Eco Jurisprudence Monitor

IUCN 2025 Motion 061: Recognizing the Crime of Ecocide

Abu Dhabi
Approved in 2025
International
Declaration
Eco-Governance System
Nature
All Nature
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), The Wildlife Trusts, Born Free Foundation, Gallifrey Foundation, Earth League International, Earth Law Center, Synchronicity Earth, A Rocha Ghana, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association, The Conflict and Environment Observatory, Africa Institute for Energy Governance, Environment and Conservation Organisations of Aotearoa New Zealand, Friendship Bangladesh, Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental (CEMDA), Fundación Oxígeno, la Fundación Española para la Defensa del Patrimonio Geológico y Minero, SEBICOP (Sociedad Española de Biología de Conservación de las Plantas), Vitalis, Fundación Charles Darwin and Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano Ecuador, Pronaturaleza Peru, LIDEMA Bolivia, Fundación Hábitat y Desarrollo Argentina, Preserve Planet Costa Rica, ARPEMG Brazil, COICA (Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica), AIDESEP Peru
Indigenous, International, NGO

Summary

On October 14, 2025, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress passed “Motion 061: Recognizing the crime of ecocide” which establishes that severe, widespread or long-term environmental harm should be prosecutable as a crime under national and international law, embedding accountability for destructive actions that devastate ecosystems. The motion specifically tasks IUCN’s World Commission on Environmental Law with exploring pathways for integrating ecocide into criminal legal systems and producing practical guidance for states and legal institutions, effectively linking Rights of Nature principles with enforceable legal mechanisms that deter catastrophic ecological damage and support restoration and protection of natural communities.

Motion 061 was adopted by the IUCN World Conservation Congress alongside four other motions regarding the rights of nature.

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

IUCN Resolution 056: Advancing an Ethical Human-Ocean Relationship
Visit Initiative
IUCN 2025 Motion 067: Living in Harmony with Rivers Through Rights of Nature & Ecocentric Law
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IUCN 2025 Motion 070: Integrating Science, Rights-Based Approaches, and Ecological Recovery
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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-061-recognizing-the-crime-of-ecocide/.

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