Mobilizing IUCN’s Knowledge to secure a sustainable future

The report assesses IUCN's current knowledge management (KM) capacities and proposes four strategic moves for 2005-2010: shifting from knowledge production to influencing change, expanding the roles of its 'triple helix' (Commissions, Members, and Secretariat) to include partners and young professionals, implementing interconnected internal and external communication strategies, and upgrading its ICT infrastructure. It emphasizes 'knowledge mobilization'—combining internal and external knowledge to meet user needs—and suggests 'rapid-results initiatives' to achieve measurable short-term gains.

• IUCN faces four primary challenges in knowledge management: a gap between science and policy that limits influence, impediments to horizontal knowledge flow between organizational units, a lack of vertical flow where project-level knowledge is not captured as a corporate asset, and inconsistent quality of knowledge products.
• The report advocates for a shift from 'knowledge management' to 'knowledge mobilization,' which focuses on the purpose of meeting client needs and combining internal knowledge with external insights to create innovation and change.
• To increase influence, IUCN should adopt an 'Influencing Strategy' that begins by identifying the specific decision or change desired, determining who has the power to effect that change, and then identifying the specific knowledge that person needs.
• IUCN's 'triple helix' structure (Commissions, Members, and Secretariat) should be expanded to formally manage relationships with non-member partners, external consultants, donors, and young professionals.
• Young professionals are identified as critical assets for KM because they bring current research, possess advanced ICT skills, and can act as 'connectors' across the organization, yet they are often overlooked in traditional expert networks.
• The report identifies a need for 'rapid-results initiatives'—small, time-bound projects designed to deliver measurable results quickly (typically within 100 days)—to avoid the high failure rate of large, complex projects.
• IUCN's ICT infrastructure requires a significant upgrade, including a more robust IT backbone to prevent data loss and a redesigned Intranet that focuses on usability and team collaboration rather than just individual document retrieval.
• There is a critical need to recognize the 'pluralism' of knowledge, integrating traditional, local, and indigenous knowledge systems with western scientific traditions to ensure conservation efforts are effective in local social and cultural contexts.
• Six specific knowledge initiatives—Ecolex, Species Information Service (SIS), Water and Nature Initiative (WANI), Conservation Commons, Protected Areas Learning Network (PALNet), and World Conservation Learning Network (WCLN)—serve as pilots, though some remain in beta stages with limited external benefit.

APA

Creech, H. (2004). Mobilizing IUCN’s Knowledge to secure a sustainable future. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/km_study_full_report.pdf

Chicago

Creech, Heather. Mobilizing IUCN’s Knowledge to secure a sustainable future. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2004. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/km_study_full_report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Creech |first1=Heather |title=Mobilizing IUCN’s Knowledge to secure a sustainable future |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=December 2004 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/km_study_full_report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{creech2004mobilizing, author = {Creech, Heather}, title = {{Mobilizing IUCN’s Knowledge to secure a sustainable future}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2004}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/km_study_full_report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }