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 | 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…
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.
Story | 08 Jun, 2015
To have healthy oceans we need healthy marine wildlife
According to the United Nations, World Oceans Day is about a healthy planet being based on healthy oceans – so true and in so many ways! The ecological pressures on Earth’s oceans are as diverse and daunting as the storms that can roll across its blue horizons. But there is hope rolling in the…
Story | 14 May, 2015
IUCN recommends action for natural World Heritage in danger
Key recommendations by IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, on new and threatened natural World Heritage sites are released today ahead of the World Heritage Committee meeting which takes place in Bonn, Germany from 28 June to 8 July. IUCN recommends that Colombia’s Los…
Story | 11 Mar, 2015
Mangroves pivotal to protection of Bengal communities
A study has revealed that rice croplands which are protected by mangroves provide a stronger resistance to cyclones and therefore help support human lives in countries affected by tropical weather conditions.
Story | 11 Mar, 2015
Vietnam beauty spot learns to tame the beast
As the Vietnamese city of Hoi An boldly declared its vision to become an eco-city by 2030, locals - who have long feared for the future of nearby Cham Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA) - breathed a huge sigh of relief secure in the knowledge that every effort would be made to preserve this…
Story | 18 Jan, 2015
IUCN World Heritage Panel meets to discuss proposed new listings for 2015
The IUCN World Heritage Panel met in December to examine the nominations submitted for possible World Heritage listing in 2015. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee will convene in June and IUCN will provide its recommendations on natural sites.
Story | 15 Dec, 2014
Adapt or die: lessons from Vulture Conservation in South Asia
For SOS Grantee Ananya Mukherjee, switching from dipstick technology to GPS-enabled bird-tagging was a classic case of adaptive management. Indeed it was one that allowed the larger vulture conservation project to continue working towards its objective: creating three effective Vulture Safe…