Summary
On October 14, 2025, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress passed “Motion 070: Integrating science, rights-based approaches, and ecological recovery,” to respond to the urgent need for more effective restoration and human-nature coexistence frameworks amid global species and habitat declines. The motion urges IUCN and its Members to combine rigorous scientific evidence, rights-based conservation principles, Indigenous and local knowledge, and strategic restoration plans to strengthen legal protections for our environment(s), create ambitious recovery programs for degraded ecosystems, embed coexistence with wildlife into policy instruments, and counter outdated forms of management.
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. 2026. Distributed by the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. https://ecojurisprudence.org/initiatives/iucn-2025-motion-070-integrating-science-rights-based-approaches-and-ecological-recovery/.
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