Policy
As the only member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature with 50 years’ family planning expertise, we seek changes to conservation policy, from inside the conservation sector, to reflect the importance of reproductive health and rights. We also hold Observer Status with both the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the UN Environment Programme. We use this unique status and expertise to seek to change the narrative. We believe that removing barriers to family planning should be a priority within biodiversity and climate policy.
IUCN
We chair the IUCN Biodiversity & Family Planning Task Force. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, is the only global membership union composed of both government and civil society organisations. The Task Force is the first and only IUCN entity focussed exclusively on the connections between reproductive and environmental health. The Task Force is a result of the landslide vote, in support of our historic resolution, “Importance for the conservation of nature of removing barriers to rights-based voluntary family planning” at IUCN’s World Conservation Congress.
Publications
Our recent cross-sectoral work includes the following reports:
Reproductive choice in national biodiversity policy
This guide can be used by those seeking to promote the importance of removing barriers to voluntary and rights-based family planning and the development of new Population, Health and Environment (PHE) programmes within national biodiversity plans. Close to 200 nations are reviewing, or are about to start reviewing, their national biodiversity plans. The guide sets out the background to these “National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans”, the national plans under the Convention on Biological Diversity, how to engage in revision processes, and suggests entry points in order to promote family planning and PHE within the plans.
Exploring the potential for PHE across key African landscapes
At COP28 in December 2023, the Margaret Pyke Trust published “Exploring the potential for Population, Health and Environment approaches across key conservation landscapes”. Conserve Global has undertaken an exhaustive research process, undertaking due diligence on over 230 concession areas across sub-Saharan Africa, identifying thirteen focal landscapes they believe are most suited to their model. In this paper, the Margaret Pyke Trust considers the PHE approach for Conserve Global, identifies two potential priority PHE project sites from among their thirteen focal landscapes and proposes the relevant partner organisations to undertake the health aspects of new PHE projects.
Healthy wetlands for the cranes and people of Rukiga, Uganda
The people of Rukiga, Uganda, depend on the health of their wetland for their food and water security, livelihoods and health, including the ability of wetlands to slow the increasingly common floods, a result of climate change. Given the connected human health, livelihood and environmental challenges faced by the local community, we are implementing an integrated programme of climate-smart agricultural livelihoods, healthcare training and service provision, wetland, upland and crane conservation and public education, directly responding to the calls of the community, as set out in this brief.
Climate change engagement: A guide for SRHR organisations
Numerous sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) organisations have told us that they want to begin actively engaging in climate change policy and action. Whilst they know and understand the critical importance of reproductive choice as a climate adaptation and resilience building response, they have also shared that climate change is such a massive topic, that it can sometimes be hard to know where to start. With our partners at MSI Reproductive Choices, YADNET and PHE Ethiopia Consortium, we responded to these calls with this publication.
Removing Barriers to Family Planning, Empowering Sustainable Environmental Conservation
Our paper “Removing Barriers to Family Planning, Empowering Sustainable Environmental Conservation: A Background Paper and Call for Action” summarises why removing barriers to family planning is critical for women’s and girls’ health and empowerment, and sustainable environmental conservation.
The Importance of Human Reproductive Health and Rights for Cheetah Conservation
Population, Health and Environment conservation programmes incorporate voluntary and rights-based family planning actions, with conservation-focused sustainable livelihood interventions. They can achieve greater conservation, health and gender outcomes than single sector programmes. This paper looks at the geographical overlap of areas of family planning need, which are also a priority for cheetah conservation.