About

About IUCN RHINO

Connecting local action to global accountability

IUCN RHINO (Rapid High-Integrity Nature-positive Outcomes) is a science-based, implementation-ready approach that guides organisations to take measurable action for nature.

Built on the IUCN Red List and STAR metric, it provides clear impact tracks that turn intent into tangible outcomes, reducing extinction risk, restoring ecosystems, and delivering results aligned with global biodiversity goals.

Our mission

Enabling delivery of high-integrity outcomes for a future that is Nature Positive.

Our vision

A world where nature loss is reversed with fast, focused action, grounded in science.

IUCN: The International Union for Conservation of Nature

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. By harnessing the experience, resources and reach of its more than 1,400 Member organisations and the input of some 17,000 experts, IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.

Key milestones on the journey to launching IUCN RHINO

The IUCN has a rich history of promoting biodiversity conservation. The RHINO approach represents a significant milestone in our efforts to create Nature Positive outcomes.

1948

IUCN established

1964

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ established

1980

IUCN, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) publish the World Conservation Strategy

2008

The Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) is founded by IUCN, BirdLife International, Conservation International, and UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre — a trusted decision-support tool, providing businesses, governments, and conservationists with critical biodiversity data.

2019

Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) metric launched

2022

IUCN launches Towards an IUCN nature-positive approach working paper.

IUCN and IMEC (Impact Mitigation and Ecological Compensation — a thematic group of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM)) publish Nature Positive for Business: Developing a Common Approach.