Story | 17 Feb, 2017
In an invitation dated 1 February, 2017, Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli (Director, UN/DOALOS) calls for delegations to communicate the names of their representatives for the 3rd Session of the Preparatory Committee established by General Assembly resolution 69/292: Development of an international…
Story | 08 Feb, 2017
In January 2017, Antonio H. Benjamin became the first Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law to ever visit Vietnam. WCEL membership has great potential to grow and the IUCN Vietnam Country Office in Hanoi provides great opportunities for increased cooperation. Additionally, the…
Story | 08 Feb, 2017
In January 2017, WCEL Chair Antonio Benjamin made a 10-day visit to India. With the support of the Brazilian Mission to India, Justice Benjamin met with leading judicial and environmental institutes, and individuals in three cities: Mumbai, New Delhi, and Chennai. India is one of 17 megadiverse…
Story | 12 Jan, 2017
In Memoriam: Dr. Wolfgang E. Burhenne
IN MEMORIAM
Dr. Wolfgang E. Burhenne
(April 27, 1924 – January 6, 2017)
On January 6, 2017, a cold winter’s day in Germany, under clear blue sky with bright sunshine, Wolfgang E. Burhenne’s life ended,…
Story | 03 Oct, 2016
Blog: 'Can’t see the water for the trees?' By James Dalton et al.
Originally published in Global Water Forum, Monday 3 October 2016. To maximise downstream water quantity, you remove vegetation – all of it, including the trees. To counter rising carbon dioxide levels, you plant trees – lots of them. How should we do both?
Story | 08 Jul, 2016
Judges Establish the Global Judicial Institute for the Environment
Coinciding with the 1st IUCN World Environmental Law Congress, judges from 15 different countries gathered in Brazil in April 2016 for the inauguration of the Global Judicial Institute for the Environment (GJIE). On April 23-24, 2016, judges and other environmental law experts came together to…
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…
Story | 01 Feb, 2016
World Wetlands Day: Wetlands & Sustainable Livelihoods
Each year, 2 February marks World Wetlands Day, to celebrate our planet’s wetlands but also to draw attention to the challenges that their degradation brings.