Reverse the Red has announced the inaugural World Species Congress, which will be held on 15 May 2024 as a fully virtual 24-hour event urging 100,000 pledges and actions for the conservation of species.
IUCN Members passed Resolution 4.019, proposing a World Species Congress, in 2008 during the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona. This resolution addressed the need for an inclusive, multidisciplinary, science-based conference to assess the current situation of species and determine the direction of species conservation going forward.
The World Species Congress will serve as a platform for cooperation to advance conservation efforts as organisations cooperate to reach the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which was agreed on 19 December 2022.
A strategic plan
Michael Clifford, strategy director for Reverse the Red says of convening the Congress:
“It is time to showcase our achievements and strategically plan what needs to be done to drive real, measurable impact for species forward. Reverse the Red is excited to convene this event because we are committed to catalyzing strategy, efforts, and collaboration to reverse species declines and restore thriving populations.
“This is what the World Species Congress is all about. With a vast network of government, species impact, and storytelling partners, we can shift the trajectory for species survival.”
The World Species Congress will boost joint conservation efforts and enable 100,000 significant connections and commitments that will quicken the impact on species. These include organisational commitments made as part of the Reverse the Red Species Pledge, which will produce a coordinated map of crucial efforts aimed at species recovery, as well as individual pledges to next steps like training and network involvement.
Species Specialist Groups and IUCN SSC members, government agencies, environmental ministers, leaders of botanical gardens, aquariums, and zoos, community leaders, corporations that value biodiversity, wildlife, biology, and ecology students and scholars, and anyone else involved in species conservation will all be heard from and connected to during the Congress.
Live panel discussions, problem-solving workshops, field trips, behind-the-scenes tours, interviews, and other captivating storytelling will all be a part of the programme.
“The future is bright”
Prof Jon Paul Rodríguez, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission and co-chair of the Reverse the Red Executive Committee believes that: “the future is bright and filled with possibility because of focused, strategic, evidence-based efforts that we see around the world. Since the 2008 World Conservation Congress we have witnessed numerous stories of conservation success that create an opportunity to learn from, but also to amplify their impact and accelerate their utilization. The World Species Congress will help us realize this future.”
David Field, vice president of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and co-chair of the Reverse the Red Executive Committee, adds:
“Reversing declines for threatened species and recovering biodiversity is possible. At the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), we have pledged to reverse the decline of at least 50 species by 2030. Reverse the Red’s species impact partners, including our aquarium, botanic garden, and zoo networks, are critical pieces of the efforts to save species.
The World Species Congress is an opportunity to accelerate and amplify successful strategies as we collaborate and, together, increase the collective impact for species.”
A packed programme
Thanks to generous sponsors, the World Species Congress will be fully funded, enabling participation from everyone who cares about species conservation. It will be given in the native tongues of the speakers with simultaneous translations or subtitles, and it will span a full day to showcase knowledge and experience from all time zones.
Live satellite events will enable deeper dialogues, more meaningful relationships, and a wider audience.
As part of the Reverse the Red Species Pledge, organisations will make specific promises to rescue species, build capacity, or improve conservation activities. Critical next steps for nations preparing targets and actions around their biodiversity protection will be covered in a series of state-level satellite events, and Reverse the Red will announce the creation of an NBSAP Medal, which will be given out at the World Conservation Congress in 2025 to honour and recognise plans from every region.
Inspiring success stories, opportunities to guide people’s and organisations’ next steps to increase the effect of conservation, networking opportunities, and enough access to tools and resources are all included in the programme.
Up-to-date information can be found here and registration will open on 7 February 2024, or Reverse the Red Day.
Headline partners of this event are Disney Conservation Fund and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios with Wilhelma Zoologisch-Botanischer Garten as a Gold Sponsor. Silver Sponsors are WAZA Contributing Members, Kölner Zoo, and Zoo Leipzig. Logo Design and Contributions by Peppermint Narwhal.
The event is organised with thanks to Reverse the Red Executive Committee Member Organisations: Co-Chairs: IUCN Species Survival Commission and World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and Executive Committee Members: HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, Zoos Victoria, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, and Re:wild.
