Top news

Keeping leopards in the spot(light) at CITES
13.10.2016

At the 17th Congress of Parties of the Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species (CITES CoP17) in Johannesburg, a side event reinforced the fact that leopards (Panthera pardus) need to stay in the spotlight and remain a conservation priority.

IUCN informs key decisions at the CITES conference on wildlife trade
07.10.2016

This article was also published in The Huffington Post At the recently concluded 17th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Conference of the Parties (CoP17) – the largest meeting of its kind ever...

Growing support for regulating international trade in rays and sharks
06.10.2016

Governments from around the world took solid steps toward ray and shark conservation at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Johannesburg, South Africa when they included...

A unified voice for African rhinos: Continent-wide conservation plan launched
28.09.2016

African rhino conservation has seen a major boost this week with the launch of the continent-wide African Rhino Conservation Plan, led by South Africa and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission’s African Rhino...

IUCN behind major advance for seahorse conservation
28.09.2016

Thailand, the world’s largest exporter of seahorses, decided on Friday to end seahorse exports until it can address the threats they pose to wild populations. The decision followed 22 years of work on the issue by IUCN SSC’s Seahorse, Pipefish and Stickleback...

Kering, ITC and IUCN release new data on the sustainability and livelihood benefits of python trade
26.09.2016

Three new reports published today by the Python Conservation Partnership (PCP), a partnership between Kering, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Species Survival Commission Boa and Python Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation...

Poaching behind worst African elephant losses in 25 years – IUCN report
23.09.2016

Africa’s overall elephant population has seen the worst declines in 25 years, mainly due to poaching over the past ten years – according to IUCN’s African Elephant Status Report launched today at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES,...

IUCN Congress boosts support for Indigenous peoples’ rights
10.09.2016

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, 9 September 2016 (IUCN) – Key decisions boosting support for Indigenous peoples’ rights have been adopted by IUCN State, government and civil society members today at the IUCN World Conservation Congress taking place in Hawaiʻi. 

New ocean Hope Spots, vetted by IUCN and Mission Blue, to ignite global support for ocean protection
09.09.2016

Honolulu, Hawaii, 9 September 2016 – Fourteen new ocean Hope Spots – marine areas critical to the health of the ocean and deserving special protection – have been announced today by Mission Blue and IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, at the...

First global conservation priorities set – IUCN World Conservation Congress
07.09.2016

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, 6 September (IUCN) – Limiting illegal trade in threatened species, promoting nature-based solutions to climate change and accounting for biodiversity conservation in the development of renewables are among the first global conservation...

Latest ocean warming review reveals extent of impacts on nature and humans
05.09.2016

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, 5 September (IUCN) – Ocean warming is affecting humans in direct ways and the impacts are already being felt, including effects on fish stocks and crop yields, more extreme weather events and increased risk from water-borne diseases,...

Four out of six great apes one step away from extinction – IUCN Red List
04.09.2016

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, 4 September 2016 (IUCN) – The Eastern Gorilla – the largest living primate – has been listed as Critically Endangered due to illegal hunting, according to the latest update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ released today at the...

Bonn Challenge approaches target to restore 150 million hectares of degraded land
04.09.2016

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, 3 September 2016 (IUCN) – The Government of Malawi and the Association of Guatemalan Private Natural Reserves have committed to restoring a total of 4.54 million hectares of degraded land as part of the Bonn Challenge initiative, as...

IUCN-led panel finds critically endangered whales in Russia recovering, but warns industry still poses threat
03.09.2016

The critically endangered western gray whale population that feeds in Russia’s Far East waters is slowly showing signs of recovery, but their numbers and range are still at risk from industry activity in the region, according to a new report released today at...

The World Now Protects 15% of Its Land, but Crucial Biodiversity Zones Left Out
03.09.2016

Close to 15% of the Earth's land and 10% of its territorial waters are covered by national parks and other protected areas; coverage of marine protected areas increased by almost 300% in the last decade; and eight in 10 key biodiversity areas worldwide lack...

New coalition launches to scale private conservation investment at IUCN World Conservation Congress
03.09.2016

Financial industry, international organisations, and academic sector join forces to initiate new coalition to create investment opportunities and tools to help bring conservation projects to the marketplace

Turn down the volume: New IUCN guide helps navigate seismic survey impacts on marine species
03.09.2016

Honolulu, Hawai’i, 2 September (IUCN) – A guide launched today by IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, outlines best practices to ensure environmentally responsible seismic surveys and other forms of undersea mapping, with the aim of...

IUCN Congress set to debate new global policy on biodiversity offsets
29.08.2016

As governments and business struggle to reconcile conservation and economic goals, the IUCN World Conservation Congress will debate the first-ever global policy on biodiversity offsets -- a mechanism increasingly used to compensate for the residual negative...

Paper reveals nature conservation knowledge is a bargain
17.08.2016

A new study released today finds that the knowledge databases which underpin nature conservation and environmental decision-making – such as the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ - cost US$ 6.5 million annually to manage, plus the dedication of thousands...

Three quarters of the world’s threatened species are imperiled from agriculture, land conversion, overharvesting
10.08.2016

Less than a month away from the kick-off of the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii, a team of scientists report in the journal Nature that three quarters of the world’s threatened species are imperiled because people are converting their habitat into...

Maldives coral reefs under stress from climate change: research survey reveals over 60% of corals bleached
08.08.2016

Preliminary findings of a comprehensive scientific survey examining the impact of the climate change-related 2016 mass bleaching in the Maldives indicate that all reefs surveyed were affected by the event. Approximately 60% of all coral colonies assessed –...

IUCN and the Global Environment Facility – celebrating a 25-year partnership
05.08.2016

As part of the institutional architecture created to fulfil the vision of the 1992 Earth Summit, outlined in Agenda 21, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has made an enormous contribution to environmental protection and nature conservation.

Sargasso Sea among spots in the High Seas identified as potential World Heritage sites
03.08.2016

Five sites in the High Seas, which belong to no country, could be recognised under the World Heritage Convention, according to a new report by UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the advisory body on...

Fierce yet fragile: Coexistence in a changing world
29.07.2016

Tigers once inhabited vast parts of Asia, from Indonesia to the Central Asian states; they have now vanished from over 90% of their former range. On International Tiger Day we look at how IUCN's tiger programme is helping humans and tigers...

Restoration commitments from Africa push the Bonn Challenge beyond 100 million hectares
26.07.2016

Ministers from Guinea, the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana have voiced their commitments today to restore 11.5 million hectares of degraded forests at a high-level roundtable in Kigali, Rwanda.