Today, on UN World Wildlife Day 2025, we come together to celebrate the incredible diversity of life on our planet—its beauty, resilience, and the essential role it plays in sustaining humanity.
It is our responsibility to ensure the future of our precious biodiversity - investing in nature is investing in our future.
Wildlife conservation is not just about protecting species—it’s about securing the ecosystems that sustain people, economies, and our collective well-being — from the bees that pollinate our crops to the forests and ocean that regulate our climate and secure our future.
It is possible for all of us to conserve biodiversity and prosper. I am glad that we have seen some encouraging trends in recent years, as more and more people and organisations have come to realise that a thriving planet is essential for a thriving economy.
Every sector of society must come together to make a real difference. Governments, companies, and financial institutions must commit to “Nature-Positive” outcomes and each of us must do our part because we all depend on a healthy planet that can support us.
We have made strides, but as we look to the future, there remains a need for biodiversity financing to expand from case-by-case solutions towards an economywide approach. Taking into consideration all economic, political, and institutional factors. We must take a more comprehensive and inclusive view, to ensure the impact we make is real and lasting.
At the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN, we are bridging the gap between conservation and finance - bringing together the private and public sector along with the conservation community.
Through just some examples of initiatives like the WALD Innovation Facility, the Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility, and the Blue Carbon Accelerator Fund, we are unlocking new opportunities to direct investments into conservation projects that benefit both people and the planet.
These initiatives protect our precious wildlife, but they also do even more — they support sustainable livelihoods, strengthen climate resilience, and create long-term economic value for communities.
Our message is clear: financing wildlife conservation is not a cost—it is an investment in a stable, prosperous, and resilient future for all. And it is one we must make together, united for Nature. Governments, businesses, financial institutions, experts and the conservation community must work together to mobilize resources at the scale needed to protect our planet’s wildlife and secure our own futures.
We hope you will all stand with us. We must come together to drive this transformation, with the expertise, partnerships, and tools needed to turn investment into real impact. Let’s seize this moment to build a world where wildlife, people, and economies thrive together.
Thank you for the opportunity to celebrate World Wildlife Day 2025 with you!