Blog | 09 Jun, 2017
Blog: Connecting to people connected to nature
I pulled my phone out of my pocket to find a new message: I was out of service and increased data charges would apply. For the next six days, contact with the outside world would be limited to late evenings in the guest house: freedom.
Story | 09 Jun, 2017
Is the tide turning for oceans?
This opinion editorial, authored by Aban Marker Kabraji, Regional Director for IUCN Asia, highlights how establishing marine protected areas could be a key means of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and curbing climate impacts.
DG Statement | 07 Jun, 2017
IUCN Director General's statement on World Oceans Day
Where did life on Earth begin? The fact is, no one really knows. Charles Darwin imagined a “warm little pond”, while some scientists today speculate about tide pools and hot springs. Increasingly, however, scientists are narrowing in on one hypothesis: that life began around a deep sea…
Story | 30 May, 2017
Tanguar Haor: A wetland in the hands of the people
After almost a century of exclusive ownership by wealthy elites, Tanguar Haor is finally back in the hands of the people who rely on it. A 10-year initiative of the government of Bangladesh, supported by IUCN and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, has recently drawn to a close.…
Story | 25 May, 2017
International Day for Biodiversity: Nature-based tourism integrated plan needed for Bangladesh
A well-managed ecosystem provides an important foundation for many aspects of tourism. Tourism revenue, in turn, can contribute to the maintenance, protection and conservation of key wildlife populations – which is why the theme of this year’s International Day of Biodiversity (IDB), announced…
Story | 21 May, 2017
Banning vs. legalise and regulate in forest management
Two years ago, on a field survey in Bac Kan Province in Viet Nam, we heard about a farmer who needed 30 stamps to get a permit to harvest a single Styrax tonkinensis tree that was growing on his land. Even though the tree was on land that was designated as plantation forest and the farmer had a…
Story | 10 Mar, 2017
Ecosystem services for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction – a ‘win-win’ approach
Nadi, Fiji, 10 March 2017 (IUCN) – The increasing incidence and severity of disasters are leaving more people vulnerable each year. The Oceania region is particularly prone to disasters with cyclones, floods, droughts and other natural hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis causing widespread…
Story | 02 Mar, 2017
The building blocks of pledging to the Bonn Challenge – Cameroon’s story
Cameroon recently announced a 12 million hectare restoration pledge to the Bonn Challenge by 2030 – the largest thus far from Central Africa. The question arises, how do countries decide to commit? What is the groundwork that goes into it? We look closer at Cameroon’s experience.
Story | 31 Jan, 2017
IUCN and DMCR collaboration continues to strengthen
After a year of strategic cooperation between the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) Thailand and IUCN Thailand, a meeting was held on 26 December, 2016 at the DMCR office in Bangkok to discuss the progress of the collaboration and provide updates on IUCN-led marine and coastal…
Story | 12 Dec, 2016
Value we see in trees: innovation and the exchange of ideas
Innovation is a key to improving the rights and livelihoods of farmers and small land holders while encouraging them to plant trees and effectively restore landscapes. During a regional knowledge exchange in Thailand, the Tree Bank offered one such innovation.