Held once every four years, the IUCN World Conservation Congress brings together several thousand leaders and decision-makers from government, civil society, indigenous peoples, business, and academia, with the goal of conserving the environment and harnessing the solutions nature offers to global challenges.

The Congress aims to improve how we manage our natural environment for human, social and economic development, but this cannot be achieved by conservationists alone. The IUCN Congress is the place to put aside differences and work together to create good environmental governance, engaging all parts of society to share both the responsibilities and the benefits of conservation.

The Congress is the place where IUCN’s more than 1,300 Member organisations exercise their rights, influence the global conservation agenda and guide IUCN’s work plan for the four years to follow.

2015 was a year of commitment. Nearly 200 nations adopted the Paris climate agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, setting ambitious targets for addressing some of the world’s greatest challenges.

2016 is the year to take action, and the IUCN World Conservation Congress will define the sustainable path for moving these agreements from targets to achievements.

Thousands of top scientists, academics and business and political leaders from around the world will present the latest conservation advances, tools and action during the Congress Forum.

Over 1500 sessions will cover the most pressing and sometimes controversial topics including ocean protection and marine plastics, wildlife trafficking and biodiversity loss, climate change mitigation and resilience, and the economic and social impacts of transitioning, or not transitioning, to more sustainable development paths.

Learn more about the Congress here.