Latest news from the International Union for Conservation of Nature
News
New prescription needed for medicinal plants
Medicinal plants are valuable species: they provide income and healthcare to thousands of people around the world. Greater numbers of people rely on traditional medicine, mostly based on herbs, for their primary healthcare than ‘conventional’ or western medicine. But 15,000 species of medicinal plants are globally threatened from, amongst others, loss of habitat, overexploitation, invasive species and pollution. …
18 May 2010 | International news release
Oil, risk and technology: the choices we need to make
This opinion article by Dr. William Jackson, IUCN Deputy Director General, is published in the BBC's Green Room at this address http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8689201.stm …
18 May 2010 | News story
0 Comments | Write a comment
Saving biodiversity isn't rocket science
The best possible science needs to be available to governments and policy makers as they strive to find solutions to the biodiversity crisis. Independent, credible scientific advice delivered in a relevant and readily usable way for decision making is the key to effective policies. …
17 May 2010 | International news release
Celebrating the International Year of Biodiversity
IUCN Sri Lanka Office and the Sri Lanka Ministry of Environment held a celebratory event with the media and IUCN Members on the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) on 5 May, 2010 at Sri Lanka Foundation Institute in
07 May 2010 | News story
0 Comments | Write a comment
Governments to debate planet "bailout"
Never has the world faced a more pressing crisis than the current loss of biodiversity, which affects every man, woman and child. The gap between the pressure on our natural resources and governments’ response to the deterioration is widening. IUCN is calling for governments to come up with a “bailout plan,” a 10-year strategy that will help countries halt and reverse this loss. …
06 May 2010 | International news release
IUCN deeply concerned at the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
IUCN expresses deep concern at the continuing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the blowout of the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform. …
03 May 2010 | News story
Finland joins as a new IUCN framework partner
On 29 April 2010, IUCN signed a two-year Framework Agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. A signing ceremony took place between Mr Pasi Hellman, Deputy Director General, Department for Development Policy and IUCN’s Director General, Julia Marton-Lefèvre, in Helsinki, Finland. …
30 Apr 2010 | News story
Traditional knowledge key to conserving biodiversity
Climate change, unsustainable development and biodiversity loss are mounting threats to life on earth and human societies. Throughout the ages, local communities have developed knowledge and tools for survival and adaptation to their environment. But as indigenous cultures, local languages and practices are eroded, so is our civilization’s resilience to new environmental challenges. …
12 Apr 2010 | News story
Mangrove forests in worldwide decline
More than one in six mangrove species worldwide are in danger of extinction due to coastal development and other factors, including climate change, logging and agriculture, according to the first-ever global assessment on the conservation status of mangroves for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. …
09 Apr 2010 | International news release
Scientists call for biodiversity barometer
For the first time scientists have put a figure on how much it would cost to learn about the conservation status of millions of species, some of which have yet to be identified. The price tag is US$60 million, according to a team of scientists, including those from IUCN and Conservation International, who presented their case in this week’s Science magazine in an article called “The Barometer of Life.” … | Spanish
08 Apr 2010 | International news release
