Call for transparency and independence at the IUCN

The IUCN has the power to assess and label which species are considered vulnerable, threatened and endangered with extinction.

Collective Fashion Justice's investigation (published by The Times) has revealed the IUCN Specialist Groups for crocodiles and for snakes have significant financial ties to the wildlife skin trade, making their work biased and unreliable.

We are calling for the IUCN to commit to simple changes that ensure independent and legitimate science is completed by these and all Specialist Groups.

The IUCN has the power to assess and label which species are considered vulnerable, threatened and endangered with extinction.

Collective Fashion Justice's investigation (published by The Times) has revealed the IUCN Specialist Groups for crocodiles and for snakes have significant financial ties to the wildlife skin trade, making their work biased and unreliable.

We are calling for the IUCN to commit to simple changes that ensure independent and legitimate science is completed by these and all Specialist Groups.

Call for transparency and independence at the IUCN

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To the Director General of the IUCN, Dr Grethel Aguilar,
 
Please do not let vested trade and industry interests threaten the leadership of one of the world’s greatest organizations with a mandate to place Nature ahead of profit.

After reading a recent investigations published in The Times, I urge you to implement the recommendations made by Collective Fashion Justice to introduce more rigorous and transparent governance procedures in relation to SSC specialist groups and the Red List of threatened species. In particular, introducing and enforcing: 
 
A public register of conflicts of interest for all SSC specialist groups

Public disclosure in specialist group annual reports of all funding for all SSC specialist groups, including specific amounts and sources

A policy preventing SSC specialist groups from being chaired by personnel with links to industry/trade.

Many important species are threatened by exploitation for the lucrative fashion industry.  Please put safeguards in place to ensure that these industry voices do not overpower and compromise the independent scientific assessments of the IUCN and its members.

IUCN leadership is not upholding its stated commitment to transparency and scientific independence, with lax standards and implementation around financial contributions, and conflicts of interest, in particular regard to its SSC specialist groups.

This governance failure has allowed those with profit-driven interests to lead specialist groups - defining membership of those groups, directing what research is and isn’t conducted, and influencing critical Red List determinations which form the backbone of international regulations, standards, and practices in the trade of endangered species.

Thank you very much

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