11th October Look-ahead: IUCN PCA at IUCN Congress 2025

Better Grant-making: exploring best practices and knowledge sharing for grant-making facilities: Conserving our world's biodiversity and unique natural environments means empowering local actors to pioneer locally-relevant solutions. But how do we ensure resources reach the right grantees, in an efficient manner, and maximise impact? Come to share, listen, and learn during this facilitated session on grant-making best practices. 08:30 – 10:30, Conference Hall B: Session Room 9

How can we address historic and ongoing injustices in conservation? Come and join indigenous representatives, conservation professionals and others in a critical conversation about constructive ways forward on this controversial issue. 10:00 - 11:00, Reimagining Conservation

Communications for Conservation Action: advancing effective communications for conservation impact: Come and unlock the potential of effective communications in transforming the success of your conservation initiative. Discover the latest guidance from the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication and learn from conservation practitioners to gauge what works, who needs to hear it, and how it can transform your conservation impact. 10:30 – 12:00, IUCN Programme 2026-2029 Pavilion, Stage 1

What the Tech?! Harnessing Appropriate Technology and Digital Innovation for Conservation Action: Explore how appropriate technology can take conservation a step beyond. Through flagship case studies, lessons from the Innovation Challenges and Strategic Framework, and interactive exchanges, this session will show how conservation challenges + technology = new pathways, partnerships, and possibilities. 10:30 – 12:00, IUCN Programme 2026-2029 Pavilion, Stage 2

Enhancing Climate Change Mitigation in Protected Areas: Focus on case studies:The focus will be on 27 case studies profiled in a new WCPA technical report, Enhancing Climate Change Mitigation in Protected Areas. Panellists will speak to the successes and challenges documented in the case studies. An open discussion will allow participants to ask questions and share their own experiences. 11:00 – 12:00, Ministry of Environment, KR

Human Rights-Based Approaches and Reconciliation in Conservation: The session will explore the need for and approaches to advancing reconciliation and justice as part of human rights-based approaches to conservation, through a panel discussion followed by interactive small groups. 11.00 – 12.30: Hall 4C: Session Room 3

How the Coral Triangle Set the Standard for Effective and Equitable Conservation?: The Coral Triangle (Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste) is a global biodiversity hotspot and key to achieving 30x30. This session highlights how the countries are strengthening the effectiveness of marine conservation through their Regional Plan of Action, supported by the IUCN Green List. 11:00 – 12:00, IUCN Green List

Free-flowing Rivers: Increasingly we see human-made obstacles preventing natural flow and processes on rivers, especially with raising pressures on freshwater resources in developing countries. In this session we will talk about various efforts in Europe to preserve these high priority dynamic and complex ecosystems. 11:00 – 12:00, IDEA Campaign and IUCN ENCA

Defining IUCN Green List ambition - transforming area-based conservation: The IUCN Green List is a global standard for effective and equitable protected and conserved areas. It is a robust framework for sites to benchmark their performance against globally recognized criteria. How can we use this standard and certification system to most effectively promote quality in area-based conservation? 12:00 – 13:00, IUCN Green List

And the winners are... Tech4Nature Award 2025: Celebrate conservation innovation at its finest as we reveal the 2025 Tech4Nature Award winners. Come see who has been recognised as the best, and meet the leaders driving technology for nature. 12:00 – 13:30, IUCN Programme 2026-2029 Pavilion, Stage 2

A Ecosystemic Approach to Protected Areas and OECMs: Insights from the Amazon and Congo Basin: This session offers a unique opportunity to learn how the Amazon and Congo Basin are advancing OECM frameworks and strengthening protected areas. Attendees will gain comparative insights on conservation strategies and governance models of effective area-based measures in two of the world’s most vital ecosystems. 13:00 – 14:00, IUCN Green List

Mainstreaming Biodiversity into the One Health Approach in Asia: Practical examples of biodiversity-based One Health approaches in Asia, with governance, legal, policy, corporate, and youth models. Highlights cross-sector partnerships linking biodiversity, health, climate, and SDGs for integrated conservation outcomes. 14:00 - 14:45, IUCN Asia Pavilion

Rangers beyond borders: building capacity together: Rangers beyond borders: building capacity together: Presentation on a wide range of successful practices in management of national parks and capacity building. The panellist of IRF(International Ranger Federation) will share the views of IRF on capacity building, knowledge exchange, collaboration & practical solutions. 14:00 – 15:00, Ministry of Environment, KR

Global Standard for Conservation: Unlocking Financial Sustainability: Discover how finance tools, from bonds to biodiversity credits, are unlocking private capital for conservation. Learn how the IUCN Green List provides credibility and equity, ensuring investments deliver real benefits for people and nature. 14:00 – 15:30, IUCN Green List

Announcing the International Ranger Award Winners - The World's Frontline Defenders of Nature: The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) will reveal the 13 rangers and ranger teams who are the winners of the 2025 International Ranger Awards, recognising their incredible dedication to nature conservation. 14:00 – 14:30, Press Conference Room

FPIC of IPLCs for the Establishment of Protected Areas & OECM: Attend this session to learn how recognising Indigenous and Traditional Territories with Free, Prior, and Informed Consent is essential to achieving the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s Target 3 and ensuring just, effective, and rights-based biodiversity conservation. 15:00 - 15:45, Indigenous Peoples’ Pavilion

Debate: The Tech Takeover? Debating the Future of Conservation: Join a fast-paced Oxford-style debate where innovation meets tradition. Two experts will go head-to-head on whether emerging technologies will shape conservation’s future more than traditional approaches. Expect sharp arguments, audience polls, and a lively exchange that challenges assumptions about how best to protect nature. 15:00 – 15:40, Central Stage - Disruptive Innovation and Technology

Success Stories from Global South: Implemented across 79 countries, 160 grantees and at 60 million euros, BIOPAMA has advanced our planet's progress towards the (GBF and SDGs. This Press Conference will showcase the launch of the BIOPAMA Impact Report - a collation of one of the largest and most impactful conservation initiatives in IUCN's history. 15:30 – 16:00, Press Conference Room

Exploring progress in innovative technology and knowledge management for biodiversity conservation in the Caribbean: Participants will interact with regional observatory tools through live demonstrations, followed by a moderated dialogue exploring real-world applications of data in conservation decision-making. 16:00 – 17:00, IUCN - The Americas - Room 2

Green List Partnership Impact for the Effective Protected and Conserved Areas in Africa: This event brings together speakers to showcase trilateral cooperation for equitable and effective area-based conservation in Africa. Learn how Zambia and Namibia are applying the IUCN Green List Standard to strengthen governance, rights, equity, management, monitoring and biodiversity outcomes under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. 16:00 – 17:00, IUCN Green List

Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS): Towards global standards for big cats and other flagship species: Learn more about Conservation Assured & specially CA|TS- in its new form of governance, being now hosted by IBCA, processes and standards and how the CA|TS model can be replicated globally for effective assessment and management of other flagship species such as big cats and River dolphins in their habitats. 17:00 – 18:00, IUCN Green List

Success stories from the Global South on Protected and Conserved Areas: Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific together host some of the world's most diverse, intact and best-managed protected and conserved areas on the planet. From rainforests to coral reefs, come and discover the stories behind a selection of these places, and the journeys they've taken to support people and nature. 17:00 – 17:40, Central Stage – Transition to Nature-Positive

Enhancing conservation effectiveness through local ownership: Discover how local ownership, supported by effective granting mechanisms, translates into tangible conservation impact. Hear inspiring stories from the ground, explore practical models that scale globally, and connect with initiatives equipping local actors with the resources, skills, and agency to lead resilient, equitable, and effective conservation. 18:00 – 19:00, IUCN Green List

IUCN WCPA International Ranger Award: Join the prestigious 2025 International Ranger Award ceremony recognizing exceptional rangers from across the globe for their incredible dedication to nature conservation. IUCN WCPA honours the courage, resilience, and perseverance of individuals and teams who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to protecting and conserving our planet's most precious ecosystems. 18:00 – 21:00, Hall 4A: Session Room 1

Supporting rights and equity in practice: Come to this session to learn from case study presentations and join a discussion about practical tools and approaches for implementing rights-based conservation on the ground. 18:00 – 19:00, Reimagining Pavilion

Monitoring the future of natural World Heritage: New insights from IUCN World Heritage Outlook 4: Discover the latest insights on the conservation of natural World Heritage sites, examining threats and management effectiveness over the past decade. IUCN World Heritage Outlook 4 presents how well these iconic sites are preserving their natural values and is a powerful gauge of global nature conservation efforts. 18:00 – 19:00, IUCN Programme 2026-2029 Pavilion, Stage 3

Lessons from the Pacific on Protected Areas Management: Join the session to gain first-hand insights into how Pacific communities and partners are advancing conservation under unique cultural, social, and ecological contexts. 19:00 – 20:00, IUCN Green List