Story | 07 Jun, 2019
Azerbaijan brings regional restoration commitments to 3 million hectares
Azerbaijan announced it will restore 170,000 ha of degraded lands by 2030 - and an additional 100,000 ha conditional upon receiving funding - under the Bonn Challenge. The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring 150 million ha of degraded and deforested land into restoration by 2020 and 350…
Story | 10 Dec, 2018
Forest Landscape Restoration in Caucasus and Central Asia
Forest loss, land degradation and decline in ecosystems services is growing across the Caucasus and Central Asia region, resulting in loss of the biological and economic productivity of the land, decreases in environmental benefits, and a substantial negative impact on national economies. Yet,…
Story | 19 Nov, 2018
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as well as WildArk – A Movement for the Wild are thrilled to announce the winners of the inaugural Pathfinder Award for innovation in nature conservation. The…
Story | 06 Jul, 2018
The first Bonn Challenge Regional Ministerial Roundtable for the Caucasus and Central Asia was a massive success with several countries in the region pledging to bring 2.5 million hectares into restoration.
Story | 14 Feb, 2018
Azerbaijan to create the first Marine Protected Area in the Caspian Sea
Azerbaijan is upgrading and expanding the Gizilaghaj State Reserve to become a National Park and will include the first Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Caspian Sea, the largest inland body of water on the planet. The new MPA will seek to protect six significant marine species on the brink of…
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 | 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…