Press release | 16 Oct, 2014
Governments still behind on commitments to avert biodiversity crisis
Pyeongchang, Republic of South Korea, 17 October 2014 – Despite increasing recognition of the biodiversity crisis and its impacts on human well-being, the scale of the government response is far from commensurate with the magnitude of the calamity, says IUCN, International Union for Conservation…
Press release | 13 Oct, 2014
Inger Andersen named IUCN Director General
IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, announced today the appointment of Inger Andersen as the new Director General of the Union starting in January 2015.
Story | 05 Oct, 2014
Global targets set for failure?
Twenty targets designed to tackle the extinction crisis and restore the earth’s natural capital by 2020 were agreed on by most of the world’s governments at a meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Japan in 2010. Latest data, however, shows that many of those targets will not…
Press release | 23 Sep, 2014
More nations commit to fight climate change by restoring forests
New York, 23 September 2014 – World leaders announced new pledges to restore over 30 million hectares of degraded forest lands today at the UN Climate Summit in New York. The commitments come from Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, and Uganda, among others, and more than…
Story | 10 Sep, 2014
A good news story unfolds for mantas and sharks
What did it take to get here? And what will it take to go further? asks Isabel Ender, Conservation Strategy Manager with the Manta Trust, an SOS Grantee.
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 | 15 Jul, 2014
Call for nominations for the Multidisciplinary Expert Panel of IPBES
IPBES has issued a call for nominations for the Multidisciplinary Expert Panel (MEP) for the three-year term 2015–2017, replacing the current interim MEP. The MEP is an important body as it is responsible for overseeing the…
Story | 09 Jul, 2014
Natural World Heritage reaches 228 sites, including 19 ‘in danger’
Delegates from over 100 governments met last month in Doha during the 38th World Heritage Committee meeting to take decisions on new and existing World Heritage sites. As usual, IUCN experts were there to give advice on natural World Heritage and the action needed to assure its conservation. The…
Press release | 21 Jun, 2014
Iconic Okavango Delta becomes 1,000th World Heritage site
Doha, Qatar, 22 June 2014 (IUCN) – Botswana’s Okavango Delta, one of the most iconic natural areas on the planet, has been listed as 1,000th World Heritage site today. The decision follows the recommendation of IUCN, UNESCO’s advisory body on nature.
Story | 18 Jun, 2014
IUCN welcomes emphatic ‘no’ to extractives in World Heritage
Following IUCN’s advice, the World Heritage Committee has sent a strong message to oil and gas and other extractive industries not to operate in World Heritage sites. The message came during discussions about World Heritage sites in Danger, including Africa’s iconic Virunga National Park, at the…