IUCN periodically publishes books, analyses, guidelines, occasional papers and other documents related to conservation, management and sustainable use of marine resources and ecosystems, either independently or in co-operation with partner organisations. A selection of these papers is listed below. Publications specifically concerning Marine Protected Areas may also be found on the Marine dedicated pages of the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). In addition your attention is drawn to websites maintained by several of IUCN's partners, notably WWF International, World Resources Institute (WRI), Conservation International (CI), UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) and the Group of Experts on Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), where you will find other publications that will be of help in these matters.

A recent compendium of some, but by no means all, of the IUCN marine publications produced alone or with its various partners is provided here. Publication Sampler

About PDF

The following publications are available on-line in PDF or "Portable Document Format." PDF allows you to view, download and print documents in their published format by using free Adobe Acrobat software. The latest Acrobat software also includes a plug-in for viewing PDF documents on-line. If you don't have this software already, you can download it at no charge. We also have a number of other documents that are not yet available on-line. If you would like a printed copy of any of these documents, please send a request.  

Documents Available as PDF

The Science behind the Guidelines:
A Scientific Guide to the FAO Draft International Guidelines (December 2007)
for the Management of Deep-Sea Fisheries in the High Seas and Examples of
How the Guidelines may be Practically Implemented
IUCN 2008
812Kb

Workshop on High Seas Governance for the 21st Century: Co-Chairs’ Summary Report
December 2007
IUCN 2007
396Kb
Other products and presentations from the workshop

Development co-operation for Marine Research in East and West Africa
Lessons Learned and Future Directions
Report from the Scientific Exchange and Technical Review Meeting, Stockholm, May 21-22, 2007
IUCN 2007
726Kb

Economic Valuation of Large Marine Ecosystems
Report from the IUCN workshop, July 29-30, 2007
Interactive Online Version
131Kb

Guide for the Sustainable Development of Mediterranean Aquaculture: Interaction between Aquaculture and the Environment
The World Conservation Union (IUCN)/The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food/The European Federation of Aquaculture Producers (FEAP).
2.4Mb
Spanish version
French version

Shark Depredation and Unwanted
Bycatch in Pelagic Longline Fisheries
Gilman et al
4.5Mb
© 2007 Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council

Marine Ecoregions of the World: A Bioregionalization of Coastal and Shelf Areas
Article in BioScience (Vol. 57 No. 7)
Spalding et al
July 2007
1.7Mb

Establishing Marine Protected Area Networks
IUCN/WCPA 2007
4.2Mb

Tsunami and Earthquake Damage to Coral Reefs of Aceh, Indonesia
Reef Check / IUCN / Living Oceans Foundation 2006
1.89Mb

Managing Mangroves for Resilience to Climate Change
Elizabeth Mcleod and Rodney V. Salm
1.8Mb
© IUCN/TNC, October 2006

Coral Reef Resilience and Resistance to Bleaching
Gabriel D. Grimsditch and Rodney V. Salm
1.2Mb
© IUCN/TNC, October 2006

A Reef Manager's Guide to Coral Bleaching
Paul Marshall and Heidi Schuttenberg
5.1Mb
© Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, October 2006

The Status and Distribution of Cetaceans in the Black Sea and
Mediterranean Sea
Randall R. Reeves and Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara
2.4Mb
© IUCN, September 2006

Alien Species in Aquaculture, Considerations for Responsible Use
Chad L. Hewitt, Marnie L. Campbell and Stephan Gollasch
3.2 Mb
© IUCN, August 2006

Development of fisheries management tools for trade in humphead wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus, in compliance with Article IV of CITES
Compiled by IUCN Groupers & Wrasses Specialist Group
Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES)
2.3Mb
June 2006

Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Deep Waters and High Seas
UNEP Regional Seas Report and Studies No. 178
A report prepared by Kristina M. Gjerde
UNEP Regional Seas Reports and Studies No. 178. UNEP/ IUCN, Switzerland 2006.
ISBN: 92-807-2734-6
1.3Mb
June 2006

PARKS Vol 15 No 3 HIGH SEAS MARINE PROTECTED AREAS 2005
1.45Mb
June 2006

Closing the Net: Stopping Illegal Fishing on the High Seas.
Final report of the Ministerially-led
Task Force on IUU Fishing on the High Seas (1Mb)
March 2006

Status of Coral Reefs in Tsunami Affected Countries: 2005
(5.7Mb)
Edited by Clive Wilkinson, David Souter and Jeremy Goldberg
March 2006

The International and National Frameworks for Conservation and Management of Sharks
(490Kb)
Sarah Fowler
February 2006

In the Front Line: Shoreline protection and other ecosystem services from mangroves and coral reefs (1.05Mb)
January 2006

Ocean Oases: Returns on investing in a global system of marine protected areas
An IUCN Briefing Paper for the World Economic Forum 2006
(93kb)
January 2006

Coral Reef Degradation in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO) Status Report 2005
Cover
Introduction, Executive summary, selected reports
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Edited by David Souter and Olof Linden
IUCN/CORDIO December 2005

The International Legal Regime of the High Seas and the Seabed beyond the Limits of National Jurisdiction and Options for Cooperation for the Establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Marine Areas Beyond the Limits of national Jurisdiction
(2.2 Mb)
Lee Kimball et al
November 2005

Moving from Words to Action: Chapter by Kristina Gjerde in the International Jounral of Marine and Coastal Law, Vol 20 Nos 3-4
(946Kb)
November 2005

Gaps and Prioirities in Addressing Marine Invasive Species
(1.36Mb)
Imène Meliane and Chad Hewitt
IUCN Global Marine Programme Working Paper
September 2005

Ship Ballast Water as a Main Vector of Marine Introductions in the Mediterranean Sea
Maria M Flagella & Ameer Abdulla. Published by WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs
July 2005

World Conservation Congress Marine Highlights brochure
( 1.27 Mb)

Governance of the Mediterranean Sea: Outlook for the Legal Regime
An IUCN / Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation product
Edited by Claudine Chevalier
Full version in three languages (Eng/Fr/Sp) 95 pages
English version (227Kb)
French version (210Kb)
Spanish version (272Kb)

The Mediterranean deep-sea ecosystems: An overview of their structure, functioning and anthropogenic impacts. An IUCN/WWF product.

Full version (64 pages)
Executive summary (English)

Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2004 - Executive summary (1.2Mb)
Edited by Clive Wilkinson

High Seas Bottom Trawl Fisheries and their Impact on the Biodiversity of Vulnerable Deep-Sea Ecosystems: Options for International Action. Full length version. Matthew Gianni, November 2004. An IUCN / NRDC / CI / WWF product (2.7 Mb)

High Seas Bottom Trawl Fisheries and their Impact on the Biodiversity of Vulnerable Deep-Sea Ecosystems: Options for Intenational Action. Executive Summary. Matthew Gianni,
November 2004. An IUCN / NRDC / CI / WWF product (870 KB)

Status and Conservation of Sharks in the Mediterranean Sea
Ameer Abdulla, IUCN Global Marine Programme
October 2004.

How is your MPA doing? A Guidebook of Natural and Social Indicators for Evaluating Marine Protected Areas Management Effectiveness. Pomeroy et al, 2004. An IUCN / WWF / NOAA product (4 parts available to download of under 1Mb each)

French version
Spanish version

IUCN Global Coral Reef Portfolio. Kristin L. Sherwood, June 2004 (1 Mb)

Monitoring coral reef marine protected areas, Version 1
Clive Wilkinson, Alison Green, Jeanine Almany, Shannon Dionne
4.8Mb
2003

The Biology, Ecology and Vulnerability of Seamount Communities. Alex Rogers PhD 2004 (210KB)

The Biology, Ecology and Vulnerability of Deep-Water Coral Reefs. Alex Rogers PhD 2004 (146 KB)

Ten-year high seas marine protected area strategy: a ten-year strategy to promote the development of a global representative system of high seas marine protected area networks. New Summary Version for CBD COP7 as agreed by Marine Theme participants at the 5th World Parks Congress Governance Session “Protecting Marine Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction", Durban, South Africa (8-17 September 2003). Joint IUCN / WCPA / WWF product (252KB)

Ten-year high seas marine protected area strategy: a ten-year strategy to promote the development of a global representative system of high seas marine protected area networks. Summary Version as agreed by Marine Theme participants at the 5th World Parks Congress Governance Session “Protecting Marine Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction", Durban, South Africa (8-17 September 2003). Joint IUCN and WWF product (169 KB).

Marine Protected Areas on the High Seas: Some Legal and Policy Considerations. Tullio Scovazzi, 2003.Paper Presented at the World Parks Congress, Governance Session “ Protecting Marine Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction"

Towards a Strategy for High Seas Marine Protected Areas (July 2003 Version). Proceedings of the IUCN, WCPA and WWF Experts Workshop on High Seas Marine Protected Areas, 15-17 January 2003, Malaga, Spain. Kristina M. Gjerde and Charlotte Breide, 2003 (0.76Mb)

International Ocean Governance: Using International Law and Organisations to Manage Marine Resources Sustainably. Lee Kimball. 2001

Coral Bleaching and Marine Protected Areas: Proceedings of the Workshop on Mitigating Coral Bleaching Impact Through MPA Design Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI May 29-31 2001. Salm, R.V. and S.L. Coles (eds). 2001. (3.6MB)

The status of natural resources on the high-seas. WWF/IUCN. 2001 Includes:
Baker, C.M., Bett, B.J., Billett, D.S.M and Rogers, A.D. An environmental perspective. and
de Fontaubert, A.C. Legal and political considerations. (1.9MB)

Management of bleached and severely damaged coral reefs. Westmacott, S., Teleki, K., Wells, S. and West. J. M. 2000 Available in: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Swahili or Indonesian

Marine and Coastal Protected Areas: A guide for planners and managers. R.V. Salm, John Clark, and Erkki Siirila. 2000. (5.6MB)

Circumpolar Marine Workshop - Report and Recommendations. IUCN-WCPA/Arctic Council. April 2000. (2.8MB)

Eco-labelling and Sustainable Fisheries. Deere, Carolyn L. 1999 Available in: English, French or Spanish

Economic Valuation of the Mangrove Ecosystem Along the Karachi Coastal Areas. Samina Khalil, Applied Economics Research Institute, Karachi. January, 1999. (50KB)

Guidelines for Marine Protected Areas. World Commission on Protected Areas of IUCN – The World Conservation Union. Edited and coordinated by Graeme Kelleher. Series Editor: Adrian Phillips. World Commission on Protected Areas, Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series No. 3. 1999. (4MB)

Creating a Sea Change: The WWF/IUCN Marine Policy. 1998. (3.4MB)

Partnership Building and Framework Development; Report of the ICRI Workshop, 29 May–2 June, 1995. (1.7MB)

International Coral Reef Initiative Call to Action Approved June 2, 1995. (76KB)

Global Climate Change and Coral Reefs: Implications for People and Reefs; Report of the UN EP-IOC-ASPEI-UCN Global Task Team on the Implications of Climate Change on Coral Reefs. Clive R. Wilkinson & Robert W. Buddemeier with contributions from the members of the UNEP-IOC-ASPEI-IUCN Global Task Team on Coral Reefs. 1994. (5.5MB)

Marine Protected Area Needs in the South Asian Seas Region - Volume 1: Bangladesh. Edited by John C. Pernetta. 1993. (885KB)

Marine Protected Area Needs in the South Asian Seas Region - Volume 2: India. Edited by John C. Pernetta. 1993 The 1991. (2.1MB)

The 1991 Gulf War: Environmental Assessments of IUCN and Collaborators. A.R.G. Price, N. Downing, S.W. Fowler, J.T. Hardy, M. Le Tissier, C.P. Mathews, J.M. McGlade, P.A.H. Medley, B. Oregioni, J.W. Readman, C.M. Roberts, & T.J. Wrathall. 1994. (1.3MB)

Ecology and Management of Mangroves. Aksomkoae, Sanit. 1993. (This file is extremely large: over 22MB)

Guidelines for Establishing Marine Protected Areas. Graeme Kelleher and Richard Kenchington. 1992. (397KB)

Documents Available Online Through Others

(1993) Reefs at risk : coral reefs, human use and global climate change. A programme of action / Hulm, Peter; Pernetta, John C. Gland: IUCN

Documents available in printed form from

World Conservation Bookstore:

Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2004. C.Wilkinson (2004)

High Seas Bottom Trawl Fisheries and their Impact on the Biodiversity of Vulnerable Deep-Sea Ecosystems: Options for International Action. M. Gianni (2004)

How is your MPA doing? A Guidebook of Natural and Social Indicators for Evaluating Marine Protected Areas Management Effectiveness. Pomeroy et al (2004)

Towards a Strategy for High Seas Marine Protected Areas. K. Gjerde (2003)

International Ocean Governance: Using International Law and Organisations to Manage Marine Resources Sustainably. L. Kimball. (2001)

Marine and Coastal Protected Areas: A guide for planners and managers. R.V. Salm, John Clark, and Erkki Siirila (2000)

Eco-labelling and Sustainable Fisheries. Deere, Carolyn L. (1999). Available in English or French only.

Guidelines for Marine Protected Areas. G. Kelleher. (1999)

Creating a Sea Change: The WWF/IUCN Marine Policy (1998).

Kelleher, G.; C. Bleakley, and S. Wells 1995. A global representative system of marine protected areas:
Vol. I. Antarctic, Arctic, Mediterranean, Northwest Atlantic, Northeast Atlantic and Baltic.
Vol. II. Wider Caribbean, West Africa and South Atlantic
Vol. III. Central Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, East Africa and East Asian Seas.
Vol. IV. South Pacific and Australia/New Zealand.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, The World Bank, The World Conservation Union (IUCN).

IUCN 1995. The Law of the Sea: Priorities and responsibilities in implementing the Convention. Part I. L.A. Kimball. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: A framework for marine conservation Part II: D.M. Johnston, P.M. Saunders and P. Papayo. Conservation and management of the marine environment. Marine Conservation and Development Reports. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. vi+155 pp.

Okemwa, E. M.J. Ntiba, and K. Sherman. 1995. Status and future of large marine ecosystems of the Indian Ocean: A report of the International Symposium and Workshop. Marine Conservation and Development Reports. IUCN, Switzerland, x+201 pp

Global Climate Change and Coral Reefs: Implications for People and Reefs. C. Wilkinson & R. Buddemeier (1994)

Salm, R; R.A.C. Jensen and V.A. Papastravou. 1993. Marine fauna of Oman: Cetaceans, Turtles, Seabirds, and shallow water corals. Marine Conservation and Development Reports. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. vi+66 pp.

Guidelines for Establishing Marine Protected Areas. G. Kelleher and R. Kenchington. (1992)