GENEVA, Switzerland— The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) admitted the Center for Biological Diversity as an official member this week. IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. There are currently more than 1,400 government and nongovernmental IUCN members from more than 170 nations.

“We’re very pleased to join IUCN,” said Sarah Uhlemann, the Center’s international program director. “The Earth is in the grips of a heartbreaking wildlife extinction crisis, losing about one species every hour. By working with and within IUCN, we’ll amplify our call to address the primary drivers of the extinction crisis, including habitat loss, overexploitation, climate change and invasive species, and ultimately, save the diminishing biodiversity upon which life on Earth depends.”

IUCN members help set the direction of the Union's work and global conservation efforts, including through participation in IUCN’s quadrennial World Conservation Congress. IUCN also advises on numerous international agreements, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Heritage Convention.

“Becoming an IUCN member is an honor and will enhance our efforts on behalf of all creatures great and small to work with organizations and governments around the world to end extinction and save life on Earth,” said Uhlemann.

Among IUCN’s most well-known work is the Red List of Threatened Species, a comprehensive assessment of species’ statuses around the world. IUCN experts have assessed more than 120,000 species on its Red List, deeming more than 32,000 as “threatened with extinction.”