ABU DHABI: The world’s foremost conservation organization is convening its influential world congress, kicking off this Thursday in the vibrant Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi. A pivotal moment of the event will be the unveiling of its updated ‘Red List’ of threatened species, a critical resource that guides global environmental protection efforts.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) plans to release its comprehensive list on Friday, categorizing at-risk plant and animal species across a spectrum from ‘least concern’ to ‘extinct’. This congress, held every four years, serves as a crucial platform to highlight the severe condition of the planet’s biodiversity.
Alarmingly, an increasing number of species are facing threats from habitat destruction, climate change, and various forms of pollution affecting water, air, and soil. Experts from the United Nations’ scientific panel on biodiversity (IPBES) have indicated that biodiversity has suffered a continuous decline each decade over the last 30 to 50 years.
The previous IUCN congress took place in Marseille, France, in 2021. In its last annual ‘Red List’ update, the IUCN reported that out of 169,420 species meticulously assessed, a staggering 47,187 — more than a quarter — were classified as threatened. Corals and amphibians were among the most severely affected groups, with over 40 percent of species within each facing extinction.
Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary General of the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi and an IUCN councillor from the West Asia region, emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “The Congress program reflects the urgency and ambition of our time.” Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General from Costa Rica, added that the upcoming announcements underscore “the scale of ambition and the real possibility of delivering the solutions we need to build a planet where people and nature thrive together.”
While the resolutions adopted by the IUCN congress are not legally binding, they play a vital role in shaping the international environmental agenda and can significantly accelerate progress on treaties currently under discussion.
A key debate at the congress will center around two opposing motions concerning synthetic biology. This controversial technique, widely applied in the pharmaceutical industry and agribusiness, involves redesigning organisms to endow them with new capabilities.
One motion advocates for a moratorium on this technology, arguing that “genetic engineering of wild species in natural ecosystems, including in protected areas, is not compatible with the practices, values and principles of nature conservation.” Conversely, a competing motion suggests that synthetic biology could serve as a valuable complement to existing conservation strategies, asserting that IUCN policy “should not be interpreted as supporting or opposing synthetic biology, per se.”
The congress is expected to host a diverse gathering of 10,000 delegates and 5,000 civil society attendees, reinforcing its reputation as the “world’s largest and most inclusive nature conservation forum.” Its voting members represent a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including government agencies, national and international NGOs, and Indigenous groups.