promote the use of ECOLEX sig-nificantly beyond what has already been achieved,in particular by:

a. increasing online access of users, especially in de-veloping countries and universities globally;

b. collaborating with institutions, programmes andprojects which would benefit from cross-polli-nation with legal data, such as scientific/techni-cal data on species and protected areas;

c. contributing to the efforts of Multilateral Envi-ronmental Agreements (MEAs) to develop in-formation systems and platforms to shareinformation facilitating synergies in their imple-mentation, such as InforMEA, by establishinglinks from such systems directly to ECOLEXand vice versa;

d. developing products based on ECOLEX data toproduce analytical information, subject-based(e.g. wildlife law) or country-based (i.e. countryprofiles); and

e. seeking collaboration with publishers of regularlyupdated specialized electronic environmental lawseries; and

2. INVITES the Director General to continue and in-crease, as appropriate, IUCN support and contribu-tion to ECOLEX, in particular by:

a. maintaining the role of IUCN as a key partner inECOLEX, as custodian of two databases(treaties; policy and law literature);

b. maintaining the IUCN Environmental Law Cen-tre’s (IUCN ELC) function as the ECOLEX Man-agement Unit (MU) and enlarging its capacity; and

c. enlarging the capacity of the ELC and/or MU totake the lead in developing a node of biodiver-sity-related information on governance, policyand law for use by international institutions in-cluding the Intergovernmental Platform on Bio-diversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), nowco-located at the ELC, in Bonn (Germany).

WCC-2012-Res-131-ENInternational Covenant on Environmentand Development

RECALLING IUCN Resolution 1.66 Draft InternationalCovenant on Environment and Development adopted by the 1st

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Montreal, 1996),Recommendation 2.96 Earth Charter and Draft InternationalCovenant adopted by the 2nd IUCN World ConservationCongress (Amman, 2000), Resolution 3.021 InternationalCovenant on Environment and Development adopted by the 3rd

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004),Resolution 4.101 International Covenant on Environment andDevelopment adopted by the 4th IUCN World Conserva-tion Congress (Barcelona, 2008);

NOTING the commitment of honorary contributors toperiodically deliberate and draft updates to the provisionsand explanatory text in accordance with the newest de-velopments in the field;


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RECOGNIZING cooperation between the InternationalCouncil of Environmental Law (ICEL) and the IUCNEnvironmental Law Programme (ELP) to ensure that thefourth edition was published as soon as possible;

ACKNOWLEDGING that the fourth edition of theDraft International Covenant on Environment and Developmentwas conveyed to the Member States of the United Na-tions on the occasion of the High-level Event on Biodi-versity during the 65th session of the United NationsGeneral Assembly (UNGA) in 2010;

APPRECIATING the financial assistance of the ElizabethHaub Foundations for Environmental Law and Policy whofully supported the implementation of this resolution;

MINDFUL of Recommendation 6 Pact on Environmentadopted by the 3rd Worldwide Conference of Environ-mental Law NGOs and Lawyers urging:

a. the UNGA to quickly consider the establishment ofconditions for the adoption of the Draft InternationalCovenant on Environment and Development; and

b. the attention of the International Organisation ofLa Francophonie to the urgent need for a Frenchtranslation;

NOTING the delivery of the Draft Covenant to theChair of the Task Force on Natural Resources, appointedby the Kenyan Minister for Environment and MineralResources, to assist in drafting implementing legislationfor the environmental provisions of the new Constitu-tion of Kenya;

ALSO NOTING a Special Meeting jointly organizedduring the 49th Annual Session of the Asian-African Con-sultative Organization (AALCO) by the Government ofTanzania, the AALCO Secretariat and ICEL to briefMember States on the Draft Covenant; and

FURTHER NOTING the translation of the DraftCovenant into German, Italian, Spanish and Chinese;


1. REQUESTS the IUCN Council to:

a. help mobilize resources to pursue further trans-lations; and

b. support translation of the explanatory text;

2. ENCOURAGES cooperation with the InternationalOrganisation of La Francophonie to produce theFrench translation;

3. REQUESTS the IUCN World Commission on En-vironmental Law (WCEL) and ICEL to observe fur-ther developments with a view to providing regularupdates to the Draft Covenant; and

4. INVITES ICEL to continue cooperating in the draft-ing process and promotion of the text with the fi-nancial assistance of institutions such as theElizabeth Haub Foundations.


WCC-2012-Res-132-ENEstablishing a global online platformfor sustainability commitments

RECOGNIZING that since the first United NationsConference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in1972, the international community, including at the UNConference on Environment and Development in Rio in1992, has negotiated many treaties and plans of action toestablish goals to address the range of global sustain-ability challenges;

NOTING the discussions within the context of theRio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Developmentwhich include non-globally-negotiated commitments bygovernments and other stakeholders to take actionswhich may be in the form of partnerships, networks orindividual initiatives which will contribute to globally-adopted sustainability goals;

RECOGNIZING that these Rio+20 partnerships, net-works and commitments have been announced in vari-ous platforms and recorded in various registries andcompendiums;

CONCERNED that there is no global mechanism foraggregating these commitments, tracking progress ontheir implementation, and assessing their contribution tothe achievement of globally-adopted goals;

NOTING that the rapid development and deploymentwithin the last decade of the internet, social media and otherinformation technologies which can enable governments


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and other stakeholders to improve governance for sus-tainable development by increasing transparency, accessto information and accountability;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that such tools are essen-tial to engage young people in sustainable development;

RECALLING Resolution 4.077 Climate change and humanrights adopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Con-gress (Barcelona, 2008), which affirms that “public ac-cess to information, public participation in decisionmaking and access to justice, highlighted in Principle 10of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Develop-ment, are essential human rights that can guaranteegreater participation, development, and accountability ofall people”;

ALSO RECALLING Resolution 4.098 Intergenerationalpartnerships: fostering ethical leadership for a just, sustainable andpeaceful world adopted by the 4th IUCN World Conserva-tion Congress (Barcelona, 2008), which asserted that“many young persons have well-informed, insightful andinnovative contributions to make to sustainability re-search and decision-making processes, strategic planningand policy making, and effective action projects and pro-grammes”; and

INSPIRED BY the 2006 IUCN Future of Sustainability re-port, IUCN’s Young Professionals Programme, and Res-olution 4.105 Communication, education and public awareness(CEPA) in conservation adopted by the 4th IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008);

The World Conse r vat ion Congr e ss, a t i ts s es sion inJe ju, Republi c o f Kor ea , 6–15 September :

URGES IUCN Members and other pertinent and inter-ested stakeholders at all levels to:

a. endorse and support the development, with the UnitedNations, of a mechanism to encourage, support andensure accountability of partnerships, networks, initia-tives and other such non-globally-negotiated commit-ments announced at Rio+20, including the creationand maintenance of a global commitment onlineplatform to aggregate sustainability commitmentsdrawn from various registries and platforms;

b. utilize this mechanism and online platform to facili-tate collaboration and sharing of best practices forsustainable development;

c. employ the information dissemination capabilitiesof such a platform to further strengthen and en-hance public participation and access to informationunder Principle 10 of the 1992 Rio Declaration onEnvironment and Development; and

d. continue to further engage citizens around the world,especially youth, in the process of making and mon-itoring sustainable development commitments.

WCC-2012-Res-133-ENImproving capacity for enforcement oflegislation relating to wildlife crime

RECOGNIZING the important role the IUCN WorldCommission on Environmental Law (WCEL) plays inadvancing environmental law by developing new legalconcepts and instruments, and by building the capacityof societies to employ environmental law for conserva-tion and sustainable development;

ALSO RECOGNIZING that it is difficult to determinethe full scale of wildlife crime due to anomalies in howwildlife crime is monitored and recorded;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that in many instances or-ganized crime syndicates involved with a range of otherserious forms of crime are linked to wildlife crimes;

NOTING that the compliance and enforcement of en-vironmental legislation face many serious challenges;

ALSO NOTING that wildlife crimes are generally not rec-ognized as serious offences by the judiciary or politically;

FURTHER NOTING that a recent review of 1) theSouth African National Environmental Compliance andEnforcement Reports for 2008–9 and 2009–10; 2) rele-vant South African case law (from 2001 to 2011); 3) recentdevelopments in initiatives aimed at improving compli-ance monitoring and enforcement; 4) results obtainedthrough interviews with key stakeholders; and 5) relevantlegislation; found that one of the most serious challengesfacing successful compliance monitoring and enforce-ment in South Africa is adequate capacity and resources;

ACKNOWLEDGING that with the increased level ofrhinoceros poaching in South Africa since 2009, rhino-re-lated crimes are being dealt with more severely than inthe past, while other wildlife crimes are still not investi-gated and treated as serious crimes;


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CONCURRING with Resolution 1 of the Programmeof Work emanating from the Global Judges Symposium(Johannesburg, 2002), that to realize the adopted princi-ples: “the improvement of the capacity of those involvedin the process of promoting, implementing, developingand enforcing environmental law, such as judges, prose-cutors, legislators and others, to carry out their functionson a well informed basis, equipped with the necessaryskills, information and material” is required; and

RECOGNIZING that in terms of effectively address-ing the issue of wildlife crime it is essential that a coor-dinated global approach is adopted;


REQUESTS all IUCN Members and governments topromote and support:

a. an improved and strengthened legal regime regulatingwildlife crimes including the elevation of wildlifecrimes to a national priority crime;

b. increased cross-border cooperation between coun-tries on the issue of wildlife crime, in particular be-tween countries identified as key source and sinkcountries as far as wildlife crime is concerned;

c. the development of improved and shared informa-tion systems for monitoring, recording, reporting andpublishing wildlife crimes, including the accessibilityand availability of wildlife crime statistics;

d. increased capacity development and training for allgovernment authorities and judicial officials involvedin the investigation and prosecution of wildlifecrimes; and

e. increased budgets and resources being allocated to-wards the enforcement of relevant environmentallegislation.

WCC-2012-Res-134-ENAfrican Convention on theConservation of Nature and NaturalResources

NOTING that the African Convention on the Conser-vation of Nature and Natural Resources was adopted in1968 in Algiers;

WHEREAS all Heads of State and Government unani-mously adopted the Revised African Convention on theConservation of Nature and Natural Resources (MaputoConvention) at the 2nd Summit of the African Union inMaputo on 11 July 2003;

WHEREAS the Member States of the African Union arecongratulated worldwide for this most advanced legally-binding instrument, which includes all aspects of sus-tainable development;

WHEREAS the Maputo Convention has not yet comeinto force with eight of the 15 parties necessary havingratified;

WHEREAS IUCN, in particular its Environmental LawProgramme, advised the African Union on this com-mendable Convention;

RECALLING IUCN Resolution 4.095 African Conventionon the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources adoptedby the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008);

NOTING interaction with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Africa to increase awarenessof the Convention’s importance;

FURTHER NOTING a Special Meeting jointly organ-ized during the 49th Annual Session of the Asian-AfricanLegal Consultative Organization by the Government ofTanzania, the Secretariat of the Asian-African Legal Con-sultative Organization and the International Council ofEnvironmental Law to brief Member States on the im-portance of ratifying the Maputo Convention;

MINDFUL of Recommendation N°6 Pact on Environmentand Development adopted by the 3rd Worldwide Conferenceof Environmental Law NGOs and Lawyers inviting “AUMember States to quickly ratify the Revised African Con-vention adopted by the Heads of State and Governmentat the Second Summit of the African Union in Ma-puto…”;

CONGRATULATING the African Union Commissionfor delivering letters to all African Union Member Stateministers responsible for environmental matters urgingthose who have not yet done so to work toward ratifyingthe Convention;


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AWARE that a decision was drafted by the African UnionCommission Legal Office for adoption by a forthcom-ing African Ministerial Conference on the Environment,or by the African Union Summit;

ACKNOWLEDGING the instrumental role of theIUCN Country Office in Senegal in the work to producea consultant’s report developing a strategy to guide thepromotion of ratification, as well as collaborating withanglophone African States to secure their commitmentto ratify the Convention soon; and

CONGRATULATING the President of IUCN for hisletter to Thomas Yayi Boni, President of the Republic ofBenin and African Union Chair, appealing to him to placeratification of the Maputo Convention on the agenda ofthe 19th African Union Ordinary Session;


1. CALLS ON the IUCN Director General to:

a. devise and promote a campaign to build uponthis momentum, especially in view of the Presi-dent’s letter and the need for African UnionMember States, who have not yet done so, to rat-ify the Convention as soon as possible; and

b. request Observer status for IUCN in the AfricanUnion ; and

2. ENCOURAGES the Executive Director of theUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)to engage with African Union Member States, whohave not yet done so, to ratify the Convention assoon as possible.


WCC-2012-Res-135-ENLegally binding Global Mercury Treatyto protect wildlife, ecosystems andhealth

RECOGNIZING that IUCN helps the world find prag-matic solutions to our most pressing environment anddevelopment challenges;

AWARE of the scientific evidence, including the UnitedNations Environment Programme (UNEP) GlobalMercury Assessments finalized in December 2002 thatevidence:

a. the global scale and severity of toxic mercury con-taminations of life forms and ecosystems in all re-gions of the planet;

b. that as a toxic substance of global concern, mercurycauses significant harm to wildlife, ecosystems andhuman health in general and to some populations,and that most notably the foetus and young childrenare especially susceptible; and

c. that mercury is a major threat to fish, an all importantand valuable nutritious component of the human diet;

RECALLING that the releasing of mercury into Mina-mata Bay, Japan, has led to severe contamination, the hor-rific devastation of the environment and a human healthtragedy;

APPRECIATING that the concerns, on-going initiativesand efforts of UNEP towards the phasing out of toxicchemicals have led to their elimination, with special at-tention given to the hazardous pollutant mercury;

NOTING that:

a. mercury has been on the UNEP Governing Council(GC) Agenda since its 21st Session in February 2001;

b. between February 2001 and October 2008, somemilestones regarding mercury have been reachedthrough UNEP Governing Council decisions 23/9of February 2005 and 24/3 of Februaly 2007;

c. mercury is a global problem, that current efforts arenot sufficient, and that there is a need for furtherlong-term action and the setting up of a process to-wards a global framework;

d. UNEP Governing Council decision 25/5 of Febru-ary 2009 agreed to convene an intergovernmental ne-gotiating committee with the mandate to prepare aglobal legally binding instrument on mercury, com-mencing its work in 2010 with the goal of complet-ing it prior to the twenty-seventh regular session ofthe Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environ-ment Forum, in 2013; and


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e. the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC)has already met four times and further discussion is tobe continued on a revised version of the draft text ofthe comprehensive and suitable approach to a globallegally-binding instrument on mercury; and

EXPECTING that the treaty elements will effectively ad-dress the rising trend in anthropogenic mercury releaselevels, thus protecting wildlife, ecosystems and humanand animal health;


1. CALLS on all State Representatives of INC tosupport:

a. a legally-binding global Treaty with an objectiveto protect human health and the environmentfrom anthropogenic release of mercury and itscompounds, recognizing particularly the vulner-able populations;

b. effective measures to reduce and where feasibleeliminate mercury use and releases to air, waterand land;

c. a National Implementation Plan (NIP) for en-suring effective realization of the Treaty, and civilsociety’s and other stakeholders’ active role in thedevelopment and implementation of the Treaty;

d. adoption of guidance for the identification andcharacterization of the contaminated sites; and

e. adherence to the agreed timetable of the Treatywith effective and enforceable Treaty complianceprovisions; and

2. REQUESTS the Director General to work with theIUCN Commissions and membership networks forthe promotion of enhanced awareness regarding ad-verse health effects of mercury exposure and corre-sponding protective measures.


WCC-2012-Res-136-ENEffective strategy and actions toaddress the worsening problem ofpetrochemical plastic and other solidwastes

OBSERVING that the increasing human populationgenerates a large quantity of wastes, particularly of plas-tics, thus exerting greater pressure on ecosystems and es-pecially on coastal marine ecosystems;

OBSERVING ALSO that other factors such as wide-spread production and consumption, urban expansion,and the economic model designed for consumption ofrapid obsolescence and disposable products like single-use plastics which can remain in the environment forhundreds of years, thus adding to the unsustainable gen-eration of solid wastes and residues causing environ-mental pollution, global warming, ecosystem degradationand adversely impacting human and animal health;

CONSIDERING that, despite actions at national and in-ternational level, problems connected with the disposal ofsolid wastes have not been addressed effectively, and thatthe impact of these wastes on ecosystems, especially onmarine and freshwater ecosystems, has increased as a resultof the increase in wastes and the inappropriate manage-ment of non-degradable, or slow to degrade, materials ofterrestrial and marine origin (UNEP 2005A/ GEO4);

NOTING that despite the work to implement waste re-covery programmes, plastic recycling is not a sustainablesolution because recycling plastic results in products oflesser quality such as bags or clothing, which cannot berecycled;

EMPHASIZING that petrochemical plastic is a materialthat the Earth cannot digest, that it breaks into increas-ingly small particles, which absorb toxic chemicals, andthat each piece of plastic ever manufactured is still herewith us, except the small amount that is incinerated, re-leasing toxic gases and particulate pollutants;

STRESSING that these plastic particles can be ingestedby both land and sea animals, with serious consequencesin addition to polluting our food chain;

RECOGNIZING that global assessments such as theGlobal Environment Outlook by the United Nations Envi-ronment Programme (UNEP) call for the minimization


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of waste products as well as efforts to ensure that, onceproducts have come to the end of their useful life, theybecome part of the production chain as primary materials;

RECOGNIZING that Resolution 17.19 Wastes, adoptedby the 17th IUCN General Assembly (San Jose, 1988) ad-dresses the theme of waste management and its impactson ecosystems;

CONCERNED that the data indicate that the wastes sit-uation has worsened and that measures adopted to date,and actions at national and global level, have not beeneffective; and

CONCERNED that the discovery of ‘trash vortices’ invarious seas indicates that the problem of solid wastesproduced, fundamentally by the great quantity of plasticfound in the water column, far from diminishing, con-tinues to increase and that this has very worrying envi-ronmental consequences;


1. CALLS ON governments to implement laws andsupport initiatives to minimize the use of plastic intheir respective countries and encourage alternatives;

2. CALLS ON all constituencies of IUCN to promotecooperation among the governmental and legislativeinstitutions of each country, non-governmental or-ganizations, universities and the private sector effec-tively to address the problems of production,consumption, unsustainable disposal and manage-ment of solid wastes, seeking solutions in the short,medium and long term;

3. CALLS ON the Director General to urge interna-tional organizations to invite countries to address theproblems at all levels, considering the global impactthat solid wastes have on terrestrial and aquaticecosystems, especially in seas and international waters;

4. ALSO CALLS ON the Director General to:

a. promote and support the exchange of infor-mation, knowledge, technology and best prac-tice among IUCN Members, Commissions,industry, academia and governments on bestpractices in the management of solid wastes forthe transformation of the life cycle of products

through ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ actions, withthe aim of minimizing, as far as possible, the vol-umes of solid wastes and dangerous wastes pro-duced by countries and by human activities;

b. urge governments to create and implement a legalframework which ensures shared responsibilitythroughout the life cycle of products, delegatingresponsibilities throughout the production chainin the management of solid wastes, and to ad-dress responsible consumption; and

c. foster cooperation among government institu-tions, the business sector and civil society inorder to address the problems, and to promoteformal and informal environmental educationprogrammes in the various regions and countriesin which IUCN is present, for the purpose of ad-dressing the impact of solid wastes on ecosys-tems, and to demonstrate possible solutions atfamily, local, national and global level; and

5. URGES IUCN Members and Commissions to fosterand facilitate the necessary actions at local, nationaland regional levels so that processes of productionand consumption include concepts of sustainability,emphasizing the scarcity of the Earth’s resources andthe growing impact of solid wastes on ecosystems.

WCC-2012-Res-137-ENSupport for a comprehensive scientificreview of the impact on globalbiodiversity of systemic pesticides bythe joint task force of the IUCN SpeciesSurvival Commission (SSC) and theIUCN Commission on EcosystemManagement (CEM)

RECOGNIZING the mission of IUCN in promotingthe conservation of biological diversity since its inception;

AWARE that over the past decade neonicotinoid insecti-cides have rapidly become the most widely used andfastest-growing class of insecticides worldwide followingtheir introduction to the market in the mid-1990s, nowwith a global market share of about one-third of theworld insecticide market, with seed treatment as theirmajor application and having been registered nowadays inmore than 120 countries;


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REMINDED that neurotoxic neonicotinoid pesticideswhich are highly persistent and act systemically and cu-mulatively, entering the plant sap through the roots, mak-ing the whole plant permanently toxic to insects, includingbeneficial pollinators, and being unique in their applica-tion and in the way they affect insects and other inverte-brates through sub-lethal doses and chronic exposure;

NOTING that neonicotinoid and other systemic pesti-cides are suspected by many scientists of being a factorin contributing to the worldwide honeybee disorders, tothe decline of wild pollinators, and to observed declinesof entomofauna at large, and so better insight into theecological risks associated with the use of these pesticidesis urgently needed;

ALARMED at the continuously increasing loss of bio-diversity in all its components, including species, ecosys-tems and genes;

WELCOMING the establishment of a Task Force onSystemic Pesticides (TFSP) under the IUCN Species Sur-vival Commission (SSC) and the IUCN Commission onEcosystem Management (CEM) in March 2011; and

ALSO WELCOMING the task of the TFSP to carry outa comprehensive, objective, scientific review and assess-ment of the impact of systemic pesticides on biodiversity,and on the basis of the results of this review to make anyrecommendations that might be needed with regard torisk management procedures, governmental approval of

new pesticides, and any other relevant issues that shouldbe brought to the attention of decision makers, policydevelopers and society in general;


1. CALLS ON all IUCN Members to support the TFSPin its endeavours so that it can complete its reviewand recommendations in a timely fashion;

2. REQUESTS the Director General to assist SSC andCEM in fundraising for the work of the TFSP sothat it can complete its work during the 2013–2016quadrennium;

3. REQUESTS the Director General, based on the out-comes of the scientific assessment by the TFSP, andin close collaboration with the IUCN World Com-mission on Environmental Law (WCEL) and theIUCN Environmental Law Centre (ELC), to providethe necessary assistance to CEM and SSC, and toother stakeholders as appropriate, regarding any leg-islative and regulatory consequences that might arisewith regard to the implementation of the recom-mendations from the TFSP; and

4. FURTHER REQUESTS the Director General towrite to governments to seek national-level infor-mation on the levels and trends of use of systemicpesticides.


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WCC-2012-Rec-138-ENConservation of rhinoceros species inAfrica and Asia

ACKNOWLEDGING that the world’s five species ofrhinoceros are charismatic emblems of conservation;

APPRECIATING that effective conservation measuresand significant political will and conservation expendi-ture in some range States in recent years have led to pop-ulation increases in three species – the Black, SouthernWhite and Greater One-horned Rhinos (Diceros bicornis,Ceratotherium simum simum, Rhinoceros unicornis);

RECOGNIZING the important role that commercialwildlife enterprises, including trophy hunting, have playedin generating incentives for conservation and stimulatingpopulation increases of rhinos on state, private and com-munal land in Africa;

ALARMED that the populations of the two rarestspecies, the Javan and Sumatran Rhinos, (Rhinocerossondaicus and Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) continue to decline,and are now at perilously low levels;

DISTRESSED that two rhino subspecies, the WesternBlack Rhino (Diceros bicornis longipes) in Cameroon and theIndochinese Javan Rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus)in Viet Nam have gone extinct in the last decade;

AWARE that the Northern White Rhino (Ceratotheriumsimum cottoni) and the mainland populations of the Suma-tran Rhino are now extremely close to extinction;

DEEPLY CONCERNED that pressure from illegalhunting on all species of rhinos has grown seriously in re-cent years, linked to a significant increase in non-tradi-tional use of rhino horn and a significant rise in the priceof rhino horn in Asian markets, especially in Viet Namand China, as well as a reduction in the capacity and effi-ciency of some range State conservation authorities toprotect their rhinos;

ALARMED that a continued increase in illegal hunting ofrhinos and in rhino horn demand could rapidly jeopardize

the improvements that have been achieved in the status ofBlack, Southern White and Greater One-horned Rhinosover the last two decades, and together with inadequate bi-ological management could easily cause the extinction ofthe Javan and Sumatran Rhinos in the foreseeable future;

NOTING that the measures taken by the Convention onInternational Trade in Endangered Species of WildFauna and Flora (CITES) to bring the illegal trade inrhino products under control still require commitmentfrom key rhino range States and rhino horn consumingcountries;

AWARE that for many rhino range States the cost of se-curing their rhino populations requires significant assis-tance from both internal and external sources, and that thishas increased opportunity costs to general conservation;and

CONCERNED that the increased risks and costs asso-ciated with securing rhinos will possibly provide a disin-centive for private owners and custodians of rhino ineastern and southern Africa from investing in rhinos andconservation, especially in the major range State SouthAfrica and also in Zimbabwe (where recent allocationsof hunting concessions linked to land reform could poseadditional economic threats to private conservancies);


1. COMMENDS those rhino range States in Africa andAsia that have taken strong measures to conservetheir remaining rhinos and actions against the incen-tives to kill them illegally for their horns, and whichthus consequently have increasing populations;

2. CALLS ON all range States to give priority to secur-ing their rhino populations, bringing illegal huntingand trade under control, and ensuring that effectivedeterrents are in place and enforced in order to min-imize the levels of illegal hunting and trade, whilst atthe same time seeking to create an enabling environ-ment to encourage the continued expansion of therhino range and rapid growth in rhino numbers;


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Recommendations

3. ENCOURAGES all rhino range States to managetheir rhino populations to achieve rapid growth, withlong-term genetic and demographic viability;

4. FURTHER ENCOURAGES range States to evalu-ate the pros and cons of alternative strategies to de-termine how best to reduce the illegal trade, blackmarket prices and illegal demand for rhino horn andhence ultimately reduce poaching;

5. APPLAUDS the initiative of the President of In-donesia for proposing the International Year of theRhino starting June 2012 and supports his govern-ment’s emergency actions to save the Javan andSumatran Rhinos from extinction, that include: es-tablishing a high-level task force of national and in-ternational experts on rhino population and habitatmanagement; identifying the most suitable areas forestablishing free-ranging rhinoceros populations; al-locating sufficient resources to enforce their protec-tion, to maximize the breeding potential of theremaining animals, and to have regular, frequent andintensive monitoring of all rhino populations;

6. ENCOURAGES the government of Malaysia totake urgent actions to save the Sumatran Rhinocerospopulation in Sabah from extinction, includingthrough close management of rhinos in fenced, man-aged conditions, and exploring all possible techniquesthat may boost birth rate above natural death rate, in-cluding super-ovulation, artificial insemination, invitro fertilization and other advanced reproductivetechniques;

7. COMMENDS the governments of India and Nepalfor the measures they have taken to secure the statusof the Greater One-horned Rhinoceros in their wildhabitats, but urges them to establish new, viable,strictly-protected populations of the species in pre-viously occupied habitats, as well as enhancing theprotection of existing populations, noting that in thecase of India this will require concerted action fromthe Union Government as well as from the State gov-ernments of Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and UttarPradesh;

8. URGES all Asian rhino range countries to adopt ro-bust scientific techniques to estimate their rhino pop-ulations, and to repeat these censuses at least onceevery two years, ensuring independent peer reviewof the methods and results;

9. CALLS ON African range States to:

a. increase collaborative law enforcement actionsbetween range States, transit and consumingcountries;

b. improve detection of rhino horn at ports ofentry/exit with, inter alia the aid of sniffer dogs,specialized equipment and resourced staff;

c. increase the allocation of national resources to-wards improving rhino security and conservationauthorities’ skills base;

d. increase the focus on intelligence gathering andanalysis to stop poachers before killing rhinos;

e. increase the rate of successful prosecutionswith deterrent sentences for illegal rhino-relatedactivities;

f. maintain enabling land-use and investment poli-cies together with support for appropriate andwell-managed, sustainable, income-generatingoptions that encourage investment in rhinos, sus-tainable populations and which help fund effec-tive conservation by the private wildlife industryand communities;

g. enhance socio-economic stability through in-creased local community involvement;

h. encourage private rhino owners to willingly co-operate with the authorities in the provision ofrhino information;

i. encourage all range States, transit and consum-ing countries to improve and regularly supplyrhino-related information to the African RhinoSpecialist Group (AfRSG) of the IUCN SpeciesSurvival Commission (SSC) and to TRAFFIC tofacilitate data management, information sharingand their mandated reporting to CITES’ Con-ference of the Parties;

j. further expand the use of DNA profiling ofrhino horns (using the RhoDIS database inAfrica) as an innovative means of combating theillegal killing of rhinos and the trafficking ofhorn;


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k. encourage the involvement of civil society in fa-cilitating awareness and generating resources inline with priority needs, as well as assisting withpopulation monitoring, and with implementingrhino conservation; and

l. improve rhino population monitoring to informmanagement for population growth;

10. RECOGNIZES that the successful conservation ofrhinos across the entire range will be best achieved viaa diversity of management and economic mechanisms;

11. REQUESTS the Director General and SSC (espe-cially its African and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups)to provide ongoing support and guidance to all rhinorange States, and in particular to assist in raising theprofile of rhinoceros conservation during the Inter-national Year of the Rhino;

12. CALLS ON donors to make the necessary financialresources available to enable the range States to se-cure their remaining rhinoceros populations; and

13. CALLS UPON those States implicated in the in-crease in demand for rhino horn and the surge in theblack market prices for horn to fully cooperate at alllevels with the rhino range States in positively ad-dressing the rhino crisis and seeking lasting solutions.

WCC-2012-Rec-139-ENBear farming in Asia, with particularreference to the conservation of wildpopulations

NOTING that the Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) islisted as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies, as a result of habitat loss and over-exploitationprincipally for the bile;

ALSO NOTING that the Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus)is listed as Vulnerable to extinction in mainland South-east Asia for the same reasons;

RECOGNIZING that, since the 1980s, large numbersof both species, especially Asiatic Black Bears, have beenkept in captivity for the collection and commercial sale oftheir bile (henceforth called farming), and this has sig-nificantly increased the availability of bile intended tomeet the needs of patients;

OBSERVING that evidence of a cause-and-effect rela-tionship (positive, negative or none) between increasedsupply and use of farmed bear bile and the exploitationof wild bear populations is lacking;

CONCERNED that, in some cases, bear farming is poorlymanaged and regulated, often involving inappropriate hus-bandry, which impacts adversely on their health, ability tobreed and causes increased mortality, thus prompting somefarms to restock bears obtained illegally from the wild,which has adversely affected some wild populations;

NOTING that the increased production of bile fromfarms has led in some cases to it being used to maintaingeneral health (not just to cure specific ailments) and alsofor other conditions not prescribed in traditional medi-cine (despite these uses having been prohibited since1998 and 2005 by different agencies in the People’s Re-public of China);

FURTHER NOTING that the practice of bear farmingfor the collection of bile is legally conducted in somecountries in Asia, and remains illegally practiced in others;

MINDFUL that the Asiatic Black Bear and Sun Bear areboth listed on Appendix I of the Convention on Inter-national Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna andFlora (CITES), yet bile products from wild and farmedbears are illegally moved across national borders, in vio-lation of this Convention;

ACKNOWLEDGING that some countries are movingtowards the elimination of bear bile farming: the Repub-lic of Korea banned live bile extraction and is currentlyconsidering how it may end bear farming, and the gov-ernment of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam bannedbile extraction and bear bile sales and is currently work-ing towards ending the practice of keeping bears in cap-tivity for commercial exploitation because of animalwelfare and conservation concerns; and

ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING that significant advanceshave been made in the captive breeding of bears in farmsin some areas in the People’s Republic of China;


1. ENCOURAGES the Republic of Korea and the So-cialist Republic of Viet Nam to continue their effortstowards ending bear farming;


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2. URGES range State governments, working where ap-propriate with IUCN, to:

a. close down illegal farms as soon as possible;

b. issue no further licenses or permits for farms,and establish no new farms or new subsidiaryoperations of existing farms;

c. take all necessary steps to prevent the increase innumbers of bears in existing farms as soon aspossible;

d. take increased measures to ensure that no morebears from the wild enter farms;

e. ensure that products from existing, legal farmscan only be used for legally approved medicines;

f. conduct research to identify substitutes for bearbile, and to promote the use of these substitutes;

g. establish a scientifically sound monitoring systemto track trends in wild bear populations and thefactors that drive these changes; and

h. undertake a scientifically independent, peer-re-viewed situation analysis of progress on thepoints listed above, and report back to the nextsession of the World Conservation Congress;and

3. RECOMMENDS that Parties to CITES fully imple-ment legislation to prevent illegal international tradein Asiatic Black Bears and Sun Bears and their partsand derivatives, and promote greater public aware-ness of these issues.

WCC-2012-Rec-140-ENReversing the crisis of the decline inturtle survival

REALIZING that turtles have existed for over 200 mil-lion years, since the age of dinosaurs;

NOTING that turtles (comprising tortoises, freshwaterturtles and marine turtles) are long-term indicators of thequality of the environments they inhabit and that in manyparts of the world they have considerable ecosystemfunctionality as well as major economic and cultural im-portance for many people;

FURTHER NOTING that the IUCN Species SurvivalCommission (SSC) has been concerned with the rapiddeclines of turtle populations worldwide for manydecades;

ACKNOWLEDGING the ongoing efforts of assessingthreat levels for turtles for the IUCN Red List of Threat-ened Species by scientists from the IUCN SSC Tortoise andFreshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG), the IUCNSSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG), Conserva-tion International, Wildlife Conservation Society, andseveral other turtle conservation organizations, with inputfrom turtle specialists from more than 50 countries;

AWARE of the alarming ongoing findings of this work,in which, of the 228 known turtle species assessed on theIUCN Red List to date (out of 330 species overall), 134species (59%) are classified as globally threatened (i.e. inthe IUCN threat categories of Critically Endangered, En-dangered or Vulnerable), with 76 (33%) of these beingCritically Endangered or Endangered;

NOTING that draft IUCN Red List assessments are inprogress by the TFTSG for the remaining 102 turtlespecies, indicating that another 15 species are likely toqualify on the Red List as threatened, amounting to a totalof 149 out of 330 species worldwide, or 45% of allspecies; and several more species are assessed as DataDeficient, and if these are threatened at the same rate asother turtles, then 52% of all turtles are globally threat-ened with possible extinction;

NOTING that the proportion of threatened turtles isthus among the highest proportions of threatenedspecies of all vertebrate groups assessed;

ALARMED that for nearly 70% of turtle species as-sessed as threatened, exploitation and trade in massivevolumes that measured in thousands of tons annually oflive or processed turtles for food consumption, medici-nal products, and, to a lesser extent, for pets, are the lead-ing or major contributing threats (27 of 32 = 84% ofCritically Endangered species; 28 of 44 = 64% of En-dangered species; and 37 of 58 = 64% of Vulnerablespecies), with much of this threat generated by a growingglobalization and commercialization of what originatedin the 1990s as the Asian Turtle Trade;

AWARE that of the 10 species and subspecies of tor-toises and freshwater turtles that have gone extinct in his-torical times (2% of all 455 turtle and tortoise species and


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subspecies), seven were extirpated by targeted exploita-tion for human consumption, and two due to loss offreshwater habitats;

CELEBRATING that the 2010 goal posited by the UNWorld Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannes-burg, 2002) – to achieve a significant reduction in the rateof loss of biological diversity – was reached with respectto turtles; but

CONCERNED that meeting Aichi Target 12 of theStrategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 – halting extinctionsby 2020 – is by no means certain for turtles, consideringthat the Pinta Island Giant Galapagos Tortoise (Chelonoidisabingdonii) was until June 2012 represented by a singleknown surviving individual, and the Red River Giant Soft-shell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) by only four non-reproduc-ing individuals fragmented between three locations in twocountries, and that several species on the Top 25 list ofTurtles in Trouble: The World’s 25+ Most Endangered Tortoisesand Freshwater Turtles, as documented in 2011 by the Tur-tle Conservation Coalition, are represented by global pop-ulations of less than a few hundred individuals;

RECOGNIZING the efforts of IUCN to work in part-nership with various international bodies to protect habi-tats and species, and that such partnerships exist with theConvention on International Trade in EndangeredSpecies of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Conven-tion on Migratory Species (CMS), the Ramsar Conven-tion, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums(WAZA), and many governmental, non-governmentaland donor organizations;

APPLAUDING the extensive activities focused on con-servation of turtles undertaken by government depart-ments, universities, international, national and localconservation organizations, zoos, aquaria, IUCN Spe-cialist Groups, and other institutions, to safeguard thecontinuing survival of turtles in their native ranges andnatural habitats at ecologically relevant, and if necessaryrestored, population sizes, to reduce habitat loss and sup-port habitat recovery, to reduce the incidence of unsus-tainable exploitation and trade, to assist in finding suitabledestinations for confiscated animals, to establish captivebreeding assurance colonies as a last line of defenceagainst extinction, and to study and publicize the con-servation biology and survival status of turtles; and

HIGHLIGHTING the recovery of the Aldabra GiantTortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea or Dipsochelys dussumieri) and

several forms of Galapagos Tortoises (Chelonoidis nigragroup), the increasing population of Kemp’s Ridley SeaTurtle (Lepidochelys kempii), and the rediscovery of theYunnan Box Turtle (Cuora yunnanensis), as examples ofhistoric and ongoing actions that have turned the tide forturtle species that appeared to be headed for inevitableextinction;

The World Conser va tion Congr e ss, a t i ts s es s ion inJe ju, Republ ic of Kor ea , 6–15 September 2012;


a. use the existing partnerships with internationalbodies to help strengthen tortoise, freshwaterturtle, and marine turtle conservation efforts, en-compassing assessment, research, and both in situand ex situ conservation measures;

b. ensure that the Programme Area Valuing and con-serving nature of the IUCN Programme 2013–2016includes actions with regard to turtles, within ex-isting policies and governance systems with agoal of strengthening:

i. research and status assessments;

ii. protected area management systems andecological corridors, taking into account theparticular needs and threats to turtles infreshwater (notably riverine), terrestrial andmarine habitats; and

iii. dedicated support for the Global Reptile As-sessment efforts with special attention andresources for turtles; and

c. support and cooperate with the continuing ef-forts of the SSC TFTSG and MTSG to:

i. address this unparalleled threat of the turtlesurvival crisis; and

ii. support the updating of Turtle Conserva-tion Action Plans by TFTSG and MTSG,and support collaborative efforts to imple-ment such Action Plans; and

d. ensure that tortoises, freshwater turtles and ma-rine turtles are eligible for support from theSOS – Save Our Species initiative and othersuch endeavours;


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2. CALLS ON government agencies and the NGOconservation community to focus on maintainingand expanding as necessary their systems of pro-tected areas, with particular emphasis on Key Biodi-versity Areas and Zero Extinction sites, to ensure thatrepresentative populations of all native turtle speciesare adequately protected from targeted exploitation,habitat loss and degradation, and the impacts of in-vasive species;

3. RECOMMENDS that all Parties to the CITESConvention:

a. evaluate that turtle species subject to interna-tional trade are appropriately included in theCITES Appendices;

b. ensure that international trade adheres to CITESregulations, including detailed Non-DetrimentFindings being made, and including complete re-porting of trade in parts (e.g. shell) and deriva-tive products (e.g. jelly) of turtles;

c. ensure that domestic laws and regulations ade-quately address both the requirements of CITESand safeguard native turtle populations fromover-exploitation, that all pertinent laws and reg-ulations are diligently enforced, and that appro-priate awareness and capacity are developedwithin the government agencies concerned withturtle offtake and trade; and

d. collaborate with competent NGOs to effectivelyand humanely triage confiscated live turtle spec-imens, including:

i. dedicating appropriate resources for rescuefacilities and veterinary and other skills tomaintain animals after confiscation; and

ii. implementing guidelines and protocols tohumanely place such animals, either throughmonitored repatriation, reintroduction, oraccession into long-term captive conserva-tion breeding facilities;

4. CALLS ON the World Customs Organization andits constituent country members to develop Harmo-nized Customs Codes for turtles and turtle parts andderivatives; and

5. URGES the TRAFFIC Network to continue treat-ing the monitoring of both legal and illegal trade in

turtles and turtle derivative parts as one of its high-est priorities; and urges IUCN Members to assist andenable TRAFFIC in this priority focus by providinginformation, funding and other support.

WCC-2012-Rec-141-ENConservation of Gyps vulture speciesin South Asia

RECOGNIZING that vultures are specialized scavengersthat play a crucial role in ridding the environment of deadanimals that would otherwise rot and cause disease, sup-port higher numbers of feral dogs, causing increasedhealth risks (including rabies), and disposal problems andother costs to both humans and the environment;

RECOGNIZING that the Long-billed (Gyps indicus),Slender-billed (G. tenuirostris) and White-rumped (G. ben-galensis) Vultures, endemic to Asia, have declined by morethan 99% during the last 20 years in South Asia (morethan 99.9% in the case of G. bengalensis) and that popula-tions are now at very low levels in South and SoutheastAsia;

NOTING that BirdLife International and IUCN listthese species as Critically Endangered, the highest threatcategory, mainly based on the continuing precipitouspopulation declines in all populations;

FURTHER NOTING that historically these Gyps speciesof vultures were common to very common in their rangecountries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, LaoPDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam);

RECALLING that vultures are an integral part of thecultures in all South Asian countries and play an impor-tant ecological role by cleaning up livestock carcasses;

FURTHER RECALLING that sufficient habitat is pres-ent in most of the range countries for the vulture popu-lations to re-colonize and allow them to recover;

NOTING that these massive declines of vultures are un-equivocally caused primarily by a single human activityand could be reversed;

AWARE of the fact that veterinary use of diclofenacstarted in India in 1993 and in Pakistan in 1998 and,within a very short time, massive deaths of vultures werenoted in both countries and across South Asia;


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NOTING that studies, published in the journal Nature,prove that the massive declines in the population of vul-tures in South Asia is mainly due to their exposure to thenon-steroid anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac in live-stock carcasses (Nature 427, 630–633);

ACKNOWLEDGING that the range countries havetaken measures to protect vultures by banning the useand sale of veterinary formulations of diclofenac, andalso including these species in protected species lists;

ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING that diclofenac prevalencein cattle carcasses has been substantially reduced, but re-mains at very dangerous levels indicating that human for-mulations are being widely used for veterinary purposesand that other painkiller drugs known to be both dan-gerous or untested for safety with respect to vultures arenow increasing in veterinary practice;

FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGING the Saving Asia’sVultures from Extinction ‘SAVE’ consortium partners,Bombay Natural History Society, State Government For-est Departments of Haryana, West Bengal, Assam, andCentral Zoo Authority supported vulture breeding facil-ities, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Wildlife Insti-tute of India (India), Punjab Wildlife and ParksDepartment and Sindh Wildlife Department, WWF Pak-istan (Pakistan), Bird Conservation Nepal, National Trustfor Nature Conservation and Department of NationalParks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) (Nepal),have been making substantial progress with identifyingand addressing the main conservation priorities;

CONGRATULATING the Governments of India,Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the Darwin Initiative(UK Government), Royal Society for the Protection ofBirds, WWF Pakistan, Central Zoo Authority, The Pere-grine Fund, BirdLife International, Zoological Society ofLondon, National Birds of Prey Trust (UK), the HawkConservancy Trust (UK), IUCN, the Rufford Founda-tion, Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund, Oriental BirdClub and Save our Species (SOS), and others, for contin-uing to support and fund vulture recovery initiatives inIndia, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries;and

FURTHER CONGRATULATING the Governmentsof India, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh on adoptionof the Regional Vulture Declaration signed in Delhi, 4May 2012, along with the formation of the RegionalSteering Committee;


1. CALLS ON Gyps Vulture range States to begin ac-tion immediately to strengthen measures to reducediclofenac availability, most immediately by preven-tion of injectable human diclofenac being packagedand sold in multidose vials larger than 3 ml;

2. ALSO CALLS ON Gyps Vulture range States to sup-port a safety-testing protocol for all veterinarypainkillers, and for this to be a requirement before li-censes are granted to manufacture, retail or use thesedrugs within the region for veterinary purposes;

3. CALLS FOR the creation of multiple ‘Vulture SafeZones’ (areas of 100 km radius, by working inten-sively through dedicated awareness work to achieveand demonstrate that cattle carcasses are free fromdiclofenac and other drugs toxic to vultures) in allSouth Asian countries as part of the wider advocacyeffort and specifically to provide safe areas in whichto release the captive birds;

4. REQUESTS Gyps Vulture range States to developand update national vulture recovery plans, and en-sure their implementation, including conservationbreeding and release; and

5. URGES the Gyps Vulture range States, along with na-tional and international NGOs, especially SAVEPartners and governments, to give special support,technical and financial, to enable the implementationand updating of the South Asian Vulture RecoveryPlan.

WCC-2012-Rec-142-ENActions to avert the extinctions of raredolphins: Maui’s dolphins, Hector’sdolphins, Vaquita porpoises and SouthAsian river and freshwater dependentdolphins and porpoises

RECALLING that IUCN has had a longstanding con-cern about human impacts on small cetaceans, and inparticular endangered dolphins and porpoises;

RECALLING that Articles 61(4) and 119(1)(b) of theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

(UNCLOS), which are also reflected in the Food andAgriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, require States tomanage fisheries in such a way as to, inter alia, take intoconsideration the effects on species associated with ordependent upon harvested species and to ensure thatthey are not threatened by those fisheries;

RECOGNIZING Article 8(f) of the Convention on Bi-ological Diversity (CBD) which impels Parties to: “pro-mote the recovery of threatened species, inter alia,through the development and implementation of plansor other management strategies”;

NOTING also that IUCN Resolution 18.28 Convention onthe Conservation of Biological Diversity adopted by the 18th

IUCN General Assembly (Perth, 1990) and preceding theadoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity in1992, urged “negotiating parties to ensure that primaryefforts in developing the Convention are directed towardsfully comprehensive conservation of biological diversityand that the primary focus is on wild genetic resourcesand the conservation of biological diversity in situ”;

AFFIRMING IUCN’s strong commitment to the con-servation of marine species and habitat, as reflected inResolution 2.20 Conservation of marine biodiversity adoptedby the 2nd IUCN World Conservation Congress (Amman,2000), and Recommendations 1.17 Coastal and Marine Con-servation and Management and 1.37 Marine Protected Areasadopted by the 1st IUCN World Conservation Congress(Montreal, 1996); and other resolutions;

AWARE that the Yangtze River Dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer)is thought to be extinct although still formally classifiedby IUCN as Critically Endangered;

RECALLING Resolution 19.61 By-Catch of Non-TargetSpecies adopted by the 19th IUCN General Assembly(Buenos Aires, 1994), which expressed concern that theby-catch rate at that time posed a serious threat to theVaquita (Phocoena sinus) in the Gulf of California, Mex-ico, and urged States and organizations to adopt reason-able measures to minimize the by-catch of non-targetspecies, including limiting the fishing of target speciesif necessary;

NOTING that the 2nd World Conservation Congress(Amman, 2000) in Recommendation 2.71 Cooperative re-gional action plan for the conservation of river dolphins (Pla-tanista spp. and Lipotes spp.) in the South Asian region called

on governments and other parties to take urgent actionto protect the four freshwater dolphin species, out ofwhich the Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica),Indus River Dolphin (Platanista minor) and the YangtzeRiver Dolphin are found exclusively in the Asian region;

RECALLING that Resolution 2.71 noted that the distri-butions of the Ganges and Indus River Dolphins stretchacross political boundaries in various river systems, andthat it recognized that as a consequence of its distribu-tion, the Ganges River Dolphin is part of the natural her-itage and resources shared by four nations, i.e.Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal;

RECALLING FURTHER that there are other threat-ened populations of river dolphins and porpoises in theSouth East Asian region, like the sub-populations of Ir-rawaddy Dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) in the Mahakamriver of Borneo, Indonesia, in the Ayeyarwady river ofMyanmar and in the Mekong River of Cambodia and LaoPDR; and the Yangtze subspecies of Narrow-ridged Fin-less Porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis) in the Yangtzeriver and associated lake systems, China; as well as threat-ened populations of freshwater-dependent dolphins, likethe subpopulation of Indo-Pacific Hump-backed Dol-phins (Sousa chinensis) in the eastern Taiwan Strait;

NOTING that the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species hasclassified the Vaquita, or Gulf of California HarbourPorpoise, a species endemic to the Upper Gulf of Cali-fornia, Mexico, as Vulnerable in 1978, Endangered in1990 and Critically Endangered since 1996;

CONSCIOUS that Resolution 4.025 Avoiding extinction ofthe Vaquita porpoise Phocoena sinus adopted by the 4th

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008)called for the avoidance of the extinction of the Vaquitaporpoise and laid down a range of measures to achievethis and that the Mexican government and others haveresponded to these calls but that the situation remainsextremely precarious;

NOTING that the report of the fourth Meeting of theInternational Committee for the Recovery of Vaquita(CIRVA) held in Ensenada, Mexico from 20–23 February2012, notes that the Vaquita has continued to decline,with an estimated reduction of nearly 60% between 1997and 2008 and that possibly as few as 220 porpoises re-mained in 2008, and recommends the removal of all gill-nets and other entangling gear from the entire range ofVaquita;


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RECOGNIZING the concern for the status of theVaquita expressed by the International Whaling Com-mission (IWC) Scientific Committee (IWC 2012), whichreaffirmed that the only reliable approach for saving thespecies is to remove entangling gear from areas where theanimals occur, and recommended such removal from theupper Gulf of California immediately;

AWARE that the IUCN Red List has also classified theMaui’s Dolphin subspecies (Cephalorhynchus hectori maui),which is resident along the west coast of the North Is-land of New Zealand, as Critically Endangered;

NOTING that scientists have in 2012 estimated that theMaui’s Dolphin population has only 55 individuals (ex-cluding calves), has very low fecundity and is also sus-ceptible to gill netting, boat strike and other humanimpacts;

ALSO NOTING that the IUCN Red List has classifiedthe New Zealand Hector’s Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hec-tori) as Endangered;

AWARE of the advice given by the IUCN Species Sur-vival Commission (SSC) and the SSC Cetacean SpecialistGroup to the New Zealand Government on the need toexpand the areas of protection from gill netting andtrawling to cover the entire range of the Maui’s and Hec-tor’s Dolphins;

RECOGNIZING the recent recommendations of theIWC Scientific Committee (Panama, 2012) requesting theban of gill nets and trawl fisheries from the entire Maui’sDolphin range, as well as adequate observer coverage;

AWARE of the advice of the SSC Cetacean SpecialistGroup over the decades, and in particular that Group’sadvice in relation to the 2002–2010 Conservation ActionPlan for the world’s cetaceans;

COMMENDING the Mexican, New Zealand and SouthAsian governments and others for the measures alreadytaken; and

ALSO AWARE that with greater protection the Maui’sDolphin, the Vaquita and some of the river dolphins mayyet be pulled back from the brink of extinction;


1. URGES the New Zealand Government to:

a. urgently extend dolphin protection measures,with an emphasis on banning gill net and trawlnet use from the shoreline to the 100 metredepth contour in all areas where Hector’s andMaui’s Dolphins are found, including harbours;

b. to increase immediately the level of monitoringand enforcement with an emphasis on requiring100 per cent observer coverage of any gill net ortrawling vessels allowed to operate in any part ofthe range of Hector’s and Maui’s Dolphins untilsuch bans can be implemented; and

c. to report such action and monitoring and en-forcement results;

2. URGES the Mexican government, its agencies andfishers, IUCN Members, the Secretariat, IUCN Com-missions and the various agencies and partners tovigorously and resolutely pursue the measures out-lined in Resolution 4.025 and further measures tobetter protect the Vaquita;

3. URGES the Mexican Government to:

a. eliminate Vaquita by-catch by removing entan-gling gear from the entire range of Vaquita;

b. expedite approval and adoption of the smallshrimp trawls as an alternative to gill nets andprohibitions on shrimp fishing with gill netsthroughout the entire range of the Vaquita; and

c. continue research on technologies to replace gillnetting for finfish in order to facilitate and hastenthe implementation of item a, above;

4. CALLS ON all range States of the river dolphins andporpoises (Platanista spp., Orcaella brevirostris andNeophocaena asiaeorientalis) and the freshwater-depen-dent dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in the South Asian re-gion to redouble their efforts and cooperation witheach other and with IUCN, its Members, SSC andothers to protect these species and populations fromfishing pressure, pollution and other impacts, alongthe lines of Resolution 2.71 and the advice of expertssince; and

5. ASKS the IUCN SSC and Cetacean Specialist Groupto assist in monitoring and reporting the existence


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and numbers of all of these threatened dolphinspecies.

The State Member New Zealand provided the followingstatement for the record:

“New Zealand is committed to the protection of Maui’s and Hec-tor’s Dolphins, but is unable to support the proposed motion be-cause it is not consistent with New Zealand government policy onmitigating fishing related risks to them.

New Zealand has extensive measures in place to protect Maui’sDolphins on the West Coast of the North Island throughout theircore range–including a ban on the use of commercial set nets out to7 nautical miles from Pariokariwa Point to North of the KaiparaHarbour. There is no evidence that the 100m depth contour in theproposed motion reflects the limit of Maui’s Dolphin or Hector’sDolphins entire range. For this reason, New Zealand does notconsider it an appropriate basis on which to base its management ac-tions and New Zealand is therefore unable to support the motion.”

WCC-2012-Rec-143-ENMoratorium on the fishing of theChilean jack mackerel (Trachurusmurphyi) in the international waters ofthe South Pacific

CONCERNED about the biological consequences ofthe sustained deterioration of the Chilean Jack Mackerel(Trachurus murphyi) population in the South Pacific, whichin 2011 reached the lowest level ever recorded, thespawning biomass having declined to 5% of the unfishedlevel;

CONSIDERING the great socioeconomic impact ofthis fishery, which is located in waters stretching fromEcuador to southern Chile, and across international wa-ters next to the Exclusive Economic Zones of theseneighbouring countries, in which both national and in-ternational fleets fish;

STRESSING the importance of this fishery for job se-curity of the fishing communities in coastal countries andits importance for global food safety;

EMPHASIZING that in 2006, thanks to the joint initia-tive by Australia, Chile and New Zealand, the implemen-tation process of the South Pacific Regional FisheriesManagement Organization (SPRFMO) started, with the

main purpose of guaranteeing the sustainability of fish-eries, particularly that of the Chilean Jack Mackerel;

WARNING with great concern that, according to the lastreport by the Scientific Working Group of the SPRFMOpublished in September 2011, it is estimated that theChilean Jack Mackerel spawning biomass dropped tobelow 20% of the unfished level in 1996 and that in 2011,the spawning biomass had declined to 5% of the un-fished level;

INDICATING that there are scientific records that ex-press concern over the fact that in some fishing zonesChilean Jack Mackerel smaller than the legally establishedminimum size are being caught in some of the membercountries (26 cm FL in Chile, and 31 cm TL in Peru),which can decrease the potential for the recovery of theoptimal spawning biomass level in the near future inorder to ensure the sustainability of the population;

RECOGNIZING the importance of the decision madeby the countries taking part in the III Preparatory Con-ference for the establishment of the SPRFMO, which en-gaged voluntarily to reduce Chilean Jack Mackerel catchquotas on the high seas to 320,000 tonnes in 2012;

RECALLING Article 7.6.10 of the FAO Code of Con-duct for Responsible Fisheries, which indicates that:“States and subregional and regional fisheries manage-ment organizations and arrangements, in the frameworkof their respective competences, should introduce meas-ures for depleted resources and those resources threat-ened with depletion that facilitate the sustained recoveryof such stocks…”; and

ALSO RECALLING Aichi Target 6 of the Strategic Planfor Biodiversity 2011–2020, which establishes: “…all fishand invertebrate stocks and aquatic plants are managedand harvested sustainably, legally and applying ecosystembased approaches…”;


1. URGES the global community to support initiativesthat attempt to avoid overfishing, unreported and il-legal fishing, and the degradation of fish stocks ingeneral, in particular those of the Chilean JackMackerel;


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2. URGES IUCN Members to include in their publicagendas support for national, regional and global ini-tiatives aimed at allowing Chilean Jack Mackerelstocks to recover and return to healthy levels, in orderto ensure their sustainability; in particular those ini-tiatives aimed at avoiding the capture of immaturefish, at establishing bans during the spawning seasonand at establishing in coastal countries conservationmeasures in line with those established by theSPRFMO; and

3. URGES participants in the first meeting of the Com-mission of the SPRFMO, to be held in January andFebruary 2013, to consider supporting a moratoriumfor Chilean Jack Mackerel fisheries in internationalwaters for a period of at least three years, should thenext technical report by the Scientific WorkingGroup, to be prepared in October 2012, show thatthe temporary measures applied in 2011 and 2012have not managed to stop the decline and start the re-covery of the Chilean Jack Mackerel spawning bio-mass in the South Pacific.



“The United States supports the substantive goals of this Mo-tion and shares the concern of the sponsors about the status ofthe stock. We support inititatives that attempt to avoid overfish-ing, illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing and the degrada-tion of fish stocks in general, in particular those of the Chileanjack mackerel. However we must oppose this Motion due to thecall for a moratorium for Chilean jack mackerel fisheries in in-ternational waters for a period of at least three years. It is un-clear if this management measure will achieve the desiredoutcome. In fact, it will likely result in an increase of effort incoastal regions. This issue is already under active considerationin SPRFMO Scientific Working Group, and this Motion pre-judges the work of that group.”

WCC-2012-Rec-144-ENConservation and management ofthreatened sharks

ACKNOWLEDGING the increasing concern by the in-ternational community that many shark species arethreatened and are continuing to decline because of un-regulated fishing and bycatch;

EXPRESSING CONCERN that 30 per cent of assessedshark and ray species around the world are classified asthreatened or Near Threatened with extinction by theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species and ALARMED thatapproximately two-thirds of the shark species commonlycaught in high seas fisheries are classified as Vulnerable;

ACKNOWLEDGING the Red List Assessment ofsharks from the IUCN Species Survival Commission(SSC) Shark Specialist Group conducted since the 4th

IUCN World Conservation Congress;

AWARE that the loss of sharks can cause dramatic shiftsin the marine environment, including a cascade of indi-rect effects resulting from changes in the abundance ofother organisms;

RECALLING that Recommendation 4.113 Conserving mi-gratory and oceanic sharks adopted by the 4th IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008) urged all sharkrange States, fishing States, and other entities: to developshark plans in accordance with the United Nations Foodand Agriculture Organization (FAO) Technical Guide-lines for the Implementation of the International Planof Action for the Conservation and Management ofSharks (IPOA-Sharks)1; to review these plans regularly;and to evaluate the effectiveness of their shark plans andregulations, particularly by improving catch, discard andlandings data collection, strictly regulating the catch ofsharks, and protecting threatened species; but NOTINGwith concern that nine of the Top 26 “shark catchers”2

are currently without an adopted National Plan of Ac-tion (NPOA) for sharks;

WELCOMING FAO’s report on the extent of the im-plementation of the 1999 FAO IPOA-Sharks3 and thechallenges being faced by members of the Committee


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1 The term ‘sharks’ is used here to include all species of sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras.2 The term “shark catchers” refers to countries, territories, and other political entities that catch more than 1% of the global shark

catch according to the FAO.3 To be presented at the 30th meeting of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) from 5–9 July 2012.

on Fisheries (COFI) in implementing the instrument,as requested by COFI members at the 29th Session inFebruary 2011;

RECALLING that Recommendation 4.111 Conservationof Leatherback Turtles Dermochelys coriacea and hammer-head sharks Sphyrna spp. in the Eastern Tropical Pacific MarineCorridor adopted by the 4th IUCN World ConservationCongress (Barcelona, 2008) called on relevant coastalStates and fishing entities to adopt and immediately im-plement policies to provide broad protection to threat-ened species and to gather information on the bycatch ofsharks and facilitate public access to such information;

FURTHER RECALLING that paragraph 14 from theUnited Nations General Assembly Sustainable FisheriesResolution4 2011 (Resolution A/66/L.22) calls uponStates, including through Regional Fisheries ManagementOrganizations (RFMO) or arrangements, to urgentlyadopt measures to fully implement the International Planof Action for the Conservation and Management ofSharks for directed and non-directed shark fisheries,based on the best available scientific information,through, inter alia, limits on catch or fishing effort, by re-quiring that vessels flying their flag collect and regularlyreport data on shark catches, including species-specificdata, discards and landings, undertaking, includingthrough international cooperation, comprehensive stockassessments of sharks, reducing shark by-catch and by-catch mortality;

COMMENDING efforts by several RFMOs to prohibitretaining onboard, transshipping, landing, storing, sellingor offering for sale certain shark species taken in their re-spective convention areas;

APPLAUDING the proclamations by the Republic ofPalau, the Republic of Maldives, the Republic of Hon-duras, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Tokelau, andthe Republic of the Marshall Islands to establish their wa-ters as ‘shark sanctuaries’ through protections includingthe prohibition of commercial fishing of sharks through-out their exclusive economic zones; and

NOTING that there are many sources of data and ad-vice, including the scientific summaries presented in theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species, that can be used by

national and regional management bodies when deter-mining how to manage shark stocks;


1. URGES all shark range States, fishing States, otherentities and relevant RFMOs to:

a. prohibit retaining onboard, trans-shipping, land-ing, storing, selling or offering for sale, any partor whole carcass of sharks assessed as CriticallyEndangered or Endangered in the IUCN Red Listof Threatened Species if consistent with domesticlegislation; and

b. adopt precautionary science-based managementmeasures for sharks, which take into considera-tion all available sources of scientific data, adviceand assessments including the IUCN Red List ofThreatened Species, with strong monitoring and en-forcement controls to prevent illegal, unreportedand unregulated (IUU) fishing, and ensure thatoverfishing of sharks does not occur and thatoverfished shark populations are rebuilt;

2. ENCOURAGES relevant coastal States to take sci-ence-based measures to conserve and sustainablymanage sharks, which could include limits on catchor fishing effort, technical measures, including by-catch reduction measures, closed areas or sanctuar-ies, closed seasons, and monitoring, control andsurveillance;

3. CALLS on all shark range States, fishing States, andother entities to take appropriate action to improvethe implementation of the UN FAO IPOA-Sharks,taking into account recent reviews by FAO, and, ifthey are not already doing so, to develop, implementand regularly review their NPOA-Sharks, and do soas a matter of priority if their vessels conduct di-rected fisheries for sharks or if their vessels routinelycatch sharks in non-directed fisheries or as by-catch;

4. RECOMMENDS that Parties to the Convention onInternational Trade in Endangered Species of WildFauna and Flora (CITES) consider inclusion of shark


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4 Sustainable fisheries, including through the 1995 Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Con-vention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocksand Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, and related instruments.

species on CITES Appendices, taking into accountthe status of the species in the IUCN Red List ofThreatened Species, and other relevant information, ifsubject to international trade; and

5. CALLS on the Director General to promote andstrive to achieve the actions described in paragraphs1–4, above.

The State Member Iceland provided the following state-ment for the record in relation to alternative formulations(referred to as ‘Option 1’ and ‘Option 2’) of operativeparagraph 1 (the Members’ Assembly voted to approveOption 1 for inclusion in the adopted text of the Mo-tion) during the 11th Sitting of the Members’ Assembly:

“Many States have legislation and banned fishing operations to dis-charge or throw away their catch or by by-catch species like, for ex-ample, sharks. Iceland is one of these countries. The second optionrecognises the difference in legislation between countries in this regardand acknowledges countries that have management measures in placewhile also including the option to ban retaining on board sharkspecies when management plans are not in place. Option one doesnot recognise the possibility of management plans without the banto retain sharks on board and encourages discharge of sharks. Ice-land will have to vote against Option 1 and prefers Option 2 andif Option 1 is preferred by the Assembly we request that the state-ment be included in the report from the meeting.”

Expressing its support for an alternative formulation (re-ferred to as ‘Option 2’) of operative paragraph 1, whichwas not approved during voting on this Motion, StateMember Japan provided the following statement for therecord during the 11th Sitting of the Members’ Assembly:

“Japan has been supporting prohibition of retaining several sharkspecies onboard at Regional Fisheries Management Organizationsor RFMOs and even submitted a similar proposal to RFMOs foroceanic whitetip shark. However, Japan cannot support any textwhich prejudges the position of State Members at RFMOs.Whether prohibition of retention on board is the best option for acertain species should be decided by each RFMO, taking into ac-count various factors, which differ among RFMOs. We are con-cerned that giving too much emphasis on a specific measure will notnecessarily contribute to conservation of sharks. Therefore, we sup-port Option 2.”

WCC-2012-Rec-145-ENEnsuring the conservation andmanagement of mako sharks

ACKNOWLEDGING Recommendation 4.113 Conserv-ing migratory and oceanic sharks adopted by the 4th IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008) whichencourages, inter alia, prompt, coordinated national andregional shark fisheries management and, in particular,science-based and/or precautionary limits on catches oftrans-zone, straddling, migratory and oceanic sharks,based on the high percentage of oceanic pelagic sharkslisted as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies;

ACKNOWLEDGING the obligations of the globalcommunity, including range States and shark-fishingStates, to conserve, protect and manage migratory sharksas underpinned by, inter alia, the Convention on Biologi-cal Diversity (CBD), the Convention on Migratory Species(CMS), the Convention on International Trade in Endan-gered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UN-CLOS), the United Nations Agreement for the Imple-mentation of the Provisions of the United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982relating to the Conservation and Management of Strad-dling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (FishStocks Agreement), the United Nations Food and Agri-culture Organization (FAO) International Plan of Action forthe Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA-Sharks),and the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI);

NOTING the important ecosystem role played by manyshark species, and the significant and continuing mortal-ity of sharks through target fisheries, illegal, unreportedand unregulated (IUU) fishing, and in fisheries by-catch;

RECALLING that UNCLOS, the IPOA-Sharks andCMS have all identified the urgent need for collaborativefisheries and conservation management by range Statesand fishing States of threatened and commercially ex-ploited migratory sharks;

FURTHER RECALLING that the IPOA-Sharks urgesStates to develop sub-regional or regional shark plans witha view to ensuring the sustainability of shark stocks, anddirects States exploiting trans-zone, straddling, highly mi-gratory and high-seas stocks of sharks to strive to ensureeffective conservation and management of these stocks;


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CONCERNED that conservation measures adopted byRegional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs)since the last IUCN World Conservation Congress havebeen limited to thresher (Alopias spp.), Oceanic Whitetip(Carcharhinus longimanus), hammerhead (Sphyrna spp.), andSilky Sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis), and have yet to controlthe catch of the most commercially valuable of all oceanicshark species: the Shortfin Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus);

STRESSING that Shortfin and Longfin Mako (Isurus pau-cus) are classified as globally Vulnerable on the IUCN RedList; that scientists with the International Commissionfor Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) concludedin 2004 that measures to reduce fishing mortality werenecessary to improve the status of the North AtlanticShortfin Mako Shark population, and will update this as-sessment in 2012; that an ICCAT Ecological Risk As-sessment found both mako species to be among theshark species most vulnerable to overfishing by Atlanticpelagic fisheries; and that the Scientific Committee of theIndian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) reported thatavailable evidence indicates considerable risk to ShortfinMako stock status at current levels of fishing effort;

RECALLING that Shortfin and Longfin Makos werelisted on Appendix II of CMS in 2008; and

RECOGNIZING the responsibility of States for theconservation and management of sharks in their watersand in the international waters in which their fleets op-erate, through national legislation, membership of FAO,and through participation in RFMOs and CMS;


1. REQUESTS all States that are Members or Cooper-ating Entities of RFMOs to ensure prompt RFMOand domestic management of fisheries taking migra-tory sharks, as urged by IUCN in 2008, and, in par-ticular, to adopt an effective suite of science-basedconservation measures in order to ensure sustain-ability, including quantifiable limits on the exploita-tion of mako sharks;

2. ENCOURAGES all fishing nations and entities, par-ticularly Parties to CMS, to support implementationof the CMS Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks, includingdevelopment of regional conservation plans as ap-propriate for listed species; and

3. ENCOURAGES fishing nations and entities to con-tinue to strive for close coordination between theirfisheries and wildlife management authorities onthese matters.

Expressing its support for an alternative formulation (re-ferred to as ‘Option 2’) of operative paragraph 1, whichwas not approved during voting on this Motion, StateMember Japan provided the following statement for therecord during the 11th Sitting of the Members’ Assembly:

“Japan has been supporting conservation measures for sharks inRegional Fisheries Management Organizations or RFMOs. How-ever, Japan is concerned about this motion because it prejudges theposition of State Members at RFMOs. It puts too much empha-sis on quantifiable limit on the exploitation of mako sharks asconservation measure. Each RFMO should decide appropriate con-servation measures for mako sharks, taking into account variousfactors, which differ among RFMOs. For example, the stock sta-tus of mako sharks, the types of fishing gear catching mako sharks,enforcement capacity of the members are all different amongRFMOs. We are concerned that giving too much emphasis on aspecific measure will not necessarily contribute to conservation ofmako sharks. Therefore, we support Option 2.”

WCC-2012-Rec-146-ENThe conservation of hammerheadsharks in the Mesoamerican Regionand the marine corridor in the EasternTropical Pacific

RECOGNIZING the obligations of the global commu-nity to conserve, protect and manage migratory sharks,according to the commitments in various internationalconventions, such as the Convention on Biological Di-versity (CBD), the Convention on Migratory Species(CMS), the Convention on International Trade in En-dangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UN-CLOS), the United Nations Agreement for the Imple-mentation of the Provisions of the United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982relating to the Conservation and Management of Strad-dling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (FishStocks Agreement), International Plan of Action forConservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA-Sharks)of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UnitedNations (FAO), and the FAO Committee on Fisheries(COFI);


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CONSIDERING that CITES came into effect in 1975,in response to the increasing threat posed by internationaltrade to many vulnerable or threatened species, it is cru-cial that collaboration and cooperation exist among Statesto ensure that this commerce is sustainable and con-trolled, so as not to further threaten or endanger wildlife;

REITERATING that CITES regulates the internationaltrade of wildlife species, as well as their products andsubproducts, through three appendices:

Appendix I. Threatened species for which interna-tional trade is forbidden

Appendix II. Species that could become endangered,and for which trade is allowed under strict regula-tions, requiring evidence of sustainability and legality

Appendix III. Species included upon request of aspecific nation, that requires the cooperation of othercountries to prevent illegal exploitation;

RECALLING that the 4th IUCN World ConservationCongress (Barcelona, 2008) adopted Recommendation4.111 Conservation of Leatherback Sea Turtles Dermochelyscoriacea and hammerhead sharks Sphyrna spp. in the EasternTropical Pacific Marine Corridor, in which stronger protec-tion is requested for the Leatherback Turtle and ham-merhead sharks, through the control and management offishing effort, including the establishment of spatial andtemporary closures of fisheries that interact with suchspecies in the aforementioned biological corridor;

ACKNOWLEDGING that in 2009, IUCN declared theScalloped Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini) a globallyEndangered species, given that its populations have de-clined by over 90% during the last 20 years;

RECALLING that during the XV Conference of theParties (COP) of CITES, in Doha (Qatar), 13–25 March2010, there were four proposals to include species ofsharks in Appendix II, one of them being the ScallopedHammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini);

STRESSING that prior to the aforementioned COP, thead hoc Expert Panel of the FAO concluded that there

was enough information to justify the inclusion of Scal-loped Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini) in Appendix IIof CITES;

AWARE that on that occasion, the total number of votesrequired to add this species to Appendix II of CITESwas not reached, but currently the majority of the coun-tries in the Mesoamerican region have elaborated theirrespective Action Plans for Sharks, which allow for moreeffective management measures to be taken; and

DEEPLY CONCERNED that to date, these Shark Ac-tion Plans have not been implemented effectively, and aframework of concrete actions to control indiscriminatefishing of this species in the Mesoamerican Region is stilllacking;

The World Conser va tion Congr e ss, a t i ts s es s ion inJe ju, Republ ic of Kor ea , 6–15 September, 2012:

1. REQUESTS all States to support the inclusion of theScalloped Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini), theSmooth Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna zygaena) and theGreat Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna mokarran) in Ap-pendix II of CITES, to contribute to the conserva-tion and sustainability of wild populations in thefuture, through control of the international trade oftheir products, taking into account all available infor-mation and the advice of the FAO Expert Panel1; and

2. REQUESTS States and Regional Fisheries Manage-ment Organizations where these species are presentduring reproduction, feeding and/or migration, toconserve the following shark species: the ScallopedHammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini), the SmoothHammerhead Shark (Sphyrna zygaena) and the GreatHammerhead Shark (Sphyrna mokarran), through con-servation and management measures, which could in-clude control and management of fishing effort,strengthening of the legal framework, improvementof communication channels amongst nations, andidentification and protection of critical habitats.

Expressing its support for an alternative formulation (re-ferred to as ‘Option 1’) of operative paragraph 1, whichwas not approved during voting on this Motion, the State


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1 It is hereby affirmed that the support of the Congress for the inclusion of these species in CITES Appendix II does not in anyway prejudice the independence, or determine the findings, of the IUCN/TRAFFIC Analyses of Proposals to Amend the CITESAppendices.

Member Japan provided the following statement for therecord during the 11th Sitting of the Members’ Assembly:

“Japan has concern about this Motion because it prejudges the po-sition of State Members at the CITES meeting next March. Thedeadline for submitting listing proposals on CITES Appendices isOctober 4. We have not even seen any proposal to list hammerheadsharks yet. If such a proposal is submitted, we will carefully studyall the information contained. We will study the results of the FAOExpert Panel which will examine the validity of proposals on fish-ery species. We will also have to investigate whether listing thisspecies on CITES Appendices will really contribute to its conser-vation. Before studying all these points, Japan cannot prejudgewhether we can support inclusion of this species on CITES Ap-pendices. Therefore, we support Option 1.”

WCC-2012-Rec-147-ENSacred natural sites – support forcustodian protocols and customarylaws in the face of global threats andchallenges

AWARE that sacred natural sites are defined in theIUCN-UNESCO Sacred Natural Sites: Guidelines for Pro-tected Area Managers as “Areas of land or water having spe-cial spiritual significance to peoples and communities”;

NOTING the importance of sacred natural sites for theconservation of biological and cultural diversity as theycontribute to connectivity, resilience and adaptation in in-terconnected socio-ecological systems;

UNDERSTANDING that the customary laws of in-digenous peoples, local communities, faith groups andcustodians of sacred natural sites and territories containlongstanding protocols regarding the care and guardian-ship of sacred natural sites – which can be mountains,springs, lakes, forests, waterfalls, caves, pilgrimage routes,and often encompass territories that may be known asCultural Landscapes;

RECALLING Resolution 4.038 Recognition and conservationof sacred natural sites in protected areas adopted by the 4th

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008),with a high level of support (97% governments, 99%NGOs), and also recalling Recommendation V.13 Culturaland Spiritual Values of Protected Areas adopted by the Vth

IUCN World Parks Congress (Durban, 2003);

ALSO RECALLING IUCN Recommendation 4.136 Bio-diversity, protected areas, indigenous people and mining activitiesadopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008) and Recommendation 2.82 Protection andconservation of biological diversity of protected areas from the neg-ative impacts of mining and exploration adopted by the 2nd

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Amman, 2000);

NOTING that IUCN and UNESCO in 2008 publishedthe Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines No. 16 onSacred Natural Sites: Guidelines for Protected Area Managers;

RECALLING the Akwé: Kon Voluntary guidelines for theconduct of cultural, environmental and social impact assessmentsregarding developments proposed to take place on, or which arelikely to impact on, sacred sites and on lands and waters tradi-tionally occupied or used by indigenous and local communities,published in 2004 by the Secretariat of the Conventionon Biological Diversity (CBD);

ACKNOWLEDGING the importance of sacred naturalsites in relation to the CBD Programme of Work on ProtectedAreas (PoWPA), especially Element 2 on “Governance,participation, equity and benefit-sharing”, and its role infulfulling Aichi Target 11 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiver-sity 2011–2020;

FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGING Article 8(j) of theCBD on traditional knowledge innovations and practicesand Article 10(c) of the CBD on sustainable use of com-ponents of biological diversity, and especially the NagoyaProtocol to the CBD on Access to Genetic Resources and theFair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Uti-lization, which encourages parties to raise awareness ofand to support the development by indigenous and localcommunities, including women within these communi-ties, of community protocols;

ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING that the United NationsDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) af-firms the right of indigenous peoples to determine anddevelop priorities and strategies for the development oruse of their lands or territories and other resources andto free, prior and informed consent with regard to de-velopment issues (Article 32);

UNDERSTANDING that other custodians of sacrednatural sites, such as local communities and faith groups,may also have longstanding relationships to land and sa-cred natural sites and may not be recognized as ‘indige-nous’ under international or national definitions;


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ALSO RECOGNIZING that with an increasing world-wide demand for non-renewable natural resources, in-digenous peoples and local communities aredisproportionately suffering the consequences of relatedindustrial developments and climate change;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING that indigenous peoples,local communities and site custodians have articulatedthat extractive industries and associated infrastructure area high priority threat to their sacred natural sites and ter-ritories due to the extensive impacts of exploration, min-ing, drilling, logging, infrastructure development, wastedisposal and related activites; and

AFFIRMING that urgent action is needed for culturallyappropriate sacred natural site conservation and man-agement both within and outside official protected areas;


1. CALLS on all IUCN State Members to recognize therights of indigenous peoples to practice their culturaltraditions and customs, including the right to main-tain, protect and develop the past, present and futuremanifestations of their cultures, such as archaeolog-ical and historical sites;

2. FURTHER CALLS on all IUCN State Members andother governments to engage indigenous peoples,local communities, faith groups and custodians of sa-cred natural sites and territories, to recognize theircustomary laws and cultural protocols for the man-agement of sacred natural sites and territories, andto develop programmes that respect and endorsethese customary laws and associated institutions,which are unique to each culture and landscape, butwhich exemplify values held in common by indige-nous people, local communities, faith groups andcustodians around the world;

3. URGES State Members of IUCN and other nationalgovernments to develop appropriate policies, lawsand programmes (for example by adopting at the na-tional level Resolution 4.038 and implementing theIUCN-UNESCO Best Practice Guidelines No. 16for planning and management of SNS in protectedareas) that allows the custodians to continue to main-tain and protect their sacred natural sites using theirtraditional practices and protocols, and in doing sorespect the confidentiality of sites and practices;

4. RECOMMENDS that all governments develop na-tional legislation to:

a. bring into force the CBD’s Akwé: Kon Voluntaryguidelines;

b. adopt a presumption against development thatcould damage or destroy sacred natural sites, anddevelop mechanisms that give indigenous peo-ples, local communities, faith groups and custo-dians of SNS the right to say no to mining orother industrial activies on their sacred naturalsites and territories; and

c. enable and encourage the development of com-munity protocols as a means for indigenous peo-ples, local communities, faith groups andcustodians of SNS to exercise their rights, gainlegal recognition for SNS and custodial gover-nance systems, and determine their own accessand benefit sharing arrangements (as per theCBD Nagoya Protocol); and

5. URGES transnational and national companies fromthe extractive and energy industries, agriculture,forestry, infrastructure, tourism and other develop-ment sectors to:

a. support, respect and promote the implementa-tion of UNDRIP;

b. utilize the CBD’s Akwé: Kon Voluntary guidelines;

c. prohibit activities that damage sacred naturalsites, enforce this policy, and communicate thisbest practice principle to shareholders; and

d. enable and provide support for indigenous peo-ples, local communities, faith groups and custo-dians of sacred natural sites and territories tobuild capacity and develop their own protocolsbased on their traditional laws and beliefs in re-sponse to demands placed on their sacred natu-ral sites and territories.



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WCC-2012-Rec-148-ENMountain protected areas

AWARE that the 1992 United Nations Conference onEnvironment and Development in Rio de Janeiro dra-matically put the phrase ‘Sustainable Development’ onthe world stage, so that it is now a global societal goaland a basic mantra;

NOTING that this Conference unanimously included aChapter 13 on Managing Fragile Ecosystems: SustainableMountain Development;

RECOGNIZING that mountain protected areas of var-ious IUCN Categories provide the best protection for bi-ological diversity, soil stability, most regulated and highestquality water, carbon sequestration, the many sacred andother culturally valued sites in mountains, and outstand-ing opportunities for recreation and tourism, more thanother kinds of land use; and therefore at that time moun-tain protected areas were identified as significant con-tributors to sustainable mountain development;

FURTHER NOTING that the IUCN World Commis-sion on Protected Areas (WCPA) was strongly repre-sented in the initiation of Chapter 13, and its subsequentprogramme in Agenda 21, and on the Interagency Groupconcerned with implementing the Mountain Chapter;

AWARE that today, in the dialogue about SustainableMountain Development among UN agencies, nationalgovernments and most donors, the role of the variouskinds of protected areas is not being recognized for themany ecosystem services of great economic contributionthat they make to sustainable development, especiallywater and biodiversity, along with ecotourism; and

DEEPLY CONCERNED that mountain protected areasas a land use have been largely dropped from the lexicon;for instance in the latest FAO publication Why Invest inSustainable Mountain Development? (2011), protected areasare scarcely mentioned, and in preparatory documents forthe Rio+20 United Nations Conference on SustainableDevelopment this year, they were not even identified;

The Wor ld Conse r vat ion Congr e s s a t i t s s e s si on inJeju, Republ i c of Kor ea , 6–15 September 2012:

1. AFFIRMS the unique and significant role that for-mal protected areas play in land and water use anddevelopment and thus for human welfare;

2. CALLS ON UN agencies, national governments anddonors to recognize that especially in the face of cli-mate change, mountain areas kept in their natural orcarefully managed state, such as in National Parks,Protected Landscapes, Dedicated Multiple Use Areas,Biosphere Reserves, Community ConservationAreas, and the like, are powerful pieces of sustain-able development;

3. URGES that because of the special susceptibility ofmountains to the impacts of global change, thatmountain protected area creation, enlargement andconnection in corridors come to the forefront ofglobal thinking, planning, and land and water usepolicies; and

4. REQUESTS the Director General to emphasizemountain protected area creation, enlargement, andconnectivity in the IUCN Programme for 2013–2016.

WCC-2012-Rec-149-ENTransboundary ecological corridors inthe Western Iberian Peninsula

MINDFUL of the fact that the Portuguese/Spanishtransboundary area in the west of the Iberian Peninsularepresents one of the best examples of the Mediter-ranean forest agrosystem and one of the most extensiveand significant biodiversity hotspots in Europe, home tovarious examples of internationally-important fauna suchas Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus), Iberian Imperial Eagle(Aquila adalberti), Eurasian Black or Cinereous Vulture(Aegypius monachus), Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) and RedKite (Milvus milvus);

BEARING IN MIND that the area is per se one of themost important reservoirs of threatened vascular flora inthe world, given the characteristics of this ecosystem,composed mainly of dehesa (an agrosilvopastoral sys-tem) with evergreen woodlands of Cork Oak (Quercussuber) and/or Holm Oak (Quercus ilex), as well as Pyre-nean Oak (Quercus pyrenaica), the result of the centuries-old interaction of the environment with the traditionalhuman activities of the area, and with examples such asParadise Lily (Paradisea lusitanica), Delphinium fissum subsp.sordidum, Omphalodes brassicifolia and Cross-leaved Heath(Erica tetralix);

RECOGNIZING the importance of the Portuguese/Spanish transboundary area, as illustrated by the 119


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protected areas forming part of the European Union’sNatura 2000 Network (57 Special Bird Protection Areas(SPAs) under the Birds Directive, with a surface area of1,093,679 hectares; 62 Sites of Community Importance(SCI) under the Habitats Directive, with a surface area of830,742 hectares; and other national- and regional-levelprotection statuses);

RECALLING that Resolution 4.024 Conservation of thehabitat of the Iberian Lynx Lynx pardinus and Recommen-dation 4.131 Conservation of the Western Iberian Peninsula ap-proved by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008) called for the conservation of theWestern Iberian Peninsula’s biodiversity, recognizing it asa global biodiversity hotspot;

FURTHER RECALLING that Resolution 4.061 TheGreat Ecological Connectivity Corridor: Cantabric Range – Pyre-nees – Massif Central – Western Alps called on national ad-ministrations and non-governmental organizations(NGOs) to strengthen ecological connectivity in theMediterranean mountains and that Resolution 4.072 Privateprotected areas and nature stewardship highlights the global im-portance of private protected areas and nature steward-ship through the creation of a related Working Group;

CONCERNED at the fragmentation trends that are af-fecting the transboundary natural spaces found in thisterritory;

AWARE of the threats that such trends mean for theconservation of its biodiversity, and that of its transi-tional zones;

RECOGNIZING the severe threats facing this territory,including depopulation, the abandonment of traditionalresource use, the uncontrolled proliferation of human in-frastructure, the fragmentation of ecosystems and the ef-fects of climate change, which are placing its highbiodiversity at risk;

MINDFUL of the opportunities that the spaces includedin the Natura 2000 Network, which represents 35% ofthe scope of this Initiative, will offer for the conserva-tion of a physically inter-connected and geographicallyfunctional ecological network; and

BEARING IN MIND the need to promote preventivestrategies in order to avoid future fragmentation, andstrategies that will promote the restoration of key zonesthat have already been severely affected, with the aim of

enhancing the resilience of the area’s ecosystems andhuman communities to face up to global change;


1. URGES the Governments of Spain and Portugal to:

a. work together to ensure the ecological connec-tivity of the natural spaces of this transbound-ary area, based on the Natura 2000 Networkspaces;

b. coordinate their efforts to preserve the biodiver-sity of the transboundary spaces;

c. link biodiversity objectives to the relevant produc-tion sectors: agriculture, livestock rearing, forestryand fishing, in the transboundary environment;

d. support and encourage initiatives aimed at con-serving the biodiversity and the ecological con-nectivity of the organizations working in thetransboundary area;

e. support and promote the Declaration of theTransboundary Biosphere Reserves of Braganza-Zamora and Douro Superior-Salamanca, andSierra de Gata-Dehesas de Azaba-Sierra Malcata;and

f. exclude the whole area from wind energy andlarge infrastructure development, particularlydams, as a way of preventing and safeguardingits great wealth and biodiversity; and

2. CALLS on the Governments of Spain and Portugal,IUCN Members and other concerned parties to de-velop action plans which:

a. encourage a vision of a single natural environ-ment, regardless of the great diversity of pro-tected areas that it comprises;

b. guarantee ecological connectivity, the mainte-nance of biological diversity and the ecologicalprocesses typical of the transboundary area;

c. promote the protection and creation of networksof private protection areas, involving privateowners and NGOs, by means of nature stew-ardship; and


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d. define the boundaries of an area within the West-ern Iberian Peninsula that could be declared aUNESCO World Heritage site.


WCC-2012-Rec-150-ENProtecting Mavrovo National Park,Macedonia (FYR)

NOTING that Mavrovo National Park ranks among thethree national parks in Macedonia (FYR), classified asCategory II by IUCN;

ALSO NOTING that Mavrovo National Park is an in-ternationally Important Plant Area, a Globally ImportantBird Area, a Key Biodiversity Area and an Emerald Net-work Site; it contains thirteen European threatened habi-tats and numerous locally endemic and/or threatenedplant and animal species listed on the annexes of theBern Convention;

FURTHER NOTING that these threatened species in-clude the only remaining breeding population for theBalkan Lynx (Lynx lynx ssp. balcanicus, Buresh 1941), re-cently assessed as Critically Endangered according toIUCN categories and criteria (unpublished thesis), and asignificant population of the European Brown Bear;

FURTHER NOTING that Mavrovo National Park con-tains one of the last remaining major stands of pristinebeech forest in Macedonia and in the Balkan region;

CONCERNED that the Macedonian (FYR) authoritiesare planning to build two major hydro-electric powerplants, dams and associated infrastructure withinMavrovo National Park, at Boshkov Most in the southof the Park and at Lukovo Pole in the north;

FURTHER CONCERNED that several other smallhydro-electric power plants are also planned for devel-opment within Mavrovo National Park;

ALARMED that the hydro-electric power plant devel-opment of Lukovo Pole will be placed in the most bio-logically sensitive region of the Mavrovo National Parkcontaining the most threatened biodiversity, and will de-stroy a biological corridor within the European GreenBelt which is crucial for the survival of the Balkan Lynx;

FURTHER ALARMED that there is no Strategic Envi-ronmental Assessment of the Strategy for RenewableEnergy Use within Macedonia covering these develop-ments, and that the Environment Impact Assessmentconducted for one of the projects does not accurately re-flect the views of the distribution and importance of bio-diversity in Mavrovo from international, regional andnational experts, and therefore fails to adequately assessthe risks posed to the populations of important species;

AWARE that these developments contravene interna-tional commitments that the Macedonian authorities haveratified, including the Convention on Biological Diver-sity (CBD), especially Aichi Targets 11 (conserving net-works) and 12 (extinction of threatened speciesprevented) of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020and the CBD’s Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, and theBern Convention; and

NOTING that correspondence from IUCN to theMacedonian authorities on this issue (December 2011)has not been answered to date (May 2012);


1. EXPRESSES strong concern to the Macedonian(FYR) authorities about the potential damage of theproposed hydro-electric power plants to biodiversitywithin Mavrovo National Park, and about insuffi-cient compliance with national law and internationalcommitments;

2. CALLS on the Macedonian (FYR) authorities toproperly implement its existing international com-mitments and adhere to the non-regression principle,and thus to abandon plans to develop hydro-electricpower within Mavrovo National Park;

3. FURTHER CALLS on the World Bank to complywith its operational policy OP4.04 and on the Euro-pean Bank for Reconstruction and Development(EBRD) to comply with its policy PR6, with regard tothe Boshkov Most and Lukovo Pole hydro-electricpower plant developments, and to undertake thor-ough and full consultation with biodiversity expertsin the field;

4. REQUESTS the Director General of IUCN to writeto the World Bank and the EBRD to strengthen theimplementation of policy OP4.04 and PR6; and to


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request the Macedonian (FYR) government to guar-antee the protection of Mavrovo National Park andto abandon the projects because they are conflictingwith national law and international commitments;and

5. REQUESTS that, to the extent possible within avail-able resources, the Director General, the IUCNSpecies Survival Commission (SSC) and the IUCNWorld Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) un-dertake an independent assessment of the existingand planned hydro-electric power plants and the im-pact they have on biodiversity with Mavrovo NationalPark.


WCC-2012-Rec-151-ENSafeguarding Madagascar’s uniqueand highly threatened natural heritage

RECALLING the objectives of IUCN “to influence, as-sist and encourage societies throughout the world to con-serve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensurethat any use of natural resources is equitable and eco-logical sustainable”;

DRIVEN by the commitment of the international com-munity to Aichi Target 12 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiver-sity 2011-2020, which states, “By 2020 the extinction ofknown threatened species has been prevented and theirconservation status, particularly of those most in decline,has been improved and sustained”;

NOTING that a large proportion of Madagascar’s en-demic biodiversity is part of, or depends on, forestecosystems for its survival;

EMPHASIZING that human survival in Madagascar willultimately also depend on the continued presence offorests and their ability to provide essential ecosystemservices;

AWARE that only about 16% of Madagascar’s land areais still forested, that we have lost more than 1,000,000 haof forest in just the 15 years between 1990 and 2005, andthat the remaining 94,000 km2 of forest are being lost ata rate of approximately 500 km2 per year;

ENCOURAGED by a decline in deforestation rates inMadagascar from 0.83% between 1990 and 2000 to0.53% between 2000 and 2005, and to 0.12% inside pro-tected areas;

CONCERNED, however, about the current almost com-plete lack of enforcement of environmental law in Mada-gascar, compounded by the suspension and/orwithdrawal of donor aid for environmental projects bymost of the largest multilateral and bilateral funders, suchas the USAID and the European Union (EU), in re-sponse to the political events of March 2009;

DEEPLY CONCERNED about the extremely highrates of illegal selective logging of Madagascar’s rose-wood and ebony trees in 2009 and 2010, about the on-going illegal logging of precious hardwoods, about illegalartisanal mining inside protected areas and unsustainablerates of hunting of larger vertebrate species, particularlyof the larger lemurs;

ACKNOWLEDGING that the Transitional Govern-ment, in March 2010, reinstated the ban on Rosewoodlogging and exports for two to five years (decree number2010-141);

FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGING that the TransitionalGovernment, in August 2011, renewed its commitmentto combat the illegal exploitation of the country’s forestsby prohibiting the harvest, exploitation, transport andsale of rosewood and ebony, demanding registration ofexisting stocks within 30 days, invalidating any exportpermits, and strengthening penalties for illegal possessionof such woods (ordinance No. 2011–001);

ENCOURAGED by the fact that five species of rose-wood and 104 species of ebony native to Madagascarwere recently added to Appendix III of the Conventionon International Trade in Endangered Species of WildFauna and Flora (CITES) at the request of the Transi-tional Government; and

FURTHER ENCOURAGED by the decision of theWorld Bank, in June 2011, to grant an exceptional addi-tional financing to Madagascar to support the ProgrammeEnvironnemental III “due to its global public good nature,and the substantial risks associated to social safeguardslinked to the end of the [previous] funding”;



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1. URGES the Government of Madagascar (or, in theinterim, the Transitional Government) to:

a. continue to implement the ban on rosewood andebony logging and export that it decreed inMarch 2010;

b. make every possible effort to enforce Madagas-car’s environmental laws, and not to tolerate ille-gal exploitation of its forests and of the speciesdepending on them;

c. increase the protection of the country’s naturalheritage, and in particular of its protected areas,by ensuring that the Ministry of the Environ-ment and Forests is given the financial resourcesand support it needs to effectively combat suchillegal exploitation;

d. develop, with help from IUCN and its Commis-sions, an innovative approach to ensure the sus-tainable use of the country’s forest resources thatbenefits human communities local to those re-sources and prevents extinction of the harvestedspecies and of any species depending on them;and

e. manage the harvest of forest resources in a waythat provides incentives for their conservation;

2. CALLS ON all providers of Official DevelopmentAssistance (ODA) to the Government of Madagas-car (or, in the interim, the Transitional Government),including governments, multilateral institutions andcharities, to:

a. continue, or immediately resume, funding Mada-gascar’s environmental sector through projectsimplemented by civil society organizations;

b. increase levels of technical and financial supportfor environmental protection, and in particularfor the protection of forests and species de-pending on them;

c. combine support for environmental protectionwith support for good governance initiatives inorder to advance development of stable institu-tions that can ensure long-term effectiveness ofconservation and sustainable use of its wildlifeand natural resources; and

d. recognize that the environmental sector is a crit-ical underpinning of humanitarian assistance andnot a separate unrelated activity; and

3. REQUESTS the Director General and the IUCNCommissions to:

a. provide technical support to the Government ofMadagascar (or, in the interim, the TransitionalGovernment) on:

i. developing a system of sustainable use ofthe country’s forest resources;

ii. managing the sustainable harvest of thoseresources in a way that provides incentivesfor their conservation;

iii. developing a system for identification andlabelling legally harvested timber, such as theEU’s FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement,Governance and Trade) programme; and

iv. identifying sustainable rates of permittedhunting for the main vertebrate species har-vested for subsistence consumption;

b. communicate the urgency of solving the currentenvironmental crisis in Madagascar to global de-cision makers, to all IUCN Members, and to thepublic at large;

c. form a national working group of members ofthe IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC),which can facilitate technical assistance to theGovernment and monitor and evaluate the meas-ures taken to solve the crisis; and

d. convene a joint working group on Madagascarconsisting of members of SSC, the IUCN WorldCommission on Protected Areas (WCPA), theCommission on Education and Communication(CEC), and the World Commission on Environ-mental Law (WCEL) that will support the Secre-tariat in the implementation of the measuresoutlined above.



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WCC-2012-Rec-152-ENEnlarging and connectingtransboundary protected areas for theEcological Corridor of Northeast Asia

RECALLING Recommendation 1.38 Ecological Networksand Corridors of Natural and Semi-Natural Areas adopted bythe 1st IUCN World Conservation Congress (Montreal,1996) and Resolution 4.035 Strengthening IUCN’s work onprotected areas adopted by the 4th IUCN World Conserva-tion Congress (Barcelona, 2008);

EMPHASIZING the Convention on Biological Diver-sity (CDB) Programme of Work on Protected Areas Goal 1.2“By 2015, all protected areas and protected area systemsare integrated into the wider land- and seascape, and rel-evant sectors, by applying the ecosystem approach andtaking into account ecological connectivity/and the con-cept, where appropriate, of ecological networks.” (KualaLumpur, 2004);

ACKNOWLEDGING the efforts of other regions onnetworking protected areas and establishing ecological cor-ridors, such as ECONNECT, Pan-European EcologicalNetwork, European Alps to the Mediterranean, CantabrianRange to Western Alps Corridor, Natura 2000 network,and the Tri-national Mont Blanc Massif in Europe; Yel-lowstone to Yukon Connectivity Corridor in North Amer-ica; the Terai Arc in Nepal and India; the MesoamericanBiological Corridor and the Vilacamba-Amboró in SouthAmerica; Greater Virunga Landscape, Maloti DrakensbergTransfrontier in Africa and many others;

REALIZING that although Northeast Asian countrieshave strived to protect their own ecosystems such as Baek-dudaegan protected area in the Republic of Korea (ROK),Mount Paektusan Biosphere Reserve in the DemocraticPeople’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Changbaishan pro-tected area in China and Sikhote-Alin protected area inRussia, many flora and fauna in Northeast Asia have be-come extinct and/or endangered regionally and globally,their habitats also being in danger of degradation;

UNDERSTANDING that there is a lack of comprehen-sive coordinated research on regional ecosystems ofNortheast Asia that includes ROK, DPRK, China andRussia;

CONSIDERING that building governance for the eco-logical corridor among neighbouring countries, such as

connecting Baekdudaegan protected area from the south-ern end to the northern end of ROK by the Korean Min-istry of Environment and Korean Forest Service,protecting transboundary areas between China and Rus-sia such as the Lower Tumen River Area by the UnitedNations North East Asian Sub-regional Programme forEnvironmental Cooperation (NEASPEC), have the lim-itation of being able to extend to the entire reach ofNortheast Asia’s protected areas;

REFLECTING on the fact that Northeast Asian coun-tries have displayed the least cross-border cooperationfor environmental conservation due to political tension,and IUCN has limited experience of working in this re-gion which needs more support and focus at the inter-national level to conserve the environment;

RECOGNIZING the need for comprehensive protec-tion of the precious and threatened natural and culturalheritage of the Northeast Asian countries, with respect torapid destruction of ecosystems, and the importance ofinternational cooperation in enlarging and connectingprotected areas that transcend national borders in thecontext of climate change, biodiversity conservation andmaintaining global peace; and

HIGHLIGHTING that IUCN’s new conservation par-adigm of resilience (Nature+ theme of the IUCN WorldConservation Congress, Jeju 2012) should encompass en-vironmental approaches more than the stewardship ofnature so as to contribute to mitigating national conflicts;


1. URGES the Governments of ROK, DPRK, Chinaand Russia as well as NGOs of the countries con-cerned to recognize the Ecological Corridor ofNortheast Asia: the linking up of Baekdudaegan pro-tected area, Tumen river basin and Sikhote-AlinMountains;

2. ENCOURAGES relevant regional and local agenciesto promote action plans for the conservation and im-provement of biological richness and cultural diver-sity in Northeast Asia;

3. REQUESTS the Director General, the IUCN WorldCommission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and theIUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), in col-laboration with international organizations and other


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stakeholders, to promote the abovementioned Eco-logical Corridor in Northeast Asia, putting global at-tention on the need for expanding and linkingprotected areas in Northeast Asia; and

4. CALLS UPON the Director General, WCPA andSSC to:

a. support research plans to build long-term linkupmethodologies for the conservation of isolatedDPRK ecosystems by creating the grounds forits cooperation and participation; and

b. provide regular exchange of academic outcomesamong IUCN Members and partners, govern-ments and NGOs of ROK, DPRK, China andRussia to engage in the ecological networking ofNortheast Asia.


WCC-2012-Rec-153-ENConservation of Poyang Lake, People’sRepublic of China

NOTING that Poyang Lake in the People’s Republic ofChina is by far the most important wetland in East Asiafor wintering waterbirds (cranes, storks, swans, geese,ducks and others), providing critical habitat for many mi-gratory and globally threatened species;

AWARE that over 98% of the world population of theCritically Endangered Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus)depends on Poyang Lake and associated wetlands as itswintering ground, together with over 90% of the world’spopulation of the globally Endangered Oriental Stork(Ciconia boyciana), and over 50% of the globally Vulnera-ble Swan Goose (Anser cygnoides);

RECOGNIZING that the People’s Republic of Chinahas made numerous, exemplary commitments to the con-servation of wetlands, including the designation of a net-work of 15 nature reserves to safeguard the wetlandresources of Poyang, and the establishment of wildlifeprotection offices in all counties surrounding the lake;

COMMENDING the People’s Republic of China fordesignating Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve as a

Wetland of International Importance under the RamsarConvention in 1992, and a site of international impor-tance for migratory waterbirds under the East Asian-Aus-tralasian Flyway site network in 1997;

WELCOMING the commitment that the People’s Re-public of China made to the recently completed UnitedNations Environment Programme (UNEP)/Global En-vironment Facility (GEF) project Development of a WetlandSite and Flyway Network for Conservation of the Siberian Craneand Other Migratory Waterbirds in Asia, through which thePoyang Lake National Nature Reserve received signifi-cant funding, with UNEP/GEF funds being matched bya considerable investment from the People’s Republic ofChina;

NOTING that the ecosystem services provided byPoyang Lake have extraordinary importance to millionsof people in Jiangxi and the provinces downriver;

ALSO NOTING the importance of Poyang Lake forother important components of biodiversity, includingdiverse vegetation, fish, and the only freshwater porpoisein the world;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that infrastructure forwater management, such as the sluice gates proposed byJiangxi Government for the outlet to Poyang Lake, af-fects the natural water fluctuations, and might transformthe ecological character of the lake and its wetlands;

AWARE of the 2010 report by the Wetlands Interna-tional – IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) CraneSpecialist Group and the IUCN China office entitled, AnEcosystem Approach to Resolving Conflicts among Ecological andEconomic Priorities for Poyang Lake Wetlands;

AWARE of the Ramsar expert team invited by JiangxiProvince to visit Poyang Lake in April 2010 that dis-cussed concerns about management challenges andecosystem change at this Wetland of International Im-portance, and made a series of recommendations em-phasizing the importance of a strong scientific basis fordecisions affecting this system and the need to ensurethat the remarkable variability and biodiversity of thesewetlands is maintained; and

RECALLING that the People’s Republic of China hasadopted the National Biodiversity Conservation Strategyand Action Plan (2011–2030) where Poyang Lake is in-cluded as one of 35 biodiversity conservation priority areas,


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and also the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 with the20 Aichi Targets, particularly Targets 5, 12, and 14;


RECOMMENDS to the relevant agencies, when makingmanagement decisions that affect Poyang Lake, to seekto:

a. maintain and enhance the extraordinary internationaland local biodiversity values of Poyang Lake throughmanagement and monitoring activities;

b. maximize benefits for both biodiversity and devel-opment through management measures that main-tain the ecological character of the lake, includingwater levels and water fluctuations that sustain or re-store natural ecological processes characteristic ofthese wetlands; and

c. consult scientists and relevant organizations with di-verse expertise and practical experience to advise onresearch and management actions for Poyang Lake.


WCC-2012-Rec-154-ENProtecting the Great Barrier Reef WorldHeritage Area of Australia

NOTING that the Great Barrier Reef is one of the mosticonic World Heritage areas on Earth and one of the pre-mier marine protected areas in the world;

CONCERNED that the human population of the GreatBarrier Reef coastal catchments is projected to increaseby 40% in the next 25 years, which will increase pressureson the Reef, including coastal development and catch-ment runoff;

CONCERNED that there are immediate direct and in-direct threats from current and projected coal mining, gasextraction and related port developments and shipping;

CONCERNED by a projected increase in commercialvessel traffic of unprecedented scale within the GreatBarrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA);

NOTING Decisions WHC 35 COM 7B.10 and WHC 36COM 7B.8 from the World Heritage Committee meet-ings in 2011 and 2012 respectively;

COMMENDING the Australia National Committee ofIUCN Members’ submission Sustaining the OutstandingUniversal Value of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area,February 2012;

NOTING the comprehensive report of the World Her-itage Centre/IUCN monitoring mission and the 14 de-tailed recommendations contained in that report;

DRAWING ATTENTION to Recommendation 11 ofthe Mission Report to, “Commission an independent re-view, undertaken by internationally recognized and widelyrespected scientific experts, of the overall institutionaland legal mechanisms that provide coordinated planning,protection and management of the Great Barrier ReefWorld Heritage Areas as a whole”;

WELCOMING the Australian and Queensland Gov-ernments’ work in progressing the Strategic Assessmentrequested by the World Heritage Committee;

CONCERNED that the cumulative impacts of the rangeof threats faced by the GBRWHA have the potential tocause significant damage to one of the most iconic pro-tected areas on earth;

CONCERNED that coral reef ecosystems are amongstthe most vulnerable natural systems to the impacts of cli-mate change, and that the GBRWHA has previously ex-perienced mass coral mortality from extreme climateevents; and

NOTING recent findings of Australian Government-funded research that:

a. the estimated size of the Dugong (Dugong dugon) pop-ulation in the Southern Great Barrier Reef Region inNovember 2011 was the lowest since surveys beganin 1986;

b. coral cover along the Reef has declined some 20–30% since the 1960s; and

c. confirmed, through parentage analysis and biophysicalmodelling for coral trout (Plectropomus spp.), that thereare strong positive spill-over effects of systematically-developed representative networks of no-take zones;


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1. CONGRATULATES the Australian and Queens-land Governments for their support for the WorldHeritage Centre/IUCN monitoring mission inMarch 2012 that considered the issues around devel-opments on Curtis Island and other potential threatsto the integrity of the Great Barrier Reef World Her-itage property; and

2. CALLS upon the Australian and Queensland Gov-ernments to:

a. fully implement the 11 recommendations withinthe World Heritage Committee’s decision 36COM 7B.8 and address all 14 related recommen-dations of the World Heritage Centre/IUCNmonitoring mission report;

b. ensure that the Great Barrier Reef Marine ParkAuthority-led Strategic Assessment and theQueensland Government-led Strategic Assess-ment are effectively coordinated and integratedto deliver the comprehensive Strategic Assess-ment requested by the World Heritage Commit-tee in its decision 35 COM 7B.10;

c. release in a timely manner details of the work tobe undertaken including time-frames and con-sultation strategy for both Strategic Assessments;

d. ensure stakeholders are engaged during the de-velopment of the Strategic Assessments to pro-vide rigour and transparency to the process; and

e. deliver on funding commitments to the ReefWater Quality Protection Plan, ensure that cur-rent improvements in water quality are enhancedto meet water quality targets, and remain com-mitted to protecting the Great Barrier Reef fromthe impacts of poor water quality.

WCC-2012-Rec-155-ENRestoration and conservation of Jeju’sHanon Maar Crater

UNDERSTANDING that Jeju volcanic island wasformed more than 1.8 million years ago from numer-ous volcanic activities, designated by the United Nations

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UN-ESCO) as a Biosphere Reserve, World Heritage site, andGlobal Geopark, has four Wetlands of InternationalImportance (‘Ramsar sites’) and thus, is an exemplarycase worldwide for the conservation of nature;

EMPHASIZING Hanon, with the total area of 127.6hectares, located in Seogwipo City, Jeju Island, the Re-public of Korea, where the 2012 IUCN World Conser-vation Congress is hosted, as an important naturalheritage like a ‘time capsule of the Earth’s environment,’preserving invaluable scientific information that revealsthe process of the Earth’s climatic and ecological envi-ronmental changes through pollen, spores and yellowsands accumulated as thick as 15 metres inside the lakeand wetland sediments of the crater over the last 50,000years;

RECOGNIZING that the Hanon area can be a goodplace for climate prediction by closely investigating thefluctuation of varying climates in East Asia from theanalysis of the ancient climate and vegetation in andaround the concentrated and accumulated maar sedimentsin the crater, as the area is influenced by the maritimetropical air mass and continental polar air mass, and thewesterlies from the distinct climatic characteristic chang-ing seasonally between continental and oceanic climates;

CONCERNED that topographical damage continues inthe area despite cessation of farming by indigenous farm-ers around the area, that the crater lake and wetland alsocontinue to disappear, which results in serious damageof the original vegetation around the crater, and further-more, that the area has been exposed to imminent threatsfrom thoughtless attempts to develop the area as a sports,tourism and entertainment complex;

CONSIDERING that the municipal government andcivil organizations have recognized the importance ofthe geological, climatic, ecological and environmental val-ues contained in the Hanon crater, and thus, have con-tinued campaigns urging actions for restoration andsustainable conservation of the area, while hosting fourinternational symposiums in cooperation with the mu-nicipal government and the private sector to re-examinethe values of the Hanon crater and present the appro-priateness and a vision for environmental education andenvironmentally-friendly use, with eco-tours whenrestoration is completed and actions for conservation areput into place, as an effort to create both national andinternational consensus;


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NOTING that restoration of the Hanon crater lake andwetland environment and conservation of the sedimentsin the lake are consistent with the fundamentals of sus-tainable development to save the Earth’s environment,coping with climate change, and for our future genera-tions as pursued by IUCN and other international envi-ronmental organizations; and

RECALLING that IUCN has made various efforts andtaken actions to induce efforts and practical contribu-tions, at the State level, to emphasize the environmentalimportance of and to conserve the wetland ecosystemthrough Resolution 1.70 Ramsar Convention Prioritiesadopted by the 1st IUCN World Conservation Congress(Montreal, 1996), Resolution 3.012 Governance of naturalresources for conservation and sustainable development adoptedby the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress(Bangkok, 2004), and Resolution 4.036 Best practice pro-tected area guideline for ecological restoration adopted by the 4th



1. REQUESTS the Director General and IUCN Com-missions, together with the Hanon crater restorationand conservation project, to help achieve an effec-tive outcome, while making restoration of ecosys-tems exposed to ongoing destruction become a coreproject for the conservation of nature and natural re-sources, and so that the initiatives for recovery proj-ects can be disseminated to other States, regions andthroughout the world;

2. RECOMMENDS that governments of the Republicof Korea establish and execute a comprehensive planfor restoration of the natural environment and takeactions not to accelerate damage in the conservedareas, while establishing and operating environmen-tally-friendly utilization programmes (e.g. a protectionand management programme and environmental ed-ucation) in which a diversity of participants (i.e. civilenvironmental groups, local residents and academicexperts) can join together; and

3. RECOMMENDS that governments, research insti-tutes and environmental organizations of the Re-public of Korea, the People’s Republic of China andJapan, where maar craters are distributed in the sameclimate zone as the Hanon crater is located, continueto make efforts to maximize mutual cooperation and

exchanges in academic and educational activities thatcan contribute to the provision of predictions on cli-mate change by investigating the process of changes inthe monsoon climate of the Northeast Asian region.


WCC-2012-Rec-156-ENBiodiversity conservation in theprotected natural area under thesacred natural site modality ofHuiricuta and the historico-culturalroute of the Huichol people

CONSIDERING that Huiricuta is a landscape of par-ticular global importance due to the combination of itsnatural and cultural values, in addition to being repre-sentative of the Chihuahuan Desert, one of the threemost biodiverse semi-desert ecoregions of the planet, forwhich reason it has been protected by an Official Decreeand has a Management Plan designating the region theProtected Natural Area under the Sacred Natural Sitemodality of Huiricuta and the Historico-Cultural Routeof the Huichol People;

RECOGNIZING that, given the importance of theaforesaid region, it appears on the Mexican Tentative Listof the Convention Concerning the Protection of theWorld Cultural and Natural Heritage of the United Na-tions Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO); and that, due to its biodiversity, it is an Areaof Importance for the Conservation of Birds (AICA,Área de Importancia para la Conservación de Aves) anda Priority Land Region (RTP, Región Terrestre Priori-taria), and that there are specific national programmes forthe recovery of priority species such as the Golden Eagle(Aquila chrysaetos) – Conservation Programme for Speciesat Risk (PROCER, Programa de Conservación de Es-pecies en Riesgo);

UNDERLINING the fact that it is located in the south-east section of the Chihuahuan Desert where the great-est concentration of endemic and threatened cacti isfound, as well as the highest peaks of the aforesaid ecore-gion, which confers on it a special singularity and impor-tance based on the coexistence of habitats and speciesof markedly diverse and heterogeneous environments,


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and therefore great ecological, biographical and culturalrelevance, resulting in an area of unique characteristicswhich contribute to highlighting its importance for bio-diversity conservation, and which are:

a. large altitudinal gradient (1,500–3,180 MASL) asso-ciated with climatic, geomorphological and edaphiczoning, which are the factors responsible for the di-versification of the landscape, flora and vegetation;

b. its latitudinal and altitudinal location confer on it thecharacter of a biogeographical island, a refuge forcommunities and species belonging to other latitudeswhich have remained in the region as relicts follow-ing the most recent glacial and interglacial periods:notable in this respect is the presence of flora andfauna with Holarctic characteristics, as well as vege-tation communities vicarious to those present in theSierra Madre Oriental; and

c. the mountainous section of the region and its differ-ent forest communities, in addition to being a habi-tat for a great variety of organisms, has a vitalfunction related to the capture and regulation of thewater that supplies the springs and aquifers of thesierra and the surrounding plains;

RECOGNIZING that the combination of these factorshas resulted in the unusual representation of habitats andspecies present in the area, some of which are consid-ered charismatic and of interest for conservation in thatthey are included on legal and technical protection lists,or that they constitute a unique biogeographical phe-nomenon owing to their rare or relict character;

UNDERLINING the fact that there are species of floraand fauna found in the region that are subject to specialprotection due to their level of threat or rarity, that arelisted in the Official Mexican Regulations (Norma Ofi-cial Mexicana) NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010, Environ-mental protection – Species of wild flora and faunanative to Mexico – Risk categories and specifications forinclusion, exclusion or modification – List of species atrisk, in addition to being cited in legal instruments suchas the Convention on International Trade in EndangeredSpecies of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the IUCNRed List of Threatened Species, including the following im-portant examples:

a. 250 species of fauna, including important examplesof amphibians such as toads Anaxyrus cognatus, A.

punctatus, Incilius nebulifer and I. valliceps; rare reptilessuch as lizards Cophosaurus texanus, Holbrookia maculata,Barisia imbricata, Phrynosoma modestum and P. taurus;snakes Hypsiglena torquata, Pituophis deppei, Masticophisflagellum, Lampropeltis getulus, Thamnophis cyrtopsis and T.eques, considered threatened; mud turtles Kinosternonherrerai and K. hirtipes; as well as five species of rat-tlesnake (Crotalus spp.), subject to special protection;

b.. The following are among the mammalian species ofNearctic or northern origin considered to be in therisk category which live in the region: Mule Deer(Odocoileus hemionus), American Black Bear (Ursus amer-icanus), American Badger (Taxidea taxus), DesertShrew (Notiosorex crowfordi), Mexican Long-tonguedBat (Choeronycteris mexicana), Greater and Lesser Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris nivalis and L. curasoae), SpottedBat (Euderma maculatum), Phillips’s Kangaroo Rat(Dipodomys phillipsii), Cactus Mouse (Peromyscus eremi-cus), Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis) and Puma (Puma concolor);and

c. Birds constitute the most numerous group with ap-proximately 153 species distributed throughout thearea, including the Golden Eagle, Northern Bob-white (Colinus virginianus) in danger of extinction;other raptors such as falcons and owls: Cooper’sHawk (Accipiter coperi), Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteounicinctus), Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus), PeregrineFalcon (F. peregrinus), Athene cunicularia (BurrowingOwl), Strix occidentalis (Spotted Owl); and threatenedsongbirds and ornamental birds Ruby-crownedKinglet (Regulus calendula) and American Goldfinch(Carduelis tristis), and also Savannah Sparrow (Passercu-lus sandwichensis) and Great Blue Heron (Ardea hero-dias), listed as a rare species;

RECOGNIZING that conservation based on culturehas provided protection for natural sacred places of in-digenous communities, which are home to a rich biodi-versity, and a safeguard for valuable landscapes andecosystems;

EMPHASIZING that the Convention on Biological Di-versity (CBD) recommends the implementation of theEcosystem Approach, acknowledging human beings aspart of this approach, and urges Parties to foster and im-plement projects, thus permitting promotion of the con-cept of this site of natural and cultural heritage as onethat validates the aforesaid approach;


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AWARE of the importance of the CBD, and that pro-tected sites are at risk and subject to a wide range of pres-sures and threats such as impacts caused by the extractiveindustries, poverty, tourism and irresponsible recreationalactivities, and degradation of the natural elements andsurrounding territory;

CONCERNED that the existence of a declaration ofprotection and zonification for the purpose of the sus-tainable use of the area has not been sufficient to securethe conservation of species which are subject to nationalor international protection of any kind; and

BEARING IN MIND that a range of national and in-ternational declarations, programmes and documents rec-ognize the close relationships that exist between culturalvalues, environmental management and biodiversity con-servation, including the United Nations Declaration on theRights of Indigenous Peoples, the CBD (Articles 8j and 10c),the Earth Charter (principles 8b, 12 and 12b), the UnitedNations Declaration on Economic and Social Rights, and theGlobal Environment Outlook (GEO-4) of the United Na-tions Environment Programme (UNEP);


1. CALLS ON the Government of Mexico to complywith the treaties, regulations, programmes and man-agement plans which pertain to the conservation ofthe Protected Natural Area under the Sacred NaturalSite modality of Huiricuta and the Historico-culturalRoute of the Huichol People and all its species;

2. CALLS ON the Mexican authorities to comply withthe objectives of the Decree and the ManagementPlan for the Protected Natural Area under the SacredNatural Site modality of Huiricuta and the Historico-cultural Route of the Huichol People in the munici-palities of Catorce, Villa de la Paz, Matehuala, Villade Guadalupe, Charcas and Villa de Ramos in theState of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, especially with theprogrammes for:

a. research on the Legal Framework of the Huiri-cuta Sacred Natural Site;

b. assessment of the surface water quality in thesacred site;

c. cultural communications project;

d. identification of underground hydrological flowsystems in the north-east of the State of San LuisPotosí;

e. inventory of soil, flora and fauna;

f. ecology of the cactus Peyote (Lophophora williamsii);

g. environmental history of the Sacred Natural Site;

h. mercury in sacred land; study of mining sites inHuiricuta;

i. development of a Sacred Natural Site Adminis-tration Programme;

j. observance and compliance with the Zonation,the Environmental Management Units, Manage-ment Categories and all the programmes for sus-tainable use in accordance with the generalSacred Natural Site objectives; and

k. compliance with the provisions of the adminis-trative regulations of the Management Plan;

3. EXHORTS the National Commission for ProtectedNatural Areas (CONANP, Comisión Nacional deÁreas Naturales Protegidas) to comply with the Con-servation Programme for Species at Risk (PROCER),especially the Conservation Action Programme(PACE), for the Golden Eagle;

4. URGES CONANP and the National Commissionfor the Use and Management of Biodiversity(CONABIO, Comisión Nacional para el Uso yManejo de la Biodiversidad) to take the actions nec-essary for the protection and monitoring of the pri-ority regions Area of Importance for theConservation of Birds Sierra de Catorce (AICA No.81) and Priority Land Region Tokio (RTP No. 80);

5. EXHORTS the Secretariat for the Environment andNatural Resources (SEMARNAT, Secretaría deMedio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales) to apply theOfficial Mexican Regulations NOM-059-SEMAR-NAT-2010, Environmental Protection – Species ofwild flora and fauna native to Mexico – Risk cate-gories and specifications for inclusion, exclusion ormodification – List of species at risk, in conjunctionwith the environmental provisions of the ProtectedNatural Area; similarly encourages the NationalCommission of Indigenous Peoples, within the area


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of its competence and with effective consultationwith both sectors, to monitor, strengthen and sys-temize the coordinated and combined efforts, in thespirit of conserving the cultural and natural heritageof Mexico;

6. INVITES the environmental authorities to ensurethe informed participation of local communities, in-digenous peoples, civil organizations, and scientificand academic associations in the participatory plan-ning of activities to be developed in the ProtectedNatural Area of Huiricuta, endeavouring to empha-size conservation of biological diversity; and

7. REQUESTS the Director General to establish aworking group with the IUCN Commission onEcosystem Management (CEM), the Commission onEnvironmental, Economic and Social Policy(CEESP), the Species Survival Commission (SSC) andthe Commission on Education and Communication(CEC), in order facilitate harmonizing their nationaland regional benchmarks in one programme with theMexican Government and providing, as far as possi-ble, technical and scientific help to Mexico to imple-ment the actions deriving from the Management Planfor the Protected Natural Area under the Sacred Nat-ural Site modality of Huiricuta and the Historico-cul-tural Route of the Huichol People and the PROCER.


WCC-2012-Rec-157-ENProtection of the Okapi WildlifeReserve and communities of the IturiForest in the Democratic Republic ofCongo

RECOGNIZING that conservation of the exceptionalbiodiversity of the Ituri Forest, including the Okapi(Okapia johnstoni), Eastern Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytesschweinfurthii), and Forest Elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) hasbeen carried out for two decades in the Okapi WildlifeReserve (known by its French acronym RFO) by the In-stitut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature(ICCN) supported by the Okapi Conservation Project(OCP), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), US Agencyfor International Development, German DevelopmentBank, and other partners;

UTTERLY DISMAYED by the murderous assault on 24June 2012 at Epulu, where six local people, including twoICCN rangers, were killed, 14 Okapis slaughtered, andfacilities of the RFO destroyed;

AWARE that this assault was conducted by some knownelephant poachers in retaliation against enforcement bythe ICCN of laws protecting elephants, Okapis and otherspecies, and prohibiting illegal mining and other activi-ties destructive of the ecological integrity of the RFO;

INFORMED that some members of FARDC, the na-tional army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC) responding to this assault, were involved in loot-ing and ransacking facilities in or near Epulu of theICCN, OCP, WCS and Forest Biodiversity Project, andlooting houses and shops in Epulu;

ALSO AWARE that many villagers were forced to carrylooted materials by the leader of the poachers, as theymoved back into the forest of the RFO; and that ten vil-lage women were still being held as hostages by them atthe time of submission of this motion;

ENCOURAGED that the Government of DRC andFARDC are currently seeking to apprehend the leader ofthe poachers and his associates and rescue the hostages;and

RECALLING Resolution 2.37 Support for environmentaldefenders adopted by the 2nd IUCN World ConservationCongress (Amman, 2000) and Recommendation 4.119Protection of rangers within and in areas adjacent to protected areasadopted by the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008);


1. URGES the government of the Democratic Repub-lic of Congo to apprehend and bring to justice theleader of the poachers and his associates, who con-ducted the assault in and near Epulu on 24 June 2012;

2. CALLS upon the government of the Democratic Re-public of Congo and leading officers of FARDC toidentify, indict and bring to justice members ofFARDC who participated in ransacking conservationfacilities and looting the village of Epulu in the af-termath of the assault by the leader of the poachersand his band on 24 June 2012;


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3. APPLAUDS UNESCO for immediately extendingfinancial support for the Emergency Fund of ICCNto help in protecting the RFO, which was designateda World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1997;

4. THANKS those who have provided assistance bysupplying food, medicines and other supplies toICCN rangers and families and the people of Epuluin the wake of the assault;

5. CALLS UPON government and non-governmentMembers of IUCN to assist the government ofDRC and ICCN with financial and technical help intheir efforts to re-establish full protection to the RFOand to restore the community of Epulu;

6. ENCOURAGES other partners to bolster their sup-port to ICCN and the people of Ituri Forest throughscience, education, agroforestry, community assis-tance, medical care and immigration control; and

7. RECOMMENDS to the government of DRC thedesirability of ensuring that the core no-huntingzone of the RFO receives enhanced conservationand protection.

WCC-2012-Rec-158-ENSupport for the Bonn Challenge onrestoration of lost forests anddegraded lands

RECOGNIZING that IUCN has played a central rolein developing and promoting forest and landscaperestoration;

AWARE that forest and landscape restoration can en-hance biodiversity and ecosystem services including re-duced pressure on existing habitats, greater supply ofimproved habitats, and enhanced connectivity, as well ascarbon sequestration, food, fuel, fibre, erosion control,improved water supply, etc.;

NOTING that more than 2 billion hectares of defor-ested and degraded lands in tropical, temperate and bo-real areas offer opportunities for forest and landscaperestoration, according to global analyses by IUCN, theWorld Resources Institute and other IUCN Members;

ALSO NOTING that a Global Partnership on ForestLandscape Restoration has been formed and that the

members include the secretariats of IUCN and of theConvention on Biological Diversity, other members ofthe Collaborative Partnership on Forests, non-govern-mental organizations, and business corporations; and

FURTHER NOTING that the Bonn Challenge on Forests,Climate Change and Biodiversity of 2011 aims to restore 150million hectares of deforested and degraded lands by2020, with benefits for climate change, biodiversity andforest-dependent communities;


1. URGES Governments, civil society organizations,corporations, research institutions and the donorcommunity to:

a. recognize that forest and landscape restorationproduces multiple benefits and captures syner-gies among international commitments alreadymade;

b. define specific pledges as contributions to theBonn Challenge target of restoring 150 millionhectares of lost forest and degraded lands by2020; and

c. develop strategies for meeting the Bonn Challengeand make available sufficient resources for doingso; and


a. ensure that the IUCN Secretariat supports theBonn Challenge by maintaining a strong focus onforest and landscape restoration consistent withthe IUCN Programme 2013–2016; and

b. strongly encourage IUCN Members, Council,Commissions and National and Regional Com-mittees to actively support the Bonn Challenge.


“The United States commends the work of IUCN and the GlobalPartnership on Forest Landscape Restoration. We were pleased topledge to restore 15 million hectares domestically to the Bonn Chal-lenge in Rio this past June. Restoration of lost forests and degradedlands has historically been the foundation of conservation on both


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public and private lands in the US. Increasing the pace and scaleof restoration globally is critical and we are working internation-ally to this end.”

WCC-2012-Rec-159-ENEnsuring the conservation of ChileanPatagonia’s natural ecosystems

RECOGNIZING that Chilean Patagonia is one of theplanet’s most remote and virgin areas of forest, with ex-tensive native forests, fjords and glaciers, and some ofthe last free-flowing rivers in the world, as well as beingthe habitat of species such as the endemic PatagonianHuemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus), and the Southern RiverOtter (Lontra provocax), both listed as Endangered on theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species;

THANKING the Government of Chile for its commit-ment to preserving this majestic and unique area by de-claring almost 50% of the region’s territory as underprotection, and for its decision to adopt the designationof ‘Life Reserve’ for the Aysén region;

MINDFUL of the fact that in 2011 Chile granted re-gional environmental approval to the HidroAysén proj-ect, a hydroelectric complex that intends to build fivedams on two of Chile’s most powerful free-flowingrivers, the Baker and the Pascua, flooding some 6,000hectares of land, including a part of the Laguna SanRafael National Park, a World Biosphere Reserve;

FURTHER MINDFUL of the fact that the HidroAysénhydroelectric project will require the construction oftransmission lines from Patagonia to the main electricitygrid in Chile’s central zone, along a route of almost 2,000kilometres, including a 160-km segment under water;

RECOGNIZING that the transmission route wouldcross areas of volcanic and seismic activity and would po-tentially disturb more than a dozen national parks and re-serves, along with important biological corridorsrepresenting thousands of hectares of wildlife habitat;

NOTING WITH CONCERN that the environmentalimpact assessment for HidroAysén fragmented the proj-ect by not assessing the impact of the transmission linetogether with the impact of the dams, contrary to inter-national best practice for environmental assessments andResolution 4.126 Protection of Chilean Patagonia adopted atthe 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona,

2008), which called on the Government of Chile to“evaluate the hydroelectric dams ... and the associatedtransmission line as a single project”;

CONCERNED by the fact that this distinction betweenthe dams and the transmission components will preventan appropriate assessment of the cumulative and com-bined impacts of the projects;

FURTHER CONCERNED that the construction of atransmission line between Patagonia and Chile’s centralzone could lead to a proliferation of other mega-dams,such as Energía Austral’s proposals, along with extractiveprojects in priority conservation areas;

RECALLING Resolution 2.58 Ecological management issuesrelating to large dams approved by the 2nd IUCN World Con-servation Congress (Amman, 2000) which recognizes “theneed for the precautionary approach because of the highdegree of uncertainty associated with dam developmentactions ... and associated land use activities”; and

FURTHER RECALLING Resolution 1 Hydroelectricityand the protection of nature approved by the 3rd IUCN Gen-eral Assembly (Caracas, 1952) which, considering thatdams are capable of “seriously altering the integrity” ofnational parks and reserves, reminds governments “thatthey are pledged to guarantee not only the safekeepingbut the inviolability of the areas they have taken the ini-tiative to delimit and to protect”;


1. CALLS on the Government of Chile, and particu-larly the Ministry of Environment and the Environ-mental Assessment Service:

a. to ensure that the development of HidroAysén’stransmission infrastructure does not affect theprotection given to areas protected by the State,priority conservation areas and sites, and prioritybiological corridors, and will not damage land-scapes of intrinsic value;

b. to ensure true public participation in the evalua-tion process for the route and transmission infra-structure;

c. to conduct a strategic environmental assessmentand an independent technical and environmental


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assessment based on the highest internationalstandards, in cooperation with the national sci-entific community and appropriate national andinternational conservation organizations, in orderto determine the overall and cumulative impactof the transmission infrastructure proposed,along the whole length of the route;

d. to evaluate the environmental and social impactsof the transmission line in the context of the cu-mulative impact of the transmission infrastruc-ture and of the possible energy mega-projectsthat might use this infrastructure, such as themega-dams proposed by HidroAysén on the Pas-cua and Baker rivers and the mega-dams pro-posed by Energía Austral-Xstrata on the Cuervo,Blanco and Cóndor rivers; and

e. not to authorize the HidroAysén and EnergíaAustral transmission lines unless an exhaustiveassessment of the cumulative and combined im-pacts demonstrates that the transmission projectwill not lead to a degradation or destruction ofnatural areas and wildlife habitat;

2. URGES the Government of Chile:

a. to conduct an exhaustive evaluation of uncon-ventional renewable energy sources and energyefficient alternatives in Chile in order to followup on the results of a study conducted by theUniversities of Chile and Federico Santamaría(June, 2008), which found that more than 70%of the demand for electricity in Chile in 2025could be covered by alternative sustainable en-ergy sources;

b. to create the necessary regulatory and normativeframeworks that will enable energy efficient andunconventional renewable energy sources toform part of an energy solution based on dis-tributed generation; and

c. to designate the permanent protection of themost important of Chile’s free-flowing riversgiven their high value to conservation, to ecosys-tem services and to tourism;

3. CALLS on relevant and interested IUCN Members,as far as possible, to provide technical and scientificsupport to Chile, and particularly to the Environ-mental Assessment Service, to help determine the

cumulative impact of constructing the HidroAysénand Energía Austral transmission line and dams, andto protect the wildlife and unique natural areas ofChilean Patagonia; and

4. ENCOURAGES all interested parties and relevantIUCN Members to seriously consider the possibilityof supporting the development of new energy effi-cient and unconventional renewable energy initiativesin Chile as an alternative to new mega-dams in Patag-onia and as an indication of their commitment to theenvironmentally-sustainable development of Patag-onia and Chile.


WCC-2012-Rec-160-ENPreservation of oasis ecosystems

AWARE of the capital importance of and recognizingthe role played by oasis ecosystems in:

a. the settlement of human populations and their socio-economic stability resulting from the everyday activ-ities continuously being generated by the oasis inrespect of the populations, their livestock and localagriculture; and

b. the preservation of the environment through recy-cling and reuse in situ of the waste and by-productsfrom farming and livestock-rearing activities;

CLARIFYING that, nevertheless, these ecosystems areimpacted by the damaging effects of new technology, andthat assessments both on global and lower levels havereached the conclusion that oasis ecosystems are cur-rently seriously threatened and are becoming increasinglydegraded;

RECALLING that oasis ecosystems constitute viableand habitable systems thanks to their different compo-nents: climate, water, soil, vegetation, micro-organisms,animals and people, but above all thanks to the interac-tions that connect them;

NOTING that oasis ecosystems are unique in terms oftheir biological and ecological diversity; they are like au-thentic outdoor biodiversity laboratories, and are being


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studied carefully by national and international institutionsas well as the scientific community;

AWARE of the constraints and threats facing oasisecosystems in terms of their natural resources, including:

a. the misunderstanding of the potential of the phyto-genetic resources, which require identification, in-ventorization and evaluation;

b. the decrease in water resources;

c. the problems of sanding over due to local desertifi-cation as a result of human interventions;

d. the salinization of soils following the prolonged useof saline irrigation water and the lack of control ofirrigation (doses and frequency) and drainage;

e. genetic erosion caused by the generalization of cer-tain cultivars for exclusively commercial purposes;

f. crop protection problems (diseases, pests);

g. the lack of control of introduced cultural techniques;

h. the inadequacy of the infrastructure for the promo-tion of local products;

i. the alarming loss of local social, technical and cul-tural know-how;

j. runaway, chaotic urban development; and

k. the fact that all the above constraints continue toexert pressure on the resources needed for the main-tenance of the oasis ecosystem and the survival oflocal populations;

BEARING IN MIND the main ecological, economicand sociological consequences of human impacts onoasis ecosystems, today the preservation of these ecosys-tems is not simply an absolute priority, but an urgent ob-jective that all national and international stakeholdersmust achieve; and

RECALLING the actions started by:

a. the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UnitedNations (FAO);

b. the Network of Associations for the Sustainable De-velopment of Oases (RADDO); and

c. the French Ministry of Foreign and European Af-fairs’ Directorate General of Globalization, Devel-opment and Partnerships;


1. CALLS UPON national governments to acknowl-edge that the oasis systems and the populations wholive there are undergoing significant technological,socioeconomic and cultural changes, whilst theseagricultural systems are specific cases of adaptationto climate change, and have, since the Mesolithic Pe-riod, provided a livelihood for many local people, cre-ating a highly specialized and unique way of life;

2. URGES international institutions to support projectsto strengthen the resilience of these ecosystems andtheir capacity to adapt to climate change through:

a. in-depth analyses and exchanges of points of viewon the current situation regarding the main chal-lenges and issues characterizing oasis ecosystemsin different countries in terms of sustainable de-velopment, governance systems, vulnerability, re-silience and adaptation to climate change throughmeetings, training courses and seminars;

b. raising the awareness of decision makers con-cerning the importance of the oasis ecosystemfor the natural environment and the economicand social conditions of oasis populations; and

c. strengthening the skills of local people in termsof the protection, conservation and enhance-ment of oasis products through exchanges of ex-perience between different countries;

3. CALLS ON the States containing these ecosystems:

a. to raise people’s awareness about oasis areas, pre-senting them as fragile ecosystems that form partof humanity’s cultural and ecological heritage;

b. to affirm the need to safeguard oases in the faceof the challenges related to development and theenvironment;

c. to favour the oasis ecosystems’ process of adap-tation to climate change through reinforcing thefinancing provisions and improving knowledgeof the impact of climate change, vulnerabilityand adaptation;


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d. to support small-scale sustainable agriculture inoasis zones;

e. to associate peasant organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations, taking local know-how, traditional techniques and managementmodels into account;

f. to establish a political, institutional and social frame-work adapted to removing the restrictions limitingthe replicability of these types of agriculture;

g. to integrate the natural oasis heritage into theirsustainable development strategy; and

h. to develop and reinforce scientific research intooasis ecosystems; and

4. ENCOURAGES States and governmentalorganizations:

a. to create Local Development Plans (LDPs) foroases, based on their geographical, topographi-cal and biological particularities;

b. to promote conservation initiatives for this nat-ural and cultural heritage through the classifica-tion of at least one oasis per country as aprotected area;

c. to create a national genetic heritage conservatoryfor each country;

d. to raise awareness of the need for improvedmanagement of water resources in oases; and

e. to establish a political, institutional and socialframework adapted to removing the restric-tions limiting the replicability of these types ofagriculture.


WCC-2012-Rec-161-EN Protecting the Critically EndangeredBalearic Shearwater in the Ebro Delta,Spain

OBSERVING that a governmental institution has pro-posed an experimental offshore wind energy project inthe Ebro Delta Important Bird Area (IBA ES148), Spain;

RECOGNIZING the fundamental role that renewableenergies must play in combating climate change;

CONSIDERING, however, that wind projects – like anyindustrial project – are not without their environmentalconsequences, particularly the negative impact they haveon birds;

CONCERNED that the place chosen for establishingthis wind project is an Important Bird Area (IBA), iden-tified for its extreme importance to 11 species of sea bird,10 of which are listed in Annex I to the European BirdsDirective: Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus),Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea), European StormPetrel (Hydrobates pelagicus), European Shag (Phalacrocoraxaristotelis), Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus), Slen-der-billed Gull (Larus genei), Audouin’s Gull (Larus au-douinii), Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis), Common Tern(Sterna hirundo) and Little Tern (Sterna albifrons);

FURTHER CONCERNED that the location chosen forthe project proposed by the Government of Spain is aSpecial Protection Area for Birds (SPA) under the Euro-pean Birds Directive;

ESPECIALLY CONCERNED that the location chosenfor this wind project is the main feeding area during thebreeding season for more than 50% of the global popu-lation and 75% of the wintering population of BalearicShearwater, a species considered globally Critically En-dangered by IUCN;

OBSERVING WITH CONCERN that, in the winter,more than 70% of the Spanish population of Mediter-ranean Gull is to be found in this location, along with30% of the breeding population of European Storm Pe-trel and 20% of the breeding population of Audouin’sGull and Cory’s Shearwater;

CONSIDERING that all these species are under threatof extinction according to IUCN criteria;


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CONSIDERING the recommendations of the guide,Greening Blue Energy: Identifying and managing the biodiversityrisks and opportunities of offshore renewable energy, publishedby IUCN in 2010;

FURTHER CONSIDERING that the EnvironmentalImpact Assessment has assessed the impact on birds assevere;

OBSERVING that, if the first offshore wind park inSpain were to have a negative impact on these species,this would not only be tragic for the conservation ofthese species but would also be extremely negative forthe future development of offshore wind energy inSpain; and

CONSIDERING that there are other alternative loca-tions on the Spanish coast of less environmental impactwhere experimental offshore wind energy projects couldbe conducted;


1. SUPPORTS the carrying out of experimental off-shore wind energy projects;

2. ASKS the Spanish authorities to ensure that the ex-perimental offshore wind project incorporates all thenecessary guarantees for the protection of theBalearic Shearwater, and that it avoids any negativeimpact on the most critical areas for this species inthe Ebro Delta Marine IBA, in line with the most re-liable scientific information available;

3. ASKS the Spanish authorities to study and assesscarefully alternative sites for the location of the ex-perimental offshore wind project, bearing in mindits potential effect on the Balearic Shearwater pop-ulation, in order to minimize its impact on thispopulation; and

4. URGES the governments of Spain, Portugal, Franceand the United Kingdom not to authorize offshorewind projects in areas often frequented by the BalearicShearwater, if they fail to respect the obligations ofthe European Birds and Habitats Directives.


WCC-2012-Rec-162-ENActions to increase the protection andsustainable use of the pampas andcampos of South America

NOTING Resolution 4.044 Actions to conserve the Pampasand Campos of South America adopted by the 4th IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008), whichurged an improvement in the conservation of the grass-lands of the Río de la Plata, a region formed by the pam-pas (temperate grasslands) and campos (subtropicalgrasslands) of Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil;

OBSERVING that the savannahs in southern Paraguayshare floral and physical characteristics with the grass-lands of the Río de la Plata, and that it is therefore ap-propriate to include them in this proposal;

CONSIDERING that only 1% of the grasslands of theRío de la Plata, one of the largest temperate grassland re-gions in the world, with an area of nearly 750,000 km2,enjoys any formal protection, and that this is an extremelysmall percentage, even in relation to the level of protec-tion of the world’s temperate grassland biome (only 5.5%is currently protected);

HIGHLIGHTING the fact that the rate of transforma-tion and degradation of the environment continues toincrease due to the growing importance of the region asan agricultural and cattle-raising area, with an annual 1%reduction in the area occurring during the last fewdecades (with this figure being as high as 10% per year insome locations);

BEARING IN MIND the important biodiversity ofthese grasslands, which include a large number of en-dangered species, endemic species, medicinal plants andgenetic resources, as well as the goods and services theseecosystems provide, such as the products of livestockgrazing systems (meat, milk, wool and leather), their con-tribution to the maintenance of the composition of gasesin the atmosphere through the sequestration of CO2 andthe role they play in controlling soil erosion;

RECOGNIZING that these ecosystems are also hometo traditional ways of life, which make up the culturalidentity of rural communities and small producers;

CONSIDERING that the 10th Meeting of the Conferenceof the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity


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(CBD), held in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010 adopted a seriesof decisions relevant to the conservation of temperategrasslands, including Aichi Target 11 of the Strategic Planfor Biodiversity 2011–2020, Decision X/35 (Biodiversity ofdry and sub-humid lands), and Decision X/31 (ProtectedAreas);

RECOGNIZING the achievements of the initiatives andprojects carried out after the approval of Resolution4.044, including the creation or consolidation of pro-tected areas, the development of management modelsfor public and private conservation units, the develop-ment of incentives for the conservation of grasslands,and the generation of production certification models;

OBSERVING that, despite the above, no significant in-crease in the extent of the protected areas has beenachieved, and the current level of protection falls farshort of achieving the global conservation goals; and

APPRECIATING that due to the above, it is necessaryto establish a new Resolution, which, whilst recognizingthe efforts carried out by governmental and non-gov-ernmental organizations, urges the pertinent bodies towork harder to achieve a significant improvement in theconservation status of these temperate grasslands and toupdate the conservation goals in order to bring them intoline with global standards;


1. CALLS ON the Governments of Argentina, Brazil,Paraguay and Uruguay to:

a. intensify efforts to increase the designation ofprotected areas in the temperate grasslands ofthe pampas and the campos in South America,in order to meet Aichi Target 11;

b. continue to develop and promote sustainable useand management practices in the pampas andcampos of South America in order to guaranteethe conservation of the environmental servicesand the biodiversity of the grasslands, includingcertification models, valuation of and paymentfor ecosystem services, incentives, etc.;

c. promote and implement environmental land-usepolicies for the pampas and campos of SouthAmerica, which include the creation of newprotected areas and the sustainable development

of the region, based on the development ofanalyses of vulnerability to climate change andthe provision of ecosystem services; and

d. develop and maintain an up-to-date inventorywith information on the public and private pro-tected areas and the areas of sustainable use inthe temperate grasslands of the pampas andcampos of South America in the four countries;

2. CALLS ON the pertinent agencies of the Govern-ments of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay to:

a. develop integrated policies for the conservationand sustainable use of the temperate grasslandsof the pampas and campos of South America,including specific actions to protect or recoverendangered species and/or restore degradedareas; and

b. include in their agendas the development of ac-tions for the conservation and sustainable use ofnatural grasslands and to raise the public’s aware-ness of their natural and cultural importance;

3. CALLS ON the international funding bodies to in-crease their support for initiatives aimed at conserv-ing the temperate grasslands of the pampas andcampos of South America, supporting the regionalpriorities that the member governments define in atimely manner;

4. INVITES interested non-governmental organiza-tions to promote the valuation of the temperategrasslands of the pampas and campos of SouthAmerica and to disseminate their importance interms of biodiversity, the provision of environmen-tal services relevant to society, and their associationwith different cultural identities in each country; and

5. CALLS on the Director General and the IUCNWorld Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA),through IUCN’s Regional Office for South Americaand the Temperate Grasslands Conservation Initia-tive respectively, to promote the development of sub-regional actions and policies to improve theconservation status and promote the sustainable useof the grasslands in the Río de la Plata.



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WCC-2012-Rec-163-ENAction to increase the protection andsustainable use of the American GranChaco

AWARE that the Gran Chaco macro-region, being thesecond largest forested ecoregion in South America,stretching across Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay,and covering almost 1,200,000 km2, possesses natural as-sets that are insufficiently protected, for example under7% of its surface area in Argentina is protected;

CONSIDERING that, due to its size, the territory com-prises a large variety of environments associated with ex-tensive plains, diverse woodlands, scrub and grasslandsforming savannahs and wetlands;

INDICATING that these ecosystems provide the liveli-hood and cultural identities of several indigenous peo-ples, rural communities and small-scale producers;

HIGHLIGHTING that the rate of loss, fragmentationand degradation of the natural environment continues toincrease due to accelerated agricultural expansion and theapplication of new technologies, thus contributing to theregion’s growing incorporation into the internationalmarket as a supplier of primary agricultural products;

INDICATING that this trend does not solve the chronicproblems of marginalization and poverty suffered by thelocal population and there are even signs of this popula-tion migrating in significant areas of the region;

BEARING IN MIND the great biodiversity of the GranChaco, which includes a large number of threatenedspecies (the Jaguar Panthera onca being one of the mostemblematic), endemic species, medicinal plants and ge-netic resources, and the wide range of ecological goodsand services these ecosystems provide such as climateregulation, the storage and supply of water and their rolein the control of soil erosion;

RECALLING Resolution 4.029 Conservation and sustain-able use of fish in the Río de la Plata Basin adopted by the 4th

IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008),which highlighted the Gran Chaco as being an ecosystemof great value for ensuring the conservation of fish di-versity in the Río de la Plata Basin;

CONSIDERING that the 10th Meeting of the Conferenceof the Parties (COP10) to the Convention on Biological

Diversity (CBD), held in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010, adopteda series of decisions applicable to the Gran Chaco, in-cluding Aichi Target 11 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity2011–2020 as well as Decision X/6, which urges the Par-ties to incorporate considerations regarding the preser-vation of biodiversity and ecosystem services into widerpoverty eradication and development processes;

RECOGNIZING the achievements of the ArgentineRepublic in adopting Law Nº 26.331 regulating the Min-imum Budgets for the Environmental Protection of Na-tive Forests as well as Emergency Law Nº 26.160regulating the Ownership and Possession of Lands Tra-ditionally Occupied by Indigenous Communities, andLaw Nº 26.562/2009 regulating the Minimum Budgetsfor Environmental Protection for the Control of Burn-ing Activities and progress in the instrumentation ofConservation Corridors in the Chaco sector of Ar-gentina; progress with regard to the rights of the indige-nous peoples of the Plurinational State of Bolivia; thesignificant progress made by the Federative Republic ofBrazil in the fields of development, conservation andprotected areas; and the work carried out in the sphere ofsustainable development in the Republic of Paraguay;and

OBSERVING that, despite the above, no significant in-crease in the extent of the protected areas has beenachieved, and that the current level of protection falls farshort of achieving the global conservation goals, and thatit is necessary to establish a Resolution to improve bio-diversity conservation and environmental services to ben-efit local populations and society in general;


1. CALLS ON the Governments of Argentina, Bolivia,Brazil and Paraguay to:

a. collaborate in the achievement of Aichi Target 5of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2012, re-ducing the rate of loss, degradation and frag-mentation of all natural habitats, includingforests and wetlands;

b. intensify efforts to increase the designation ofprotected areas in the Gran Chaco, in order tomeet the goal of 17% of protected areas by2020, as established by Aichi Target 11 of theStrategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020;


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c. implement conservation corridors and otherforms of connectivity between natural areas ofbiodiversity value, both nationally and in trans-boundary areas;

d. continue to develop and promote sustainablepractices in the use and management of nativeecosystems in South America in order to guar-antee the conservation of environmental serv-ices and resilience, including models for thecertification of, valuation of and payment for en-vironmental services, etc.;

e. develop integrated policies for the conservationand sustainable use of the woodland, wetlandsand associated grasslands, including specific ac-tions to protect or recover endangered speciesand/or restore degraded areas;

f. promote the effective participation of the vari-ous stakeholders (indigenous peoples, local com-munities, the private sector, non-governmentalorganizations, etc.) in land-use planning withinthe macro-region; and

g. promote campaigns to raise public awareness ofthe value of the Gran Chaco’s natural and cul-tural heritage;

2. INVITES the corresponding government agenciesand non-governmental organizations to draw up andadopt inter-institutional and intersectoral measuresand plans of work for local and regional develop-ment compatible with biodiversity conservation, par-ticularly in conservation corridors; and

3. CALLS ON the Director General to support the de-velopment of sub-regional actions and policies aimedat improving the conservation status and promotingthe sustainable use of native forests, grasslands andwetlands in the Gran Chaco.


WCC-2012-Rec-164-ENAltitudinal corridors: an adaptationstrategy in the Andes

RECALLING Resolution 3.057 Adapting to climate change:a framework for conservation action, adopted by the 3rd IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004);

FURTHER RECALLING Resolution 4.076 Biodiversityconservation and climate change mitigation and adaptation in na-tional policies and strategies, adopted by the 4th IUCN WorldConservation Congress (Barcelona 2008);

CONSIDERING that in the Andean region the moun-tain ecosystems are important biodiversity refuges, which,despite the fact that they are under pressure and beingfragmented by various extractive activities, have led to theAndean region (Tropical Andes) being classified as oneof the planet’s biodiversity hotspots;

RECOGNIZING that various ecosystems in the Andeanregion are fragmented and that, due to their isolation, thebiodiversity of this area is threatened with extinction;

OBSERVING that several studies reveal that, due to theeffect of climate change, some species of flora and faunawill migrate along an altitudinal or humidity gradientwithin the mountain ecosystems of the region; and

CONCERNED because within the countries of the re-gion, most of the natural areas that protect mountainecosystems will not allow for the process of altitudinalmigration by biodiversity, given that when they were de-clared protected natural areas the effects of climatechange were not taken into account;


1. URGES the Parties to the United Nations FrameworkConvention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to in-corporate into their national plans and strategiesmeasures to ensure the conservation of the biodiver-sity of the systems within the protected natural areasin tropical and subtropical mountainous regions;

2. ASKS the Parties to the Convention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD) and other interested parties to pro-vide information on strategies for helping biodiver-sity adapt to climate change in protected areas withinmountain ecosystems;


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3. CALLS ON the IUCN World Commission on Pro-tected Areas (WCPA) to systematize the experiencesand share them with IUCN Members;

4. CALLS ON the IUCN South American NationalCommittees to recognize and support local strategiesto connect, at a landscape level, the protected areas inthe Andean region in terms of altitude, and to pro-mote working programmes on this subject;

5. RECOMMENDS that the authorities and govern-ments in the Andean region, when planning the dec-laration of protected natural areas, give priority tolandscape connectivity along altitudinal gradients, asa strategy to support the migration of species in theface of the effects of climate change; and

6. FURTHER RECOMMENDS that donors interestedin the conservation of the Amazon Basin and theAndean region should support this altitudinal con-nectivity initiative in terms of landscapes within pro-tected natural areas.


WCC-2012-Rec-165-ENIntegrated Water ResourceManagement (IWRM) in the BahíaBlanca estuary in Argentina

RECALLING the important natural and ecological her-itage of coastal areas, together with all the benefits whichthey bring to populations, as noted in the MillenniumEcosystem Assessment;

RECALLING the ecosystems approach recommendedby the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) whichis defined as “a strategy for the integrated managementof land, water and living resources that promotes con-servation and sustainable use”; the Convention wasadopted by Argentina through Law 24.375;

RECOGNIZING the importance of estuaries, which areamong the most productive coastal wetlands on theplanet, occupying 5.2% of the Earth’s surface but never-theless supporting a disproportionate human burdengiven that 60% of humanity lives on the coast;

NOTING the recent report of the World Bank and theIUCN Mitigating climate change through restoration and man-agement of coastal wetlands: challenges and opportunities, inwhich there is emphasis on the role of wetlands as car-bon sinks removing from the atmosphere half of theCO2 emitted annually by the global transport sector;

EMPHASIZING the need to conserve wetlands, as theConvention on Wetlands of International Importance(Ramsar) states, through the “conservation and wise useof all wetlands through local and national actions and in-ternational cooperation, as a contribution towards achiev-ing sustainable development throughout the world”; theConvention was adopted by Argentina through Law23.919;

NOTING the need to include the conservation of theseecosystems on the IUCN global agenda, urging mutualcooperation among various relevant institutions such asthe Ramsar Convention, the United Nations Develop-ment Programme (UNDP) and the IUCN;

HIGHLIGHTING that Argentina possesses one of themost extensive coastlines of Latin America (6,816 km),that the situation experienced by the inhabitants of BahíaBlanca is representative of the country and is the directconsequence of the lack of a coastal management pro-gramme providing strategic measures for the sustainablemanagement of coasts and their resources;

CONCERNED by the negative consequences that themega project in Puerto Cuatreros, in the Bahía Blanca es-tuary, will have on the area at both environmental andsocio-economic level;

APPRECIATING that the area has between 8,716 and10,486 inhabitants who largely live, directly or indirectly,from fishing or from production activities dependent onthe estuary;

EMPHASIZING that a study of the real environmentalimpact was conducted but that its results are blighted bysignificant errors and poor use, or lack of awareness, ofcurrent bibliographical resources, and that long-term, fea-sibility and cost-benefit studies have not been conducted;

HIGHLIGHTING that such a proposal would requirean extensive estimation of the potential effect on thepopulation of the area as the ecosystem value would besignificantly degraded, negatively affecting fishing and allactivities depending on the estuary;


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CONSIDERING that the area in which it is proposedto extend the port and industrial complex is the inner partof the estuary with restricted circulation, adjoining a wet-land environment declared an Area of Importance forthe Conservation of Migratory Nearctic Birds of theSouthern Cone of South America (species protected atnational level by Law 23.918 concerning the Bonn Con-vention on the Conservation of Migratory Species ofWild Animals in its highest category), a wetland environ-ment which is also home to species in danger of extinc-tion (Olrog’s gull Larus atlanticus, bands of Salicorniavegetation) and which is highly vulnerable and fragile asit has very low water renewal rate;

RECALLING that the aforesaid ecosystem was consid-ered for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of Interna-tional Importance under the Ramsar Convention, exceptthat the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs abstainedfrom making the formal request for listing; and

EMPHASIZING the interaction of Puerto Cuatreroswith protected natural areas (provincial nature reserves:“Bahía Blanca, Falsa y Verde” “Islote del Puerto o de laCangrejera” and the “Municipal Coastal Reserve”, whichthe municipal government is in the process of extending);


STRONGLY URGES the Argentine government to:

a. adopt measures for the protection and conservationof water-producing ecosystems, designating areas ofspecial protection and ensuring their appropriatemaintenance;

b. reconsider the option of including the Bahía Blancaestuary on the Ramsar List, on the basis of the in-formation presented, and given the seriousness ofthe situation;

c. conduct a thorough external environmental impactstudy of the mega project, as well as a cost-benefitanalysis; and

d. adopt the three pending draft laws on coastal man-agement aiming at promoting strategies and method-ologies for Integrated Participatory CoastalManagement and improving the quality of life ofcommunities in harmony with the environment sur-rounding them.


WCC-2012-Rec-166-ENResponding to rapid expansion of themining and gas industry in Australia

NOTING the remarkable natural diversity of the Aus-tralian continent;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the unique responsibilityof the Australian Government to protect, conserve andrestore the biological diversity of an entire continent;

NOTING the commitments that the Australian Gov-ernment has made to the international community toprotect, conserve and present World Heritage propertieswithin its territory;

ALSO NOTING the international commitments enteredinto by the Australian Government in relation to migra-tory species, internationally significant wetlands and theconservation of biological diversity;

NOTING that the Australian Government’s national en-vironmental law provides an important mechanism forthe protection of threatened and migratory species, in-ternationally significant wetlands and World Heritageareas;

CONCERNED at the potentially significant environ-mental risks posed by the expansion of mining and gasactivities in Australia, including coal mining and coalseam gas extraction;

NOTES that the Australian Government proposes totransfer by accreditation, project approval powers underfederal environmental law to its states and territories, sub-ject to their agreement to meet federal environmentalstandards to protect matters of national environmentalsignificance; and

NOTING that environmental non-government organi-zations in Australia are concerned that this transfer ofproject approval power will result in reduced protectionfor matters protected under the Australian Government’snational environmental law;


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1. URGES the Australian Government to maintain anactive role in the protection, conservation andrestoration of the remarkable natural diversity of theAustralian continent;

2. CALLS on the Australian Government to fulfil itscommitments to the international community by re-taining its statutory powers to assess and regulate im-pacts on threatened and migratory species,internationally significant wetlands and World Her-itage areas;

3. ENCOURAGES the Australian Government to en-sure comprehensive assessment of the impacts ofmining and gas expansion, including considerationof cumulative impacts and use of strategic assess-ments where appropriate, on matters protected underthe Australian Government’s national environmentallaw;

4. ENCOURAGES the Australian Government to en-sure that environmental values are not significantlyimpacted by mining and gas extraction activities; and

5. ENCOURAGES the Australian Government tocontinue to implement measures aimed at improvingthe scientific basis and transparency of decision mak-ing for coal seam gas and large-scale coal mining de-velopments, including through the work of theIndependent Expert Scientific Committee on coalseam gas and large-scale coal mining.


WCC-2012-Rec-167-ENStrengthening of European provisionsfor biodiversity in overseas entities

RECALLING that Outermost Regions (ORs) andOverseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), which con-stitute European overseas entities as officially recognisedby the United Nations, are home to biodiversity ofglobal importance;

CONSIDERING that the populations of the ORs andthe OCTs are very vulnerable to the effects of climate

change, and that the protection of natural ecosystems isvital for the resilience of local societies and the reductionof risks;

RECALLING Resolution 4.079 The European Union andits overseas entities faced with climate change and biodiversity lossadopted by the 4th World Conservation Congress(Barcelona, 2008);

WELCOMING the opening of European LIFE fund-ing to the ORs (for the period 2007–2013), as they hadnot benefited from it in the past;

REGRETTING nonetheless the lack of considerationgiven to the management of ecosystems in overseas en-tities regarding the funding granted by the EuropeanUnion (EU) to ORs and OCTs, and in the Europeanstrategy for biodiversity;

FURTHER REGRETTING the fact that the actors en-gaged in biodiversity in the OCTs suffer unfairly becauseof the status of their territories, since the internationaland European funding they are eligible for is insufficientto address conservation and biodiversity issues;

CONSIDERING the commitment of the EuropeanUnion and the Member States to the Strategic Plan for Bio-diversity 2011–2020 adopted at the 10th Meeting of theConference of the Parties to the Convention on Biolog-ical Diversity (CBD COP10), held in Nagoya, Japan, be-tween 18 and 29 October 2010;

RECALLING the European Union’s commitment to thebiodiversity in EU overseas entities at the Reunion IslandConference in 2008, supported by the Secretariat of theCBD;

WELCOMING the support given by the French Gov-ernment to IUCN for the coordination of the imple-mentation of the recommendations of the Message fromReunion Island (2008);

ALSO WELCOMING the BEST preparatory initiativefunded by the European Parliament and launched by theEuropean Commission in the form of two invitations totender in 2011 and 2012; and

CONGRATULATING the numerous actors in the ORsand OCTs who mobilized to respond to the first invita-tion to tender, showing the European authorities the re-ality of the local requirements and the dynamism of theoverseas entities;


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1. INVITES the European institutions to:

a. continue the implementation of the recommen-dations of the Message from Reunion Island forEuropean overseas entities;

b. integrate more fully the ORs and OCTs into Eu-ropean policies on biodiversity and in Europeanmaritime policy, in particular to support the sus-tainable management of their exclusive eco-nomic zones;

c. propose adequate investments in the field of bio-diversity in ORs and OCTs, as a key feature ofsustainable development and adaptation to cli-mate change, by devoting a specific budget to itboth in structural funds attributed to the ORs andin development funds attributed to the OCTs;

d. support the implementation of a sustainable pro-vision devoted to the biodiversity of Europeanoverseas entities, receiving adequate funding(BEST), notably by making specific proposals onthe basis of the results of the first preparatoryinvitation to tender;

e. engage in an ambitious EU strategy for biodi-versity in overseas entities, with sustainable andpreferably dedicated financial means, and with astrategic coordination role assured by the Euro-pean Commission Directorate-General for theEnvironment;

f. support the integration of environment and bio-diversity protection in the updating of the Coun-cil Decision 2001/822/EC of 27 November2001 on the association of the OCTs within theEuropean Community Overseas Association De-cision (OAD), and also in the Operational Pro-gramme 2014–2020 of the ORs; and

g. make the European OCTs eligible in the newLIFE+ 2014–2020 regulation;

2. CALLS ON the French, British and Dutch Govern-ments as well as the European overseas entities (ORsand OCTs) concerned to provide their full supportfor these objectives and for the strengthening of Eu-ropean policies on overseas biodiversity;

3. INVITES the overseas entities in question to workand cooperate with other island States through theirrespective regional organizations, where this may berelevant; and

4. CALLS ON the Director General to continue hercommitment to a greater consideration of Europeanoverseas biodiversity through the dedicated workingprogramme.


WCC-2012-Rec-168-ENConserving coastal ecosystems toreduce risks in coastal areas in Africa

RECALLING the importance of coastal zones andcoastal ecosystems for biodiversity and the productionof ecosystem services (notably food and economic de-velopment), particularly in West Africa, where the coastalstrip is where most of the population, resources and sec-tors of activity are concentrated;

BEARING IN MIND the events recorded over the lastfew decades along the coast of West Africa as well as otherparts of the world, revealing an acceleration in coastal ero-sion phenomena, which cause the degradation of humansettlements and lead to increasing risks for biodiversity,local populations and the potential for development;

RECALLING the perspectives linked to climate change,the rise in sea levels and the acceleration in the frequencyof extreme weather events, whose effects combined withthe energy of coastal waves, storm surges and storms,and coastal flooding certainly contribute to an increasein the erosion and degradation of coastal systems;

NOTING the recent study, Regional Shoreline Monitoring Studyand Drawing up of a Management Scheme for the West African Lit-toral Zone carried out by IUCN at the request of the WestAfrican Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), theresults of which, fully validated in May 2011 by the elevenMinisters of the Environment of the West African coastalcountries, from Mauritania to Benin, reveal:

a. the sensitivity of the West African coasts, made up oflow-lying zones and sediments that are easily re-mobilized;


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b. an increased risk of natural disasters linked to thedegradation of certain natural infrastructures due tothe extraction of wood and sediments and to coastaldevelopment;

c. the responsibility of sediment extraction, coastal in-frastructures and dams for the reduction in theamount of sediment being deposited on the coastand for the disruption to natural sediment transport;

d. the prospect of the size of the population inhabit-ing urban coastal areas doubling by 2020, and dou-bling again between 2020 and 2050, giving rise tovery dense human settlements and the concentrationof vulnerable populations in high-risk zones;

e. the almost generalized absence of any capacity forintervention to maintain the safety of local popula-tions and to restore the environment in the event ofa natural disaster; and

f. the urgent need to strengthen coastal governance atlocal, national and regional levels, to improve the in-formation available to stakeholders regarding therisks and challenges of development, conservationand the enhancement of the coastal zone, and to in-crease the number of green belt areas in the coastalland being developed;

AWARE that natural infrastructures such as mangroves,underwater seagrass beds, coastal lagoons, coastal sanddunes and other sediment reserves, due to their ability toevolve in accordance with climatic constraints, help re-shape the coastline and delay the phenomena of erosionand coastal retreat; and

CONVINCED that the immediate and future costs ofevents linked to the mobility of the coastline and tocoastal flooding can be reduced considerably by rethink-ing the development of coastal land, using natural solu-tions and enhancing natural infrastructure;


1. ENCOURAGES all stakeholders and institutions in-volved in the management of coastal zones to ad-dress issues regarding the governance of coastal land,the reduction of the risks of natural disasters incoastal zones, and the conservation of marine andcoastal ecosystems and the environmental servicesthey provide in an integrated manner, and to estab-lish prospective analyses and long-term observation

systems to monitor the effects of global changes andeconomic growth in coastal areas, favouring early de-cision making;

2. ENCOURAGES regional cooperation and economicintegration organizations, like the West African Eco-nomic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), to approachthe issue of the governance and development ofcoastal zones at the appropriate level, in order to pro-mote coherence in interventions and, along with theirmember States, to favour the establishment of localgovernance mechanisms allowing all coastal stake-holders to be involved in the joint enactment of en-forceable coastal management legislation;

3. ENCOURAGES the States to make the appropriatelegal and regulatory provisions to promote the recog-nition of the role of natural infrastructures in thesustainability of the development of coastal zonesand in the reduction of risks to these areas, as well astheir conservation through classification statutes andsuitable management methods;

4. RECALLS the decision points contained in the DakarDeclaration of 18 May 2011, in which the representa-tives of the eleven coastal countries from Mauritaniato Benin validated the results of the Regional Shore-line Monitoring Study and Drawing up of a Manage-ment Scheme for the West African Littoral Zone;

5. URGES UEMOA and its partners to support theprompt implementation, within the framework ofUEMOA’s Regional Coastal Erosion Control Pro-gramme, of the West African Coastal Observatory,under the responsibility of the Dakar Ecological Mon-itoring Centre (CSE), and with the technical supportof the IUCN Secretariat, and the implementation ofvarious elements of the action plan adopted by theEnvironment Ministers of the countries concerned;and

6. RECOMMENDS the implementation, in other partsof Africa, notably in Central and Eastern Africa, ofprocedures similar to those carried out in WestAfrica, in order to establish situational appraisals ofprospective demo-economic and climate studies ofthe evolution of coastal zones and to create strate-gies for the adaptation and development of coastalzones giving priority to natural solutions.



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WCC-2012-Rec-169-ENEcosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF)

RECALLING that the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries(EAF) has been endorsed in many overarching policydocuments related to fisheries and to conservation ofmarine biodiversity;

NOTING that reviews of marine fisheries managementpractices, including by the United Nations Food and Agri-culture Organization (FAO) – United Nations Environ-ment Programme (UNEP) Expert Meeting on impacts ofdestructive fishing practices, unsustainable fishing, and il-legal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing on ma-rine biodiversity and habitats (Rome 2009), the FAOReview of progress on United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) Resolution 61/105 (Pusan 2010), the UNGAOpen Review of regional and national actions to protectdeep-sea species and ecosystems on the high seas fromthe harmful impacts of fishing have all concluded that al-though substantial progress has been made in many juris-dictions at implementing components of an ecosystemapproach to fisheries, substantial work remains to be done;

RECALLING further that the World Summit on Sus-tainable Development (WSSD) Plan of Implementation(para. 31c) foresees inter alia the development and use ofdiverse approaches and tools, to promote the conserva-tion and management of oceans, including the ecosys-tem approach and the establishment of networks ofmarine protected areas;

ACKNOWLEDGING that the Convention on Biolog-ical Diversity (CBD), through the Malawi Principles, the1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheriesand the 2001 Reykjavik Declaration on EAF provide acoherent framework for reaching the EAF objectivesand Aichi Target 6 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity2011–2020;

ACKNOWLEDGING FURTHER that efforts shouldbe made to better understand the impact of the presentfisheries selectivity patterns on the ecosystem structureand functioning; and

RECOGNIZING that due to information gaps and re-source limitations, the adoption of a fully integratedecosystem approach will entail an adaptive managementapproach whereby fishery management systems willevolve over time in response to increasing experience andstakeholder adoption;

The World Conser va tion Congr e ss, a t i ts s es s ion inJe ju, Republ ic of Kor ea 6–15 September 2012:

1. CALLS ON national and regional fisheries manage-ment agencies and organizations to increase their ef-forts to achieve full implementation of the principlesand practices of an ecosystem approach to fisheries,making full use of appropriate operational guidanceavailable in various scientific and technical docu-ments;

2. CALLS ON the Director General to fully cooperatewith FAO, the CBD, Regional Fisheries ManagementOrganizations, Regional Seas organizations, andother relevant environmental international govern-mental organizations and non-governmental organi-zations, including conservation and industryassociations, and the Global Environment Fund(GEF), to accelerate progress on all aspects of EAFimplementation;

3. URGES fishing States and RFMOs to fully acknowl-edge that in order to improve sustainability, imple-mentation of an EAF should include:

a. minimizing the effects of external drivers and as-sociated uncertainty, including oceanographicconditions and climate variability and change, onthe dynamics of harvested stocks;

b. reducing the impact of a fishery on non-targetedstocks, habitats and ecological communities, andreducing the risk to the targeted stock from over-fishing;

c. adopting and implementing an inclusive, partici-patory and transparent governance of fisherieson scales appropriate to the ecosystem or ecosys-tems where the specific fishery operates; and

d. promoting coherence in decision making throughimproved cooperation between sectors and withagencies competent for regulating fisheries andother industry sectors and for conservation ofbiodiversity, where actions of one jurisdictionmay have consequences for the ability of otherjurisdictions to achieve their objectives;

4. URGES States and RFMOs in implementing anecosystem approach to fishing, to give particular at-tention to:


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a. the human dimension of EAF, especially the im-portance of fisheries to food security andpoverty elimination and the value of fishers’knowledge and institutions;

b. the potential role of spatial and temporal plan-ning and management measures in improvingfisheries management and protecting nurseryareas, vulnerable life stages of species or habitatsand mitigating and reducing the ecological im-pact of fishing;

c. the need for better documentation of the costsand benefits of various approaches to EAFgovernance and implementation and of theirallocation;

d. the need for better understanding of how vari-ous types of legal, economic and social incen-tives may work for or against implementation ofan EAF;

e. the effectiveness of various strategies, risk as-sessment methodologies and measures for man-aging fisheries in information-poor situations;

f. how EAF considerations can be incorporatedinto fisheries management harvest control rulesand procedures, as well as in private sector/fish-ing industry’s business models;

g. how various harvesting strategies may contributeto improved conservation and sustainable use ofbiological diversity in an equitable way to providesustainable yields while maintaining ecosystemservices, structure and functioning; for example;

i. targeting harvests on particular speciesgroups versus balancing harvests acrossecosystem components; and

ii. tracking environmental variation directlywith harvest adjustments versus adoptingmore stable harvest strategies that are robustto environmental variation;

h. the need for capacity building, including capacityfor scientific and technical support, field man-agement and operations, processing standardsand traceability of seafood products, and policydevelopment and governance; and

i. the important role of a national Ecosystem Ap-proach (EA) framework nesting efforts of allsectors in applying the approach, insuring coher-ence and equity in implementation; and

5. As knowledge of the opportunities and constraintson EAF implementation grows, CALLS ON com-petent fisheries management jurisdictions to:

a. develop and apply management procedures thataddress sustainable fishing practices and ecosys-tem considerations;

b. develop indicators and apply monitoring andmanagement strategies to allow for precaution-ary and adaptive management of fisheries; and

c. document and share experiences, including bothsuccesses and failures, and the lessons learned,and build a collection of good EAF practices.

WCC-2012-Rec-170-ENTo enhance the community proceduresto improve the management of coastalfishing

NOTING the fact that coastal zones are home to one-fifth of the world population, the density of the popula-tion in these areas being three times higher than theglobal average, and the fact that for several decades, thedemographic growth there has been higher than in in-land areas;

CONSIDERING that today West Africa, for a long timeone of the least developed regions in the world, is experi-encing record urban growth rates (over 5%), with urbandevelopment processes mainly concentrated in coastalzones (over 50% of the population in 2010), generatingserious negative impacts on coastal ecosystems and fishing;

CONSIDERING that droughts and poverty have led tolarge migratory movements since various countriesgained their independence, with people moving to citiesand the coast, where the migrants have been directed to-wards the fishing sector;

RECALLING the importance of coastal artisanal fishingin providing sustainable livelihoods for West Africancoastal communities, and for national economies andfood safety;


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BEARING IN MIND the scientific information that in-dicates a collapse in the main coastal fisheries on whichthe dynamism of artisanal fishing is based, and whichblames several factors for this development including theprinciple of free access and the non-transferability of themanagement of fishery resources at a local level in somecountries;

OBSERVING a rapid increase in fishing activity, asso-ciated with an offshoring approach and long migrationsto prospect for new fishing zones, which lead to inter-community conflict as well as NOTING the incapacityof States to track the unloading and the origin of thecatches;

AWARE of the need to involve coastal artisanal fishingcommunities in order to reconcile the sustainable man-agement of fishery resources, food safety and access tothe market, by enhancing endogenous local knowledgeto define and apply fishing adaptation and managementstrategies;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the high pressure oncoastal zones, which makes the coexistence of artisanalfishing activities with tourism, urban development andthe exploitation of other natural resources like offshoreoil or zircon very difficult;

NOTING that the involvement of local artisanal fishingcommunities involves the recognition and protection oftheir historical rights regarding access, the definition ofaccess regulations, and the control and exploitation ofresources in coastal areas corresponding to their territo-rial waters;

NOTING the success recorded in Senegal and Guinea-Bissau through the introduction of management areasfor fishery resources and biodiversity, which has not onlyinvolved the communities taking responsibility, but alsothe introduction of innovative statutes such as indige-nous and community conserved areas or community ma-rine protected areas; and

REFERRING to the approaches undertaken by Guinea-Bissau to establish joint management areas in the coun-try’s main rias (swampy estuaries), facilitating access toresources for local communities and sharing with themcertain responsibilities in terms of fishing management;


1. RECALLS the fundamental role played by artisanalfishing in the economic development of coastal re-gions in southern countries;

2. STRESSES the urgent need to implement effective,viable and sustainable solutions to improve the gov-ernance and management of fishing, notably forcoastal fisheries on which artisanal fishing commu-nities depend for their livelihood, and coastal com-munities for their food safety;

3. URGES the States and regional organizations to rec-ognize and integrate indigenous local knowledge intodevelopment plans for coastal zones, fishery re-sources, and strategies for the adaptation of the fish-ing sector to global changes;

4. RECOGNIZES the rights of artisanal fishing com-munities to be a central component of the decision-making process of development projects in coastalzones in order to preserve their homes, their fishinginfrastructures and their access to the sea and to fish-ery resources in the face of high pressure from urbandevelopment, tourist activities and the exploitationof other natural resources;

5. ENCOURAGES States, regional organizations anddevelopment partners to support and participate inthe implementation of shared governance and jointmanagement of sustainable fishing, including thetransfer of powers with regard to the managementof fishery resources to decentralized institutions oractors made responsible through agreements, result-ing on a local scale in the effective implementationof a territorialized management of sustainable fish-ing, and defining the rights and regulations for ac-cess, as well as the roles and responsibilities of localcommunities; and

6. URGES States, regional organizations, developmentpartners and stakeholders in the fishing sector to de-fine common strategies for the conservation of fish-ery resources, including the development of capacityfor the control and management of the transfer ofartisanal fishing skills, in particular in order to limitthe risks of community conflict linked to migrantfishing operations.



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WCC-2012-Rec-171-ENAustralia’s proposed marine reservenetwork

RECOGNIZING the significance of the Strategic Plan forBiodiversity 2011–2020 and the Aichi Targets, and thecommitment embodied in Target 11 to achieve conser-vation of “at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inlandwater and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas”, andthat these areas should be “of particular importance forbiodiversity and ecosystem services”, “ecologically rep-resentative and well-connected”, but also “effectively andequitably managed”;

NOTING that the international target set in 2002 by theWorld Summit for Sustainable Development for the es-tablishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) has notbeen met;

RECALLING several IUCN Recommendations andResolutions urging Member States to create and effec-tively manage networks of MPAs, in particular Resolu-tions 1.37 Marine Protected Areas adopted by the 1st IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Montreal, 1996), 2.20Conservation of marine biodiversity adopted by the 2nd IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Amman, 2000), and 4.045Accelerating progress to establish marine protected areas and cre-ating marine protected area networks adopted at the 4th IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Barcelona, 2008);

RECOGNIZING the recent announcement, in 2012, ofthe Australian Government’s intention to establish thelargest proposed national network of marine reserves inthe world as an important and historic step forward formarine conservation;

ACKNOWLEDGING that these declarations will pro-vide a major contribution to Australia, as a signatory, ho-nouring the 2020 Aichi Targets, especially Target 11;

RECOGNIZING that these declarations are based onmany years of scientific assessment and community con-sultations under a bipartisan commitment of Australiangovernments to a comprehensive, adequate and repre-sentative reserve system;

RECOGNIZING the scale of protection that will be of-fered by this move is unparalleled and is vital to ensuringthe long-term health of Australia’s unique marine life;and

CONSIDERING these proposed marine reserves arecurrently the subject of a final round of public commentas part of the process for proclaiming them under Aus-tralian legislation;


1. CONGRATULATES the Australian Governmentfor its landmark announcement to establish thelargest national network of marine reserves in theworld, one of the most significant advances for ma-rine environmental protection in Australia’s history;

2. URGES the Australian Government to proclaim thenetwork of marine reserves swiftly; and

3. URGES the global community to support similar ini-tiatives that establish networks of marine reserves,informed by sound science and in accordance withIUCN’s vision and mission.


WCC-2012-Rec-172-ENDevelopment of renewable energy andbiodiversity conservation

RECALLING that, in the first place, energy policiesshould be based on energy conservation;

FURTHER RECALLING Resolution 2.17 Climate andenergy adopted by the 2nd IUCN World ConservationCongress (Amman, 2000), Resolution 3.057 Adapting toclimate change: a framework for conservation action adopted bythe 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok,2004), Resolutions 4.076 Biodiversity conservation and climatechange mitigation and adaptation in national policies and strategiesand 4.078 Appeal for action to address global environmentalchange adopted by the 4th IUCN World ConservationCongress (Barcelona, 2008);

CONSIDERING that the world is faced with global cli-mate change, which leads to a growing loss of biodiver-sity and that the assessments by the IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change (IPPC) stress the risk of seri-ous effects of climate change on ecosystems and species,for example the risk of the extinction of one third of all


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living species or the intensification of the bleaching ofcoral reefs;

RECOGNIZING the important role played by ecosys-tems in the mitigation of and adaptation to climatechange;

EMPHASIZING that the extraction and burning of fos-sil fuels are responsible for 80% of all human-relatedgreenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere;

RECALLING that, in order to address both the chal-lenge of global warming and the growing scarcity of fos-sil fuels, many countries are developing renewable energysources;

NOTING that, according to a recent report by IPCC, re-newable energy sources could provide 77% of the world’senergy needs, if there is strong political backing; and

CONSIDERING that the projects based on the devel-opment of renewable energy sources present fewer risksfor the environment than other means of productionbased on fossil fuels, although they can also have a majorimpact on ecosystems, as in the case of hydroelectricity;


CALLS ON States to:

a. commit themselves resolutely to renewable sourcesof energy, favouring their deployment in accordancewith the demands of sustainable development, in-corporating in particular energy conservation, thepreservation of ecosystems and dialogue with thevarious stakeholders;

b. support more strongly innovation and research intodeveloping renewable energy sources in order to re-duce and progressively replace the current, unsus-tainable means of production and consumptionbased on fossil fuels;

c. formulate energy policies, systems and projects, by:

i. applying the precautionary principle for the mostsensitive natural environments;

ii. demanding the strict application of the regulationon environmental impact studies (biodiversity,

landscapes, etc.) and of the ‘avoid, reduce, com-pensate’ principle;

iii. asking for precise ecological diagnoses to be car-ried out in accordance with the type of energyused;

iv. ensuring that the operators are correctly trainedand evaluated in the safest techniques for biodi-versity, in particular for offshore wind turbines,which must take into account the conservationof marine biodiversity, the preservation of fish-eries resources, and possibly contribute to thecreation of artificial reefs validated by the scien-tific community and the stakeholders;

v. avoiding the footprint of the equipment by usingexisting built-up areas, or by limiting their foot-print as far as possible on sites that have alreadybeen created so as to avoid degrading naturalareas;

vi. encouraging a focus on energy efficiency; and

vii. strengthening the dialogue with all civil societyactors, notably with nature conservation associ-ations and the managers of natural areas; and

d. integrate the protection of biodiversity into all na-tional and regional energy policies, in order to:

i. allow for truly sustainable development of bothterrestrial and marine areas, taking into accountthe preservation and enhancement of naturalenvironments; and

ii. recognize and enhance the role played by ecosys-tems and protected area networks in terms of themitigation of and adaptation to climate change.


WCC-2012-Rec-173-ENOffshore oil drilling in French Guiana,Suriname and Guyana

RECALLING the ecological fragility and the socio-economic importance of the coastline of the Guianas;


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FURTHER RECALLING that the coastlines of FrenchGuiana, Suriname and Guyana are places with the high-est concentration of migrating and wintering waders innorthern South America, and that their beaches are a siteof international importance for the laying of sea turtleeggs;

RECALLING that the Guiana Shield is an area fre-quently visited by delphinids such as the Common Bot-tlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and by certaincartilaginous fish such as the Giant Manta Ray (Mantabirostris);

CONSIDERING the regional cooperation project forthe conservation of sea mammals (MAMA COCOSEA), which should result in the creation of sanctuariesextending from the coasts of Brazil to Venezuela;

STRESSING the fact that the local population on thecoasts of French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana dependdirectly on fishery resources;

CONSIDERING the risks of deepwater oil extraction,dramatically illustrated by the accident on the DeepwaterHorizon oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico in April2010;

CONSIDERING the uncontrollable impact that acci-dents like this could have on the natural environment,marine resources and the populations of French Guiana,Suriname and Guyana; and

RECALLING that the exploitation and use of oil re-leases high concentrations of carbon dioxide into the at-mosphere, contributing greatly to global greenhouse gasemissions and their effect on our climate;


CALLS ON the governments of France, Suriname andGuyana to:

a. adopt a moratorium on deepwater oil extraction inthe three countries in the Guiana Shield;

b. strengthen energy conservation policy and supportfor renewable energy sources, compatible with bio-diversity conservation, in order to support the eco-logical transition of these territories;

c. establish an international, cross-border marine pro-tected area on the Guiana Shield, linked to the proj-ect for a marine mammal sanctuary stretching fromthe coasts of Brazil to Venezuela; and

d. strengthen the sustainable management of fishery re-sources in order to protect marine biodiversity as wellas the needs and economic activities of the local pop-ulations on the Guiana Shield.


WCC-2012-Rec-174-ENOffshore oil drilling in theMediterranean

RECALLING that the Mediterranean Sea is one of theworld’s 34 biodiversity hotspots, and includes the Mediter-ranean Basin, as well as the Azores, Madeira and the Ca-nary Islands;

STRESSING the ecological fragility and the socioeco-nomic importance of the marine and coastal natural en-vironments of the Mediterranean;

RECALLING IN PARTICULAR the important roleplayed by marine and coastal ecosystems in providinggoods and services such as the regulation of the climate,water supply, the mitigation of the effects of natural dis-asters, and food safety;

FURTHER RECALLING that the Mediterranean Sea isparticularly vulnerable due to its semi-closed configura-tion and its significant seismic activity;

CONSIDERING the considerable pressure thatMediterranean ecosystems are already under;

FURTHER CONSIDERING that the marine and coastalecosystems are likely to suffer a major impact with regardto offshore fossil fuel exploration and exploitation activ-ities due to oil slicks, disturbance of the seabed, drill cut-ting, pollution of air and water, and also noise pollution,affecting marine life and cetaceans in particular;

DEEPLY CONCERNED about the increase in offshoredrilling in world oil and gas production and the numerousserious accidents that have occurred since 1976 on oilplatforms in the Mediterranean;


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ALSO DEEPLY CONCERNED about the offshore oilexploitation projects carried out by the firm MelroseMediterranean Limited off the French coasts and thosecarried out by the petrol firm Repsol off the Canary Is-lands, which could have an impact on marine and coastalsites of global importance;

WELCOMING the announcement by the President ofthe French Republic on 6 April 2012 regarding the can-cellation of Melrose’s Rhône-Maritime offshore explo-ration permit; and

CONSIDERING the possible uncontrollable conse-quences of accidents caused by deep drilling in naturalenvironments, marine resources and coastal populations,as in the case of the Deepwater Horizon accident;


ASKS the Mediterranean coastal States to:

a. regulate strictly the development of offshore oil ex-ploitation policies and projects, by:

i. applying the Precautionary Principle to theseprojects for remarkable and sensitive natural en-vironments as well as protected areas;

ii. refusing to allow gas, oil or any other kind of ex-ploration or exploitation permits for areas nearnatural sites which have an importance nation-ally or internationally – such as a National Park,a World Heritage site or a UNESCO BiosphereReserve, marine protected area, General FisheriesCommission for the Mediterranean (GFCM)Deep-sea sites of particular ecological interest –should potential impacts be identified;

iii. demanding exemplary application of the regula-tion, with complete environmental impact stud-ies on biodiversity, as well as respect of the‘avoid, reduce, compensate’ principle, thus re-jecting or suspending any project that does notadhere to the latter;

iv. reinforcing prior scientific studies on the studyof coastal and marine environments;

v. refusing to allow gas, oil or any other kind of ex-ploration or exploitation concession in seismiczones or in areas prone to known natural hazards;

vi. ensuring a long dialogue with all civil society ac-tors about these projects, notably with natureconservation associations and the managers ofnatural areas;

vii. ratifying the Madrid Offshore Protocol of theBarcelona Convention; and

viii. enacting regulation adapted to projects devel-oped outside of territorial waters, notably on thecontents of environmental assessments andplanned sanctions, to fill in the gaps in nationalregulations; and

b. promote both the development of renewable energysources, as an alternative to the exploitation of fossilfuels, and the conservation of natural environmentsin order to establish a sustainable and coherent planfor the future of the Mediterranean.


WCC-2012-Rec-175-ENStrengthening the autonomy ofColombia’s black communities forsustainable natural resourcemanagement in their areas, with specialemphasis on mining

RECALLING IUCN’s previous Resolutions and Rec-ommendations that recognize, promote and call for theimplementation of conservation policies and practicesthat will enable indigenous and local communities to steertheir own path towards well-being, development and con-servation, in accordance with international agreementsand their right to self-determination;

RECALLING that in the context of the Vth IUCNWorld Parks Congress (Durban, 2003) the Durban Ac-cord and Action Plan were adopted which ... recommendnational reviews for an innovative protected areasmanagement...;

FURTHER RECALLING Resolution 4.041 Following up onactions called for by the II Latin American Congress of NationalParks and Other Protected Areas (Bariloche, 2007), adopted bythe 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress (Barcelona,2008) which called for: “... the participatory planning of


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protected areas, applying the principles of good governancesuch as transparency, fairness, accountability and access toconflict management...”;

BEARING IN MIND the provisions of International LabourOrganization (ILO) Convention 169 on indigenous and tribalpeoples (in Colombia, Law 21 of 1991) and the Conventionon Biological Diversity (CBD) (in Colombia, Law 165 of1994), along with the UN Declaration on the Rights of In-digenous Peoples (September 2007) and the Draft AmericanDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which guaran-tee indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determination, priorand informed consent and to the ownership, use, man-agement and conservation of the biodiversity and natu-ral resources on their territories, all of which have beenratified by Colombia;

FURTHER RECALLING that, through the Constitu-tion, Colombia’s legal framework recognizes, promotesand calls for the rights of Afro-Colombian communitiesto land, along with their right to participate in its conser-vation, in accordance with Articles 76 and 330 of the Lawof 1993, and that Law 21 of 4 March 1991 stipulates thatgovernments must consult interested peoples, promotetheir free participation and that consultations must beconducted in good faith through the “Prior ConsultationProcedure”;

BEARING IN MIND Article 39 of Law 99 of 1993, inwhich the Choco Region is considered a protected areaunder the concept of “special ecological reserve area”,“... which seeks to promote the incorporation of the in-digenous and black communities that traditionally inhabitthe region in the process of conservation, protection andsustainable use of resources...”;

BEARING IN MIND that although Colombia scarcelycovers 0.8% of the world’s surface area, it is classified asone of the planet’s 17 megadiverse countries and that thebiogeographical region of the Choco, in particular, is in-ternationally renowned as one of the planet’s greatestareas of biological diversity, its mountain forests coveringdifferent ecosystems and making this a sanctuary for alarge number of endemic and endangered species;

CONCERNED that despite the fact that local commu-nities have the right to land, the State continues to ownthe subsoil and non-renewable resources of these pro-tected areas and that this has resulted in a number ofconcessions being granted to companies, creating an un-sustainable situation in the area with more than 8,000outsiders in search of gold, excavating land opened upby these companies, in an area of 807 inhabitants;

RECOGNIZING that, in April 2010, the Ministries ofEnvironment, Mines and Transport, were warned thatthey should take responsibility for the problem and thatthey had to take measures to mitigate the environmentaland socio-economic disaster but that, to date, no progresshas been made in this regard;

CONCERNED at the fact that gold prospecting is amuch sought after activity and that, when undertaken il-legally, it creates confrontation and conflict;

FURTHER CONCERNED that although the nationallegal framework supports local communities’ participa-tion in the decisions that affect their lands, this legisla-tion is weak and full of loopholes, thus preventing theestablishment of real participatory mechanisms;

BEARING IN MIND that concessions are onlygranted to large-scale mining activities and not to sus-tainable artisanal mining (barequeo) and that no distinc-tion is made between this latter activity and the illegal,small-scale and unsustainable mining that is undertakenlargely by outsiders;

RECOGNIZING that extractive activities are a devel-opment opportunity for governments but that, at thesame time, if not managed appropriately, they result inserious risks for the local communities, governments andenvironment; and

RECALLING that the World Bank’s 2004 Extractive In-dustries Review provided a thorough examination of theproblems and challenges presented by the extractive in-dustries around the world and concluded that three con-ditions must exist to guide investment in the extractivesector: public and corporate governance, effective publicpro-poor and social policies, and respect for humanrights;


1. REQUESTS that governments consider a generallegal provision that would safeguard protected areasfrom the extractive industries as well as those con-ducted underground and under water and related tonon-renewable natural resources;

2. REQUESTS that the relevant institutions, such asthe Inter-American Court of Human Rights, imple-ment an adequate international monitoring system


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in order to impose sanctions on governments thatdo not implement their legal frameworks concerningrights to access land and other resources, with theaim of ensuring that governments recognize the le-gitimacy of a wide range of forms of protected areagovernance;

3. REQUESTS the Colombian government to:

a. grant concessions to local communities for arti-sanal gold mining which takes into account thesocial, environmental and economic aspects ofthis economic activity;

b. define:

i. a specific area for the sustainable develop-ment of this activity by the local communityor by concessions to third parties (with theprior consent of the community and withcorresponding compensation, following acompulsory and prior external environmen-tal impact assessment); and

ii. a matching unexploited area as a conserva-tion reserve;

c. make accessible the income and benefits gener-ated from these activities; and

d. clearly define the process for local participation;

4. ENCOURAGES the Colombian government toadopt innovative approaches to protected areas gov-ernance, such as the adoption of IUCN Category VIfor the Choco bio-region as a protected area withsustainable use of resources in which the protectedareas conserve ecosystems and habitats, along withthe associated cultural values and traditional naturalresource management systems (with a low-impactand traditional use of resources that is compatiblewith nature conservation); and

5. URGES the Colombian government to include aparticipatory process for designating protected areas,in which all interested parties, including the State,decide from across a wide range of protected areascategories.


WCC-2012-Rec-176-ENGreen jobs and private initiativescontributing to conservation in theNATURA 2000 Network

CONSIDERING that the draft versions of the PriorityAction Framework for financing the Natura 2000 Net-work include various sources of funding including exist-ing public financial instruments, private initiatives andother innovative sources;

CONSIDERING that, as a result, the creation of a pri-vate economic sector that makes use of natural productsmust be promoted; its production system would con-tribute to the Natura 2000 Network’s conservation ini-tiatives, also allowing for the economic development ofareas rich in biodiversity that must be protected, thusgenerating new sources of employment and wealth; and

CONSIDERING that this would facilitate the effectiveestablishment of the Natura 2000 Network, as well as itssocial acceptance;


CALLS ON the European Union Member States, sub-na-tional governments and local Member organizations andthose working in the field of biodiversity conservation toconsider the appropriateness of promoting programmesto support private initiatives, and initiatives carried out bycompanies and conservation organizations, to create‘green jobs’, which contribute to the success of the meas-ures taken to conserve the protected areas included in theNatura 2000 Network. The objectives of these pro-grammes should include the promotion of the Natura2000 Network as an economic instrument for private andsocial initiatives and should form part of a strategy, to bedeveloped locally, through three types of action:

a. research, development and innovation (R, D & I) ofnew products in the fields of healthcare, food andbeauty based on natural resources within Natura2000 Network areas, whose production system con-tributes towards conservation measures establishedin their Management Plans;

b. the training and employment of the inhabitants ofthese and surrounding areas, for the establishmentof manufacturing companies and organizations; and


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c. the integration of these companies and organizationsinto associations in order to facilitate collaborationwith the authorities responsible for the Natura 2000Network, allowing companies and organizations ac-cess to credit, and/or subsidies, depending on publicinterest in the activity, and the authorities’ assessmentof the results.


WCC-2012-Rec-177-ENEconomic valuation and developmentof financial mechanisms for thepayment for ecosystem services inareas of extreme poverty

RECOGNIZING that the number of cases of defor-estation and forest degradation processes continues toshoot up in Mexico and Latin America and the mecha-nisms, guidelines and protocols to curb this trend havenot responded or had the required effect;

MINDFUL that the natural infrastructure of marine andterrestrial ecosystems on our planet continues to breakdown and hence their capacity to provide ecosystemservices that are vital for the well-being of humanitytoday and in the immediate future is diminishing, and thatforests and jungles continue to be felled since they rep-resent no economic value or return for their owners andtheir ecosystem services are not paid for;

RECOGNIZING the climate change crisis, the loss ofecosystems and the great wave of extinction of species,which is destroying life on this planet, and which, if itcontinues in this manner will turn the Holocene into theperiod of the Earth’s geological history that will bemarked by a sixth wave of mass extinction of species,making adaptation and resilience strategies essential forthe conservation and sustainable management of theplanet’s biocapacity;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that REDD (ReducingEmissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation)projects and their requirements have been shown to becompletely non-viable given the conditions of extremepoverty experienced by most of the owners (private andcommunity) of rural forests and jungles in Mexico, and

that therefore a redesign in accordance with simplified,local protocols, at a sub-national level is essential in orderto launch them successfully and convert them into real-ity in the field;

RECOGNIZING that the ecosystem services paymentschemes applied by the National Forestry Commission(CONAFOR) of Mexico, with the corresponding sur-veillance and monitoring actions, have reversed the de-forestation trend in protected natural areas such as theSierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, protecting biodiversityand fighting poverty;

CONSIDERING that instead of rather complicated,out-of-context regulations, what is needed is field expe-rience and common sense in order to make decisions re-garding the development of mechanisms that effectivelyhalt deforestation, with simple development and moni-toring protocols, which can be applied to real conditions,and in order for resources to have a real impact in thefield, benefiting the owners rather than only reachingconsultants and decision makers;

TAKING as a reference the experience of local projectsalready underway, such as the case of the Sierra GordaBiosphere Reserve, where the diversification of thesources of funding for the application of payments forecosystem services for water, biodiversity and carbon arealready a reality thanks to a series of ecosystem servicesand products integrated from the outset, in a regionalrather than vertical manner;

MINDFUL that the voluntary carbon market offers awide range of opportunities for governments, companiesand individuals to mitigate their emissions in forest proj-ects, which comply with the objectives of a REDD proj-ect, with no unnecessary complications while, at the sametime, helping to fight poverty, so that biodiversity con-servation generates opportunities for the developmentof local communities and pays them fairly for the envi-ronmental services provided by their ecosystems; and

WELCOMING the interest and intent of the IUCNSecretariat to develop synergies that fight poverty andrecognize the rights of local communities, while pro-tecting biodiversity effectively with financial incentivesfor local communities, by fighting deforestation and for-est degradation;



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CALLS ON the Government of Mexico to maintain thepayment of compensation by CONAFOR in order to:

a. strengthen the scheme, the geographical scope and thecurrent funding to ensure its permanence through na-tional security, maintaining Mexico’s natural heritage;

b. promote the development of local, state protocolswith rules that are viable in real contexts, whichstimulate alternative sources and means of funding,and which in turn foster a social awareness dissem-inated by all the media, of the mitigation of carbonfootprints. This would involve calling on social andcorporate voluntary responsibility, so that creativityand local protocols can give rise to conservationschemes through other ecosystem services thatallow these financial resources to pour into theirowners’ pockets, resulting in conservation manage-ment that guarantees the permanence of the serv-ices they provide us with;

c. foster mechanisms for the adequate economic valua-tion of natural infrastructure and its ecosystem serv-ices, defining the financial impact of local biocapacity,generating goods and services; and

d. use all media to raise public awareness of the climateemergency that motivates the mitigation of ecologicalfootprints at all levels and that involves taking jointresponsibility for the preservation of natural capital.


WCC-2012-Rec-178-ENReform of financial aid and expenditureharmful to biodiversity

RECALLING Aichi Target 3 of the Strategic Plan for Bio-diversity 2011–20120 adopted at the 10th Meeting of theConference of the Parties to the Convention on Biolog-ical Diversity (CBD), held in Nagoya, Japan, between 18and 29 October 2010, on the elimination, phasing outand reform of incentives and subsidies harmful to bio-diversity by 2020;

RECALLING the recurrent recommendations by the Or-ganization for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) in favour of the reduction of subsidies harm-ful to the environment and biodiversity;

WELCOMING the report carried out in France by theCentre for Strategic Analysis (CAS) Working Group en-titled, “public support harmful to biodiversity”, whichproposes numerous courses of action; and

NOTING that numerous countries have undertaken ac-tion to reduce public expenditure in the face of the globaleconomic situation;


1. STRONGLY AFFIRMS that the elimination of fi-nancial aid and expenditure harmful to the environ-ment should continue to be the goal for publicpolicies, in accordance with the Strategic Plan for Bio-diversity 2011–2020;

2. CALLS ON governments and local authorities tocommit firmly to the reform and reduction of thepublic aid and expenditure that they distribute, andwhich may be harmful to biodiversity; and

3. RECOMMENDS that IUCN Members, experts andNational Committees support the efforts of re-searchers and institutions to establish, in their coun-tries, a report on the proposals for the reform of thisfinancial aid and expenditure.


WCC-2012-Rec-179-ENRespecting ecologically sustainableuse of abundant biological resources

RECOGNIZING that wild fauna and flora are vital tohuman survival and have significant cultural, biologicaland ecosystem service values, and that decisions onwhether to use or not to use living natural resourcesshould be consistent with the conservation of biologicaldiversity;

ALSO RECOGNIZING the importance that the IUCNmission attaches to any use of resources being sustain-able and that the international community has attachedto achieving and supporting the sustainable use of re-newable natural resources under such intergovernmental


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instruments and agreements as the Convention on Bio-logical Diversity (CBD), the Convention on Interna-tional Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna andFlora (CITES), the Ramsar Convention, Agenda 21, theGlobal Environment Facility and other internationallyendorsed policy and financial instruments;

RECALLING Recommendation 2.92 Indigenous peoples,sustainable use of natural resources, and international tradeadopted at the 2nd IUCN World Conservation Congress(Amman, 2000) which urges: “all national governments,without prejudice to their obligations under internationallaw, to put their sustainable use principles into action inorder to improve the viability of indigenous and localcommunities, which depend on the harvesting of re-newable resources, by eliminating tariff, and nontariffbarriers, which discourage the sustainable use of naturalproducts derived from non-endangered species”;

NOTING that the 2nd IUCN World Conservation Con-gress (Amman, 2000) also adopted Resolution 2.29,IUCN Policy Statement on Sustainable Use of Wild Living Re-sources, which concluded that the sustainable use of wildliving resources can be an important conservation tooland that “wild living resources have many cultural, ethi-cal, ecological and economic values, which provide in-centives for conservation”;

RECALLING that the Addis Ababa Principles and Guide-lines, adopted at the 7th Meeting of the Conference ofParties to the CBD (Kuala Lumpur, 2004), as a frame-work for advising governments, resource managers andother stakeholders, specifically Principle 1, which “al-lows sustainable use of a resource to proceed from col-lection or harvest through to final use withoutunnecessary impediment”;

AWARE that maintaining ecosystem functions is an es-sential consideration and that Addis Ababa Practical Prin-ciple 10 recognizes that “national policies should takeinto account intrinsic and other non-economic values ofbiological diversity”;

FURTHER RECALLING that Resolution 3.074, Imple-menting the Addis Ababa principles and guidelines for sus-tainable use of biodiversity adopted by the 3rd IUCNWorld Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004) urgedIUCN Members who are Parties to the CBD to honourthe commitments they made through the Addis AbabaPrinciples and Guidelines, which are fully congruent withResolution 2.29;

RECOGNIZING that States have the legitimate right totake measures to promote the conservation and sustain-able management of global biodiversity and societal values;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING, however, that where suchmeasures impact on wild resources in other jurisdictionsthese measures could support or inadvertently underminenational or local biodiversity conservation and manage-ment strategies and their associated local and indigenouscultural and socio-economic benefits;

RECOGNIZING ALSO where use of wild species oc-curs, whether consumptive or non-consumptive, ecolog-ical sustainability and an ecosystem-based approach areessential to sound resource management; and

REAFFIRMING Recommendation 18.24 Conservation ofWildlife Through Wise Use as a Renewable Natural Resource ofthe 18th IUCN General Assembly (Perth, 1990) that the:“ethical, wise and sustainable use of wildlife can providean alternative or supplementary means of productiveland-use and can be consistent with and encourage con-servation, where such use is in accordance with appro-priate safeguards”;


URGES States within their existing legal framework andinternational obligations and without compromising theirsovereign rights, if seeking to take measures for the use,conservation and sustainable management of resourcesthat may negatively impact local/indigenous communi-ties and conservation incentives within other States,whenever possible, to offer consultation with thoseStates, and fully taking into account sound science andindigenous/traditional knowledge.


WCC-2012-Rec-180-ENIUCN’s engagement in theimplementation of the Strategic Planfor Biodiversity 2011–2020

ALARMED that the third edition of the Global BiodiversityOutlook (GBO-3) made clear that the target of reducing


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the rate of loss of biodiversity was not met, either na-tionally or internationally, in any part of the world, andthat the principal drivers of biodiversity loss are intensi-fying as a result of human actions, and realizing that thereare multiple indications of continuing decline in biodi-versity in all three of its components – ecosystems,species and genes – with species extinction rates up to1,000 times greater than the average rates in pre-humantimes and increasing;

AWARE of the fact that biodiversity underpins ecosys-tem functioning and the provision of ecosystem servicesessential for human well-being, and that without rapid ac-tion such services will be lost;

FURTHER NOTING that targeted conservation actionresults in conservation success, but the current level ofaction is far outweighed by the magnitude of threat, sothat conservation responses need to be substantiallyscaled up;

NOTING that, in response to the above, in 2010 the Par-ties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)adopted the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 at its10th Meeting in Nagoya, Japan, to inspire urgent actionfor biodiversity conservation by all countries and stake-holders;

EMPHASIZING that the vision of the Strategic Plan is aworld of “Living in harmony with nature” where “By2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wiselyused, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthyplanet and delivering benefits essential for all people”;

FURTHER NOTING that this plan also comprises amission which seeks to reduce and eventually halt the lossof biodiversity at global level, as well as strategic goalsand 20 ambitious yet achievable targets (for 2015 or2020), collectively known as the Aichi Targets;

WELCOMING that Parties to the CBD have agreed totranslate this framework into national level targets incor-porated into National Biodiversity Strategies and ActionPlans (NBSAPs) by 2012;

APPRECIATING THAT IUCN is the leading global au-thority on biodiversity conservation, and has a long his-tory of creating and providing credible and trustedknowledge on biodiversity through its flagship knowl-edge products such as the IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies and (with UNEP-WCMC) the World Database on

Protected Areas, and therefore has a significant leader-ship role to play in supporting the achievement of theStrategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020; and, critically, thebasis of key indicators to measure progress in theirachievement;

RECOGNIZING that the proclamation by the UNGeneral Assembly of the period 2011–2020 as theUnited Nations Decade on Biodiversity is a major op-portunity to scale up resources and promote significantaction for the implementation of the Strategic Plan;

RECOGNIZING the role of civil society, in collabora-tion with relevant stakeholders, to actively participate inactions contributing to the achievement of the Aichi Tar-gets including promoting good practices and overcom-ing challenges;

FURTHER RECOGNIZING the important but under-appreciated link between environment and developmentissues and the outcome of Rio+20 The Future We Want;and

AWARE that the 11th Meeting of the CBD Conferenceof the Parties (COP11), to be held in Hyderabad, India,8–19 October 2012, will adopt a framework of indica-tors to facilitate measurement of progress in achievementof the Aichi Targets;


1. EMPHASIZES that achievement of the 2020 AichiTargets are dependent on extremely urgent and boldaction being taken by governments, civil society andthe corporate sector prior to 2015 to combat driversof biodiversity loss, because of the time lags inherentin ecological systems;

2. ASKS that all stakeholders support, communicateand promote the achievement of the Targets at everyavailable opportunity, including through celebrationslinked to the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity;

3. CALLS ON governments to set rigorous and robusttargets at the national level (within the ‘flexibleframework’) noting that the global Aichi Targets willonly be achieved if the individual national level tar-gets ‘add up’ to the equivalent of targets set at theglobal level;

4. URGES governments to meaningfully address all fivestrategic goals which encompass the need to tacklethe underlying causes of biodiversity loss and effortsto enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity andecosystem services, as well as taking action to de-crease the direct pressures on biodiversity and safe-guard and restore biodiversity and ecosystemservices, taking into account the needs of women, in-digenous and local communities and the poor andvulnerable, and capacity building;

5. CALLS ON governments to demonstrate real com-mitment by adopting ambitious resource mobiliza-tion strategies to greatly increase funding tobiodiversity conservation;

6. URGES the donor community to incorporate theplan into their strategies;

7. CALLS FOR the international environmental and de-velopment communities to utilize action taken to theachievement of the Strategic Plan to strengthen inter-national development goals that contribute to sus-tainable development and the elimination of poverty;

8. URGES the private sector to assume accountabilityfor relevant parts of the Aichi Targets and therebyproactively support their implementation;

9. CALLS ON the Parties to the CBD at COP11 andsubsequent meetings to take any necessary measuresto overcome obstacles to the achievement of theTargets;

10. ASKS the Parties to the CBD at COP11 to adopt aclear and robust indicator framework which allowsfor appropriate measuring of the extent of achieve-ment of the individual Targets;

11. DECIDES that the IUCN Programme 2013–2016(and subsequent Programmes, 2017–2020), mustcontribute to the implementation of all five goals ofthe Strategic Plan;

12. CALLS ON IUCN Members, Commissions, Na-tional and Regional Committees, as well as the Sec-retariat to demonstrate their contribution to all 20Aichi Targets through monitoring and reporting; and


a. ensure that the IUCN Secretariat maintains astrong focus on the delivery of the Strategic Plan

for Biodiversity 2011–2020, given that it is a key un-derpinning framework for the IUCN Pro-gramme for the next decade (2013–2016;2017–2020); through supporting the identifiedIUCN Aichi Target ‘lead champions’;

b. strongly encourage IUCN Members, Commis-sions and National and Regional Committees tomaintain a strong focus on contributing to theachievement of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity2011–2020 and the Aichi Targets;

c. support the strengthening and integration ofIUCN’s key flagship knowledge products to un-derpin work for the achievement of the Targetsand the development of indicators at the globaland national level; and

d. strongly encourage IUCN Members, Commis-sions, and National and Regional Committees tosupport work to integrate the Aichi Targets intothe Sustainable Development Goals, to be devel-oped for 2015.

WCC-2012-Rec-181-ENCitizen participation in legislativeprocedures regarding the environment

RECALLING that Principle 1 of the Stockholm Declara-tion (Declaration of the United Nations Conference onthe Human Environment, 1972) recognizes that “Manhas the fundamental right to freedom, equality and ade-quate conditions of life, in an environment of a qualitythat permits a life of dignity and well-being”; and thatPrinciple 1 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and De-velopment (Río de Janeiro, 1992) proclaims that human be-ings “are entitled to a healthy and productive life inharmony with nature”;

ALSO RECOGNIZING that people, in addition to theright to life in an environment that guarantees their healthand well-being, also have the duty to protect and improvethe environment;

CONSIDERING that in order to be able to fulfil thisduty and assert this right, citizens must have access to in-formation as well as regulated procedures, which allowthem to participate in making decisions concerning theenvironment;


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INDICATING that greater public participation in themaking of decisions regarding the environment andgreater access to environmental information helps raisepublic awareness about the environment, gives rise to afree exchange of opinions and, ultimately, improves theenvironment;

OBSERVING that Article 8 of the United Nations Eco-nomic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Conventionon Access to Information, Public Participation in Deci-sion-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Mat-ters (Aarhus Convention, 1998) states that “each Party shallstrive to promote effective public participation at an ap-propriate stage, and while options are still open, duringthe preparation by public authorities of executive regu-lations and other generally applicable legally binding rulesthat may have a significant effect on the environment”;

OBSERVING that the European Union ratified this Con-vention through the Council’s Decision of 17 February2005;

CONCERNED because in many countries, includingsome of those that have already ratified the Aarhus Con-vention, there are no suitable mechanisms that allow forreal and effective public participation in the processes ofcreating regulatory provisions or other legally bindinggenerally applied rules, which may have a major impacton the environment;

ALSO CONCERNED in particular by governments’ ap-proval of regulations having a possible major impact onthe environment through procedures that due to their ur-gent nature prevent any kind of public participation;

INDICATING that the Directive created by the Euro-pean Union to establish measures for public participa-tion in the drawing up of certain plans and programmesrelated to the environment does not establish mecha-nisms or the obligation to guarantee public participationin the drawing up of environmental legislation; and

CONSIDERING that, although parliaments are cham-bers that represent the public, they should not replacemechanisms for public participation, either individuallyor collectively, for example through associations;


1. URGES all governments to establish mechanismsthat allow for effective public participation preferably

at an early phase, and when the options are still open,during the stage when regulatory provisions or othergeneral, legally binding regulations that could make agreat impact on the environment are being drawn up;

2. CALLS ON the European Union and its MemberStates in particular to include in their regulations theprovisions of Article 8 of the Convention on Accessto Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Mat-ters (Aarhus Convention, 1998); and

3. URGES the governments of the European Union toavoid unnecessary urgent procedures in the drawingup of legislation having a major impact on the envi-ronment, and if necessary, to establish mechanisms –also urgent – allowing for citizen participation.


WCC-2012-Rec-182-ENInternational cooperation towards themitigation of adverse impacts ofaeolian aerosols

CONSIDERING that occurrence frequencies and theintensities of dust and sand storms (DSS) from many aridand semi-arid regions, including Northern China, Cen-tral Asia and Mongolia, are on an increasing trend due tothe rapid desertification caused by climate change andunsustainable land uses such as overgrazing, intensivefarming, deforestation for other uses, and that anthro-pogenic aerosol emission also has a remarkably increas-ing trend as a result of expanding industrial activityworldwide;

RECOGNIZING that increasing aeolian aerosols causeseverely adverse impacts on the environment, ecosys-tems, and human health and socio-economic activitiesnot only in the source regions but in the far downwindregions;

RECALLING that aeolian aerosols cause far-reachingadverse impacts on air pollution, visibility reduction andclimate change affected by radiative balance;

ALSO RECALLING that aeolian aerosols impact ter-restrial and marine ecosystems, such as damage to young


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plants, cattle suffocation, reduction in biological produc-tivity, enhancement of plankton blooms, coral mortalityin the ocean and eutrophication;

FURTHER RECALLING that aeolian aerosols conveyendemic micro-organisms and potential microbialpathogens such as bacteria and fungi, which may causeadverse impacts on human health and cause respiratory(asthma) and eye diseases even in regions far downwindof the source regions;

FURTHER RECALLING that aeolian aerosols causevisibility degradation, leading to airport closures, trafficaccidents and increased defect rates of sensitive scientificand industrial facilities;

AWARE that international cooperation is essential to ef-fectively prevent desertification by identifying best prac-tices to address primary causes of desertification insource regions, to establish a monitoring and early warn-ing system for severe aerosol events, and to accurately as-sess the potential microbial risk in aeolian aerosolstravelling long distance for the mitigation of adverse im-pacts of aerosols;

CONCERNED that the cause of desertification differsfrom region to region, however the countermeasures areindiscriminate and few international cooperation projectshave been implemented to enhance capacity for the pre-vention of desertification;

ALSO CONCERNED that there still does not exist anintegrated aerosol monitoring network, something that isessential for the accurate issuing of early warnings ofaerosol events even though the World Meteorological Or-ganization (WMO) has recognized the importance ofaerosol events as a serious environmental issue, enoughto establish a Sand and Dust Storm Warning and Advi-sory and Assessment System (SDS-WAS); and

FURTHER CONCERNED that microbiological under-standing and analysis methodology are poorly establishedfor assessing microbial risk in aeolian aerosols;


1. CALLS ON IUCN Members to:

a. encourage affected and neighbouring countriesto actively participate in efforts for preventing

and controlling desertification and land degrada-tion to mitigate DSS, in establishing an integratedaeolian aerosol monitoring network, and in con-ducting microbial risk assessment by establishinga network; and

b. cooperate with national and international agen-cies concerned with air quality, human health andnatural disaster reduction, especially with theUnited Nations Convention to Combat Deserti-fication (UNCCD) and the WMO Sand and DustStorm Warning Advisory and Assessment Sys-tem (SDS-WAS) to deliver high-quality observa-tion data to users in a timely manner;

2. REQUESTS the Director General and IUCN Coun-cil to contact the WMO with a view to underliningthe importance of establishing an integrated andglobal aeolian aerosol monitoring network; and

3. ENCOURAGES governments to:

a. establish a regulatory system for monitoring ae-olian aerosols and for assessing their ecologicaland human health effects;

b. provide financial support for international, re-gional and sub-regional programmes for pre-venting desertification and monitoring aeolianaerosols and their ecological and human healtheffects; and

c. develop and apply a system to cooperate with in-ternational, regional and sub-regional institutionsfor evaluating the environmental impacts of ae-olian aerosols.

WCC-2012-Rec-183-ENDark skies and nature conservation

GIVEN that species and ecosystems function night andday, and that artificial light can interfere with organismand ecosystem functions;

UNDERSTANDING that the appreciation of culturalheritage sites in their authentic state, the enjoyment oflandscape aesthetics, and a true wilderness experiencemay be diminished by outdoor artificial light, glare andsky glow;


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RECOGNIZING that astronomy, both scientific andamateur, and night sky viewing by the general public areessential contributions to understanding and enjoying ournatural world;

BEING aware that cultural traditions, mythology andceremony throughout the world bear a close relationshipto night sky phenomena; and

NOTING that energy efficiency, human health and per-sonal safety are all enhanced by the use of proper light-ing and diminished by excess lighting;


1. CALLS UPON environmental and natural resourcemanagement agencies to recognize that outdoor ar-tificial light should be subject to effective standards inorder to help restore and/or maintain the ecologicalintegrity of natural areas and the commemorative in-tegrity of cultural sites, to respect traditional beliefsrelated to the night sky, and to protect species andecosystems everywhere;

2. SUGGESTS that urban and non-urban infrastruc-ture management authorities regulate and control

outdoor lighting in the areas under their jurisdictionso as to achieve just the right amount, spectrum andtiming of outdoor lighting necessary for public useand safety;

3. ENCOURAGES natural area managers and non-governmental organizations to promote awarenessof dark sky values and the need for and methods ofreducing outdoor artificial light;

4. RECOMMENDS that universities, science-fundingagencies, and scientific institutions foster and sup-port research into the nocturnal aspects of biologicaland ecological function;

5. URGES protected area management authorities todevelop visitor activities that lead to public appreci-ation and understanding of nocturnal ecology andthe night sky; and

6. RECOMMENDS that protected area and other con-servation agencies seek out opportunities to cooper-ate with scientific and amateur astronomyorganizations and aboriginal peoples on optimumoutdoor lighting design, darkness monitoring, deliveryof visitor activities, and outreach related to the nightsky, the nocturnal aspects of ecosystems and the im-portance of the night sky to traditional cultures.


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“Mr. President, the United States welcomes the oppor-tunity to again renew our commitment to IUCN. TheUnited States recognizes the importance and value of anorganization such as IUCN with its broad and deter-mined membership dedicated to protecting the naturalworld. We look forward to the events of the Forum andour business in the Assembly over the course of the nextweek or so. As a member of IUCN, it is our responsibil-ity to engage fully and actively; be assured the UnitedStates takes this responsibility seriously.

We are very interested in learning more about the per-spectives and priorities of IUCN members, particularlythe nongovernmental members, as reflected in the 175-plus motions put forward for consideration by this Con-gress. We recognize and believe that IUCN as anorganization has an important contribution to make tothe international environmental dialogue.

We applaud the efforts to improve and strengthen themotions process. This process remains a challenging onefor us as a government. Building on our experience inBarcelona, Bangkok and Amman, we have continued toreflect on how best we, as a State member, can partici-pate in this motions process. Because of the high prior-ity we place on IUCN’s programs which contributesignificantly to the conservation goals we all share, weremain convinced that we should focus our attention onthose motions that deal with issues related to IUCN as aninstitution, its governance and its broad programmaticissues.

We greatly appreciate the outstanding efforts made by theResolutions Committee to review and provide guidanceon all motions and to identify their relevance to the pro-posed IUCN quadrennial Program and their cost impli-cations. We find the procedures of screening motions toavoid duplication and repetition to be a valuable ap-proach and applaud the Resolutions Committee and the

IUCN secretariat for their efforts. There are, however,still motions that we believe do in fact duplicate previousmotions and would ask that when it comes time to pre-pare for the next Congress and Assembly, even stricterattention might be paid to this.

As in the past, a number of motions would require a sig-nificant shift in priorities, resources and funding alloca-tions within the 2013-2016 program. This raises thecentral issue of how the motions process fits into theIUCN Programme 2013–2016 which we are to finalizeduring this Congress. We appreciate the efforts made toensure that we do not allow the tail to wag the dog.

We would note, however, that a number of motions re-flect the strong views of a small number of members onwhat actions State members should take nationally, re-gionally or internationally on complex and often contro-versial issues.

We remain convinced that there are some types of reso-lutions on which it may not be appropriate for us, as agovernment, to engage or negotiate.

Among these is a large group of motions directed pri-marily to a single government or group of governmentson national, bilateral or regional issues. We often lack suf-ficient factual information about such issues and believethat responses to these motions are best left to the coun-try or countries affected. We will not take a position as agovernment on such motions, except as they have directimplications for the U.S. Government. In such instances,we may provide a statement for the record to help clar-ify the issues raised and provide our perspective.

A second group of issues are those focused on global is-sues that we agree are important but that are topics ofongoing international policy debate in other fora, such asclimate change and biodiversity in areas beyond national

Annex 1

Statement of the United States Government on the IUCNMotions Process

Submitted during the 1st Sitting of the Members’ Assembly IUCN World ConservationCongress, Jeju, Republic of Korea, 8 September 2012


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jurisdiction. We respect the interest of members in issuesof global concern and we share many of these interests,especially on emerging issues such as the role of ecosys-tems in food security and the importance of the illegaltrade in wildlife. However, we do not intend to take na-tional government positions on the particular views pre-sented in motions here or to vote on the outcome.

In keeping with our past practice, we will provide youwith a list for the record of those resolutions the U.S.Government will refrain from engaging on.

We would request that this statement be entered in fullfor the record in the report of this Congress.”

In a letter to the IUCN Director General dated 2 Oc-tober 2012, the US Department of State listed the USGovernment’s position on individual Motions, in-cluding 101 Motions that State and agency membersof the US had abstained from voting on and a fur-ther 12 Motions that State and agency members ofthe US had voted against. The letter requested thatthese positions be recorded in Congress outputs andthis has been done in the relevant sections of theCongress Proceedings. The letter confirmed that theUS voted in favour of all other Motions.

INTERNATIONAL UNIONFOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE

WORLD HEADQUARTERSRue Mauverney 281196 Gland, SwitzerlandTel: +41 22 999 0000Fax: +41 22 999 0002www.iucn.org

resolutions and recommendations · 2013. 9. 12. · wcc-2012-res-001-en strengthening the motions...

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