This year’s IUCN World Conservation Congress, held on 9-15 October in Abu Dhabi, was built around five major themes:
- Scaling Up Resilient Conservation Action
- Reducing Climate Overshoot Risks
- Delivering on Equity
- Transitioning to Nature-Positive Economies and Societies
- Disruptive Innovation & Leadership for Conservation
The congress included three components:
-The Forum: Through thematic sessions, the Forum addresses the economic, social, scientific and technical aspects of a broad range of nature conservation issues, ranging from wildlife to oceans, protected areas to sustainable business, and climate change to human rights.
-The Exhibition: In the Exhibition, IUCN Members and Commissions, businesses, partners, and academia host pavilions, booths and events.
-The Member’s Assembly: IUCN’s highest decision-making body. During the Assembly, IUCN’s Member organisations vote on pressing conservation and sustainable development issues.
DesirMED was there through its Lead partner, CMCC, contributing to two sessions and sharing selected NbS approaches followed by our Regions.
Saturday 11th October
-Session "NbS for Forest Fire prevention: Working with Nature in Vulnerable Mediterranean Hotspots"
The session was focused on the Balkan region and how it is impacted by climate change and forest fires. Montenegro is leading an innovative NbS action against forest fire not only using taylor made technics such as spreading of compost, cleaning with donkeys, involvement of schools in educative actions, but also targeting its actions with the support of new technologies. Upon a "setting the scene" presentation, Milan Gazdic, Director of Environmental Protection Agency of Montenegro (EPA), invited other key speakers from Mediterrean region to envisage the scaling up of NbS actions in key biodiversity areas. In this context, DesirMED partners presented the NbS planned and implemented in Valencia Region.
-Session "Nature Meets Cities: IUCN Sectorial Interpretation for Urban Nature-based Solutions"
The session marked the launch of the IUCN Sectoral Interpretation for Urban Nature-based Solutions (NbS), developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Designed to support urban policymakers, planners, and stakeholders, this new resource offers a practical framework for integrating NbS into urban development to address climate risks, biodiversity loss, and social inequalities. Participants gained insights into strategies for scaling and implementing NbS, with three case studies presented from Thailand, the Mediterranean region, and Africa. These real-world examples demonstrated how NbS can effectively tackle societal challenges in urban contexts, from enhancing resilience to promoting equity and improving quality of life. As part of the case studies, DesirMED partners showcased the pilot NbS implemented in Split-Dalmatia County.
The event was a unique opportunity for DesirMED to highlight innovative, evidence-based approaches to restoring and managing Mediterranean ecosystems, contributing valuable insights to global conservation dialogues and collaborative solutions.
