Story | 21 Dec, 2017
Nature-based Solutions for flood prevention in SEE
A three-day practical workshop on “Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Flood Prevention in South-Eastern Europe”, organized jointly by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the International Union for Conservation of…
Story | 21 Nov, 2017
EU Court orders Poland to stop Białowieża logging or face €100,000 daily fine
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ordered Poland to cease logging in the ancient Białowieża forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or face a possible fine of at least €100,000 per day. The Polish Ministry of the Environment has argued that the logging is necessary to counter a…
Story | 24 Jul, 2017
Places of extraordinary natural value inscribed as World Heritage
UNESCO's 41st session of the World Heritage Committee took place in Kraków, Poland from 2 to 12 July 2017. Four natural wonders that have been inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2017 followed the advice of the IUCN’s advisory body on nature to the World Heritage Committee. Two new…
Press release | 05 Jul, 2017
Kraków, Poland, 05 July 2017 (IUCN) – The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has adopted a decision today urging Poland to immediately halt all logging and wood extraction in the old-growth forests of Białowieża. The decision follows the advice of the International Union for Conservation of Nature…
Press release | 30 Jun, 2017
Gland, Switzerland, 30 June 2017 (IUCN) – Illegal fishing, logging and poaching are impacting two-thirds of the 57 natural World Heritage sites monitored by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) this year, putting some of the world’s most precious and unique ecosystems and…
Story | 26 Jan, 2017
World Wetlands Day: Strengthening resilience and collaboration to reduce disaster risk
On February 2nd the world celebrates its wetlands – complex ecosystems that provide a wide variety of services and benefits for people and nature. Wetlands such as estuaries, mangroves, marshes, and swamps play, beyond their biological role, a key part in helping people cope with disasters. Yet…
Story | 04 Sep, 2016
Meet the Heritage Hero voted by the public – Bibhuti Lahkar
The public has spoken, choosing Bibhuti Lahkar as the people’s choice Heritage Hero, for his dedication to the conservation of India’s Manas Wildlife Sanctuary. The result of last week’s online voting was announced at the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawai‘i, USA.
Story | 15 Jul, 2016
Poland to report on impacts of felling in Bialowieza Forest in 2017, as advised by IUCN
The World Heritage Committee has requested Poland to submit, by February 2017, an evaluation of impacts of forest management within Bialowieza Forest, known for its undisturbed ecological processes. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) noted yesterday at UNESCO’s annual…
Story | 22 Jun, 2016
An IUCN advisory mission was invited by the State Party of Poland to the Białowieża Forest this month to develop recommendations regarding how the recently adopted amendments to the Forest Management Plan for the Białowieża Forest District relate to the needs for protection of the…
Story | 10 Jun, 2016
Wildlife trade and dams putting natural World Heritage at risk – IUCN
Natural World Heritage sites face major threats, such as commercial logging, poaching, gillnet fishing and dams, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In its recommendations to the World Heritage Committee, which meets in July, IUCN has advised that three…