Mediterranean success stories on the IUCN Contribution Platform

As the world strives to meet ambitious biodiversity targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the IUCN Programme, the IUCN Contribution Platform provides a digital tool for transparency, collaboration, and strategic alignment across the Union. Developed by IUCN, this platform enables Members, Commissions, and the Secretariat to document and showcase their actions contributing to the Nature 2030 agenda, while also tracking progress toward global environmental goals through a unified, One Programme approach.

Each contribution submitted to the platform tells a unique story of local leadership, science-driven action, and community engagement. These stories are not only valuable for monitoring collective progress, but also serve as a window into the rich diversity of conservation work happening on the ground.

Two stories, one Commitment: Conservation in Morocco and Spain

One such example comes from Morocco, where Réseau Association Khnifiss has led a project to enhance the ecotourism potential of Khnifiss National Park, a unique ecological mosaic of wetlands, coastal zones, and desert habitats. Their contribution, now available on the IUCN Contribution Platform, focuses on the creation of an ornithological zoning system that classifies the park’s birdwatching areas into three key ecosystems: humid zones, marine zones, and Saharan landscapes. Each zone was mapped according to its distinct bird communities, highlighting both emblematic species and those highly sought after by birdwatchers. This zoning now serves as a scientific foundation for designing visitor routes and observation points, turning biodiversity into a sustainable local asset.

Meanwhile in Spain, the Zoological Park of Barcelona is actively using the platform to showcase a wide array of conservation initiatives that stretch from the Pyrenean foothills to the Mediterranean coast. Among these is the flagship project LIFE Trito del Montseny, which focuses on the protection and restoration of habitat for the critically endangered Montseny brook newt (Calotriton arnoldi), a species endemic to a small area of northeastern Catalonia. Other contributions from Barcelona Zoo, including efforts to restore marine habitats through the Parc dels Esculls, designate micro-reserves for butterflies, monitor otter populations in river basins, and support the conservation of Pinna nobilis and the European polecat (Mustela putorius), are also featured on the platform. Each initiative is assessed individually, with estimated percentages assigned to thematic areas such as species protection, ecosystem health, or public engagement.

📊 What the Platform Shows

The platform’s initial focus is on documenting contributions to the thematic areas of Land and Climate. To support this, it overlays scientific data on biodiversity and nature-based solutions, enabling users to contextualize their work within global conservation priorities. Biodiversity contributions are assessed through the Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) metric, which estimates the potential to reduce species extinction risk using Red List data. Climate-related actions are linked to the Restoration Barometer, highlighting areas where ecosystem restoration can contribute to carbon sequestration. This analysis estimates the potential conservation or restoration benefit based on known threats affecting species within the project’s geographic area.

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In the case of the Khnifiss National Park project in Morocco, the STAR chart shows that actions to address livestock overgrazing and hunting could account for over 50% of the total extinction risk reduction opportunity within the area. Additional threat categories like non-timber crop expansion, ecosystem modification, and tourism pressure are also represented. These percentages help illustrate which threats are most critical to address in the local biodiversity context, offering strategic insight into where conservation or restoration actions might have the greatest impact. 

For the Zoological Park of Barcelona, the platform currently shows an absolute STAR value of 324, meaning the zoo’s conservation footprint contributes around 8.5% of Spain’s total biodiversity conservation potential based on threat abatement metrics. These visualizations highlight how much of the opportunity to reduce extinction risk comes from mitigating threats such as livestock farming, non-timber crop expansion, hunting, and ecosystem degradation across their mapped areas.

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💡 Why the Platform Matters

The IUCN Contribution Platform plays a crucial role in enabling these success stories to be seen, understood, and connected. It allows Members to present their work within a broader conservation framework, making their contributions more visible and actionable. The information shared—ranging from geographic scope and thematic focus to expected impact and alignment with global targets—is reviewed to ensure its clarity and relevance, ensuring that the platform remains a trusted reference across the IUCN Union.

For IUCN Members in the Mediterranean and beyond, using the Contribution Platform means stepping into a collective narrative of change. It is a space where local knowledge meets global strategy, where individual projects feed into a shared vision for nature. And as demonstrated by Réseau Association Khnifiss and the Zoological Park of Barcelona, it is a space where visibility leads to recognition, and recognition leads to deeper collaboration and impact.

Links:

Contributions for Nature Platform - General info

IUCN Contributions for Nature Platform