Terms of use

1. Introduction

1.1. These Terms of Use apply when registering for or using the PANORAMA web platform (hereafter referred to as the “Platform”) and its use constitutes an explicit agreement and acknowledgement of these Terms of Use. By accessing, registering on or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to abide by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree to these Terms of Use, you should not use the Platform. All resources on this web platform are subject to these Terms of Use.

1.2 Operator and Scope of Application

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), Rue Mauverney 28 CH- 1196 Gland, Switzerland (hereafter referred to as “IUCN” or the “Operator”), maintains this website www.panorama.solutions (the “Platform") on behalf of the PANORAMA partnership (which is jointly led by GIZ and IUCN).

The Platform is made available as a service to users who wish to register, explore and share “Solutions” (defined as successful and proven examples addressing conservation and development challenges), browse resources, and engage with the community of Solution Providers and users.

Use of the Platform and access to all resources provided through it are governed by these Terms of Use. Both IUCN and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) comply with applicable data protection regulations, including the GDPR.

1.3. For clarity, these Terms of Use apply to all individuals who access or use the PANORAMA web platform (hereinafter referred to as “User”, “Users”, or “You”).

1.4 Any geographical maps are for informational purposes only and do not constitute recognition of international boundaries or regions; the Operator makes no claims concerning the accuracy of the maps and assumes no liability resulting from the use of the information therein. The Operator reserves the right to modify these Terms of Use at any time without stating reasons. In such an event, the User will be informed about the changes directly after the first log-in following the modification. The User may continue to use the portal under the modified Terms of Use only after accepting the modified Terms of Use. Otherwise, the User must log out. Any modifications will take effect upon their publication on the PANORAMA web platform. By continuing to access or use the Platform after such changes are posted, you agree to be legally bound by the revised Terms of Use. It is your responsibility to regularly review the Terms of Use to remain informed of any updates.

2. Purpose and Content of the Platform

2.1 The PANORAMA web platform (“Platform”) is designed to serve as a global knowledge hub for documenting, sharing, and disseminating field-tested practical Solutions or proven successful practices that address challenges in biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and related fields.

2.2 The Platform allows Users to explore published Solutions, share their own Solutions, engage with a community of practitioners, and access a variety of knowledge resources aimed at fostering learning, exchange, and replication of successful practices.

2.3 The Platform offers the possibility to search, and filter published Solutions according to categories, classifications and/or search terms. In addition, registered Users can share their own Solutions following the PANORAMA Solution case study format. Once all relevant sections of the format (i.e. PANORAMA Solution case study template) have been answered, a Solution can be submitted and will then be subjected to the quality assurance processes of PANORAMA through review by our Expert Reviewers and Community Coordinators. The expert reviewers can share feedback with the User and request adaptations or changes or publish the Solution if it passes the quality assurance standards. Also, registered Users are able to comment on published Solutions to engage in thematic discussions around specific cases.

2.4 Solutions featured on the Platform are case studies and experiences submitted by Users, which are reviewed through a quality assurance process to ensure relevance, clarity, and alignment with PANORAMA’s objectives.

2.5 Users may browse content according to specific categories, themes, and search filters, and registered Users may submit, edit, and comment on Solutions in line with these Terms of Use.

2.6 The Platform’s content is provided for informational, educational, and knowledge-sharing purposes only and is not intended as professional advice. The Operator does not guarantee the completeness, accuracy, or suitability of any content for specific purposes and accepts no liability for reliance on such content.

3. Registration and User Agreement

3.1 The User must register to submit, review, edit or publish Solutions or access content published on the PANORAMA web platform. 

3.2 The User is obliged to complete the boxes in the registration form truthfully and correctly. In the event that there is any change to this data after registration, the User shall update the information in his/her User account without delay. Mandatory data includes name, email address and organisation. In addition, the User may choose to upload a profile picture and/or share further details.

3.3 Upon registering, the User creates a password, which, in combination with the email address, allows him to access the platform (referred to hereinafter as ‘Access Data’). Usernames are not permitted if their use would constitute an infringement of third-party rights, in particular trademark rights or name rights, or would offend common decency.

3.4 The User undertakes not to disclose the Access Data and to protect them from access by unauthorised third parties. The User may not allow his/her Access Data to be used by unauthorised third parties. If the User has lost the Access Data or has reasonable cause to suspect that the Access Data are being or could be used by an unauthorised third party, the User is obliged to notify the Operator without delay. The Operator accepts no liability for damage to the User as a result of Access Data being obtained by third parties.

3.5 By submitting the data in the registration form, the User makes an offer to the Operator to enter into a licence agreement for the portal. There is no entitlement to use. The Operator is entitled to refuse user applications without stating reasons. If the Operator accepts the offer of registration by the User, the User will receive a confirmation email with the registration data and an activation link. The licence agreement between the Operator and the User will not take effect unless activated by clicking on the activation link and agreeing to the declaration of consent regarding the use of data.

3.6. The PANORAMA Platform uses Google Analytics to monitor its performance. All settings ensure highest security: IP-addresses are anonymised, all visitor logs are deleted, and do-not-track is enabled. Use this link to stop our data analytics software from using any of your information about your visit on the PANORAMA Platform.

4. Availability of Services

4.1 The User may use the portal or web platform only within the technical and operational scope of the Operator. The Operator will use reasonable efforts to ensure continuous availability of the Platform and its services. However, the Operator does not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free services as technical disruptions (including but not limited to power cuts, hardware and software errors and technical problems in the data lines) may cause temporary restrictions or interruptions.

4.2. The Operator reserves the right to perform maintenance, updates, or other necessary modifications to the Platform, which may result in temporary service disruptions. Where feasible, the Operator will notify Users in advance of planned outages, but such notice is not guaranteed.

4.3. The Operator shall not be liable for temporary service interruptions resulting from technical malfunctions, hardware/software failures, cyberattacks, power outages, data transmission errors, or other unforeseen circumstances beyond its reasonable control.

4.4. In the event of force majeure, including but not limited to natural disasters, wars, regulatory restrictions, or other extraordinary events, the Operator may suspend or limit access to the Platform without liability.

4.5. The Operator shall not be responsible for any loss of data, business disruptions, or damages arising from service unavailability. Users are encouraged to retain backup copies of any essential data they submit to the Platform.

4.6. Use of the Platform is provided “as is” and “as available”, without any warranties regarding availability, uptime, or reliability.

5. User-Generated Content, User behaviour and Intellectual Property

5.1 The User may, subject to the following Terms of Use, post content on the platform to share information on an applied example of successfully overcoming challenges to conservation and sustainable development (also known as “Solution case studies”), and hence make it available to third parties in accordance with these Terms of Use.

5.2. As the registered User, You warrant and represent that i) You are the rightful owner of any content including text, images, videos, graphics, links and supporting documents (collectively referred to as "User Content") that you upload, submit, or post on the PANORAMA Platform , or ii) You have obtained all necessary rights, licenses, consents, and permissions from the owner(s) of that the User Content to use it and to allow PANORAMA and its partners to use it under the license described in these Terms of Use.

5.3 By posting User Content on the Platform, You grant the Operator a non-exclusive, unrestricted, irrevocable, transferable, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free licence to display, reproduce, distribute, adapt and publicly display the Solution and all User Content uploaded to PANORAMA in line the IUCN Open Access Policy subject to the applicable Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (C-BY-NC) license by default(that content free of charge, including but not limited to :

  • to store the content on the Operator’s server
  • to publish the Solution case studies written up by the User on the platform
  • to use (whole or parts of the) information detailed in the Solution case studies including also uploaded media (e.g. photos and videos) at conferences, workshops and reports. PANORAMA may also conduct synthesis and reworking of Solutions into other knowledge or communication products  for communication and dissemination with a broader audience or the purposes of visibility and in line with the objectives of the PANORAMA initiative and its approach.
  • Subject to section 5.2and 5.3, the Operator will reference and cite the ownership of the Solution by the User.
  • to grant third parties the right to use the Solution(s) including for the above-stated purposes. Third parties only include the lead partners of the PANORAMA initiative (GIZ and IUCN), the PANORAMA partnership and other relevant organizations supporting implementation or advancing its objectives and strategic priorities for knowledge sharing, peer-to-peer learning and exchange of proven Solutions to support replication and scaling to advance global biodiversity conservation and sustainable development goals. Such use will be subject to all requisite copyrights, data protection and privacy policies mentioned therein.

5.4. You have the full right and authority to grant PANORAMA the license to use, reproduce, display, distribute, and share your User Content as outlined in this Terms of Use and specifically in paragraph 5.

5.5. The User is fully responsible to ensure all fields and sections of the Platform registration form and Solution case study template are answered correctly. The Operator will review the Solution submitted based on technical understanding of the subject matter and understandability of the descriptions. However, the Operator is not responsible to ensure that all content is complete, correct, lawful or up to date. The User declares and guarantees to the Operator that he/she is the sole holder of all rights to the content that he/she posts on the platform or is otherwise authorised (e.g. by valid permission of the holder of the rights) to post the content on the Platform and to grant the rights of use and exploitation pursuant to section 5.2 and 5.3. The User may request content removal. However, previously shared User Content may remain accessible in archived versions.

5.6 The Operator reserves the right to refuse to post User Content and/or to edit, block or delete User Content already posted insofar as the posting of the User Content by the User or the posted User Content itself has led or has the potential to lead to an infringement of these Terms of Use or there is reason to believe that it will lead to an infringement of these Terms of Use. In the event that User Content is edited, blocked or deleted, the User will be asked to provide a statement prior thereto if further information is required in order to assess the material facts or legal position.

6. Use of Published PANORAMA Content and AI Restrictions

6.1 The Operator is entitled to contact the User named in the Solution description as Solution Provider to work on the final version of a submitted Solution, to ask questions related to the content of the Solution, to check availability of the User to present a Solution at an event, workshop etc. In addition, all Users will be contacted on a regular basis encouraging them to update their published Solution (s), if relevant, to ensure a high-quality content of the Solution description on the Platform. Users’ name, organisation and email address are linked to their published Solution allowing any visitor to the platform to understand who implemented the example and allowing visitors to the Platform as well as other Users to contact a User (i.e. Solution Provider).

6.2 The Operator reserves the right to refuse to publish a Solution if they constitute an infringement of sections of this Terms of Use and/or if the posted content does not meet the PANORAMA’s quality assurance criteria and standards.

6.3 Third parties are prohibited from automatically extracting, scraping, or crawling PANORAMA Solutions, metadata, or User details for any purposes without prior written consent from the Operator or Users of the Platform.

6.4 Users and third parties may not use PANORAMA data, Solutions, or methodologies for AI model training or commercial applications without express authorization in writing

6.5 Users must not submit AI-generated Solutions without clear human verification and must disclose the use of AI tools in content creation and documentation of Solutions. 

6.6. Any external entity using PANORAMA content must ensure clear attribution to PANORAMA and the original content provider/Solution Provider(s). In citing or referencing or attributing the Solution Provider or the Platform, the following referencing styles must be applied: 

PANORAMA - Solutions for a Healthy Planet ISSN number 2511-7475

If you would like to quote an individual solution, please use the following format (example):

Schloenvoigt, M. 2015. Multi-sectoral coastal and marine management vision. PANORAMA - Solutions for a Healthy Planet, ISSN  2511-7475. Web link: <https://panorama.solutions/en/solution/multi-sectoral-coastal-and-marine-management-vision>. Accessed on September 6, 2018.

If you would like to quote the whole database of Solutions, please use the following format:

PANORAMA - Solutions for a healthy Planet, 2018. ISSN  2511-7475. Web link: https://panorama.solutions/en/

7. Data Access and Third-Party Requests

7.1 Third parties requesting access to bulk PANORAMA Solution datasets must submit a formal data request, including:

  • Purpose or intended use of the data.
  • Intended scope and beneficiaries.
  • Commitment to non-commercial application unless otherwise approved.
  • Data/Solution retention period
  • Data transfer restrictions and data protection measures in line with the standards of the Operator and GDPR requirements.

7.2. Requests shall be made to contact@panorama.solutions 

7.3. The Operator will assess each request and may grant access under specified licensing terms (e.g., Creative Commons BY-NC-SA).

8. Prohibited Use

8.1 The Platform may be used solely for non-commercial and legally permissible purposes.

8.2 The User Content you post does not and will not infringe or violate the rights of any person or entity, including but not limited to: 

  • Privacy rights (the right to control personal information),
  • Publicity rights (the right to control the use of one’s name, image, or likeness),
  • Copyrights (ownership of creative works such as text, images, videos, or music),
  • Trademarks (ownership of brand names, logos, or distinctive signs),
  • Contractual rights (rights granted under a contract), or
  • Any other legal rights of third parties.

8.3. Specifically, content of the following kind is prohibited and may not be published on the platform:

  • content that may infringe third-party rights, particularly copyrights, ancillary copyrights, name and trademark rights, property rights and the general right to privacy
  • content that is pornographic, obscene, sexist, defamatory, libellous, racist or offensive to minority or religious groups
  • discrimination, defamation or insults
  • Content and Solutions that violate IUCN’s Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) — particularly the Standard on Involuntary Resettlement and Access Restrictions — including those promoting involuntary resettlement or land acquisition.
  • false claims, abusive criticism, injurious falsehoods or slander
  • advertising, including canvassing for a party
  • Political mobilisation/endorsement, protest or boycott calls of any kind
  • Unauthorised advertising
  • private data of other Users or other third parties, including members (e.g. address, telephone number, bank details)
  • links to websites with unlawful content.

8.4 User activities designed to hinder the functionality of the platform or make it unable to function are not permitted. In particular, measures that can influence the physical and logical structure of the platform are banned. Moreover, when posting his/her own content on the platform and when communicating with other Users (e.g. by sending personal messages or taking part in discussions through the commenting of solutions), the User is not permitted to carry out the following activities, regardless of whether or not they constitute a violation of the law:

  • spreading malicious software, viruses, Trojans and other harmful files
  • sending junk or spam emails and chain letters
  • harassing other Users, e.g. by repeatedly contacting them personally without or despite a reaction from the other User and encouraging/supporting harassment of this kind.

8.5 IUCN as the Operator reserves the right to monitor, detect, and prevent the use of any software, including artificial intelligence (AI) tools, bots, scripts, or other automated programs that may interfere with or disrupt the fair and proper functioning of the PANORAMA Platform. By using the Platform, the User agrees not to use any such AI software, automated tools, or processes that could give the User an unfair advantage or compromise the integrity of the Platform.

9. Liability of the User

9.1 The User shall indemnify the Operator against all claims, including claims for damages, asserted by other Users or other third parties due to an infringement of their rights by the content posted on the Platform by the User concerned. The User shall assume all reasonable costs incurred by the Operator due to an infringement of third-party rights, including the costs for the necessary legal defence. The aforementioned obligations of the User do not apply if the User is not responsible for the infringement concerned. Insofar as a User recognises an infringement through a contribution, the user has posted or has reason to believe that it constitutes an infringement, the user is obliged to notify the Operator without delay.

9.2 The User is obliged to provide the Operator with all the information and documents required for legal defence against third parties.

10. Liability of the Operator

10.1 The Operator is not liable for damage incurred by the User arising from use of the information provided on the Platform or from accessing or downloading data or installing or using downloaded software. This disclaimer does not apply to claims for damages due to injury to life, body or health or claims for damages arising from the violation of material contractual obligations. Material contractual obligations are those that must be fulfilled to achieve the objective of the agreement. The disclaimer also does not apply to liability for damage arising from intentional or grossly negligent violation of obligations by the Operator, its legal representatives or vicarious agents.

10.2 Some of the content available on the Platform is provided by the Operator, and some by other Users or third parties including PANORAMA Partners in forms such as news articles, reports, webinars etc. Content provided by Users or other third parties is referred to hereinafter jointly as ‘Third-Party Content’. The Operator does not check Third-Party Content to ensure that it is complete, correct and lawful and therefore does not accept any responsibility or provide any guarantee for the completeness, accuracy, legality and up-to-datedness of Third-Party Content. This also applies to the quality of Third-Party Content and its suitability for a particular purpose and to Third-Party Content on linked external websites.

11. Termination, blocking and Content Removal

11.1 The Operator is entitled to terminate the licence agreement without notice at any time and without stating reasons.

11.2 After the termination has taken effect, the Operator is entitled to block access by the User and to irretrievably delete all data created in connection with use of the services upon expiry of any statutory time limits for retaining data. For technical reasons, due to the data stored in the cache, the User’s data may still be available for a short period after the User’s account has been deleted. The Operator reserves the right to store personal data in individual cases in order to settle disputes and to prevent Users excluded pursuant to this section from registering again and cannot be held legally liable for any action taken in this context 

11.3 In the event of an infringement of these Terms of Use, or if there is sufficient reason to suspect such an infringement, or if it has another justified interest, the Operator is entitled to block access by the User temporarily or permanently with immediate effect.   The Operator disclaims all liability for any legal claims that may arise in connection with such actions. The Operator shall inform the User by email about the block and in the event of a temporary block also about the reactivation. Insofar as further information is required to assess the material facts or the legal position, the Operator shall call on the User to make a statement. Permanently blocked access cannot be restored. Permanently blocked users are not permitted to register again using other Access Data or to use the portal in any other way.

12.  Data Protection and Privacy

12.1 User personal or other sensitive data obtained during registration and Solution publication on the Platform and use of the services available (‘Personal Data’) are only collected, stored and processed by the Operator to the extent that this is necessary to perform the contractual services and is permitted by statutory regulations or required by law. The Operator shall collect and treat Personal Data confidentially and in accordance with the IUCN Privacy Policy and the provisions of the applicable data protection law including GDPR and shall not disclose it to third parties. Such consent shall be provided during the registration process to become a PANORAMA Solution Provider by selecting the appropriate checkbox.

12.2 If a User decides to delete their account or request anonymisation of their personal data, IUCN may retain and use de-identified (anonymous) data for statistical analysis, Platform improvement, planning, or other legitimate purposes. For more details on how we process your personal data and your rights, please refer to the IUCN Privacy Policy.

12.3 The Platform uses cookies to personalise and improve the User’s experience. Cookies are small text files placed on a User’s device by a web server. They cannot run programs or deliver viruses and are uniquely assigned to each User. Cookies help the Platform recognise returning Users and enhance user experience by remembering preferences and login information. Users can choose to accept or decline cookies through their browser settings. While most browsers accept cookies automatically, Users may modify settings to refuse cookies; however, declining cookies may limit the functionality of some features of the Platform

12.4 IUCN does not sell, rent, or lease any User or customer data to third parties.

13. Change of Operator

13.1 The Operator of the Platform reserves the right to transfer its rights and obligations as the Operator of the Platform to a different operator. By registering on the Platform, the User agrees that his/her rights and obligations as a User of the Platform may be transferred to a different operator without the User’s prior notice insofar as they are not changed to the detriment of the User.

13.2 If the operator of the Platform changes, the new Operator is not a ‘Third Party’ as defined in these Terms of Use. By registering, the User agrees to the transmission of all the Personal Data that he/she provides during registration and use of the services available.

14. Minors

14.1. The PANORAMA Platform is intended for users aged 18 and above. If you are under 18 years of age, you must obtain permission from your parent or legal guardian before providing any personal information (such as your name, address, email address, or other contact details) on the Platform or to anyone over the internet. We strongly encourage parents and guardians to be actively involved in their children's online activities and to monitor and guide their use of the Platform and related services.

15. External Content Disclaimer - Third-Party Links and Resources

15.1 The PANORAMA Platform may contain links to external websites for your convenience. These links are provided solely for ease of reference and should not be interpreted as an endorsement, approval, or recommendation of the content, views, or services found on those external sites. While IUCN takes reasonable care when including such links, we do not have control over the content, accuracy, or availability of those external websites, nor over any changes that may occur after the link is posted. It is the User’s responsibility to assess and determine the accuracy, reliability, and relevance of any information found on linked external websites. IUCN accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of such external links.

16. PANORAMA Solution Reviewers

16.1 Role of Solution Reviewers

Solution Reviewers are individuals designated by IUCN and its PANORAMA partners to review and provide feedback on Solutions submitted to the platform. Their role is to ensure that each Solution meets the platform’s quality assurance standards and criteria, adheres to the PANORAMA methodology, and aligns with the values and thematic focus areas of the platform.

16.2 Reviewer Conduct

Reviewers are expected to:

  • Evaluate submissions fairly, objectively, and without bias.
  • Provide constructive, respectful, and relevant feedback to Solution Providers.
  • Maintain confidentiality regarding unpublished content or internal platform processes and also sign necessary confidentiality agreements.
  • Refrain from using any proprietary or sensitive information from reviewed solutions for personal or organisational gain.

16.3 Conflict of Interest

Reviewers must declare any actual or perceived conflicts of interest prior to reviewing a Solution by notifying in written form, the relevant Community Coordinator. This includes (but is not limited to) cases where the Reviewer has contributed to the Solution, is affiliated with the submitting organisation, or stands to benefit from the publication of the solution. In such cases, the Solution will be reassigned to another reviewer by the relevant Community Coordinator (s), officials responsible for the day-to-day running of PANORAMA Communities. 

16.4 Use of Reviewer Comments

Feedback provided by Reviewers may be shared with the Solution Provider as part of the review process. Reviewer names and affiliations may be disclosed unless anonymity is requested and agreed upon.

The Operator reserves the right to moderate or withhold reviewer comments that do not align with the Platform’s tone or objectives.

16.5 Intellectual Property

Reviewers may not reproduce, publish, or share content from Solutions they review unless such content is publicly available under a Creative Commons license or with the explicit consent of the content owner (i.e. the Solution Provider). All reviewed content remains the intellectual property of the Solution Provider.

16.6 Disclaimer and Removal

Serving as a Reviewer does not constitute a legal or commercial relationship with IUCN or its partners. The Operator reserves the right to withdraw reviewer status from individuals who do not comply with these Terms of Use, PANORAMA quality assurance standards or the general values of the PANORAMA initiative.

17. Governing law, Disputes and Place of Jurisdiction

17.1 Any disputes, controversies or claims emanating from these Terms of Use shall be settled by mutual agreement between the Operator and the User.

17.2 That notwithstanding, if the Operator and the User are unable to reach an amicable agreement or settlement, the disputes, claim or controversy shall be resolved by the competent courts of Lausanne, Switzerland. For the clarity and for the purposes of this Terms of Use, this agreement is governed by the laws applicable in Switzerland.

  Should you have any questions or require clarification regarding these Terms of Use, please direct your correspondence to: contact@panorama.solutions