Story | 10 Jun, 2016
Wildlife trade and dams putting natural World Heritage at risk – IUCN
Natural World Heritage sites face major threats, such as commercial logging, poaching, gillnet fishing and dams, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In its recommendations to the World Heritage Committee, which meets in July, IUCN has advised that three…
Story | 07 Jun, 2016
Yellow sea, moving towards Marine Eco-civilization: A field visit to Nantong Municipality, China
“Over the past 50 years, losses of up to 51% of coastal wetlands (including marshes) have occurred in China, 40% in Japan, 60% in the Republic of Korea, and more than 70% in Singapore.”
Story | 02 Jun, 2016
IUCN Oceania represented at the first World Environment Law Congress
Brazil played host to the first World Environmental Law Congress. The event, which took place in the Supreme Court of the State of Rio de Janeiro from 27 to 29 April 2016, was well attended by environmental lawyers and members of the judiciary from around the world.
Story | 31 May, 2016
Wildlife crime fighting in Tanzania
"It is high time now that we come together and fight for this ... for ourselves and for our future .... it is upon us, the investigators, the prosecutors and the judiciary, to work together and to make this enemy stop" said Batilda Stephen Mushi, State Attorney at the Director of Public…
Story | 30 May, 2016
IUCN recommends five World Heritage listings
IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, recommends World Heritage status for five sites nominated for their outstanding natural values. The advisory body on natural World Heritage, IUCN also recommends action against major threats in listed natural sites and danger-listing for two…
Story | 22 May, 2016
Key hotspots of species loss and water risks identified in new transboundary river basins report
On 22 May the global community marks ‘International Biodiversity Day’, celebrating the variety of life on earth. Yet, extinction risks range from moderate to very high in 70% of transboundary river basins, according to a new study: Transboundary River Basins: Status and Trends. Climate change,…
Story | 13 May, 2016
A day in the life of an eco-guard in Cameroon
Daily challenges abound for Stéphane Marel Madjaye, one of the dedicated guards who protect the forest elephants, western lowland gorillas, pangolins and other wildlife in the Dja Biosphere Reserve from poachers – writes Paul de Ornellas of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a grantee with…
Story | 14 Apr, 2016
Exposing illegal trade in elephant tusks
Following a seizure of ivory, a suspected illegal trader has been sentenced to imprisonment. Paul de Ornellas of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a grantee with IUCN’s SOS initiative, explains how ZSL helped expose the crime.
Story | 12 Apr, 2016
UN takes significant step towards a new treaty to conserve marine life beyond boundaries
New York, April 8, 2016. In response to mounting concerns about declines in ocean health, States at the United Nations (UN) delivered some good news last week. The first of four two-week UN Preparatory Committee sessions concluded on a positive note on Friday April 8, 2016 by identifying key…
Story | 22 Mar, 2016
World Water Day - Blog: 'Why investing in natural water infrastructure will pay off'
By Renat Heuberger, CEO of the South Pole Group, and Mark Smith, Director of the IUCN Global Water Programme. Why did a group of bankers and fund managers spend an afternoon in a Zurich café talking about nature? For opportunity and innovation