Point Blue Joins the IUCN—Will Attend the 2025 World Conservation Congress!

September 10, 2025

News At a Glance:

• New IUCN Member: Proudly part of a network of 1,400+ institutions shaping nature’s future.
• 2025 World Conservation Congress Participation: October 9–15, Abu Dhabi—a global gathering to define tomorrow’s conservation agenda.
• Why It Matters: Elevating our science into action, scaling impact, building global–local bridges, voting on IUCN resolutions to ensure critical species and habitat protections around the world

We’re thrilled to announce that Point Blue Conservation Science is now an official member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)—the world’s largest and most influential environmental network.

This membership amplifies our ability to shape global conservation agendas with science-based insight and collaboration. But that’s not all. As a proud IUCN Member, Point Blue will be participating in the 2025 World Conservation Congress, taking place October 9–15, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

This is a pivotal moment for conservation—our team will join thousands of leaders, practitioners, and advocates from around the world to help shape global nature policy, advance equitable solutions, and drive lasting impact. The Congress is the premier international platform to share science, set priority actions, and help guide humanity’s relationship with the planet.

“Becoming an IUCN member and participating in the 2025 World Conservation Congress is a milestone for Point Blue. We’re honored to join this diverse and powerful network to help drive collaborative solutions for nature and people.”
— Liz Chamberlin, Point Blue Director of Innovation and Congress Delegate

Being part of this global network will allow us to bring the best tools to our work, such as the IUCN Red List, Red List of Ecosystems, and Nature-based Solutions Standards and provide opportunities for Point Blue to actively contribute to the development and refinement of these global conservation benchmarks.

We will be able to participate in the process of adding new species to the Red List, helping to raise awareness and emphasize the urgency of their conservation. One goal we hope to achieve is to better highlight and elevate special status species, like the Western Snowy Plover and the Ridgway’s Rail, that Point Blue has long studied to provide more accurate IUCN Red List status where appropriate. We are learning about what we can best achieve around Red List species and ecosystems and will continue to refine our strategy for what we can achieve through our membership.

Together, as part of IUCN’s global network and in this influential forum, Point Blue is poised to bring California’s on-the-ground conservation leadership to the international stage—and ensure global insights flow back home to benefit wildlife, ecosystems, and communities.