Story | 26 Jan, 2017
World Wetlands Day: Strengthening resilience and collaboration to reduce disaster risk
On February 2nd the world celebrates its wetlands – complex ecosystems that provide a wide variety of services and benefits for people and nature. Wetlands such as estuaries, mangroves, marshes, and swamps play, beyond their biological role, a key part in helping people cope with disasters. Yet…
Story | 03 Oct, 2016
Blog: 'Can’t see the water for the trees?' By James Dalton et al.
Originally published in Global Water Forum, Monday 3 October 2016. To maximise downstream water quantity, you remove vegetation – all of it, including the trees. To counter rising carbon dioxide levels, you plant trees – lots of them. How should we do both?
Story | 01 Feb, 2016
World Wetlands Day: Wetlands & Sustainable Livelihoods
Each year, 2 February marks World Wetlands Day, to celebrate our planet’s wetlands but also to draw attention to the challenges that their degradation brings.
Story | 05 Jan, 2016
Why the new policy on sustainable development for World Heritage is a crucial step forward
Towards the end of 2015, the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention adopted a policy on sustainable development. This is a major step in ensuring that World Heritage sites contribute to socioeconomic well-being in a sustainable manner with long-term positive effects, both for the…
Story | 22 Nov, 2015
Valuing natural capital key to tackling climate change – says IUCN
Edinburgh, UK, 23 November 2015 -- IUCN Director General Inger Andersen highlighted the vital role of natural capital in addressing climate change in a…
Story | 15 Nov, 2015
Report calls on aluminium industry to respect indigenous peoples' rights
Geneva, Switzerland, 16 November 2015 – While global demand for the world’s most popular metal – aluminium – continues to rise, it is critical that the aluminium industry address its environmental and social impacts, particularly in indigenous peoples’ territories, according to new report…
Story | 23 Sep, 2015
Sustainable Development Goals recognise role of business
The United Nations' new development agenda presents a historic opportunity for the private sector to actively participate in addressing the world’s global challenges, and building a more inclusive and sustainable society.
Story | 08 Sep, 2015
World Heritage status for wilderness helps respond to climate change
Nature experts, including several IUCN specialists, are calling for a new approach to conserving wilderness areas under the World Heritage Convention in a paper published today in Conservation Letters. Inscribing wilderness sites on the World Heritage List and improving their connectivity…
Story | 06 Sep, 2015
The pros and cons of biodiversity offsets
Protecting forests and restoring wetlands are some of the actions companies and governments are taking to make up for biodiversity lost as a result of their development activities. These measurable conservation actions - designed to compensate for unavoidable impacts, on top of prevention and…
Story | 07 Jul, 2015
Kishore Rao’s 40-year journey through protected areas and World Heritage
As the 39th World Heritage Committee concludes, Kishore Rao steps down for retirement after having headed UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre for over four years. With a background in nature conservation, he has worked on the World Heritage Convention from the perspectives of its secretariat, its…