Story | 31 Jul, 2015
UNESCO’s Fact Finding Mission to the Chitwan National Park and the World Natural Heritage Site
The Government of Nepal has been planning for several infrastructure development projects in the lowland Terai of Nepal. Among several projects, the East-West Electric Railway and Postal Road projects are reported to have been designed to pass through the Chitwan National Park (CNP), which is –…
Story | 07 Jul, 2015
Kishore Rao’s 40-year journey through protected areas and World Heritage
As the 39th World Heritage Committee concludes, Kishore Rao steps down for retirement after having headed UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre for over four years. With a background in nature conservation, he has worked on the World Heritage Convention from the perspectives of its secretariat, its…
Story | 07 Jul, 2015
A new chapter begins for the IUCN Green List of Protected Areas
Recognizing success provides inspiration and constructive feedback. Through the IUCN Green List of Protected Areas (GLPA), IUCN is seeking to provide an innovative tool for managers and protected area systems to assess and monitor PA values, identify existing possibilities to improve performance…
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…
Story | 01 Jul, 2015
Benefits of Mae Wong Dam unlikely to outweigh environmental costs, IUCN report says
A new IUCN report suggests that the construction of a dam within Mae Wong National Park may negatively impact both the integrity and 'Outstanding Universal Value' of the Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries, Thailand’s first Natural World…
Press release | 30 Jun, 2015
IUCN advice to keep close watch on Great Barrier Reef fully backed
Bonn, Germany, 1 July 2015 (IUCN) – IUCN’s advice to continue close monitoring of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef was adopted in full today at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting taking place in Bonn, Germany.
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 | 23 Jun, 2015
Forest landscape restoration is more than planting trees - three case studies from the United States
Three short stories of landscape restoration in the western United States show that restoration can mean a lot more than just planting trees. Sometimes it means cutting trees, setting fires, and unleashing destructive rodents. Perhaps we'd better explain.
Press release | 22 Jun, 2015
Conservation successes overshadowed by more species declines – IUCN Red List update
Successful conservation action has boosted the populations of the Iberian Lynx and the Guadalupe Fur Seal, while the African Golden Cat, the New Zealand Sea Lion and the Lion are facing increasing threats to their survival, according to the latest update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened…
Story | 18 Jun, 2015
A major step towards a legally-binding deal for the high seas
Another significant step towards improved protection and management of the high seas was achieved today as UN Member States formally adopted a resolution for the development of legal measures to conserve marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction.