Shifting the decision-making power in conservation efforts from distant actors to those with ancestral, cultural, relational, material and/or spiritual ties to the land is a promising and necessary way forward. Indigenous People and Local Communities (IP&LCs) know best how to care for and defend the land, often based on generations of knowledge accumulation. For the Green Livelihoods Alliance (GLA), this approach of locally-led sustainable development is more than a principle, it is seen as the basis for real and lasting change. A new report on locally-led sustainable development, co-produced by IUCN NL and Tropenbos International, gives insight into the perspectives and experiences of partners in the GLA.

The 2025 IUCN World Conservation Congress saw over 10,000 people convening in Abu Dhabi, with nearly 150 motions adopted at the Member’s Assembly. Here are some highlights from this year’s Congress. 

Colombia faces significant deforestation, driven mainly by industrial agriculture, mining, and extractive industries, which threaten its rich biodiversity and local communities. A strategic collaboration between the Foundation for Conservation and Sustainable Development (FCDS) and the National Association of Entrepreneurs of Colombia (ANDI), supported by IUCN NL, therefore aims to promote zero-deforestation supply chains and help companies comply with emerging regulations like the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).