The IUCN Council has just validated the decision taken by its Bureau, on 13 May and 29 June 2015, to approve the admission of 15 and 16 new Members, respectively. Six of them belong to the Mediterranean region and are: the Operation Big Blue Association, the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, the National Federation of Hunters the Association for the Development of Rural Capacities, the Italian Zoological Union and the Action for Wildlife.

The Operation Big Blue Association (Lebanon) is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1997, which aims to protect, analyze and monitor the coastal and marine environment against overexploitation and degradation. Since its creation, the organisation has developed many programs to address environmental issues related to coastal shoreline. These projects include, cleaning the shores, sea turtle monitoring, environmental awareness campaigns and public beach management.
For further information: http://operationbigblue.org/

The Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (Portugal) is a public institute responsible for nature and forest policies, including the management of Protected Areas and state forested areas of Portugal, which was founded in 2007. Its main mission is to propose, monitor and ensure the implementation of policies in the field of sustainable use of nature's resources, especially in the forest sector. The organism also promotes the conservation of the Portuguese natural heritage.
For further information: http://www.icnf.pt/portal/icnf

The National Federation of Hunters (France) is an organism which allows Hunters in France to participate actively in nature conservation and management, through a structured and dense network of associations involved in the environmental conservation field.
For further information: http://www.chasseurdefrance.com/

The Association for the Development of Rural Capacities (Lebanon) was officially founded in April 6, 1998, with a mission to empower the marginalized and help them make a better living through economic and social development projects.
The association designs and implements its projects according to the wishes and needs of the local population and accomplishes its main mission by:
- Giving to locals access to training, tools, information and financial services;
- Bettering the access to labour market and helping them set income generating projects;
- Encouraging partnerships and decentralized cooperation.
For further information: http://www.adr.org.lb/

The Italian Zoological Union (Italy) was founded on April 22, 1900 and is one of the oldest Italian scientific societies. Its main objectives are to promote studies in the various zoological disciplines and in particular those relating to Italian wildlife, to facilitate exchanges among zoologists and to defend zoology in research and teaching.
The UZI has about 700 members, including scientists, teachers, students and enthusiasts. In 1930 it began publishing its official journal, the Bulletin of Zoology, which in 1996 changed its name to the Italian Journal of Zoology.
UZI is part of the Italian Federation of Biological Society and its representatives are present in various ministerial committees, regional and provincial administrations for everything related to problems of applied biology.
For further information: http://www.uzionlus.it/Default.aspx

The Action for Wildlife (Spain) is an independent non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. Its main objective is to improve and develop the conservation of wild species and their habitats in a stable and practical way.
The organisation has a wildlife recovery centre, run by a team of professionals, which focuses on giving medical attention to injured wild animals, provides facilities for captive breeding programmes for threatened species, and releases fully-recovered animals into the wild. The centre has become a platform for the realisation of diverse projects that relate directly and profoundly to society.
The work of the centre focuses on three main areas:
- Conservation and protection of species at risk.
- Education through a well-established environmental education programme.
- Research wild species' captive breeding and provide veterinary care.
This NGO is not just a wildlife hospital concerned with the traditional parameters of wildlife recovery. It is also a vital hallmark for society in the development and realisation of the entire process of wildlife rehabilitation and environmental education.
For further information: http://www.amus.org.es/en/start

The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation warmly welcomes these new Members to the Mediterranean region.

For further information: Arantxa Cendoya 

Photo: ©IUCN, Cedar Cones- Lebanon.