The Wildlife Conservation Society EU Office (WCS EU) participated in the IUCN World Conservation Congress, which took place from 9 to 15 October 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in a hybrid format with over 10,000 participants from 189 countries.
Held once every four years, the IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC) brings together several thousand leaders and decision-makers from government, conservation and other NGOs, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, business, UN agencies, Intergovernmental organisations, and academia, to influence the direction of conservation and global sustainable development for the next four years and to improve how we manage our natural environment for human, social and economic development.
WCS EU is an active member of IUCN, and is pleased to see the adoption of a strong 20-year vision, a 4-year program for IUCN, several motions addressing key emerging conservation challenges, and a powerful Abu Dhabi Call to Action.
Participants at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi.
Here are some highlights and key outcomes during the Congress:
- Wildlife Pet Trade - The adoption of Motion 108, calling for the creation of global guidelines to help countries manage the commercial trade in wild animals traded as pets.
- Crimes that affect the Environment - IUCN committed to stronger global coordination to counter crimes that affect the environment, including wildlife trafficking, illegal logging and mining, and illegal fishing.
- One Health Imtegration - IUCN adopted a motion and programme text to embed One Health into conservation policy.
- Indigenous Peoples - IUCN made historic progress in centering Indigenous Peoples, by hosting the first-ever in-person World Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nature, creating a dedicated Indigenous Pavilion, and embedding Indigenous leadership directly into the Congress agenda.
We were pleased to join an inspiring session organized by the B4Life Facility / AGRECO, titled 'NaturAfrica: Empowering Communities for Thriving Landscapes'. Aymeric Roussel (DG INTPA) and Emmanuel Barde Elisha (Africa Nature Investors Foundation) presented how the NaturAfrica approach delivers large-scale impact by protecting Africa’s biodiversity while promoting sustainable economies, empowering communities, and promoting inclusive governance for lasting conservation success. Learn more about NaturAfrica.
Speakers at the NaturAfrica session during the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi.
When invited to take the floor, Michel Masozera (WCS) thanked the EU for this incredibly important programme which contributes to safeguarding many of the most important landscapes in Africa for the long-term. He stressed the importance of investing in areas which are still high in ecological integrity – because of the high benefits they bring for biodiversity, carbon, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities. Many of the planet’s remaining, intact landscapes are in Africa but are still under threat.
WCS is working in four important NaturAfrica landscapes :
- Cross River, Nigeria
- Nouabalé-Ndoki, Republic of Congo
- Bénoué, Cameroon
- Bamingui-Bangoran, Central African Republic
In all of these we are working to conserve biodiversity, support local governance and provide benefits for local communities. In Cross River, WCS is working with the EU’s support to bring together the private sector, local authorities, local communities and women’s groups to create a deforestation-free landscape, whilst also bringing benefits to local people through improved cocoa production – whilst safeguarding the protection of endangered species such as gorillas, chimpanzees and forest elephants.