15 Aug CTC Becomes Part of IUCN Members’ Assembly, Joins Global #NatureForAll Campaign

In August 2016, Coral Triangle Center became an official member of International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Members’ Assembly. Created in 1948, IUCN is now one f the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,300 member organisations and some 16,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

As part of the IUCN Members’ Assembly, CTC can vote on the adoption of IUCN official global environmental policies. The Members’ Assembly brings together IUCN Members to debate and establish environmental policy, to approve the IUCN Program and to elect the IUCN Council and President.   The Members’ Assembly takes place every four years during the World Conservation Congress and is where IUCN’s Member organizations collectively decide on actions to address the world’s most pressing and often controversial conservation and sustainable development challenges.

CTC also joined the IUCN-led global #NatureForAll campaign. The campaign is a response to growing world-wide understanding of the intimate relationship between positive experiences in nature – especially at an early age – to establishing a sense of connection with the natural world that leads us to support its conservation.

The campaign aims to amplify the messages of individual organizations and broaden the reach and impact of their programming to create a future in which billions of people worldwide are experiencing and connecting with nature and taking action for conservation. It is the foundation for the #NatureForAll movement, which will be launched at the World Conservation Congress in Hawaii in September 2016.

The #NatureForAll movement is a coalition of partners who represent a variety of sectors — health, urban, protected areas, communications, technology, education, arts, tourism, science, youth, and more. Under the campaign, many different sectors of society will bring new insights and techniques to the goals of raising awareness and facilitating experiences and connections with nature.

CTC pledges to support the #NatureForAll campain through its public engagement programs that bring participants up close and personal with the marine and coastal environment in the heart of the Coral Triangle, educate them about the importance of these critical ecosystems, and inspire them to do their own part in taking care of it. These programs includes day trip to Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area, Monitoring Expedition in Banda Islands and the art and science youth education programs at the planned Center for Marine Conservation.