Did you know that the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and IUCN signed a formal agreement in 1962 in which IUCN agreed to provide technical expertise to the Council on biodiversity issues? The agreement has been in place for 50 years, and we have done a lot together. Eladio Fernández-Galiano, head of biodiversity in the Council of Europe, and I were interviewed during the World Conservation Congress to explain what the result of this partnership means. You can see the interview here
Most of IUCN’s involvement has been through the World Commission on Protected Areas and especially through the Species Survival Commission. In this way, we have helped to shape the protected area network of emerald sites, we have jointly developed management plans for a number of large carnivores, we have helped to draft charters for fishing and hunting, and we have generally assisted to shape the Council’s programme of work on biodiversity. Most recently, we are working on Invasive alien species management guidelines and on a charter for wild mushroom gathering.
It is the kind of work that may not show results on the ground, but is important for the governance of natural resources in Europe.
hansfriederich 