Highlights from the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025

November 24, 2025

From October 7-15, 2025, ILCN attended the 2025 International Union for the Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress (IUCN WCC) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. This quadrennial gathering brings together IUCN members and observers to explore major issues, exchange knowledge, set priorities and drive conservation action. In 2025, the event drew an estimated 10,000 participants from governments, civil society, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, academia, and business.

*ILCN Staff and Partners at the ILCN Booth.*

For the first time, we hosted a booth at the WCC, where we showcased highlights and initiatives shared by ILCN network partners and participants. We extend our sincere thanks to all of you who contributed projects and content for display, helping us tell the story of the vital role, continued growth, and ongoing dedication of the global private and civic land conservation movement with the broader conservation community.

ILCN also hosted an informal meet up for old and new friends attending the WCC, where we re-connected and forged new connections with practitioners and organizations advancing private and civic land conservation from Brazil to Namibia. This was a valuable opportunity to meet face-to-face, strengthen relationships, and reaffirm our shared commitment to whole-of-society approaches to land conservation.

Chandni Navalkha, Director of Land Conservation and Stewardship at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, spoke at a panel on privately protected areas (PPAs) hosted by The Nature Conservancy pavilion. The panel focused on the contribution of PPAs to global conservation targets and included country-level examples shared by James Fitzsimons of The Nature Conservancy Australia; Megan Lafferty of the Nature Conservancy of Canada; and Sonia Castañeda of Fundación Biodiversidad in Spain.

We came away from the gathering with a deepened appreciation for the remarkable work being carried out around the world, and with many new opportunities for learning, collaboration, and connection with the international land conservation community. We look forward to working with our colleagues at IUCN in the planning and lead up to the 2027 World Parks and Protected Areas Congress, which will be hosted by Panama in September 2027.