Since the late 1970s the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) has delivered services that support implementation of international biodiversity-related agreements at global, regional and national levels. These services not only support the work of the agreement secretariats, but also of the advisory and governance bodies, and of governments party to the various agreements. The aim of this paper is to illustrate this work through examples of work we have undertaken.
The support that UNEP-WCMC provides is based on expert understanding of the agreements and how they work, resulting from many years of experience and close relationships with secretariats.
Resource Type: ReportsDatasets Available from UNEP-WCMC: Excluding WDPA
Access to UNEP-WCMC datasets is provided on the understanding that you read and consent to be bound by the Terms and Conditions attached. For the purposes of this Agreement the “Data” comprise any of the spatial data and associated attribute data downloadable from the UNEP-WCMC website, excluding the World Database on Protected Areas.
This dataset shows the global distribution of cold-water coral reefs. Data was compiled and imported into GIS format by UNEP-WCMC sourced from A. Freiwald, Alex Rogers and Jason Hall-Spencer, and other contributors. Full source information is provided within the attributes for each record within the database. Points on the map indicate observed reefs of varying size and stages of development, but not the actual area covered. The high density of reefs shown in the North Atlantic most probably reflects the intensity of research in this region. Further discoveries are expected worldwide, particularly in the deeper waters of subtropical and tropical regions
Resource Type: Spatial Data / MapsThis paper reviews the potential for carbon sequestration in dryland ecosystems, which includes forests, but also covers other habitats, such as grasslands, and, importantly, soils. It also considers ways in which carbon storage in drylands affects land degradation issues.
Resource Type: ReportsThis report presents comprehensive and up-to-date information and data on marine cold-water coral reefs from around the world. Cold Water Coral Reefs: Out of Sight - No Longer Out of Mind aims to provide policy makers with the information required to take concerted action in the conservation, protection and sustainable management of these beautiful, largely unexplored and fragile coral reefs.
The Convention on Biological Diversity has established a global target for the protection of 10% of each of the world’s ecological regions by 2010. This report uses the WWF Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World and the 2009 version of the World Database of Protected Areas to analyse progress towards achieving this politically established conservation goal across the world.
Resource Type: Reports©2013 UNEP All rights reserved