Science and Economics

Science and Economics at the heart of IUCN

 

Home

IUCN knowledge by the numbers

filling a gap

50%

of conservation professionals do not yet have the access to the literature they need

making IUCN knowledge available

1 million +

pdf downloads from the IUCN online Library Portal in 2019

the Union's expertise

 15,000+

 members of six expert IUCN Commissions 

How we engage

A sound scientific basis is vital for effective decision-making in nature conservation. This encompasses compiling data and assessing them against formal standards, providing access to information, publishing research and analysis, and interacting with peer conservation science networks.

IUCN harnesses the 13,000-strong membership of the Union’s six expert Commissions to support assessments against the IUCN Red List, Key Biodiversity Areas and Protected Planet standards; runs library and publication services; and connects with peer networks like the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

News

  • Mangrove seedlings Mangrove forests make up one of the most productive and biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet. They grow in a variety of depths of salt water, their roots sticking up out of the mud, with fish, crustaceans and a host of other species living between tree trunks. Their restoration brings benefits to biodiversity and people alike. Photo: Image by Bishnu Sarangi from Pixabay

    IUCN statement for the G20 Rome Summit

    29.10.2021

    As the Rome Summit begins, IUCN calls on the G20 leaders to step up efforts and live up to their role, demonstrating with clear commitments that building forward better is not only desirable but possible.

  • Student conservation worker Photo: Pacific Southwest Forest Service, USDA

    IUCN to boost open access to conservation knowledge

    31.08.2021

    Gland, Switzerland, 31.08.2021 (IUCN) - Thanks to a 3-year grant from the Arcadia Fund – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin – IUCN will be able to promote and improve researchers’ open access to high-quality conservation knowledge.

  • Sunflower Photo: Pixabay

    IUCN welcomes IPBES decision to develop crucial biodiversity reports

    25.08.2021

    IUCN welcomes IPBES-8 plenary decision to approve the scoping reports of the ‘nexus’ and ‘transformative change’ assessments, and encourages the IUCN constituency to engage actively with the assessments process.

Learn more

Woman weaving a basket Woman weaving a basket Photo: IUCN / Ger Bergkamp

People in Nature (PiN)

An IUCN knowledge basket on the interrelationships between people and nature.

 

flooded field with trees in back and blue sky Photo: IUCN

Ecosystem Valuation

When businesses value environmental costs more consistently, better management decisions are made for the environment, society and the companies themselves.

 

Palm oil plantation in Sabah, Malaysia. Palm oil plantation in Sabah, Malaysia. Photo: HUTAN/KOCP

Palm oil and biodiversity conservation

With the disastrous impacts of palm oil on biodiversity from a global perspective, there are no simple solutions.

 

Structure of DNA Photo: CC0 Public Domain

Synthetic Biology and Biodiversity Conservation

Synthetic biology has no widely agreed definition. However, it is commonly understood as a field where engineering principles are applied to biology to design, construct or modify biological parts or systems.

 

Quick reads

Aimed at policy-makers and journalists, IUCN Issues Briefs provide key information on selected issues in a two-pager format.

Nature-based recovery Photo: IUCN

Nature-based recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the global economy to shrink by an estimated 3.5% in 2020. 8.8% of global working hours were lost, equivalent to 255 million full-time jobs, and severe long-term economic...
thumbnail_synthetic_biology_conservation_issues_brief Photo: IUCN

Synthetic biology and its implications for biodiversity conservation

Though there is an active international discussion on how best to define synthetic biology, it generally refers to technologies that allow humans to make precise alterations to the genes of organisms...
Issues brief - Palm oil and biodiversity Photo: IUCN

Palm oil and biodiversity

Palm oil is derived from the oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), which is native to West Africa and grows best in tropical climates with abundant water. Three-quarters of total palm oil produced...
Go to top