Europe is a crucial region for IUCN. Home to the European Union (EU) – the world’s largest development aid donor – the region’s influence goes beyond its territorial boundaries. Over the years, the EU has been recognized for its leadership role in international environmental and climate governance.
The IUCN European Programme provides the framework for IUCN’s action in Europe. It covers the diverse and vast terrestrial and marine European region, including its overseas entities. It strives to shape a sustainable future by helping alleviate biodiversity decline and maintaining and restoring ecosystem integrity in Europe. Our goals, in line with IUCN Global Programme 2009-2012, are translated into five priority areas:
- Conserving biodiversity
- Changing the climate forecast
- Naturally energizing the future
- Managing ecosystems for human well-being
- Greening the world economy
Taking into account the specificity, needs and strengths of the European region, IUCN Secretariat’s work in Europe currently focuses on three areas: Biodiversity, Human Well-being and Green Economy. These goals are pursued through a combination of geographicallybased and thematic-based activities and policy influencing.
IUCN’s mission is to influence societies to conserve nature. IUCN in Europe has a special role in bringing together a wide range of actors and providing platforms for them to discuss and act on the most pressing issues of our time. Our aim is to connect IUCN Members and their National Committees with other actors in the environmental community and beyond to shape a better future for biodiversity and human beings.
IUCN’s work in Europe is founded on three main pillars:
