One Health Motion HERE

Abu Dhabi, Oct. 10, 2025 --  The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) released the following comments on two of the 97 motions adopted during the first day of the IUCN World Conservation Congress taking place here from Oct. 9-15.

This One Health motion, developed and championed by WCS and partners, was adopted.

WCS Comment: “WCS’s health and field teams have seen firsthand how human well-being depends on the integrity of nature,” said Sarah Olson, WCS Health Program Director. "This motion recognizes that protecting natural systems is a frontline defense for global health security and climate resilience."

Background: The IUCN World Conservation Congress adopted a new motion on One Health which will fully integrate One Health into conservation policies and programs, recognizing the interdependence of wildlife, ecosystem, animal, and human health. The motion reflects a growing global consensus that the health of people and the planet are inextricably linked. It urges stronger collaboration between environmental and health sectors to prevent future pandemics, mitigate climate and biodiversity crises, and strengthen resilience for communities and ecosystems alike. The One Health motion builds on more than two decades of WCS leadership in advancing this integrated approach—beginning with the landmark 2004 Manhattan Principles and continuing through the 2020 Berlin Principles and WCS’s global field programs that bridge conservation, health, and development. One Health is vital to ensuring that ecosystem degradation, wildlife markets and trade, and land-use change—drivers of disease emergence—are addressed at their source.

This Environmental Crime motion, co-led by WCS and supported by a wide coalition of IUCN Members, was adopted.  

WCS comment: “Governments and civil society must recognize that nature crime is not a peripheral issue,” said Sue Lieberman, WCS Vice President for International Policy. “It strikes at the heart of conservation, governance, and human rights. This motion is an essential step toward building a global response equal to the scale of the threat.”

Background: The motion will guide IUCN Members to strengthen cross-border law enforcement; harmonize laws governing wildlife, timber, and fisheries trade; support community-based efforts to combat environmental crime; and integrate nature crime responses into global frameworks such as CITES and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The motion commits the global conservation community to coordinated action against wildlife trafficking; illegal logging and mining; illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; and other forms of environmental crime. Despite rising urgency, enforcement and policy responses remain fragmented and under-resourced. WCS has helped strengthen 37 laws in 13 countries, assisted hundreds of wildlife crime cases, and trained thousands of law enforcement and judicial officials through its Wildlife Crime Leadership Initiative, building partnerships that unite science, justice, and conservation. Environmental crime a crisis that touches us broadly. It undermines livelihoods, stability, and trust in institutions. Illegal trade in wildlife, timber, and fish fuels corruption and erodes the natural systems that sustain life.