Story | 11 Aug, 2020
UN Desertification and Drought Day is celebrated on 17 June each year. The year of 2020 focuses on changing public attitudes to the leading driver of desertification and land degradation: humanity’s relentless production and consumption, under the…
Story | 10 Aug, 2020
An ocean hero dedicated to vaquita conservation succumbs to COVID-19
IUCN is deeply saddened by the loss of Mexican conservationist Paco Valverde, who dedicated his life to protect the vaquita – the world’s smallest porpoise and most threatened marine mammal. Paco was regarded as an ocean hero who inspired his community to care for the marine environment on which…
Story | 05 Aug, 2020
The IUCN SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force (“the Task Force”) today announces the approval of thirteen new Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) in the Extended Southern Ocean Region.
Story | 17 Jul, 2020
Blue carbon and more: mangroves as superheroes
Mangrove forests and swamps are nature's superheroes, a vital ecosystem for climate mitigation, adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and many other benefits for humans and animals alike. On this International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem 2020, we present an interactive…
Story | 07 Jul, 2020
Sensitive, committed, willing to innovate and create new ways of carrying out surveillance, restoration, monitoring and firefighting. This is how the director of the Bala’an K’aax Flora and Fauna Protected Area describes one of the community…
Story | 30 Jun, 2020
Building ambition for the High Seas Treaty: June IUCN webinar series. What did you miss?
The goal of the three sessions was for all to better understand the UN Treaty on the Conservation and Sustainable use of Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (the High Seas Treaty), to address potential points of divergence, and to build ambition for the …
Story | 22 May, 2020
Réunion National Park, a World Heritage Site hosting new discoveries
Established in 2007, the Réunion National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010 as "Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island". This was based on 2 criteria - exceptional landscape and biodiversity. This makes it France's first overseas national park to benefit from this…
Story | 13 May, 2020
Blue Finance builds an alliance to monetise and more effectively protect Marine Protected Areas
A key obstacle to effectively managing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is a lack of economic resources, but at the Oriental Mindoro MPA in the Philippines, a consortium of dedicated partners is turning one of the world`s most productive ecosystems…
IUCN Statement | 30 Apr, 2020
IUCN deplores the brutal killing of 17 people in Virunga National Park
IUCN is deeply shocked by the tragic loss of 12 park rangers, a staff driver and four civilians close to Virunga National Park, following an attack by armed militia on 24 April. One of the world’s most biodiversity-rich areas and home to the last remaining mountain gorillas, Virunga is Africa’s…
IUCN Statement | 22 Apr, 2020
IUCN’s advice to the World Heritage Committee following the COVID-19 pandemic
UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre has recently announced the postponement to a later date of the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The timing of release of IUCN’s recommendations to the World Heritage Committee will be set by UNESCO, which is currently…