Story | 05 Aug, 2020
The IUCN SSC/WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force (“the Task Force”) today announces the approval of thirteen new Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) in the Extended Southern Ocean Region.
Story | 31 Jul, 2020
The cloud-forested slopes and misty valleys of the Imawbum mountain range are the ancestral home of the Lhaovo, Lisu, Achang and Lachik communities. Twenty-four villages, interconnected by steep pathways and tracks, support nearly 1,600 households. The communities have a vibrant and diverse…
Story | 31 Jul, 2020
The world’s rangers play a vital, but often undervalued role in managing protected and conserved areas, cultural sites and biodiversity. Without them, we would see more deforestation, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. Many rangers also protect the resources of people whose lives and…
Story | 31 Jul, 2020
Global Tiger Day 2020: India adopts CA|TS standards across all 50 tiger reserves
This announcement means India is the first among the 13 tiger range countries to nationally adopt CA|TS, which are a set of minimum standards setting the benchmark for managing conservation sites. This brings India’s total number of registered sites to 94 (which includes sites not in tiger…
Story | 31 Jul, 2020
The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Africa’s protected areas operations and programmes
The measures taken to prevent or control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic introduced challenges in the management of Africa’s protected areas (PAs) that had never been experienced before. As a result, most operations were scaled down or suspended, visitor facilities closed to the public,…
Story | 30 Jul, 2020
A ranger’s job is more multifaceted than it may appear from the outside looking in. Each day can be different than the previous — mainly because the assignments are so wide-ranging, and, in part, because rangers never know what type of conditions might come their way. Duties can include tour…
Story | 17 Jul, 2020
Blue carbon and more: mangroves as superheroes
Mangrove forests and swamps are nature's superheroes, a vital ecosystem for climate mitigation, adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and many other benefits for humans and animals alike. On this International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem 2020, we present an interactive…
Story | 07 Jul, 2020
Pioneering efforts come to fruition as Global Guidelines for Connectivity Conservation released
The WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group has completed the first ever global guidelines for advancing best practices to protect the interconnections of protected and conserved areas, and restore degraded or fragmented ecosystems.
Story | 06 Jul, 2020
Deep-sea mining effects may be felt from top to bottom, surface to seabed
Seabed mining effects will probably not be confined to the sea floor, argues a Proceedings of the National Academy (PNAS) journal article from the University of Hawaii, co-authored by IUCN's High Seas Adviser, Kristina Gjerde. The effects will be…
Story | 02 Jul, 2020
#NatureForAll: The sounds of nature
We know that connecting with nature offers many health benefits, from releasing stress to improved mental and physical health. But more and more, we are realizing that simply listening to the sounds of nature can also have similar benefits.