What's New ? - Archives

Below you will find the"What's New?" articles that have appeared previously:

September 6, 2004

Mélanie Desrochers joins IUCN Canada as YCLSF-IISD intern Montreal, Canada

Mélanie Desrochers has just joined the IUCN Canada Office for a six months internship working on Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) and building assets and improving prospects for people and nature through restored forest landscapes. She will also move to IUCN-HQ in Gland (Switzerland) for three months, as of early December. Mélanie’s Conservation and Natural Resource Management expertise will help organize the FLR Global Implementation Workshop, an international event between major FLR partners, to be held in Petropolis (Brazil) in April 2005. This internship is funded by IUCN, IISD – International Institute of Sustainable Development, and Foreign Affairs Canada and International Trade Canada, under the YCLSF Program (Young Canadian Leaders in Sustainable Future).

Mélanie completed a M.Sc. degree in Biogeography at Université de Sherbrooke while doing a GIS/remote sensing habitat conservation project for grizzly bear in Kluane National Park, Yukon. Before that, she graduated with honors at Université de Montréal in Environmental Geography. She as gained much experience with NGO Conservation groups and institutions. She is fluent in French, English and is working on her Spanish.

July 2, 2004

Hala Breich joins IUCN Canada as GIS Intern

Montreal, Canada, 2 July 2004 - Ms. Hala Breich has just joined the IUCN Canada Office for a two months internship working on Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Hala's GIS expertise will help develop a user-friendly interface for a visual and interactive representation of IUCN's projects and membership database. This pilot project falls within IUCN’s strategy relative to knowledge generation and dissemination, seeking to achieve three main objectives: 1- Benefiting from GIS as a user-friendly information sharing tool. 2- Increasing the visibility and use of IUCN's project results by making such information more interactive and accessible. 3- Enhancing networking initiatives by providing interactive membership information.
Hala, who is presently in the process of completing a Graduate Diploma in GIS, holds a Masters' degree in Environment and Urban Planning. She is fluent in French, English and Arabic.

The first phase of the project for scoping and preparation purposes, which involved the visit to Canada from our partners in the Chinese Academy of Science, represented by Dr. Li Wenjun, and the Chinese National Committee for Man and the Biosphere Programme, represented by Professor Han Nianyong, is soon to be followed by a second phase. The latter will be a study tour involving a delegation of 17 Chinese specialists who will be visiting some of the Canadian BR sites. The plans for this second phase are presently under way and implementation is expected to take place early August.

Finally, this second phase will be followed by a visit of a Canadian delegation to China as well as two Canadian training activities involving half a dozen Chinese graduate students and specialists.

March 8, 2004

John Herity becomes new IUCN Canada Office Director

IUCN Director General announces the appointment of John Frederick Herity, most recently Director of the Biodiversity Convention Office in Environment Canada, as Director of the IUCN Canada Office. In his new role, he will be responsible for the overall direction, supervision, co-ordination and monitoring of the IUCN Programme and Business Plan in Canada, and in particular for working with Canadian IUCN membership, the Canadian Committee for IUCN, the Commissions and the major donors, for implementing the IUCN-CIDA framework agreement. He will also represent and communicate IUCN positions and contribute strategic input to IUCN programming and corporate undertakings, including through the Corporate Strategies Group and Senior Management Team. Full Story

February 19, 2004

Mr. Chucri Sayegh joins the IUCN Canada Office as Knowledge Sharing Coordinator

Montreal, Canada, 19 February 2004 - Mr. Chucri Sayegh just joined the IUCN Canada Office as Knowledge Sharing Coordinator. From May to December 2003, Chucri was an intern in the Office, fulfilling the requirements for the Master Degree that he will receive in May from the Université du Québec à Montréal. In addition to Environmental Science, Chucri's academic background includes studies in political science- international relations, finance and management. He is fluent in French, English, Arabic and Spanish.
Full Story

January 27, 2004

IUCN Council admitted 30 organizations and institutions for membership of IUCN

At its 59th Meeting in December 2003, the IUCN Council admitted 30 organizations and institutions for membership of IUCN. Amongst these new members was the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), a public corporation created by the Parliament of Canada in 1970 and directed by Mrs Maureen O'Neil. IDRC, whose collaboration with IUCN goes a long way, helps developing countries use science and knowledge to find practical, long-term solutions to the social, economic, and environmental problems they face. IDRC strives to optimize the creation, adaptation, and ownership of the knowledge that people of developing countries judge to be of the greatest relevance to their own prosperity, security, and equity. Dr Jean Lebel, Director for Environment and Natural Resources Management is our main contact for IDRC. For more information, see the IDRC website http://www.idrc.ca. For the occasion, IUCN welcomed its 1000th member, Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda (GESG) from Mexico.

December1, 2003

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien accepts highest honour for proteced areas

In a ceremony in his Parliament Hill Offices, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien accepted IUCN’s Fred M. Packard International Parks Merit Award yesterday. The award recognises his career-spanning achievements in extending and protecting Canada's world-renowned system of national parks. PM Chrétien created ten new national parks during his tenure as Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, established five new national parks while Prime Minister, and pledged in Johannesburg at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development to complete Canada's national parks system and establish five new national marine conservation areas. “The people of a nation owe much of their identity to the land they are a part of. Canadians, in that respect, owe an enormous debt to a vast land that is rich and diverse and to three great oceans that wash upon our shores,” remarked Prime Minister Chrétien. Full Story

September 17 , 2003

IUCN Awards Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien Highest Honour for Protected Areas

Montreal, Canada, 17 September 2003 (IUCN) – On the closing day of the Vth IUCN World Parks Congress, Congress Secretary-General David Sheppard presented the Fred M. Packard International Parks Merit Award to the Rt. Hon. Jean Chrétien in recognition of his career-spanning achievements in extending and protecting Canada's world-renowned system of national parks. This marks the first time that the award has been presented to a Head of Government.
Full press release

Bruce Amos accepted the Fred Packard Award on behalf on the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister of Canada.
Award Ceremony remarks

September 10 , 2003

12% OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE UNDER DEBATE

Gland, Switzerland and Durban, South Africa, 11 August 2003 (IUCN) - "Protected areas are essential for safeguarding our future," - say Nelson R. Mandela and Her Majesty Queen Noor, Patrons of the Vth IUCN
World Parks Congress, who will open this major forum in the South African city of Durban on 8 September 2003. The Congress is a once in a decade opportunity to take stock of the global protected area estate and define priorities for future action. Full News Release

August 6, 2003

UNESCO study to determine potential boreal forest World Heritage Sites

UNESCO requested that IUCN prepares a study on the potential for boreal forest protected areas to be eventually nominated as World Heritage Sites. The study took place from Alaska to Russia and includes Canada, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The report "The Boreal Forest Study: Finding exceptional protected area sites in the boreal ecozone that could merit World Heritage Status" is a consultation draft, for review at the upcoming Expert Workshop in October 2003. Following the workshop, IUCN will produce a shorter version for presentation to the World Heritage Committee.

An internal agreement has been signed between IUCN’s Programme on Protected Areas (PPA) and IUCN’s Temperate and Boreal Forest Programme (TBFP). The TBFP is working jointly with the PPA, and with IUCN-CIS office in Moscow, who received a grant from UNESCO to held a workshop in October 2003 in Russia. We are presently contacting government representatives and experts in each country and preparing material for the meeting.

June 11, 2003

International Forum on Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health

Close to 300 national and international researchers, decision-makers, and civil society representatives from more than 40 countries, gathered from May 18 to 23, 2003, at the International Forum on Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health, taking place at the Université de Québec à Montréal (UQÀM). The goal of the Forum was to provide a platform for a discussion of the ecosystem approach to human health, the evidence from the field, and the relevance of the approach to improving health and well-being. It offered the opportunity for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and civil society representatives from around the world to share knowledge, and for institutions and policy makers to plan strategies for a way forward.

The Forum was organised by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) whose partnership with IUCN goes back many years. Full story

March 11, 2003

GOOD NEWS FOR THE WORLD'S FORESTS

Ground-breaking projects from the UK, Mexico, Tanzania and Malaysia lauded at the launch of a new forest partnership - Reviving deforested and degraded landscapes so that they benefit local communities is possible if we draw our inspiration from diverse forest restoration success stories around the world. Sharing these on-the-ground examples is the motivation behind a new partnership launched today in Rome by IUCN – The World Conservation Union, WWF, and the United Kingdom Forestry Commission. The initiative – known as the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration – will be a “meeting point” for governments, communities, organizations and others the world over who are engaged or interested in restoration activities that pave the way for sustainable development. The front-runners include indigenous farmers in Mexico, foresters in northern England, Sukuma cattle-herdsmen in Tanzania, oil palm companies and conservationists in Malaysian Borneo, global conservation organizations and governments fulfilling international commitments on forests. Full press release

March 4, 2003

TRANSBOUNDARY PARKS LAUDED FOR PEACE, CONSERVATION BENEFITS

Expanding the global network of transboundary conservation areas (TBCAs) should be a priority for conservationists and governments, according to a group of experts that met last week in Ubon Rachatani, Thailand. TBCAs are designed to protect ecosystems and wildlife regardless of political borders. Moreover, it is becoming increasingly clear that TBCAs do much more than improve biodiversity conservation: they help promote reconciliation in border conflicts, re-unite families and ethnic groups divided by political boundaries, and provide social benefits – such as secure land tenure – to people living in the area. Recognising the potential benefits of TBCAs, the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), IUCN – The World Conservation Union, and the Government of Thailand hosted a workshop to examine ways of improving the effectiveness and expanding the coverage of TBCAs. The workshop brought together about 90 transboundary conservation professionals and decision-makers from 26 countries. Full press release

September 10, 2002

Canada Strengthens Partnership With IUCN

IUCN and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) recently signed a strategic Framework Agreement, the first of its kind, under which CIDA will contribute $5 million to IUCN.

Canadian Minister for International Cooperation, Susan Whelan, also announced that another $5 million will be used to further the work of IUCN's Regional Office for Southern Africa on the Zambezi River wetlands. The first payment will help develop cooperation between CIDA and IUCN. "This institutional partnership will strengthen the strategic relationship between CIDA and IUCN in order to promote sustainable development locally and globally," said IUCN Director General, Achim Steiner. Full Story

August 21, 2002

IUCN adopts an Arctic Strategy

On the basis of guidance provided by more than 40 people and organisations, the IUCN Council recently endorsed a strategy for IUCN’s engagement in the Arctic. The IUCN Arctic Strategy (428KB) takes account of the suggestions received, as well as of IUCN’s overall institutional/ programme priorities, institutional capacity to deliver on commitments and IUCN’s comparative advantage. The strategy follows the adoption by IUCN membership, at the second World Conservation Congress in October 2000, of a resolution recognising the circumpolar Arctic as a priority ecosystem for IUCN and calling for such a strategy.

The IUCN Canada Office has been one of the main contributors to the IUCN Arctic Strategy, and Ms. Thérèse Beaudet will be responsible for coordinating the Secretariat's work on the Arctic, under the IUCN Ecosystem Management Programme. Full story


August 15, 2002

Reuters Foundation and IUCN Launch: The Best Summit Story

Journalists are invited to enter the global environmental journalism competition with a $US5,000 cash prize. Reuters Foundation and IUCN issued the call for nominations for the 2002 Reuters-IUCN Media Awards on August 6. This year's global environmental journalism competition is dubbed "The Best Summit Story" and will focus on the World Summit on Sustainable Development starting in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 26th. The awards, established in 1998, aim at raising global awareness of environmental and sustainable development issues, by encouraging excellence in environmental reporting worldwide.
Press release
Awards web site

May 21, 2002

Environmental Sustainability Guidelines on Mining and Petroleum Extraction Activities in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones

During a two day workshop in Montréal, Canada, On April 11-12, 2002, 19 specialists met to review IUCN's draft Environmental Sustainability Guidelines on Mining and Petroleum Extraction Activities in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones. The finalisation of these Guidelines forms a direct response to instructions received by the IUCN Secretariat in Resolution 2.57 of the Amman Congress, in which members saw such guidelines as a specific contribution by IUCN to the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD). A brief report of the workshop findings is available (MS Word 24 KB). The final version of the Guidelines, revised after the workshop and further consultations with industry, will be published and available here in the coming months.

May 7, 2002

Eye on the Earth Summit 2002

On May 7, 2002, IUCN Canada Office co-sponsored a symposium to debate Canada’s national preparations and international positions for the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). Co-sponsors of the event along with IUCN were: Alternatives, a Montreal based social development NGO; Jour de la Terre – Québec, a joint government/industry effort brought together to energise public response to critical environmental issues; and the McGill University School of the Environment, one of IUCN’s most recent Canadian Members. A Brief Report (MS Word 77.5 KB) of the event is presented here. IUCN's partners in hosting this event have also prepared reports. McGill University's report is available online. Alternatives, has also prepared an online report from their perspective and a 15 minute "Alternatives Radio" audio summary, available for download (MP3 2.4 MB).

April 15, 2002

The International Discourse on the development of the Nile River Basin takes off

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has just signed an agreement with IUCN to support the initiation of the "Nile International Discourse Desk" to facilitate the involvement of civil society in a development planning process for the Nile River Basin. The Nile - the longest river in the world - has a drainage basin of over 3.2 million km2 in north-eastern Africa. It includes ten riparian countries and more than 140 million people. It supplies most of the water for Egypt and Sudan and millions of the inhabitants of north-eastern Africa depend on it for natural resources, fishing, agriculture, irrigation, hydropower and industry. IUCN will facilitate the Discourse Desk in the first instance. The Desk can now take off and begin its work with the people of the Nile. The Desk will include representation from c ivil society from all ten riparian countries of the Nile and involve exchanges, forums and, eventually, a website to ensure that development plans are known to all and involve those who depend on the Nile. For more information contact Geoffrey Howard.
FULL STORY

March 4, 2002

World Parks Congress Patrons Nelson Mandela & Queen Noor

In an exciting development we can announce the agreement of Mr. Nelson Mandela and Her Majesty Queen Noor to act as Patrons for the 2003 World Parks Congress.

Queen Noor, who became Patron of IUCN in 1988, has been a long-time active supporter of the World Conservation Union working hard to help the Union further its Mission. Her Majesty played a prominent role at IUCN’s World Conservation Congress in Amman, Jordan in 2000. Mr. Nelson Mandela, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and first freely elected President of South Africa, will join Queen Noor in Durban. Mr. Mandela is known for his support of environmental issues and in particular protected areas. He is currently the Patron of South Africa’s Peace Parks Foundation showing a special interest in transboundary parks and the contribution that these areas may make toward security.

We are extremely honoured by the support extended by Mr. Mandela and Her Majesty Queen Noor to the World Parks Congress. The integrity and reputation of our two Patrons give the Congress enormous credibility. We look forward to working with them in preparation for Durban.

February 27, 2002

IUCN Councillor bestowed Canada's highest order

IUCN Councillor Huguette Labelle was invested as a Companion in the Order of Canada on Friday, February 22, thus making a promotion within the Order to its highest rank. Established in 1967, the Order recognizes Canadians who have made a difference to their country in various fields of human endeavour. Investiture in the Order is Canada's highest honour for lifetime achievement, and is bestowed by the Governor General of Canada.

"Her extraordinary ability and commitment to public service have been reflected in roles such as Deputy Minister of Transport Canada and President of the Canadian International Development Agency," reads the citation for Labelle in the press release of the Canadian Government. "A woman of action and compassion, she also has a long and diverse record of community service. Educational institutions, health and safety organizations, and international humanitarian and environmental causes have all benefited from her insight and leadership. Chancellor of the University of Ottawa since 1994, she has been recognized with numerous awards for her contributions, which continue to touch people at home and around the globe."

IUCN Director General, Achim Steiner, warmly congratulates Labelle on her investiture. "Throughout your career, you traversed with courage, determination and commitment its challenging stages, while adding to the high reputation of Canada in various fields of activities, and earning recognition from the Canadian government and the development community. Your contribution as IUCN Regional Councillor enabled us to benefit from your inexhaustible energy, your broad-minded approach to humanitarian causes, as well as your leadership and expert vision on the environmental challenges," writes Steiner.
Full story

December 3, 2001

"The Red Book: The Extinction Crisis Face to Face"

The launch of a new book, during a ceremony at the Canadian Museum of Nature led by Environment Minister, David Anderson, highlights a collaboration between industry and science that is working to reverse the extinction crisis by raising awareness of the spectacular and important species the Earth is rapidly losing.

The Red Book: The Extinction Crisis Face to Face produced by CEMEX, one of the world's largest cement companies, in partnership with IUCN - The World Conservation Union, the largest international conservation network, and Agrupación Sierra Madre, a Mexican conservation organization, is a dramatic new tool to communicate the issues surrounding extinction and conservation to broad audiences.
Full Story

December 3, 2001

IUCN Participates in the Arctic Council SDWG Capacity Building Workshop and in the Arctic Council's SAO Meeting in Helsinki and Espoo, Finland

Thérèse Beaudet, Programme Officer in IUCN Canada, co-ordinating the development of the IUCN Arctic Strategy, represented IUCN at two back-to-back events in Finland at the beginning of November. On November 1-2, she attended the Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) Capacity Building Workshop whose goal was to prepare a Capacity Building Strategy for implementation by the Arctic Council. She was joined on November 5-7 for the SDWG and Senior Arctic Officials (SAO) meetings by Vladimir Moshkalo, Executive Director of the Moscow Office, and Dr. Janet Hohn, Senior Conservation Advisor of the US Office.
See Full Story (Word, 21 kB).

December 3, 2001

UPDATE: "Death Wish" Articles by IUCN/Reuters Media Award Winner Alanna Mitchell now available

The series of four articles by IUCN/Reuters Media Award winner, Alanna Mitchell, under the general title Death Wish, which were originally published in the Toronto Globe and Mail, are now available for downloading with the permission of the author and publisher. This compilation, in Adobe PDF format (160 kB), also includes a number of companion piece articles which amplify upon the topics of the four articles. Articles by award winners from the other regions covered by the IUCN/Reuters Media Awards may be viewed on the IUCN dedicated web pages.

November 27, 2001

IUCN report calls for stronger ocean international governance

Improvements in international ocean governance are necessary to deal with fisheries depletion and deteriorating marine conditions, especially due to pollution, concludes a new IUCN report, released today in Montréal at the Intergovernmental Review meetings of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities.

"Our oceans are slowly dying, and the instruments of governance are inadequate to stop it. There is more information, know-how, and resources to curtail adverse marine impacts, but no solution will stick without improvements in governance", says Lee Kimball, author of International Ocean Governance: Using International Law and Organizations to Manage Marine Resources Sustainably.

The full press release is available here (Word 91 kB). Copies of a brief explanatory Flyer (324 kB), the Executive Summary (722 kB) and the Book (971 kB) in PDF format may be downloaded, or copies of the paper version and CD-ROM may be purchased from IUCN's Publication Office, the World Conservation Bookstore.

November 7, 2001

IUCN Canada welcomes four new members

At its regular semi-annual meeting, Oct. 29-31, IUCN Council ratified the membership applications of four Canadian organisations:

REGION THREE - NORTH AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Category B c) - National Non-Governmental Organizations

Coastal Zone Canada Association (CZCA)
Institut des Sciences de l'environnement, Université du Québec à Montréal [Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Quebec in Montreal]
McGill School of Environment (MSE)

Category C e) - Affiliates

Yukon Department of Renewable Resources

Please join us in offering a warm welcome to these new members to the Canadian family of IUCN. With these welcome additions, Canadian membership now stands at 36, a three-fold increase in a mere 10 years, attesting once again to the value placed on the work of IUCN by Canadian organisations concerned about conservation of biodiversity and sustainable and equitable human development.

To view a complete list of all the new members of IUCN welcomed at the October Council meeting please follow the link below.

http://www.iucn.org/2000/about/content/newmembers1101.html

November 5, 2001

IUCN launches new strategy - Global Action to Improve Dams

The World Conservation Union has approved a Strategy (PDF 30 kB) for policy change and local action that will promote and implement the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams (WCD) for sustainable water resources and energy development. The Strategy follows the IUCN Statement on the World Commission on Dams Report (PDF 26 kB), the result of a thorough review of the WCD report by representatives from Governments, industry and civil society and experts with a variety of scientific backgrounds. They concluded: "The WCD Report is a major step in the debate on energy supplies and water resources development, and dams more specifically"; and: "IUCN believes that the recommendations must be used in good faith and to the largest extent possible." Please read the Press Release (Word 15 kB) for additional details.

October 30, 2001

2001 IUCN/Reuters Media Award

Canadian journalist Alanna Mitchell, whose articles on the environment and social issues appear regularly in the Toronto Globe and Mail, is the winner of the 2001 IUCN/Reuters Media Award - North American/Caribbean/Oceania region. "[Her article Death Wish] vividly and lucidly portrayed the global nature of threats to the environment and the way local problems fit into a bigger pattern," says the 2001 IUCN/Reuters Media Award judge, Mr. Bernd Debusmann. "Mitchell's copy is well written, informative, educational and entertaining. This is a rare combination on a subject as complicated as the environment."

Followers of the IUCN/Reuters Media Award may remember Alanna Mitchell's 2000 article From the Vanishing Forests of Madagascar that won her the global prize at the Amman Congress in October 2000.

One winner from each region will be invited to attend the Global Awards Ceremony taking place in Berlin, during the ECOmove Film Festival, in the first week of December 2001. The global winner will receive a prize of USD5,000. Read the 2001 IUCN/Reuters May press release to learn more about this prestigious event.

October 11, 2001

Book Launch: "Wellbeing of Nations" - Canada Ranks 7th of 180 countries in sustainable development

At a book launch held today in Washington, D. C., Dr. Andrew Deutz, Head of the IUCN Canada Office, observed that, of the 180 countries rated by the new "wellbeing" methodology developed by Canadian Robert Prescott-Allen, 37 countries are close to striking a good balance between a healthy population and a healthy environment. But to truly achieve this balance, even these 37 countries must greatly improve their environmental efforts. Canada ranks 7th in this assessment methodology. To learn more about this newly developed measure, please read the Press Release (Word 91 kB) and Backgrounder (Word 167 kB). A quick view of how nations compare to one another is also available in the Ranking Table (Word 249 kB). You may also assess how the Wellbeing of Nations Sustainability Assessment compares to other approaches of measuring sustainability by reviewing the enclosed Part B Section 4 (Word 491 kB) from the book. For further information, please contact Dr. Andrew Deutz, Head of the Canada Office.

The Wellbeing of Nations is published by the International Development Research Centre and Island Press in cooperation with IUCN - The World Conservation Union, International Institute for Environment and Development, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Map Maker Ltd., and UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. The French version of The Wellbeing of Nations (entitled Le Bien-être des nations) is expected to be published shortly.

September 14, 2001

IUCN Launches its "new and improved" World Conservation Bookstore

IUCN- The World Conservation Union today launched its updated and easier to use online bookstore. The new site provides a catalogue and order form expressly for use by purchasers in North America, making acquisition of the many interesting and important publications contained a great deal easier for people in this part of the world.

The World Conservation Bookstore is a compilation of titles available from: CITES – Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, IUCN – The World Conservation Union, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, TRAFFIC – the joint wildlife trade monitoring programme of IUCN and WWF, and UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Also included are relevant titles from IUCN members or other publishers.

Please visit this new site and contribute to the good works of IUCN by purchasing our publications.

May 29, 2001

Reuters Foundation and IUCN Launch 2001 Environmental Media Awards

Reuters Foundation and IUCN- The World Conservation Union today launch the 2001 Reuters-IUCN Media Awards for excellence in environmental reporting.

The awards, now in their third year, aim to help raise global awareness of environmental and sustainable development issues, by encouraging high standards in environmental reporting worldwide.

Print and Internet journalists from six regions – Latin America, North America, Caribbean and Oceania, Europe, Asia, English-speaking Africa including the Middle East and French-speaking Africa– are eligible to enter. All submissions must be published articles.

One winner from each region will be invited to attend the Global Awards Ceremony, to be held in Berlin, during the ECOmove Film Festival, in the first week of December 2001. The global winner will receive a prize of $US5,000.

Full Press Release (Word, 64 Kb) and Entry Forms (Word, 178 Kb) are available for download.

April 6, 2001

Update!!! Institute of the Environment - University of Ottawa Joins IUCN

Please extend a warm welcome to the newest member of the IUCN in Canada, the Institute of the Environment of the University of Ottawa. At its last meeting, the Council of IUCN accepted the provisional membership of the Institute. In following correspondence from IUCN Headquarters dated March 26, the admission was confirmed. The Institute is committed to the support of interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in environmental research and education, and the promotion of an understanding of the environment in the community at large. Its projects and expertise fall within the following domains: Climate Change, Economics and Environmental Problems, Fisheries Management, Ecosystem Management, Forest Management, Governance, Indigenous Values and Environmental Knowledge, Risk Management, Water Resources Management, Sustainable Development Indicators.

We expect to have many opportunities to work in partnership to further these common goals. Welcome to the Institute and its members!

March 21, 2001

Free Poster Showing Pollution Hotspots in Canada (CIELAP)

The Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy (CIELAP), an IUCN member, has released a poster showing pollution hotspots throughout Canada. The maps and tables on the NPRI 1998 poster provide a summary of data from the National Pollutant Release Inventory 1998.

The poster is designed to familiarize the general public with the NPRI and to provide a useful teaching tool for Canadian and World Studies. CIELAP is offering free copies ($5 shipping and handling fee) of the poster to school boards, environmental organizations and researchers. Using data from the 1998 National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI), the poster presents the top on-site releases and off-site transfers of pollutants by facilities across Canada. The poster also shows a summary of releases, transfers and recycling of pollutants by province. CIELAP, an independent, not for profit, environmental law and policy research organization is trying to raise public awareness of the NPRI database and the fate of pollutants from facilities. If you would like to order a copy of the NPRI 1998 poster, please contact Kumarie Khadoo at: The Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy 517 College Street, Suite 400 Toronto, Ontario M6G 4A2 Phone: (416) 923-3529 ext.28 Fax: (416) 923-5949 E-mail: cielap@cielap.org

March 8, 2001

Announcement: Hemispheric Trade and Sustainability Symposium

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the IUCN Canada Office are collaborating to organize a Hemispheric Trade and Sustainability Symposium, which will be held in Quebec City on April 17th – 19th, 2001, a few days before the third Summit of the Americas. The overall goal of the Symposium is to provide a constructive, policy-oriented, and knowledge-based open forum for dialogue on trade and sustainability issues in the Americas. The Symposium will strive to identify policy options that can be mutually beneficial to trade, environment and development.

The event is expected to assemble close to 200 participants from civil society, government, industry and academia from within the Americas.

For further information please view or download the programme (French/English/Spanish - PDF File ~100 KB), visit our website at http://www.iisd.org/trade/qc2001, or e-mail us at symposium@iucn.ca .

February 14, 2001

CIDA and IUCN launch new project for Russian forest conservation

The World Conservation Union and CIDA - the Canadian International Development Agency, launched a new joint Russian-Canadian project "Building Partnership for Forest Conservation and Management in Russia."
Russian forests are widely recognised for their vastness, global importance, unique flora and fauna and the abundance of forest products and non-timber forest values. However, recent political and economic changes have diminished the efficiency of their management.

Full Story

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