The Species Survival Commission is a science-based network of thousands of volunteer experts from almost every country in the world, all working together toward achieving the vision of "a just world that values and conserves nature through positive action to both prevent the loss and aid recovery of the diversity of life on earth."
With over 11,000 volunteer experts, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) work independently and with the different IUCN Units to build knowledge on the status of species and threats to them and to provide advice, develop policies and guidelines and facilitate conservation planning. Through this work, SSC catalyses conservation action and enables IUCN to influence policy and assist societies in biodiversity conservation.
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groups in 186 countries comprise the SSC Network, distributed in Red List Authorities, Task Forces, Action Partnerships, Conservation Committees and Specialist Groups.
172,600+
species have been assessed. Red List Partnership and SSC Network delivered key indicators through the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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Centers for Species Survival. The SSC Chair’s Office is partnered with leading species conservation organisations to leverage the Network capacity.
SSC members provide scientific advice to conservation organisations, government agencies and other IUCN members, and support the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements.
The IUCN Species Strategic Plan encompasses the joint work of the Species Survival Commission as well as a number of partnerships. This 2021-2025 IUCN Species Strategic Plan collect high-level goals of the Species Conservation Cycle, and Key Species Results (KSR) determined by the SSC network.
High-level interventions address conservation issues of serious and urgent concern, through letters to governments or private companies which highlight the threat(s) to species and /or their habitats, using SSC expert advice, proposing suitable action to influence decision-making and therefore helping to avoid or reduce any adverse impacts on biodiversity.
The creation of the SSC DATA Information System in 2021 was fundamental in simplifying the monitoring and evaluation process of the SSC Network results. By moving beyond manual Excel spreadsheets, the system now provides a multi-module platform that streamlines report production and links directly to broader SSC Network initiatives.
Committing to REVERSE the current negative trends in THE RED list status of species, Reverse the Red aims to ignite optimism and collaborative action to guarantee the survival of all species we share this planet with, and the ecosystems they live in.
On the 7th day of the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, IUCN Members elect Vivek Menon as the new Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) for the 2025-2029 quadrennium.
