To halt the loss of biodiversity on land and in the ocean by 2030 and achieve ecosystem recovery and restoration by 2050, the Congress called for a decisive and collaborative action at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP-15 and beyond. The Congress urged governments, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, Indigenous Peoples’ Organisations and Community-Based Organisations to integrate biodiversity in all policies, programmes, and strategies and in particular, those for tackling the climate crisis. It also called for action to improve our understanding of the links between human, animal and environmental health.

Moreover, the Congress invited governments to set ambitious protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measure targets by calling for at least 30% of the planet to be protected by 2030. These targets must be based upon the latest science, and must reinforce rights – including Free Prior Informed Consent – as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

On 10 September, members of the IUCN also approved a motion for a call to action to protect 80% of the Amazon by 2025 (in partnership with and recognising the leadership of indigenous peoples in Amazonia) proposed by the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA) and various civil organizations, as well as a motion to protect deep-ocean ecosystems and biodiversity through a moratorium on seabed mining.

Read the full Manifesto.