On the ground
Drylands mustn't go to waste
How can we manage something that we can’t measure? The value of drylands is often overlooked and yet they are a crucial source of income and other benefits for millions of people worldwide, as well as for the environment. IUCN works to ensure that dryland resources are valued, recognized and taken into account by decision makers. …
24 May 2010 | News story
What’s in it for me? Engaging local communities in conservation
Edmund Barrow, Regional Forest Advisor from IUCN’s Forest Conservation Programme in Africa, is based in Nairobi but supports the Forest Programme across the whole continent. Engagement with local communities is a very important part of his work. Here he talks about the challenges that this entails and how conservation work can bring real-life benefits both to people and to the environment. …
21 May 2010 | Audio
High seas biodiversity - high on the Nairobi agenda
The open oceans and deep seas represent 95% of the global biosphere. They play an important role in regulating the Earth’s climate and are home to a major part of the world’s biodiversity, containing some of the most productive ecosystems, vast natural resources, unique habitats and unknown species. However, mounting pressures from intensifying human use, climate change and ocean acidification threaten to undermine these ecosystems’ biodiversity, balance and resilience. …
09 May 2010 | News story
The curious case of the Caucasus
The Caucasus is one of 34 global biodiversity hotspots. The impressive diversity of plants and animals that can only be found in this region makes it a globally important place for biodiversity conservation. But climate change and unsustainable use of natural resources, such as poaching, illegal logging or overfishing are growing threats to this unique mosaic of life. IUCN’s Southern Caucasus office, together with active participation of national governments, its eight member organizations and communities, has taken up the challenge to protect it. …
02 May 2010 | News story
Shark meat? Have a sardine!
Shark-finning - slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the body at sea - is an unsustainable practice that is threatening shark populations in West Africa, pushing them to the edge of extinction. By supporting the withdrawal of women from shark meat processing and teaching them how to process more abundant fish species, an IUCN’s project is providing long-term benefits to both local livelihoods and marine biodiversity in West Africa. …
02 May 2010 | News story
Let the foxes fly
In eastern Madagascar, the Madagascan Flying Fox (Pteropus rufus) is hunted for bush meat and its habitat is threatened by agriculture and forest fires. IUCN’s community-based project in the area has succeeded in engaging local communities in protecting the species. …
02 May 2010 | News story
People and nature - living in harmony
Preserving and developing villages and farmlands in a sustainable way is just as important for biodiversity and human well-being, as is the conservation of wilderness. But to achieve this, we need to build a sound, harmonious and long-lasting relationship with nature. …
06 Feb 2010 | News story
