the World Conservation Union is one of the world's oldest international conservation organisations. It was established in Fontainebleau, France on October 5, 1948 as the "International Union for the Protection of Nature" of IUPN.
Today it is a union of governments, government agencies, and non-governmental organisations working at the field and policy levels, together with scientists and experts, to protect nature.

[information taken from the IUCN homepage at http://www.iucn.org]