Biodiversity represents the tremendous variety of life on Earth on which we all depend. But human influence, including from land use changes, overexploitation and climate change means the biodiversity on which we all depend is under threat. More than one million animal and plant species are now at risk of extinction. Despite important progress that…
A new, interactive, online tool for visualising data and trends in the international trade in endangered species is being launched today. CITES Wildlife TradeView is a joint project between the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre…
Women are agents of transformational change and stewards of nature. They also play a leading role as food producers, representing more than 40% of the agricultural labor and 47% of the global fishing workforce. Yet ongoing discrimination means they continue to be under-represented in decision making and their access to and control of land and resources is severely…
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New research has revealed how the reintroduction of just 20 key species could boost biodiversity by restoring natural large mammal populations across swathes of the Earth. A global team of researchers, led by the US non-profit organisation RESOLVE and the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), set out to highlight how – and where –…
11 February marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, advocating for the full and equal access to, and participation in, science, technology and innovation for women and girls of all ages. Despite significant progress in their participation in higher education, women are still under-represented in science: at present, less than 30% of researchers…
Wetlands, ranging from peat bogs and rivers to marshes and mangroves, are vital habitats that sustain local livelihoods and help mitigate global climate change. However, we are losing wetlands three times faster than forests. 2 February marks World Wetlands Day, where scientists, conservation leaders and policy experts around the world join with the public to…
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A new report has highlighted the potential for targeted cocoa agroforestry implementation to help restore forest cover in the biggest cocoa producing country in the world. The study from the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), with the UN REDD Programme and the CocoaSoils initiative, outlines the scope and priority areas for integrating cocoa agroforestry across Côte d’Ivoire, the…
By Jonny Hughes, WCMC Chief Executive Officer, UNEP-WCMC Humanity’s future lies in cities. Currently, just over half of us live in urban areas – by 2050, three-quarters of the world’s population will be town and city dwellers. Modern cities are too often disconnected from nature, yet so many of them were originally founded on hotspots…
Major new funding will support an ongoing initiative to provide critical data and knowledge to raise global ambition and accelerate action on the coverage, connectedness, effective management and equitable governance of protected and conserved areas around the world. The Protected Planet initiative will be supported by a USD 5m grant by Arcadia – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing…
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