Earth Day on the National Mall is the centerpiece of Earth Day in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of environmentally-conscious people will join civic leaders and celebrities for the globally-celebrated event, created to invoke awareness and appreciation for our natural environment. For the first time ever, IUCN is partnering with Earth Day Network to participate in Washington, D.C.’s festivities.

Key issues:

Biodiversity is key to human existence. “Today, our connection to nature is not as direct as it was thousands of years ago—yet the services that nature provide create the conditions that enable us to survive and thrive on Planet Earth,” says Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General of IUCN. “Nature should not be seen as a victim, but rather as part of the solution to some of our greatest challenges, including climate change, food, water and energy security.”

Spokespersons:

• Julia Marton-Lefèvre, IUCN Director-General  

For more information, please contact:

Maggie Roth, IUCN Media Relations, m +1 202 262 5313, e maggie.roth@iucn.org 

About IUCN

IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. 

IUCN works on biodiversity, climate change, energy, human livelihoods and greening the world economy by supporting scientific research, managing field projects all over the world, and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice. 

IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with more than 1,200 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 staff in 45 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world. 

www.iucn.org