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24/11/2000 The
World Conservation Union was founded in 1948 at Fountainbleau in
France as the first worldwide partnership of governmental and non-governmental
organisations working to protect and conserve the natural world.
Concern
over the protection of the environment is not new. As early as the
Middle Ages, European and Polynesian societies were creating nature
reserves and restricting resource depletion. Later, in the nineteenth
century bird protection societies were created in Europe, North
American and Australasia and large tracts of land were set aside
as protected areas in the so-called New World. However it was not
until the twentieth century that demands for nature conservation
began to extend from the community and national spheres to the international
level. The first international agreement - for the Preservation
of Useful Birds - was signed in 1902. Seven years later Swiss naturalist,
Paul Sarasin proposed the setting up of a committee to establish
a worldwide commission for the protection of nature. It was from
this idea that the IUCN was born. Almost fifty years later, on 5
October 1948, the official Act constituting the International Union
for the Protection of Nature was signed by delegates representing
18 governments and more than one hundred national and international
organisations. The
objectives of the new Union were to foster global co-operation between
all governmental and non-governmental organisations and to promote
national and international action to preserve wildlife and the natural
environment. Practical concrete results were sought, which would
be based on scientific research and application. Voluntary networks
of experts from all over the world were established to provide a
common forum for knowledge and information exchange. Their expertise
would provide a potent resource to help decision makers address
key policy issues and publication of research would also help change
peoples' attitudes towards the natural world - a factor the Union
considered fundamental to positive change Although
the union has changed name twice - it was renamed the International
Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 1956,
shortened to IUCN-The World Conservation Union in 1991 - many of
the original objectives have stood the test of time. The
voluntary expert networks continue to bring together global authorities
in fields like species survival, protected areas, environmental
law, education and communication, economic and social policy and
ecosystem management. The experience of more than 10,000 scientists
and experts from 181 countries continues to inform and influence
both policy makers and the wider public. Within the framework of
global conventions IUCN has helped over 75 countries to prepare
and implement national conservation and bio-diversity strategies. From its 132 original members, the IUCN today has grown to include 78 states, 112 government agencies, 735 non-governmental organisations and 35 affiliates. With a budget of over US$50 million in 1998, the IUCN works with a staff of some 1000 people most of whom are located in its 42 regional and country offices while 100 work at its headquarters in Gland, Switzerland. Supported largely by donations from governments, aid agencies, and multilateral and intergovernmental institutions, the IUCN continues its mission to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature. More information about the work of the World Conservation Union can be found at the IUCN website at www.iucn.org
©EuropaWorld 2000 - Copyright Policy
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