IUCN and Chery Mark One Year of Partnership Driving Nature-Based Solutions in Asia and beyond – Story

The session at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, “Accelerating NbS Globally: The IUCN–Chery Partnership for People and Planet,” reflected on the first year’s achievements and outlined new collaborative initiatives – in Malaysia, the United Kingdom, South Africa and across Europe – set to focus on connecting industrial innovation with ecosystem and community resilience.

In his keynote, Will Li, Executive Vice President of Chery Subsidiary UAE, emphasised Chery Auto’s ambition to “forming a new global paradigm of shared technology, co-created value, and mutually beneficial growth, ultimately to do good to human beings”. He announced Chery’s goal to support the conservation and restoration of 10 million hectares of forests, grasslands, wetlands, and oceans, embedding NbS within its global sustainability strategy.

In its first year, the Cherish the Nature Partnership between IUCN and Chery laid a strong foundation through shared learning, communications, and pilot work in Spain’s Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows which face growing threats from illegal anchoring, tourism pressure and rising sea temperatures. Activities implemented through the IUCN-Chery partnership in Spain focused on restoration and sustainable management of seagrass meadows through citizen science and promoting eco-mooring solutions, which aim to educate relevant stakeholders about the benefits of seagrass conservation.

Building on this, the next phase will extend collaboration across:

• Malaysia, where planned mangrove restoration will strengthen coastal resilience and support community livelihoods;
• The United Kingdom, where peatland recovery initiatives are under design to enhance carbon storage and ecosystem services;
• South Africa, where IUCN and Chery will support restoration and sustainable tourism in the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area, including community-based fire management, invasive species control, renewable energy for eco-lodges, and local training; and
• Europe, where cooperation under IUCN’s World Heritage Leadership Programme will help strengthen management of cultural and natural landscapes.

These efforts embody IUCN’s call to link policy, finance, and governance with ecological and social integrity to achieve lasting, measurable impact.

Closing the session, Zhang Yan, Head of IUCN China, emphasised the importance of maintaining momentum. “This partnership is not just a commitment, it’s a living example of how business and conservation can co-create scalable, science-based solutions. From Spain’s seagrass to Africa’s highlands, we are proving that nature-powered transitions are within reach,” he said.

As the partnership enters its second year, IUCN and Chery will deepen implementation and expand regional collaboration – linking ongoing and future work in Asia, Africa, and Europe through shared NbS practices, joint user and community engagement, as well as facilitating exchange on corporate sustainability practices.