IUCN re-elects Sonia Castañeda as Regional Councillor for Western Europe

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has announced the re-election of Sonia Castañeda as Regional Councillor for Western Europe, a result that enjoyed broad and solid support from members worldwide.

The IUCN Council is the main governing body of IUCN between the sessions of the IUCN World Conservation Congress, the greatest event of its kind for nature conservation experts worldwide, and the General Assembly of its Members.

The October 2025 elections, in which the Union’s members voted, resulted in the re-election of Ms. Razan Al Mubarak of the United Arab Emirates to the Presidency. Sonia Castañeda, Deputy Director of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), was also re-elected. Her candidacy, presented by the ministry, was supported by, among others, the EUROPARC Federation.

In the organization’s 78 years of existence, only three Spanish nationals have been elected to the Council. Currently, the new Council boasts more than 50% women (the highest in the Union’s history).

Sonia Castañeda: “Being a member of the IUCN Council involves making decisions during the four years between Congresses and Assemblies. Issues related to policies and projects, the organization’s governance, and financial and budgetary matters are addressed. I think it’s important that the Western European region is represented by people from the Mediterranean and, in the case of Spain, also from the Atlantic. This allows all perspectives and realities to be considered in a Council of such an international nature.”