What is the World Conservation Union (IUCN) that advises the World Heritage Committee on natural sites?
The World Conservation Union, or IUCN as it is known, is one of the world’s largest and most important conservation networks. It is a worldwide union made up of states (countries) and non-governmental organizations that support its objectives and adhere to its statutes. Individuals may become members of IUCN commissions, which include Ecosystem Management (CEM); Environmental Law (CEL); Protected Areas (WCPA); Species Survival (SSC); Education and Communication (CEC); and Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy (CEESP). Currently IUCN includes 82 States, 111 government agencies, more than 800 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and (on its commissions) some 10,000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership. The Union’s formal mission is “to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.” Its h
