IUCN HQ Library Services

The IUCN library is a unique repository of publications, periodicals, scientific and technical reports prepared by IUCN, its Regional and Country Offices, Commissions and partners. The library is used by IUCN staff, Regional and Country Offices, Commission members, members and environmental organizations, but it is also open to students, researchers or practitioners interested in environmental issues. It is recommended that you call or e-mail ahead of time to arrange a visit. Library Opening Hours: 8h30-12h00 & 13h00-17h30 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday) 8h30-12h00 & 14h00-17h30 (Thursday) The library produces a monthly bulletin of new acquisitions. If you wish to be added to the distribution list, please send your request to library@iucn.org IUCN HQ Library resources Other IUCN Libraries and information resources Depository and Exchange Libraries         For more information or to make an appointment: Alicia Held – Librarian IUCN Library Rue Mauverney 28 CH-1196 Gland Switzerland Tel. + 41 22 999 0136 Fax. + 41 22 999 0010 Email: library@iucn.org

 

IUCN HQ Library Resources

IUCN publications
The IUCN Library compiles the titles published by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) from 1948 to the present. It also contains publications from the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, TRAFFIC – wildlife trade monitoring network, UNEP WCMC – the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, and a selection of titles from IUCN members or other publishers.

The complete collection of IUCN publications is available through our:

>> Online publications catalogue

IUCN reports
The library also holds a collection of over 2,000 unpublished scientific and technical reports prepared by IUCN staff and others from 1960 to the present. This collection is unfortunately not available online for the moment.

IUCN newsletters
This collection includes all journals, magazines and newsletters published by IUCN and its Commissions. Some titles are available online.

Non-IUCN publications
This collection of over 12,000 titles is mainly devoted to protected areas worldwide, the conservation of biological diversity, ecosystem management, sustainable development and sustainable use of natural resources.

Periodicals
More than 250 outside periodicals are received in the library. These include general science, nature conservation and environmental titles.

Multimedia collection
The library holds a small collection of videos, CD-ROMs and DVDs on conservation issues.

Other IUCN Libraries and Resources

IUCN Office Libraries
IUCN offices around the world often have their own libraries. The contact details for the different IUCN offices can be accessed via the "our work" drop down menu above. Some of these libraries are available online:

IUCN Environmental Law Centre Library
The ELC-libraries collection, based in the IUCN Environmental Law Centre in Bonn, hosts one of the world's largest and most comprehensive collections of environmental law and literature. It covers the entire spectrum of issues related to environmental conservation: from soil pollution to genetic resources, from water quality to waste management. IUCN, through the Environmental Law Centre, has pioneered the digitalization of its huge information resources since the late sixties.

ECOLEX : a gateway to environmental law
ECOLEX is an information service on environmental law, operated jointly by FAO, IUCN and UNEP. Its purpose is to build capacity worldwide by providing the most comprehensive as possible global source of information on environmental law.

This unique resource, which combines the environmental law information holdings of FAO, IUCN and UNEP, seeks to put this information at the disposal of users worldwide, in an easily accessible service, employing modern technology.

The ECOLEX database includes information on treaties, international soft-law and other non-binding policy and technical guidance documents, national legislation, judicial decisions, and law and policy literature. Users have direct access to the abstracts and indexing information about each document, as well as to the full text of most of the information provided.

The Biodiversity Economics Library
This library is devoted to the economics of biodiversity. The site is sponsored by IUCN and WWF and aims to promote economic approaches to the conservation of nature by providing access to key documents, a calendar of events, and a database of practitioners around the world.

The Protected Areas Database
The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) provides the most comprehensive dataset on protected areas worldwide and is managed by UNEP-WCMC in partnership with the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and the World Database on Protected Areas Consortium. The WDPA is a fully relational database containing information on the status, environment and management of individual protected areas.

MPA Global: a database of the world’s Marine Protected Areas
This website publishes the world's first explicitly marine-focused database of the world's protected areas that have some intertidal and/or subtidal component. It is currently based largely on information in the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) Version 6.1. The aims of this database are to:

IUCN's Species Survival Commission Species Information Service (SIS)
Through its volunteer membership of 7,000 species conservation experts, IUCN's Species Survival Commission (SSC) holds what is probably the world's most complete body of information on the status and distribution of species threatened with extinction. Although abundant, the data and information contained within the SSC network is widely dispersed and sometimes difficult to access. The Species Information Service is being developed as SSC's data management initiative to address this problem.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species provides taxonomic, conservation status and distribution information on taxa that have been globally evaluated using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. This system is designed to determine the relative risk of extinction, and the main purpose of the IUCN Red List is to catalogue and highlight those taxa that are facing a higher risk of global extinction (i.e. those listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable). The IUCN Red List also includes information on taxa that are categorized as Extinct or Extinct in the Wild; on taxa that cannot be evaluated because of insufficient information (i.e. are Data Deficient); and on taxa that are either close to meeting the threatened thresholds or that would be threatened were it not for an ongoing taxon-specific conservation programme (i.e. are Near Threatened).

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Database Search

 

Depository and Exchange Libraries
In 1994 IUCN established the first IUCN Depository Libraries. Similar to the United Nations Depository Libraries where each member State selects one library to be the recipient of all UN documents, so in IUCN, selected IUCN members or partners receive a copy of each IUCN publication for their library. Coordinated by the IUCN HQ Library, a network of Depository Libraries has now been put in place (view list).

These libraries are charged with four tasks:

The creation of the Depository Libraries Network has helped to:

Depository Library Criteria: