Publication | 2022
The environmental impacts of a major mine tailings spill on coastal and marine environments
Based on the volume of tailings releases and the distance they travelled, the Fundão Dam failure in southeast Brazil (Mariana, Minas Gerais state) was the largest ever environmental disaster in Brazil’s mining industry, and one of the world’s most serious. As they dispersed downriver, the…
Publication | 2021
From restoration to responsive governance
The Rio Doce watershed and its adjacent coastal and marine areas have been affected by centuries of extractive activities and unsustainable agricultural practices. When the Fundão tailings dam collapsed on 5 November 2015, a wave of mud swept down the river to the sea, causing 19 deaths,…
Publication | 2021
Source-to-sea and landscape approaches
The report contextualises the current status of water quality and biodiversity in the Rio Doce watershed, providing selected data and information on the physical, chemical and biological quality of the water and an overview of the terrestrial, freshwater and marine biodiversity since the dam…
Publication | 2020
World Heritage thematic study for Central Asia
The World Heritage thematic study for Central Asia has been produced as a contribution to supporting the implementation of the World Heritage Convention in Central Asia. It provides a response to a Decision of the World Heritage Committee in order to identify outstanding areas with potential for…
Publication | 2011
The status and distribution of freshwater biodiversity in the Western Ghats, India
The Western Ghats is one of the worlds most heavily populated biodiversity hotspots providing for and supporting 400 million people through water for drinking, transport, irrigation, and hydroelectric power, together with food and resources to sustain livelihoods. However, the pace of growth of…
Publication | 2010
The status and distribution of freshwater biodiversity in the Eastern Himalaya
Biodiversity within inland water ecosystems in the Eastern Himalaya region is both highly diverse and of great regional importance to livelihoods and economies. However, development activities are not always compatible with the conservation of this diversity, and the ecosystem requirements of…
Publication | 1997
Asian rhinos : status survey and conservation action plan
There are currently three species of Asian rhino: the Indian or greater one-horned Asian rhino, the Javan or lesser one-horned Asian rhino and the Sumatran or Asian two-horned rhino. Today, all three are threatened with extinction and two, the Sumatran rhino and Javan rhino, critically so.…