We left ENERGISED and INSPIRED to build on the productive conversations that were had and connections that were made, ready to catalyse more momentum behind 1000 Fishes!!

Read more in our write up 👇
shoalconservation.org/shoal-at-the...

🧵 3/3

- followed 15 motions, all of which were approved – including 2 that SHOAL proposed. ✅

- gathered increased support for the landmark 1000 Fishes initiative. 🤝

🧵 2/3

It'll be a shame to miss you there, Monni. But looking forward to catching up at the springs session!

iucncongress2025.org/programme/ov...

10/10

Session: Overlooked yet Essential: Advancing the Recognition and Conservation of Springs for Biodiversity and Society
Partners: Saint Louis Zoo // Synchronicity Earth // Springs Stewardship Institute // IUCN Species Survival Commission// New Mexico BioPark Society
#IUCNCongress
📸 © Michi Tobler
9/10

We invite you to continue this conversation and help shape the next steps for springs conservation actions at the IUCN World Conservation Congress:
📅 October 9, 2025
📍 Forum Room 6, at 14:00

8/10

Motion 016 is a call to action. It unlocks the knowledge, policy, and partnerships needed to protect some of the most biodiverse and culturally important ecosystems on Earth.
Let's ensure springs are no longer neglected, but safeguarded for future generations.

7/10

✔️ Strengthens expertise and capacity among ecologists, practitioners, and local stewards
✔️ Supports governments to integrate springs into national biodiversity strategies and restoration targets
✔️ Recognises cultural and spiritual values, including potential UNESCO World Heritage designations

6/10

Motion 016 delivers a bold framework for mobilising global actions:
✔️ Mainstreams springs into IUCN’s Nature 2030 Programme
✔️ Establishes an inter-Commission Task Force for global coordination of efforts
✔️ Advances science, Red List assessments, and monitoring of spring biodiversity

5/10

they face mounting threats from over-extraction, pollution, infrastructure development, climate change, and land-use pressures.
Without urgent action, we risk losing these irreplaceable systems and the knowledge, biodiversity, and cultural heritage they sustain.

4/10

💧 As 'super-biodiversity hotspots', they often harbour hundreds of species in just a few square meters, many of them rare, endemic, and culturally significant

⚠️
Yet springs remain among the least studied and most neglected ecosystems, and are hotspots for extinction:

3/10