Story | 19 Dec, 2013
Travel around the most beautiful places on Earth, for free!
This holiday season, IUCN's World Heritage Programme is offering you a trip around Earth’s natural wonders. Discover the locations of 222 natural World Heritage sites across the planet; let yourself be transported by 3D simulation, and inspired by some amazing photos.
Story | 05 Dec, 2013
Plight of the Polar Bear gets high-level attention
The range states of the Polar Bear – Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States – today signed a landmark declaration that will strengthen measures to conserve this iconic animal which is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.
Story | 15 Nov, 2013
Registration now open for the IUCN World Parks Congress 2014
Registration is now open for the IUCN World Parks Congress (WPC), the landmark global forum on protected areas held every 10 years. The event takes place in Sydney, Australia 12-19 November 2014, with the theme 'Parks, people, planet: inspiring solutions' designed to help deliver IUCN’s three…
Press release | 23 Oct, 2013
World nearing 3% of ocean protection
Marseille, France, 24 October 2013 – Marine protected areas now cover 2.8% of the global ocean – an area larger than Europe – according to the official map released today based on data provided by the World Database on Protected Areas, run by IUCN and the United Nations Environment Programme (…
Story | 22 Oct, 2013
Thirty one new Hope Spots - places that are critical to the health of the ocean - were announced yesterday by renowned oceanographer and IUCN Patron Sylvia Earle, a global initiative of the Sylvia Earle Alliance “Mission Blue” and IUCN, with the aim to scale up the marine protection necessary…
Story | 21 Oct, 2013
Are oceans a universal value? IUCN identifies gaps in marine World Heritage
Marseille, 22 October 2013 - A new IUCN report identifying gaps in marine World Heritage was launched today at the 3rd International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC). The study provides a road map to ensure the World Heritage Convention reflects the diversity of marine ecosystems…
Press release | 16 Oct, 2013
Biggest zone closed to fishing announced
Two high-seas areas in the Southern Indian Ocean have been added to the network of zones that are closed to deepwater trawling by a fishing industry group, making it the largest such enclosure in the world – IUCN and the Southern Indian Ocean Deepwater Fishers Association (SIODFA) announced…
Press release | 03 Oct, 2013
Major step towards Asian Rhino Recovery
At a meeting of the five Asian Rhino range states - Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Nepal - a common action plan was agreed today with the aim of increasing the populations of Asian Rhino species by at least 3% annually by 2020.
Story | 01 Oct, 2013
$5 million for the largest and deepest UNESCO World Heritage Site
Currently the largest marine protected area in the Pacific Ocean, Phoenix Islands Protected Area has received a $5-million investment to support its long-term viability and management.
Press release | 17 Sep, 2013
Action to tackle Southeast Asia’s Extinction Crisis
Southeast Asia hosts a high proportion of the world’s uniquely diverse fauna and flora, but key threats in the region such as habitat loss, hunting and trade continue to drive much of its wildlife towards extinction. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ reveals a worrying concentration of…