Few occasions rival the circumstances experienced in a refugee situation. At the same time, overcrowded refugee camps often have an immediate effect on the surrounding environment. The urgent need for building materials, wood for cooking and heat fuel, natural remedies for sickness and food for precious livestock all have direct consequences on forests and woodlands in particular.

With high demands for timber around the globe, can we be optimistic about the future of our forests? IUCN says yes.Forty-two countries in Europe, Asia and North America and the European Commission have taken a major step forward on curbing illegal logging in the Europe and North Asia (ENA) region.

The parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change must keep global warming below 2° Celsius, says the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The consensus of international conservation organisations is that if temperatures rise above 2° Celsius from pre-industrial levels, massive species extinctions and dramatic changes in ecosystems will have severe consequences for human wellbeing.

Biodiversity and ecosystem services of dry and sub-humid lands are critical contributions to sustainable livelihoods and poverty alleviation. This is one of the main messages of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) to the 11th meeting of the technical body (SBSTTA) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), compiled in an IUCN Position Paper.

The World Conservation Union urges the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to follow the World Conservation Congress Recommendation on the Extractive Industries. The IFC - the private sector arm of the World Bank Group – is in the process of updating its Environmental and Social Safeguard Policies, involving IUCN and other organizations in a consultation process. IUCN has now published its comments on the final policy draft.

Waqf Fund, a new tool for resourcing conservation by utilising and harnessing culture and local knowledge was presented to the 3rd International Islamic Banking and Finance Conference, organised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Dr. Odeh Al-Jayyousi, Director of the IUCN Regional Office for West/Central Asia and North Africa. Philanthropic Waqf aims at supporting the poor by developing activities such as libraries, education and microfinance in addition to conservation projects.

An agreement aimed at boosting the fortunes of Africa’s ‘forgotten’ elephants takes centre stage today at an international wildlife meeting at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Twelve countries in West Africa, home to the region’s last remaining populations of elephants, are signing a treaty under the UNEP-linked Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

France and the World Conservation Union today signed a 4-year framework agreement. From 2005 to 2008, France will provide support to a shared programme of work totalling € 8.3 million, promoting conservation mainly in the francophone world. “With this partnership, France and IUCN commit to work together on the management of natural resources which will help conserve biodiversity, restore ecosystem services and fight poverty in the world,” said Achim Steiner, Director General of IUCN at the signing ceremony.

Planète Mers, a new coffee table book about the beauty and fragility of the world’s seas, has been awarded the Palme d’Or (gold medal) at the 32nd Festival of Underwater Imagery. Co-produced by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Editions Lafon and l’Oeil d’Andromède, the French book contains stunning underwater photography by marine photographer Laurent Ballesta, and informative accounts of threats to marine biodiversity.

In a statement delivered on 14 November to the UN General Assembly in New York, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) welcomed international commitments to expand funding for poverty reduction in the context of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, IUCN warned governments that failing to address key conservation issues will hamper achievement of the agreed goals and may further aggravate rural poverty.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) agreed to develop a new series of joint activities in Saudi Arabia. Proposed joint projects are the development of a “Waqf Fund” and the “100 Arabic Books on Conservation”, aiming to strengthen IUCN’s regional support to the environment in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world.

The new book Transboundary Conservation: A New Vision for Protected Areas provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive assessment of the world’s internationally-adjoining protected areas (IAPAs). Its stunning photographs and cutting-edge information illustrate the breathtaking beauty and critical importance of those protected areas which cross political and geographical borders.

During his visit to Oman’s capital Muscat, Achim Steiner, Director General of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) met with key officials in the Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment and Water Resources to initiate the next phase in IUCN’s support to Oman’s National Biodiversity Action Plan and review potential collaborative initiatives related to IUCN-WESCANA work.

The entire European Green Belt, an ecological network from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea along the route of the former Iron Curtain, will be mapped in 2006. The so-called ‘European Mapping Project' was developed at the first meeting of the South-Eastern European stakeholders of the European Greenbelt in Novi Sad, Serbia and Montenegro.

The President of Uganda challenged international environmental organizations in his address on the threats to wetlands in Uganda at the 9th Conference of Parties to the Ramsar Convention. “The fourth greatest threat to the degradation of wetlands are international environmental NGOs”, said President Yoweri Museveni.

You have a project on land degradation in the pipeline and need funding for it? A “short and sweet” guide, launched by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Environment Programme and other partners aims to provide step-by-step directions for accessing GEF funds for projects preventing and controlling land degradation.

A new manual on forest landscape restoration jointly launched today by ITTO and IUCN will help field practitioners in the tropics to undertake forest restoration activities that both improve the ecological functioning of landscapes and benefit communities living in those landscapes.

Combating illegal logging and associated trade requires strong National Action Plans.This is the message business leaders and civil society are advocating during the 22-25 November St. Petersburg Ministerial Conference on Europe and North Asia Forest Law Enforcement and Governance.

Majorca, Ibiza, Sicily, Crete, Malta – for many, these islands conjure up images of dream holiday destinations. But the natural beauty that draws thousands of visitors to these islands every year is being fast eroded. Many of the close to 25,000 Mediterranean native plants that make the region one of the world’s 34 biodiversity ‘hotspots’ are disappearing.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands today starts its 9th Conference of Parties (CoP) in Kampala, Uganda, against evidence of accelerating loss and degradation of wetlands around the world. This is shown by the Wetlands Synthesis Report of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA), which will be released at the CoP this week.

The Guidelines for Applying the Precautionary Principle to Biodiversity Conservation and Natural Resource Management (NRM) are now available. These Guidelines, currently under review by the IUCN Council, aim to inform and assist decision-makers, policy-makers and managers in interpreting and applying the precautionary principle.

IUCN delivered two statements to the UN General Assembly this week. The first statement, on trade, called for an early conclusion of the Doha round of trade talks that will enable trade to be an equitable tool for both development and conservation. The second statement called for mainstreaming environmental sustainability in poverty programmes, urgent action on climate change, and a successful replenishment of the Global Environment Facility.

The worst earthquake in Pakistan’s history has killed an estimated 58,000 people, wounded another 77,000 and spread devastation over nearly 30,000 square kilometers, as well as leaving at least 3.5 million people homeless. The World Conservation Union (IUCN), WWF and CARE International warn now that many more people may die unless aid organizations address the environmental hazards resulting from the quake.

Combating desertification to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and moving from awareness raising to the implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) are the two main elements of the new vision for the convention. The challenge for the UNCCD Secretariat will be to implement this new vision with a budget reduced by 30%.

The spread of avian influenza points to the urgent need to tackle the underlying causes of all shared animal-human diseases, rather than reacting exclusively to the current epidemic, says the World Conservation Union (IUCN).