The World Conservation Union today signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) to promote the conservation of nature and the equitable and ecologically sustainable use of natural resources. The ceremony took place at the RSCN headquarters at Jubieha, Amman.

The draft negotiating text for the 2005 World Summit, released on 22 July, shows major improvements in recognising the role of the environment in development. Nonetheless, there remains scope to further improve the document and, to that end, IUCN releases a position paper with suggested changes.

Tales of Water - A Child’s View tells the exciting story of the many challenges facing water management through the eyes of children. This multimedia project is coordinated and managed by The World Conservation Union and undertaken by the Tales of Water Foundation. It focuses on rural children living in river basins in Jordan, Tanzania, the Mekong Basin, the Niger Basin, and Mexico/Guatemala.

Le Président de l’Union mondiale pour la nature Valli Moosa, a visité l’Afrique de l’Ouest du 11 au 16 juillet. Au cours de son périple au Sénégal et au Mali, il a eu des séances intensives de travail avec des personnalités de haut rang et avec les membres de l’Union. Pour sa première visite dans les régions depuis son élection à la Présidence en novembre 2004, M. Moosa a lancé un appel en faveur de la gestion des ressources marines et côtières et un autre pour le financement des programmes de Gestion Intégrée des Ressources en Eau en Afrique de l’Ouest.

Climate change is rapidly joining habitat destruction as a major conservation problem and will be a key factor driving species towards extinction in the coming century. For this reason, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Climate Change Task Force and Red List Programme are studying ways to incorporate climate change impacts into the IUCN Red List Criteria for assessing individual species’ extinction risk.

The IUCN Regional Office for West/Central Asia and North Africa in Amman is preparing its regional strategy to incorporate gender equity and poverty alleviation into its conservation programmes. According to Odeh Al Jayousi, the Regional Director of IUCN WESCANA, “in the struggle to conserve biodiversity we have to ensure that we also help address issues of poverty alleviation and gender equity. The poor have most to gain from conservation and efficient use of scarce resources.”

“Has sustainability in the international development policy discourse been mainstreamed or has it been relegated to being a significant issue of marginal concern?” asked Achim Steiner, Director General of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), during his speech at the hearing on the EU Development Policy and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the European Parliament, yesterday in Brussels.

Based on the technical evaluation reports of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), eight new natural World Heritage sites were designated today, 14 July 2005, by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, meeting in Durban, South Africa.

A recent study indicates that at least 33% of IUCN members work on climate change and energy. Over the next few weeks IUCN will verify the desk survey and identify ways to link these active members with ongoing IUCN initiatives. To help communicate climate change activities at IUCN, a new website has been launched this week.

Mr Valli Moosa, President of the World Conservation (IUCN), on 14 July 2005 called upon donor agencies to increase financial support for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in West Africa to help countries to develop and/or implement their national IWRM plans.

The World Heritage Committee is considering removing Garamba National Park from the World Heritage List in 2006 if the Northern White Rhino becomes extinct by then. “No rhino, no World Heritage site” was the echoing comment of the World Heritage Committee meeting yesterday, 12 July 2005, during a long and heated debate about the situation of Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Mr Valli Moosa, President of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) calls on West African governments to integrate Marine Protected Areas into fisheries resource planning. The fisheries sector is of vital economic importance for the region; yet, most fish stocks are in decline due to heavy over fishing. Valli Moosa is currently visiting West Africa.

“Destroying our natural heritage would impoverish our souls,” announced Dr. Z. Pallo Jordan, the Minister of Arts and Culture of South Africa at the spectacular opening ceremony of the 29th session of the World Heritage Committee in Durban, South Africa, Sunday evening, “Heritage can be an instrument in our pursuit for peace and stability”.

Marine invasive species are currently recognised as one of the most significant threats to global biodiversity. Each year, 3,000 to 4,000 species are transferred around the world by commercial shipping vessels, one of the main vectors of marine introductions. Approximately 30% of them may have been redistributed in the Mediterranean. A regional programme to respond to the threat is needed.

Coastal and marine areas feature predominantly amongst the natural properties recommended by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) which is the designated technical advisory body to the World Heritage Committee on natural heritage.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Center for International Migration (CIM) will establish a strategic partnership to support secondments to IUCN offices in developing countries around the world.

Former World Conservation Union Director General Dr Kenton Miller has been awarded the Bruno H. Schubert Environment Prize, considered to be the one of the most prestigious awards of its kind in the world. Dr Miller, an American national, was awarded the prize for his lifetime achievements in conservation, particularly his pioneering work in protected area development and management.

In the lead up to the G8 and the MDG + 5 Summits, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) last week held a conference to discuss the linkages between poverty and conservation.

This is the message G8 leaders will wake up to in Scotland this week. With the support of the Varda Group, Young & Rubicam and the International Herald Tribune, the World Conservation Union has published a special sponsored supplement for the G8 Summit on how conservation can help reduce poverty.

The World Conservation Union pushed for the broad recognition of the role of a healthy environment in achieving the Millennium Development Goals at last week's United Nations General Assembly and ECOSOC."The World Conservation Union is keen to ensure even stronger recognition of the important role of a healthy environment in achieving the Millennium Development Goals," said Dr Andrew Deutz.

Two new directors with a wealth of experience and expertise have joined the World Conservation Union’s management team today: Alison Rowles Anobile, Director Global Operations and Gabriel Lopez, Director Global Strategies.

Development and ecosystem management experts shared their experiences on the application of the ecosystem approach to reconstruction and restoration, six months after the tsunami wreaked havoc across the Indian Ocean.

The environment makes a difference in achieving the Millennium Development Goals – that was the message of the World Conservation Union side event, held at the UN in New York. Dr Klaus Töpfer, Director General of UNEP, lauded both publications as timely and important for raising the profile of the environment in the current discussions about achieving the MDGs.