The Regional Ministry of Ecological Transition, Climate Change and Territorial Planning of the Canary Islands has agreed to renew the membership of the Archipelago in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which counts over 18,000 experts and 1,400 organisations from all over the planet and whose objective is to ensure conserve nature and accelerate the transition to sustainable development.

This commitment was addressed during a meeting held on 11 November between the corresponding regional executive counsellor, José Antonio Valbuena, and the Director of the IUCN Center for Mediterranean Cooperation, Antonio Troya.

Mr Valbuena recalled that the Canary Islands were part of this organisation from 1988 to 2013 and underlined that the renewal of the membership is now more necessary than ever in a scenario in which biodiversity and natural spaces are increasingly threatened by the effects of climate change. "This Membership will allow us to share experiences, information and projects with other experts from around the world who have spent years working to defend nature in different types of habitats," noted the counsellor.



Mr Antonio Troya reminded that the Government of the Canary Islands has been a pioneer member of IUCN, as one of the first regional governments to have joined the organisation. In its 25 years of membership, the Canary Islands played a significant role in the development of IUCN’s activities in Spain. “We are confident that the renewal of IUCN’s membership by the Government of the Canary Islands will have a very positive impact on the implementation of the IUCN North African and Mediterranean Programmes. In this sense, the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation and its team remain at the entire disposal of the Government of the Canary Islands to strengthen collaboration and cooperation between both entities ”.

During this meeting, the Government of the Canary Islands and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) agreed to hold regular meetings to coordinate joint actions and establish specific future strategies for the Islands.

IUCN full member organisations such as the Government of the Canary Islands contribute to establish the yearly working lines of the organism. Global conservation efforts are addressed every four years on a broader scale at the IUCN World Conservation Congress.

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