Blog | 14 Jul, 2017
Blog: Restoring forests for the future of Himalayan mountain communities
Driving along the winding hill roads of the Indian state of Uttarakhand from Dehra Dun to Pithoragarh, one cannot fail to be impressed by the magnificent Himalayan scenery. The forests and mountains of the Himalayas have been tremendous assets to Uttarakhand, shaping the daily life and…
Story | 30 Jun, 2017
Advancing Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction into Sustainable Development
Ecosystems Protecting Infrastructure and Community (EPIC), funded by the German government’s BMU’s International Climate Initiative (ICI), aims to document the role of – and improve – ecosystem management for disaster risk reduction (DRR). This concept is also referred to as Ecosystem-based…
Story | 26 Jun, 2017
New tools to assess vulnerability of wetlands in the Mekong
From June 19 to 21, IUCN staff, partners, and local officials from the Xe Champhone and Beung Kiat Ngong Ramsar sites in Lao PDR gathered in Champhone District for a training on the use of a new series of tools to assess the vulnerability of the areas’ wetlands. The…
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.
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 | 06 Jun, 2017
Saving the world’s rarest primates by involving indigenous communities
A community-based conservation programme in northeastern Viet Nam is actively involving indigenous communities in Ha Giang and Cao Bang Province to protect the habitats of two Critically Endangered primates, the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus) and…
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 | 16 May, 2017
Conserving wetlands in Myanmar: Gulf of Mottama is Myanmar’s fourth Ramsar site
Myanmar is home to an extraordinary diversity of wetlands, which include mountainous wetlands; large freshwater marshes and lakes; and coastal mangroves, mudflats and coral reefs. These ecosystems support fisheries, provide clean water, store carbon and protect local people from the impacts of…
Story | 04 May, 2017
Working together to build MPAs for long-term marine resources management
Our oceans, coasts and wetlands are crucial for our survival. Mangrove forests, for example, sequester massive amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and protect coastal communities from cyclone storm surges, while coastal wetlands and coral reefs provide breeding and nesting grounds for…