Cranes Take Flight at the IUCN World Conservation Congress

Our team is ready for the Congress! Pictured from left to right: Deputy Director of Africa Programs Mark van Niekerk, President and CEO Dr. Rich Beilfuss, Vice President-Asia Programs Dr. Mahendra Shrestha, East Africa Regional Director Dr. Adalbert Aine-Omucunguzi, Graphics and Video Production Specialist Hannah Jones, and Vice President-Africa Programs Kerryn Morrison

Oct. 9, 2025—Today was the grand opening of the World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Congress is held once every four years and brings together 10,000 government leaders, indigenous community members, philanthropists, and conservation leaders from more than 150 countries worldwide.  

I am joined by our Vice President-Asia Programs Dr. Mahendra Shrestha, Vice President-Africa Programs Kerryn Morrison, Deputy Director of Africa Programs Mark van Niekerk, and East Africa Regional Director Dr. Adalbert Aine-Omucunguzi. We are spreading ourselves across more than 500 sessions this week, seeking to learn from others and share our experience in community-centered conservation of cranes, wetlands, and much more. The International Crane Foundation’s Graphics and Video Production Specialist, Hannah Jones, is anchoring our beautiful display booth.

Our East Africa Regional Director, Dr. Adalbert Aine-omucunguzi (second from right), with the Africa Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment.

The International Crane Foundation hosted a session today on monitoring, early detection, and action for combating bird flu in wild bird populations. 

There were many great sessions today, covering strategies for scaling up our conservation impact, linking biodiversity conservation with safe water, food security, and human health as “One Health,” and new funding pathways for conservation. We look forward to a great week ahead!