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 | 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 | 13 Apr, 2021
New Marine Protected Areas MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) now open
The IUCN Programme on African Protected Areas & Conservation is launching a new MOOC on Marine protected areas (MPAs). This new course will complement other courses on protected areas already available, such as Protected areas management in Africa, Ecological…
Story | 26 Feb, 2021
New IUCN-backed study finds gray whales at high risk from ship strikes in the North Pacific Ocean
Gland, Switzerland (IUCN) – Ships operating in the North Pacific pose a serious threat to gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), according to the first scientific study that examines the impacts of vessel traffic on the species throughout its range.
Story | 11 Feb, 2021
Plastics: mitigating their environmental, health and human rights impacts
CEESP News: By Patricia Parkinson, Director, Environmental Law Oceania *
A new global governance regime for plastics is needed to mitigate their environmental, health and human rights impacts, especially in the Pacific 'Large Ocean Small Islands Developing States' - A tale of flooding…
Story | 12 Jan, 2021
COVID-19 and Climate Change: Double Jeopardy for Traditional Resource Users in the Sundarbans
CEESP News: by Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir*
The combined impact of climate change and COVID-19 pandemic is aggravating the marginalisation of the indigenous and local communities in the Sundarbans, an area which spans across the regions of Bangladesh and India. Majority have lost their…
Story | 11 Jan, 2021
COVID-19, Indigenous peoples, local communities and natural resource governance: a preliminary study
CEESP News: contribution by Gretchen Walters and Samir Laouadi, University of Lausanne *
A collaborative study reveals how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Indigenous peoples and local…
Story | 30 Oct, 2020
Moving forward on lobster fishery means addressing access and conservation
CEESP News: by Tony Charles*. Originally published on Policy Options, October 28, 2020
The situation unfolding in the Nova Scotia lobster fishery raises larger questions around who holds decision-making power over this natural resource.
Story | 10 Aug, 2020
An ocean hero dedicated to vaquita conservation succumbs to COVID-19
IUCN is deeply saddened by the loss of Mexican conservationist Paco Valverde, who dedicated his life to protect the vaquita – the world’s smallest porpoise and most threatened marine mammal. Paco was regarded as an ocean hero who inspired his community to care for the marine environment on which…