Press release | 19 Nov, 2015
A global re-assessment of polar bears highlights loss of sea ice habitat due to climate warming as the single most important threat to the long-term survival of the species, according to the latest update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ released today by IUCN, International Union for…
Story | 15 Nov, 2015
Report calls on aluminium industry to respect indigenous peoples' rights
Geneva, Switzerland, 16 November 2015 – While global demand for the world’s most popular metal – aluminium – continues to rise, it is critical that the aluminium industry address its environmental and social impacts, particularly in indigenous peoples’ territories, according to new report…
Story | 03 Nov, 2015
IUCN and UNESCO explore how World Heritage can protect the high seas
Watch this video to learn why IUCN has joined forces with UNESCO’s Marine World Heritage Programme to explore how the World Heritage Convention could protect the high seas.
Story | 23 Sep, 2015
Sustainable Development Goals recognise role of business
The United Nations' new development agenda presents a historic opportunity for the private sector to actively participate in addressing the world’s global challenges, and building a more inclusive and sustainable society.
Story | 08 Sep, 2015
World Heritage status for wilderness helps respond to climate change
Nature experts, including several IUCN specialists, are calling for a new approach to conserving wilderness areas under the World Heritage Convention in a paper published today in Conservation Letters. Inscribing wilderness sites on the World Heritage List and improving their connectivity…
Story | 06 Sep, 2015
The pros and cons of biodiversity offsets
Protecting forests and restoring wetlands are some of the actions companies and governments are taking to make up for biodiversity lost as a result of their development activities. These measurable conservation actions - designed to compensate for unavoidable impacts, on top of prevention and…
Story | 07 Jul, 2015
Kishore Rao’s 40-year journey through protected areas and World Heritage
As the 39th World Heritage Committee concludes, Kishore Rao steps down for retirement after having headed UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre for over four years. With a background in nature conservation, he has worked on the World Heritage Convention from the perspectives of its secretariat, its…
Story | 07 Jul, 2015
A new chapter begins for the IUCN Green List of Protected Areas
Recognizing success provides inspiration and constructive feedback. Through the IUCN Green List of Protected Areas (GLPA), IUCN is seeking to provide an innovative tool for managers and protected area systems to assess and monitor PA values, identify existing possibilities to improve performance…
Press release | 02 Jul, 2015
Jamaica’s first World Heritage listing ups the number of natural sites to 229
The Blue and John Crow Mountains has become Jamaica’s first World Heritage site today, following advice from IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, responsible for evaluating the site’s natural values. Extensions of South Africa’s Cape Floral Region Protected Areas and Viet…
Press release | 24 Jun, 2015
Climate change and dams threaten natural World Heritage, warns IUCN
Climate change and large dam projects are putting natural World Heritage sites at risk, says IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, the official advisory body on nature to UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, meeting this Sunday in Bonn, Germany.