World Conservation Congress in Marseille: cornerstone of international action for biodiversity

All audiences

The World Conservation Congress by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is one of the biggest events in favour of biodiversity. It was held from September 3rd to 11th in Marseille. This Congress gathers major international organisations, politicians, experts of nature protection and scientists, but also companies, associations and citizens taking action in this field. The Congress was an opportunity for all participants to make biodiversity an international priority and include it in a global strategy.

By hosting for the first time the World Conservation Congress in Marseille, France “acts and shows its actions at international level in favour of biodiversity”, as the French minister for ecology said in her presentation of the event. This event occurs every four years and is one of the most significant international operations in terms of protecting biodiversity. The event is also a preparatory step to the 15th Convention on Biological Diversity held on October 11th in Kunming, China. After the One Planet Summit on biodiversity held in Paris in January 2021, the stakes are to put biodiversity at the same spot as climate has been in the Conference on Climate in Paris in 2015, according to the information website of the French government, i.e. a “founding moment of international action for biodiversity”.

Sustainable development solutions

A full information and awareness-rising scheme about biodiversity associating animations, talks and intervention, in a hybrid format, both onsite and remotely, occurred in the Chanot Park in Marseille where the gathering had been held for about 10 days.

Nature Generation Areas, which were a true “Village of diversity”, were accessible to the public to discover projects from French stakeholders committed in the conservation for biodiversity. In the same spirit, the Pavillon France hosted more than 80 events valuing the strategic priorities of France in terms of ecology. In addition to these events, a Forum used as a space for “high level public debates” were implemented to gather political stakeholders from all over the world in order to development solutions for sustainable development and nature protection. And finally, to provide a framework to the event, an Assembly of Members gathered more than 1,300 representatives from 160 States, governmental agencies, economic development agencies, scientific and university institutions, companies, civil societies and indigenous populations to “make common decision”.

France as a spearhead of diversity

According to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by organising this Congress, France confirmed its “involvement in favour of the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems, and more broadly its role as leader at international level regarding the environmental and climate challenges”. At the centre of the major challenges of international commitment, several priority actions have emerged, such as:

fresh water conservation to preserve life;
landscape and territory management for nature and humans;
respect for human rights and fair access to natural resources;
ocean health recovery;
progress of knowledge, learning, innovation and technology.

According to the Ministry, this reunion of governments, communities, scientists, representatives of the private sector and civil society led to “a exceptional opportunity to maintain at the highest level international action in favour of biodiversity”.

This is the kind of action that the French president, who spoke during the opening of the Congress, wished to shed a light on when he declared he was “determined to identify initiatives to continue or implement, so that the post-COVID recovery be green, the global action before the COP 15 be up to the challenge of biodiversity protection, and the links between nature, climate, and human health be fully recognised”.