Story | 21 Nov, 2017
EU Court orders Poland to stop Białowieża logging or face €100,000 daily fine
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ordered Poland to cease logging in the ancient Białowieża forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or face a possible fine of at least €100,000 per day. The Polish Ministry of the Environment has argued that the logging is necessary to counter a…
Press release | 05 Jul, 2017
Kraków, Poland, 05 July 2017 (IUCN) – The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has adopted a decision today urging Poland to immediately halt all logging and wood extraction in the old-growth forests of Białowieża. The decision follows the advice of the International Union for Conservation of Nature…
Story | 15 May, 2017
During the weekend of Earth Day 2017 celebrations, over 80 individuals gathered in a four-day Forum and launched the BalkaNatureNet, set up to become a transnational meeting point for all individuals working in the fields of nature conservation and education for sustainable development (ESD) in…
Story | 22 Nov, 2016
Representatives of 54 countries met in Hanoi, Viet Nam, from 17-18 November for the Hanoi conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade, the third conference of its kind after London (2014) and Kasane (2015). The goal of the conference was to eradicate illegal wildlife trade, and to ensure effective…
Story | 15 Jul, 2016
Poland to report on impacts of felling in Bialowieza Forest in 2017, as advised by IUCN
The World Heritage Committee has requested Poland to submit, by February 2017, an evaluation of impacts of forest management within Bialowieza Forest, known for its undisturbed ecological processes. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) noted yesterday at UNESCO’s annual…
Story | 22 Jun, 2016
An IUCN advisory mission was invited by the State Party of Poland to the Białowieża Forest this month to develop recommendations regarding how the recently adopted amendments to the Forest Management Plan for the Białowieża Forest District relate to the needs for protection of the…
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…