Eighth IUCN World Conservation Congress, Abu Dhabi, October 2025

The IUCN SSC Marine Conservation Committee and IUCN SSC marine Specialist Group, Task Force and Red List Authority members were involved in many events at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi in October 2025.  

Highlights included: 

• The IUCN SSC Marine Conservation Committee hosted and led on the sessions Collateral damage from non-selective fisheries… and possible solutions and The Diverse Illegal Trade in Funga, Flora and Fauna

• The launch of the Global Assessment of Dugong Status and Conservation Needs, led by Professor Helene Marsh, co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Sirenia Specialist Group

• Screenings of the PBS documentary film "Treasure of the Caribbean", made by IUCN SSC Snapper, Seabream and Grunt Specialist Group member Ana Salceda.

• Accelerating Global Action to Halt the Extinction of Sharks and Rays

• Advancing Marine Conservation Through Research, Literacy, and Policy

• Aquascapes, Landscapes, and the Global Pact: A Connected Approach to Ecosystem Conservation

• Biodiversity first: why coral taxonomy matters for coral reef conservation

• Can the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species help protect deep sea biodiversity?

• Collateral damage from non-selective fisheries… and possible solutions

• Double Red Alert: Corals at Risk

• Enhancing capacities to engage in marine BBNJ-related processes

• Film and Strategic Communication’s Role in Species Recovery Collaborations

• Fly Bird Fly: Thriving as a Young Conservationist

• From Exploration to Stewardship: Can Seamount Exploration Balance the Blue Economy and Deep‑Sea Protection?

• Global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species update

• High-level Panel on Africa's pathway to ocean sector transformation

• Identifying priority marine areas for effective implementation of global biodiversity goals

• Innovation meets Conservation: building and inclusive Ecosystem to Drive Scalable Conservation Impact

• IUCN Red Lists – Celebrating Partnerships for Species and Ecosystems

• Launch of the Global Assessment of Dugong Status and Conservation Needs Report 2025

• Leveraging IUCN Red List Frameworks for Coral Reef Conservation

• Making Way for Sharks and Rays: Where Do We Go From Here?

• New technologies to accelerate the transformative impact of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

• Protecting the Wonders of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean

• Special Screening of the Award-Winning Film "Treasure of the Caribbean"

• Sustainable and Inclusive Blue Tourism: Experience-Sharing from the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Western Indian Ocean

• The hidden cost of plastic pollution and biodiversity loss: Economic & policy implications

• Towards a New Horizon for whale Shark Conservation in India

The Congress led to the The Abu Dhabi Call to Action, and during the Congress the latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ was released.

Detailed daily highlights and videos from the Congress can be found here, and a post from the IUCN Director General, with a highlights video of the Congress, is here.  Additional marine-related news from the Congress included: 

• Arctic seals threatened by climate change, birds decline globally – IUCN Red List

• People of the Oceans Breakthrough: Landmark Step for Indigenous Leadership at IUCN World Conservation Congress

• China Releases Marine Ecological Classification and Zoning Compendium

• Pacific Island Leaders Unite on Nature-Based Action at IUCN World Conservation Congress

• New Ocean Award launched at IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025