International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

• It was established in 1948
• Headquarters:Gland, Switzerland.
• It was previously called the ‘International Union for the Protection of Nature’ (1948–1956) and the World Conservation Union (1990–2008).
• IUCN runs fi eld projects for habitat and species conservation around the world.
• It produces the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems which in a similar way measures risks to ecosystems.
• Funding: Funded by governments, bilateral and multilateral agencies, foundations, member organizations, and corporations.
• It is governed by a Council elected by member organizations everyfour years at the IUCN World Conservation Congress.
• IUCN has observer and consultative status at the United Nations and plays a role in the implementation of several international conventions on nature conservation and biodiversity.
• It was involved in establishing the World Wide Fund for Nature and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. 
• India became a State Member of IUCN in 1969, through the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
• The IUCN India Country Offi ce was established in 2007 in New Delhi.
• Blue fl ag certifi cation is obtained by a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator, and serves as an eco-label.
• Certifi cation promotes sustainable development in freshwater and marine areas. It has members from United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO),Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).