Story | 29 Sep, 2017
IMPAC4: bringing people and the ocean together
The Fourth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC4) in Chile brought together more than 1,000 participants from 80 countries around the world. The congress theme was “Marine Protected Areas: Bringing people and the ocean together,” focusing on the need to highlight the intricate…
Blog | 07 Sep, 2017
Exploring ‘Other Effective’ Forms of Coastal and Marine Conservation
By Harry Jonas and Dan Laffoley
Story | 07 Sep, 2017
Global shift in Marine Protected Area analysis and reporting
The UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and IUCN have launched the Marine Protected Planet Interactive - the world’s most authoritative and ambitious platform for information about ocean protection. As of September 2017, Marine Protected Areas cover 6.35% of the ocean…
Story | 29 Jun, 2017
Iroise, the jewel of France's west coast
The Iroise Marine Nature Park, the first marine protected area in France, achieved IUCN Green List status in 2014. It was created in 2007 off the coast of Finistère between the islands of Ushant, Molène and Sein and the coasts of Crozon headland and Douarnenez, and protection for 350,000…
Story | 07 Mar, 2017
IUCN and Sakhalin Energy renew their commitment to protect western gray whales
An independent scientific panel created to protect critically endangered western gray whales in the Russian Far East will continue to monitor activities and provide recommendations to industry in the region for the next five years, according to IUCN.
Story | 23 Feb, 2017
Canada protects unique glass sponge reefs
The conservation community is celebrating a new marine protected area (MPA) for Canada’s ancient and unique glass sponge reefs, which provide a vital habitat to a wide range of marine animals including endangered rockfish. The designation came about through the tireless work of The Canadian…
Story | 17 Feb, 2017
Efforts to save western gray whales featured on Marine Mammals Day in Russia
On the eve of World Day of Marine Mammal Protection (Whales Day) in Russia, IUCN, WWF and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) released the Russian version of a joint report that examines how an IUCN-led independent scientific panel has contributed to the protection of the western…
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 | 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…
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?