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 | 14 Dec, 2016
Update on global statistics from Protected Planet Report 2016
The latest update to the Protected Planet Report 2016 shows that there are now just under 15,000 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) spread across 18.5 million square kilometres of ocean and sea. Up to 13% of territorial waters are now protected, and dramatic progress has been made towards achieving…
Story | 17 Nov, 2016
Safety net: climate change response and recovery in northern Panay, Philippines
Typhoon Haiyan wrought destruction in the Philippines exactly three years ago, in November 2013. The island communities of northern Panay were particularly hard-hit. Recovery efforts relied heavily on coastal resources, and especially on fish for subsistence survival, yet boats, nets and other…
Publication | 2016
Marine protected areas and climate change
The ocean is a major player in the regulation of the world’s climate system. The purpose of the report is to provide information to underpin the outcomes of COP21 and in particular to demonstrate the importance of the role of MPAs in climate change adaptation and mitigation. To do this the…
Story | 07 Nov, 2016
World Commission on Protected Areas - Marine: making a big splash for the future of our ocean
The 2014 World Parks Congress in Sydney saw a significant scaling-up of recognition of ocean issues by IUCN, WCPA-Marine and partners. Since then, much has taken place behind the scenes to expand WCPA-Marine action areas,whilst strengthening existing programmes, membership services and…
Publication | 2016
Explaining ocean warming : causes, scale, effects and consequences
Ocean warming may well turn out to be the greatest hidden challenge of our generation. This report represents the most comprehensive review to date on ocean warming. To build up the report, leading scientists from around the world were invited to join with colleagues to contribute individual…
Story | 28 Jun, 2016
The tourist-proof region of Cerbère-Banyuls
Cerbère-Banyuls Natural Marine Reserve is located on the Catalan coast of Southern France in Languedoc-Roussillon in the Midi-Pyrénées. It’s a small area, taking up 6.5 km of coastal waters, and covering just 650 hectares overall. It was founded in 1974 as the first Natural Marine Reserve in…
Story | 22 Jun, 2016
New Publication: Framework for Assessing and Improving Law for Sustainability
Despite a proliferation of legal instruments related to the environment, environmental challenges such as ecosystem degradation, climate change and species loss continue to accelerate. At local, national and global scales, environmental legal systems are not consistently achieving the goals for…
Story | 14 Apr, 2016
Exposing illegal trade in elephant tusks
Following a seizure of ivory, a suspected illegal trader has been sentenced to imprisonment. Paul de Ornellas of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a grantee with IUCN’s SOS initiative, explains how ZSL helped expose the crime.
Story | 04 Mar, 2016
Getting SMART about tackling wildlife crime on the frontline.
With illegal wildlife trade being a core issue of the upcoming IUCN World Conservation Congress 2016, the role and value of SMART conservation software is pertinent. Marking World Wildlife Day March 3 2016, we travel to the Okapi Faunal Reserve in Democratic Republic of Congo to learn more about…