Summary
On October 14, 2025, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress passed “Motion 048: Crimes that Affect the Environment,” which urges IUCN Members and partners to address the escalating threats posed by environmental crimes. These crimes include illegal wildlife trade, deforestation, illegal mining, and unsustainable fishing. The motion calls for a comprehensive IUCN strategy to confront environmental crime as a systemic driver of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, to enhance law enforcement capacity, promote legal frameworks that deter harm to nature, and support global partnerships to safeguard ecosystems for present and future generations.
Motion 048/052 was adopted by the IUCN World Conservation Congress alongside four other motions regarding the rights of nature and another motion advocating for ecocide to be criminalized.
Impact Statement
In a historic milestone for Earth law and global conservation, five Rights of Nature motions, and one motion recognizing the crime of ecocide, officially passed at the 2025 IUCN World Conservation Congress. This development demonstrates that the global conservation community is normatively embracing a paradigm shift from managing Nature as a resource to recognizing ecosystems as rights-bearing entities.
Related Initiatives
Suggested Citation:
Kauffman, Craig, Catherine Haas, Alex Putzer, Shrishtee Bajpai, Kelsey Leonard, Elizabeth Macpherson, Pamela Martin, Alessandro Pelizzon & Linda Sheehan. Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. V2. 2025. Distributed by the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor.https://ecojurisprudence.org/initiatives/iucn-2025-motion-048-052-crimes-that-affect-the-environment/.
When using our data, please follow the FAIR and CARE Principles for data governance outlined in our Ethics Statement. We are doing our best to be correct in the information we provide, but if you notice any omission or inaccuracy, please report this to us immediately at info@ecojurisprudence.org so we can correct it.
Eco Jurisprudence Tracker is licensed under CC BY 4.0
