Story | 05 Sep, 2019
Where lions go, Africa goes. Unlocking the value of lions and their landscapes
Lions and their landscapes are a major part of Africa’s lifeblood indicator. Facing a catastrophic decline in lion population and habitat, a fresh report is the first to look in detail at the wider ecosystem services lions and…
Story | 29 Jul, 2019
Celebrating the extension of the Ohrid Region World Heritage site in Albania
The oldest and one of the most biodiversity rich lakes in Europe is now recognised as World Heritage in its entirety. The already inscribed part of the Ohrid region, located in North Macedonia, was extended at the 2019 World Heritage Committee meeting held earlier this July in Baku to include…
Story | 07 Jun, 2019
Azerbaijan brings regional restoration commitments to 3 million hectares
Azerbaijan announced it will restore 170,000 ha of degraded lands by 2030 - and an additional 100,000 ha conditional upon receiving funding - under the Bonn Challenge. The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring 150 million ha of degraded and deforested land into restoration by 2020 and 350…
Story | 07 May, 2019
Towards Natura 2000 in Albania
The centrepiece of EU nature policies, Natura 2000 is the largest coordinated network of protected sites in the world. Despite being on a steady rise, the Albanian system of protected areas is facing numerous challenges, stemming from the country’s fast development in recent years. To help…
Story | 21 Jan, 2019
Marine plastic pollution: A global issue with national and local solutions
In November 2018, IUCN co-chaired a roundtable on Marine Plastic Pollution: A global issue with national and local solutions at the PEMSEA East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress held in Iloilo, the Philippines.
Story | 10 Jan, 2019
Building the global momentum on marine/aquatic plastics litter
Along with over 18,000 participants from 180 countries representing government institutions, national agencies, academia and research, private sector, students, and plastic sector actors, IUCN joined the Sustainable Blue…
Story | 10 Dec, 2018
Forest Landscape Restoration in Caucasus and Central Asia
Forest loss, land degradation and decline in ecosystems services is growing across the Caucasus and Central Asia region, resulting in loss of the biological and economic productivity of the land, decreases in environmental benefits, and a substantial negative impact on national economies. Yet,…
Story | 06 Dec, 2018
Geneva meeting deliberates on global convention to address plastic pollution
Member states, industry players, UN agencies, leading experts and civil society organisations from around the globe have come together this week in Geneva to discuss a potential new global convention to beat plastic pollution.
Story | 06 Jul, 2018
The first Bonn Challenge Regional Ministerial Roundtable for the Caucasus and Central Asia was a massive success with several countries in the region pledging to bring 2.5 million hectares into restoration.
Story | 14 Feb, 2018
Azerbaijan to create the first Marine Protected Area in the Caspian Sea
Azerbaijan is upgrading and expanding the Gizilaghaj State Reserve to become a National Park and will include the first Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Caspian Sea, the largest inland body of water on the planet. The new MPA will seek to protect six significant marine species on the brink of…