© Image credit: Milena Berrocal

Wet moss on a tree trunk at dawn. Broadleaf forest. La Amistad International Park, Costa Rica. Full image.

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In the closing months of 2025, I, along with some members of our team, was fortunate enough to visit Mount Fuji, Japan's highest peak. Highly biodiverse and a UNESCO World Heritage cultural site, it is recognised for centuries of pilgrimage reflecting the deep relationship between people and this sacred mountain. Shrines dot its slopes, the goddess of flowering trees is said to dwell there still and local communities actively govern and manage the area, alongside Japan's National Parks. 

In the early part of December 2025, we were invited to Japan to, amongst other topics, learn about and exchange views on Japan’s national park policy.  Japan's national park system is a highly unique system that has protected the nation's invaluable natural environments for over 90 years by harmonising nature and culture. We also experienced the world-famous Japanese warmth and hospitality.

From glacial mountains and high plateaus to desert basins, river valleys to vast rangelands, Central Asia is home to unique landscapes where wildlife, livestock, and communities have long coexisted. Yet biodiversity loss, land degradation, and changing human-wildlife interactions have increased the likelihood of zoonotic disease transmission in Central Asia, directly affecting community health and well-being.

Throughout 2025, IUCN continued to support the protection of one of Europe’s last free-flowing river systems, the Vjosa–Aoos, while strengthening protected area governance in line with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), particularly Target 3 on effectively conserving at least 30 per cent of land and inland waters.