Family Planning & The Environment
We have made a Family Planning 2030 Commitment, which includes increasing the number of policies and publications recognising the critical importance of the removal of barriers to family planning as a pillar of climate and biodiversity action. We will achieve this by using our unique status as the only organisation with our contraception and sexual health expertise which is also a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with Observer Status of both the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and which is accredited by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
New IUCN Center for Species survival supporting our mission
In May 2025, we were proud to announce the launch of a new IUCN Center for Species Survival. This new Center is a landmark shift in global biodiversity conservation. Led by the Wilder Institute, the Center is the first to place human health—including sexual and reproductive health and rights—at the heart of species survival strategies.
Unlike other Centers for Species Survival, which focus on specific taxonomic groups or geographic regions, this Center highlights the often-overlooked social and cultural aspects of conservation. It recognises that supporting communities and advancing human rights are essential to effective conservation outcomes.
As the only IUCN member with five decades of expertise in reproductive health and rights, we will play a leading role through our chairing of the IUCN Biodiversity & Family Planning Task Force. Our Task Force will be central in shaping the Center’s agenda.
By embedding reproductive choice within conservation policy, the initiative promotes an integrated approach to planetary health—ensuring that conservation efforts support healthier families, reduced environmental pressures, and improved gender and biodiversity outcomes. This Center represents a long-overdue move towards inclusive, community-driven solutions for people and nature alike.
Policy
Find out how an NGO with our family planning background is changing environmental policy and practice.
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We design and develop projects, with partners, integrating family planning and conservation action.
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