Press release | 09 Mar, 2012
Worrying declines for world’s seabirds
The status of the world’s seabirds has deteriorated rapidly over recent decades and several species and populations are now perilously close to extinction, according to a new review by BirdLife International, a partner of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Across the globe, commercial…
Story | 27 Feb, 2012
Identifying Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas on Seamounts
Seamounts are major topographic features on the high seas and form distinctive habitats in areas that would otherwise be dominated by sedimentary plains (Clark et al. 2010). They are typified by biota that is distinct from species in surrounding sedimentary areas and can be extremely vulnerable…
Press release | 23 Feb, 2012
Twelve percent of marine species in tropical eastern Pacific threatened
Twelve percent of marine species surveyed in the Gulf of California, the coasts of Panama and Costa Rica and the five offshore oceanic islands and archipelagos in the tropical eastern Pacific are threatened with extinction, according to a study by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of…
Story | 08 Jan, 2012
Endangered whales are crossing the Pacific
Two female western gray whales, Agent and Varvara, left the coast of Russia late last year and are now half-way across the Gulf of Alaska. For the second consecutive year, an international team of scientists successfully tagged endangered whales off Sakhalin Island and the team is now tracking…
Story | 08 Jan, 2012
IUCN and Sakhalin Energy continue joint efforts to protect whales
IUCN, whale experts and Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (Sakhalin Energy) are starting a second 5-year phase (2012-2016) of joint collaboration to protect the endangered population of western gray whales. Through this collaboration, a credible mechanism has been created in the last 5 years to…
Story | 31 Dec, 2011
Setting gold standards for conservation
An important role of the IUCN Congress is to showcase the knowledge and tools we can use to better manage our natural world. As well as being a world leader on species and their conservation needs, IUCN offers the expertise needed to establish and sustainably manage our protected areas—national…
Story | 18 Dec, 2011
IPBES Forum: One for all, all for one
Are you eager to be engaged in shaping an Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and defining its goals? Do you want to bring your knowledge and experience to the attention of governments and other decision makers? Here is your chance. The…
Press release | 13 Dec, 2011
Saving Nemo: charisma is not enough
If conservation action is not taken, there may come a time when no one will be able to find Nemo. One in every six species related to characters in the movie Finding Nemo is threatened by extinction, according to a new study by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and Simon…
Story | 27 Nov, 2011
More than 180,000 protected areas—national parks, nature reserves and so on—now cover over 12% of the world’s land area and 7.2% of coastal waters. They play an important role in reducing carbon emissions and helping people adapt to the impacts of climate change. These are the findings of a…
Press release | 22 Nov, 2011
European Environment: alarming decline in plants, molluscs and freshwater fish
Europe's natural heritage is showing an alarming decline, according to new research published today. The European Red List, a part of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, assessed a considerable portion of Europe’s native fauna and flora, finding that a large proportion of molluscs,…