The mission of IUCN is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.
Maintains publishing, research and documentation programmes. Information services include: (a) IUCN WWW: divided in news (publications catalogue, full text press releases), people (contact addresses and IUCN and partner organisations), places (breakdown of IUCN activities by geographical region) and themes (IUCN research programmes/commissions) (b) via WCMC WWW (see separate entry): including lists of endangered species (red lists) and publications catalogue (c) Library: contact information and searchable database of IUCN publications from 1948 onwards on IUCN WWW.