Press release | 28 Jul, 2014
Eating pangolins to extinction
The enigmatic pangolin, or scaly anteater, is literally being eaten out of existence according to the latest update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, which shows that all eight species are now threatened with extinction.
Story | 28 Jul, 2014
World Tiger Day - New hope despite the numbers?
It is a curious thing that there are more tigers in captivity than in the wild right now as we mark World Tiger Day. According to estimates as few as 3000 roam the wilds of the 13 tiger range countries of Asia. That’s a big area and a very low number. In fact we have lost 97% of all wild tigers…
Story | 28 Jul, 2014
Rising murder toll of park rangers calls for tougher laws
With poachers responsible for more than half of ranger deaths over the past two years, IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the International Ranger Federation (IRF) call for a toughened stance against wildlife crime globally, marking World Ranger Day celebrated across…
Story | 09 Jul, 2014
SOS Marine: Collaboration key to saving Bangladesh’s cetaceans from gillnets
The lives of Bangladesh's fishermen and its coastal cetaceans are intertwined. Regarded as their brethren at sea, fishermen often lament the death of these top predators through entanglement in gillnets. Finding mutually beneficial solutions, Brian Smith and colleague Rubaiyat Mowgli Mansur,…
Press release | 26 May, 2014
Bangkok, Thailand: A new portfolio of grants to protect the highly threatened biodiversity of the Indo-Burma region was announced today by IUCN and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) to mark International Biodiversity Day on May 22, 2014.
Story | 20 Mar, 2014
Supporting our forest guardians
Almost exactly a year ago, on the 14th of March 2013, 33-year old Thaweesak Chomyong, a ranger working in Thailand’s Pang Sida National Park was fatally shot when a group of poachers fired upon his patrol team before fleeing the scene. This was not an isolated incident. The neighbouring Thap Lan…
Story | 23 Feb, 2014
(Un)protected Areas: Rosewood Poaching in Thailand’s Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai World Heritage Site
The Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex encompasses some of the most pristine forests and wildlife habitats in Thailand and is globally important for its biodiversity; that is why it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. However, in recent years, the four national parks and…
Story | 04 Feb, 2014
Entrepreneurship for World Heritage in Africa: sign up to the workshop
The African World Heritage Fund (AWHF), in partnership with the Centre for Heritage Development in Africa (CHDA) and Ecole du Patrimoine Africain (EPA), launch the call for applications for the training workshops on entrepreneurship.
Press release | 02 Feb, 2014
IUCN welcomes Total’s ‘no-go’ commitment in World Heritage sites
Oil and gas company Total has confirmed that it will not carry out extractive operations within natural World Heritage sites, including Virunga National Park. IUCN welcomes this decision and calls on all oil and gas companies to follow suit.
Press release | 02 Dec, 2013
As delegates gather to discuss the plight of the African Elephant at a summit convened by the Government of Botswana and IUCN, new analyses released today find that if poaching rates are sustained at current levels, Africa is likely to lose a fifth of its elephants in the next 10 years.