Oceans cover 70% of the Earth’s surface and support an extraordinarily diverse world. Only a fraction of it has been discovered so far and much of ocean life remains a mystery which IUCN experts are striving to unveil.
It is estimated that more than 1 million species live on coral reefs alone, and as many as 10 million in the deep seas.
The threats facing the marine environment are numerous and complex yet less than 1% of the oceans are protected.
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What's new?
The future we want - preparing for Rio+20
Preparations are gearing up for the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development that takes place in June, with the release of the so-called ‘zero draft’ of the conference’s outcome document. … | Spanish
31 Jan 2012 | News story
IUCN advice on EU-OCT cooperation on environment and climate change
On 23 January 2012, IUCN provided expert advice on environment, climate change and EU-OCT cooperation to the leaders of the EU Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs). The leaders gathered for their annual OCT Association (OCTA) Ministerial Conference in preparation for the 10th OCT-EU Forum, which will conclude today in Brussels. …
26 Jan 2012 | News story
More recognition needed for Blue Carbon’s role in curbing climate change
The critical role of coastal ecosystem management in curbing climate change and the need to fully integrate it in climate change and biodiversity policies were the focus of the “Blue Carbon – Managing coastal ecosystems for climate change mitigation” symposium that took place in the European Parliament in Brussels yesterday. …
13 Jan 2012 | News story
