A Wave of New Commitments for Effective Conservation Strengthens the IUCN Green List Community through the Power of Partnership

More than 200 protected and conserved areas worldwide have now achieved Green List recognition through 100 Listings while over 500 others are advancing along the certification pathways. 

This year, a new wave of commitments reaffirmed the shared ambition to make conservation both more effective and more inclusive. At the IUCN Green List Pavilion in the IUCN World Conservation Congress held in October this year, government leaders and conservation organisations from Uzbekistan, Armenia, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Honduras, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia and Southeast Asia and Pacific countries across the Coral Triangle region announced their plans to strengthen conservation quality through the IUCN Green List. 

Among those presenting their commitments were representatives from the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Environment of Armenia, the Coral Triangle Initiative Regional Secretariat, the Coral Triangle Center (Indonesia), the Sango Wildlife Conservancy (Zimbabwe), ANAPAC (Democratic Republic of the Congo), the National Agency for Water and Forests of Morocco, the Tropical Science Center (Costa Rica), Parques Nacionales (Colombia), the Villavicencio Nature Reserve (Argentina), and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Brazil.  

Their collective message was one of optimism and accountability that quality, equity, and partnership are at the heart of lasting conservation success. Each commitment strengthens the global effort toward the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30x30 goal, proving that excellence and inclusion can advance together. 

During the same week, the IUCN Green List partners came together for “The Power of Partnership” session at the Congress’ Central Stage, celebrating the key partners and donors whose collaboration has made this global progress possible. Among those recognised were the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the European Union, GIZ, the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB), the Agence française pour le développement (AFD), Huawei TECH4ALL, and the Korea National Park Service. 

“The IUCN Green List allows the community of effective conservation practice to grow”, said Aileen Lee, the Chief of Programs at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, a long-term partner of the IUCN Green List. Through the International Climate Initiative (IKI) funded project, Jan Steffen (SOMACORE Team Leader) indicated the importance of effective conservation in marine and coastal ecosystems in the Coral Triangle, where the IUCN Green List helps address these challenges.  

Their partnership and continued trust in the programme have been instrumental in expanding the Green List’s reach and ensuring that protected and conserved areas worldwide deliver real benefits for biodiversity, climate, and people.  

Together, the new commitments and enduring partnerships celebrated at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 in Abu Dhabi reflect a clear message: quality conservation is thriving when collaboration leads the way.