The Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Director of Conservation Jonathan Hughes is in the running for election to the Council of the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization after securing a record number of nominations from nature organisations in Europe.
Jonathan is hoping to be one of three Western European Councillors for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). By becoming an IUCN Councillor, Jonathan will be able to help shape the future of nature conservation on a global stage. Jonathan secured the backing of 21 IUCN member organisations for his candidacy, more than any other candidate from across the world.
The IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network. Founded in 1948, it is a membership body with more than 1000 government and non-government member organizations who vote for Councillors, alongside almost 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries across the world.
The successful Councillors will be announced at the World Conservation Congress on the island of Jeju, South Korea in September.
Commenting on his candidacy, Jonathan Hughes said:
“I’m thrilled and humbled in equal measure to have received nominations from so many conservation organisations. If elected, my focus as an IUCN Regional Councillor will be on getting all the great ideas out there in the conservation movement turned into action on the ground.”
“One of the biggest challenges for conservationists in the coming four years is to make the restoration of nature a central part of global economic and social decision making – we need to get listened to by finance ministers and prime ministers, not just environment ministers. We also need to scale up our efforts by protecting wildlife on a landscape scale, as well as bringing nature back into the heart of our towns and cities.
Chief Executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Simon Milne MBE said:
“Jonathan has been a leading advocate of the ecosystem approach to conservation and has been pivotal in getting the approach adopted in Scotland and beyond. If elected, the IUCN will of course benefit from Jonathan’s expertise, but the Scottish Wildlife Trust, and ultimately Scotland’s wildlife, will also benefit through direct access to the wealth of knowledge within the IUCN network”
Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, Stephanie Hilborne OBE, said:
“Jonathan Hughes would make an excellent Councillor for the IUCN. He co-founded the IUCN Peatland Programme in the UK, a hugely successful initiative chaired by The Wildlife Trusts which has helped protect and restore peatlands in all four nations of the UK. Jonathan has been a determined champion of The Wildlife Trusts’ Living Landscape approach, encouraging decision-makers to consider the health of entire ecosystems for the benefit of people and wildlife. I wish him every success in the elections in September.”