Story | 07 Jun, 2024
IUCN, the official advisory body on nature to UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, recommends the addition of four new sites to the prestigious World Heritage List for their outstanding natural value in Brazil, China, France and the UK. IUCN also recommends the extension of an existing serial site…
Story | 06 Dec, 2021
Endangered Caspian Seal Habitat Awarded Important Marine Mammal Area Status
Today, the IUCN Task Force on Marine Mammal Protected Areas, a joint task force of the IUCN Species Survival Commission and the World Commission on Protected Areas, announces that Caspian seals have been awarded three Important Marine Mammal Areas, or IMMAs, as part of a tranche of 14 new IMMAs…
Story | 10 Nov, 2021
Community-based Environmental Monitoring special section in BioScience
Over recent decades, community-based environmental monitoring has exploded in popularity. A special section in BioScience describes the potential for such efforts to advance the scientific enterprise well into the future…
Story | 01 Nov, 2021
Understanding the multiple benefits of area-based conservation
CEESP News: by Nigel Dudley and Sue Stolton, Equilibrium Research *
Under current proposals from the Convention on Biological Diversity, a target is likely to be set for 30% of the world’s land surface to be set aside into protected and conserved areas. Over 60 countries have pledged to…
Story | 29 Oct, 2021
This International Black Sea Action Day, 31st October, 11 habitats of Red-List Endangered Black Sea harbour porpoises and bottlenose dolphins as well as Vulnerable Black Sea common dolphins have been formally awarded Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) status by the…
Story | 19 Oct, 2021
Marine Heatwaves: a serious threat to marine biodiversity and livelihoods
Back in 2011, extremely warm water temperatures persisting over thousands of kilometres along the coastline of Western Australia caused coral bleaching, mass die-out of marine life and wiped out kelp forests. Since then, this phenomenon of abnormally high-water temperatures has been recorded in…
Story | 01 Jul, 2021
A new paper, published today in Science, argues for an international legally binding agreement that addresses the entire life cycle of plastics, from extraction of raw materials to legacy plastic pollution. Three clear goals are proposed and encouraged, to address not only the well-known issue…
Story | 07 Jun, 2021
The state of Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Communities’ lands and territories
A new report compiled by conservation experts and organizations, in consultation with Indigenous Peoples and their representatives, highlights the crucial role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in protecting nature and biodiversity globally. The…
Story | 04 Jun, 2021
IUCN recommends two biodiversity sites in Georgia and Japan for the World Heritage List
IUCN, the official advisor on nature to UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, recommends two new inscriptions on the prestigious World Heritage List for sites in Georgia and Japan. Both places harbour a rich diversity of plant and animal species, many of which cannot be found anywhere else on Earth…
Story | 10 May, 2021
CEESP News: by Fikret Berkes, University of Manitoba*
As more and more terrestrial and marine regions come under protected area status, the idea of community-based conservation becomes…