SSC
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which publishes the Red List, was founded in:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option B — 1948
Detailed Solution
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was founded on 5 October 1948 in Fontainebleau, France. It was originally called the International Union for the Protection of Nature (IUPN). Its headquarters is in Gland, Switzerland.
The IUCN is a unique membership union. Its members include more than 1,400 government agencies and non-governmental organisations from over 160 countries, supported by thousands of experts in its commissions. It has observer status at the United Nations General Assembly. It works on nature conservation, the sustainable use of natural resources, and nature-based solutions to problems such as climate change and food security.
The IUCN is best known for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, started in 1964. It is the world's most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungus and plant species. It classifies species into categories based on their risk of extinction:
Extinct (EX) and Extinct in the Wild (EW).
Threatened categories: Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) and Vulnerable (VU).
Near Threatened (NT) and Least Concern (LC).
Data Deficient (DD) and Not Evaluated (NE).
The Red Data Book is the printed version of such lists; pink pages list critically endangered species, and green pages list species that were once endangered but have recovered.
The IUCN also helped create several important international agreements, such as CITES (1973), the World Heritage Convention (1972) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992). It advises UNESCO on natural World Heritage Sites. The IUCN World Conservation Congress is held about every four years; the 2025 Congress was held in Abu Dhabi.
India's Ministry of Environment became a state member of the IUCN in 1969.
Why not the other options?
- ✗1961 is the year the WWF (World Wildlife Fund, now World Wide Fund for Nature) was founded.
- ✗1972 is the year UNEP was set up, after the Stockholm Conference.
- ✗1992 is the year of the Rio Earth Summit.
Quick tip
Remember: IUCN = founded 1948, headquarters Gland (Switzerland), Red List (from 1964); WWF = 1961; UNEP = 1972 (Nairobi).
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Environmental Conventions, Laws & Organisations Questions
View all ›- Q1.The concept of 'carbon credits' originated from the:
- Q2.The Cartagena Protocol is related to:
- Q3.Which was the first international agreement to phase out the production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)?
- Q4.The Ramsar Convention on the conservation of wetlands came into force in:
- Q5.Which international treaty aims to protect and conserve biodiversity?
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Environmental Conventions, Laws & Organisations — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Environmental Conventions, Laws & Organisations, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers international environmental agreements, such as the Montreal Protocol, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, the Ramsar Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity, Indian environmental laws, and environmental organisations and movements such as the Chipko movement. Questions usually ask what an agreement deals with (the Montreal Protocol protects the ozone layer, and the Ramsar Convention protects wetlands), when India passed an environmental law (such as the Environment Protection Act 1986), and who led a movement (Sunderlal Bahuguna is associated with the Chipko movement). Climate summit outcomes change every year, so check current affairs. Practise the environmental conventions and laws questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.