The world could be doing better at tracking change in biodiversity and what it means for people. That is the conclusion of a UNEP-WCMC report and a paper in the journal Science, both published today.

The Convention on Biological Diversity has adopted a suite of indicators to measure progress towards its 2010 biodiversity target, and support to the delivery of these indicators is being provided by the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (2010 BIP), a group of 40+ international agencies co-ordinated by UNEP-WCMC, But in a review of progress. the partners found that whilst major advances have been made there were still significant gaps in the development of the indicators and the content of the indicator framework at national, regional and global scales.

Lessons learned from the 2010 indicators process were considered by a group of 70 international experts at a workshop convened by UNEP-WCMC and the Secretariat of the CBD and hosted by the British Government in Reading, UK in July this year. The group identified a range of measures to improve indicator development and use that will help governments as they agree a new post 2010 biodiversity target and indicator framework next year.

For further information click here

September 28 2009 Cambridge United Kingdom. The United Nations Environment Programmes World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) today announced that they have invited Safe Software into their Proteus Partnership a collaboration of progressive corporate business leaders and the UNEP-WCMC.

Download full document here

Geneva/Nairobi/Sydney, 14 July 2009 - A powerful group of asset managers, representing around USD 2 trillion in assets under management, are arguing that integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into investment decisions is no longer just a luxury, but a legal responsibility.

The case, outlined in a new report with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), underlines how the world's largest institutional investors-such as pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, mutual funds and foundations-have a central role in assisting the transition to a low carbon and resource efficient Green Economy.

Download Full Document

The report, the fifth in UNEP's 'rapid response assessment' series, looks beyond forests and the REDD debates to the potential of natural and agricultural ecosystems to capture and store carbon. It examines the potential for gaining multiple benefits for livelihoods and ecosystem services through managing ecosystem carbon and considers the implications for policy.

Further Information

8 June 2009, Cambridge - At a time when the world's oceans are facing unprecedented pressures from human impacts in the marine environment, a new decision-making tool is being launched to provide the most current and relevant information about marine and coastal biodiversity and its protection status.

This marine protected areas tool (www.wdpa-marine.org), created by the United Nations Environment Programme's World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is part of the recently redeveloped World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) - the authoritative and most globally comprehensive list of marine and terrestrial protected areas.

This new system allows users to view information on marine protected areas in their web browser, to visualise them in Google Earth, to download data, to bring together other important data like species and ecosystem information into the same portal and more.

The WDPA-Marine comes as nations, communities and people around the globe mark World Oceans Day - a day designated by the United Nations to raise awareness of the current challenges faced by the international community in connection with the oceans and to seek solutions such as those offered through the establishment of marine protected areas.

Download Spanish Version
Download French Version

Millions of people around the world Unite to Combat Climate Change for World Environment Day 2009

Monday 1 June 2009 - People around the world will unite for the planet on 5 June for World Environment Day 2009, with a strong call for environmental action just six months before the crucial United Nations climate change talks in Copenhagen.

This year's theme is 'Your Planet needs You! Unite to combat climate change' - a topic that reflects everyone's individual responsibility to protect the planet, as well as the urgency for nations to agree on a new climate change deal in December.

World Environment Day is truly a People's Day: it is the chance for everyone, young and old, with their community or with close friends, to show that they care for the planet.

This year's host is Mexico, reflecting the country's growing role in the fight against climate change - with its increasingly strong participation in global carbon markets, its massive tree planting campaigns and its natural resource management.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: "On this World Environment Day. I encourage all people to take concrete steps toward making the planet greener and cleaner. Switch off the lights. Take public transportation. Recycle. Plant a tree. Clean up your local park. Hold corporations responsible for their environmental practices. And urge your government representatives to Seal the Deal in Copenhagen."

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said: "I am delighted that Mexico and its people will be the 2009 global hosts of the annual United nations celebrations on 5 June under the theme 'Your Planet Needs You! Unite to Combat Climate Change'. Mexico is among a group of nations showing real leadership on the challenges of our age - from climate change to bringing environmental goods and services into the mainstream of national and international economics."

World Environment Day is a truly global event, and as such it will be celebrated on every continent - from remote villages to sprawling capitals. Here are some of the highlights of this year's celebration.

Read Full Article

Gaza Strip/Nairobi, 21 May 2009 - A team of experts from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is leaving the region today after completing fieldwork in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, as part of a post-conflict environmental assessment undertaken following the escalation of hostilities there in December 2008 and January 2009.

Conducted at the request of its Member States, the UNEP assessment aims to examine the natural and environmental impacts on the Gaza Strip caused by the recent hostilities, and to make concrete recommendations for rehabilitation.

The fieldwork phase of the assessment was carried out by a multi-disciplinary team of eight UNEP experts, who spent ten days in Gaza from 10 to 19 May. The main sectors under investigation were waste and waste water, the coastal and marine environment, and solid and hazardous waste management, including asbestos.

Travelling extensively across the Gaza Strip, the UNEP team undertook walkover inspections of some 32 sites to assess environmental impacts and collect samples for laboratory analysis. The team also collected data for an economic evaluation of the cost of rehabilitation and restoration of the environmental damage in Gaza.

Sites visited included residential areas, schools, industrial areas, sewage facilities, landfills and the coastline, where detailed sampling of water and sediments, bio-indicators, asbestos and waste water was conducted.

Samples collected on the ground will be sent to an independent international laboratory and analysed in the coming weeks. Together with concrete recommendations for rehabilitation, the findings of the assessment will be published in a UNEP Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment report during the summer.

The UNEP Year Book 2009 presents work in progress on scientific understanding of global environmental change, as well as foresight about possible issues on the horizon. The aim is to raise awareness of the inter-linkages among environmental issues that can accelerate the rates of change and threaten human wellbeing.

The UNEP Year Book 2009 examines in six chapters new science and developments, and discusses the cumulative effects expected from degradation of ecosystems, the release of substances harmful to those ecosystems and to human health, the consequences of our changing climate, the continued human and economic loss resulting from disasters and conflicts, and the overexploitation of resources. It calls for an intensified sense of urgency for responsible governance in the face of approaching critical thresholds and tipping points.

Available for download

English full report

• Download High Res (96 MB)
• Download Low Res (2.29 MB)

Français full report

• Download High Res (5.54 MB)
• Download Low Res (1.85 MB)

Español full report

• Download High Res (4.72 MB)
• Download Low Res (1.87 MB)

Russian full report

• Download High Res (6.03 MB)
• Download Low Res (2.00 MB)

Arabic full report

• Download High Res (5.77 MB)
• Download Low Res (1.89 MB)

Chinese full report

• Download High Res (9.08 MB)
• Download Low Res (2.57 MB)

Representatives of seven countries of the ASEAN region as well as of the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands gathered in Hanoi, Vietnam, from 15-17 April 2009, for a workshop on harmonization of reporting to biodiversity-related conventions. The workshop was facilitated by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity in cooperation with UNEP-WCMC and hosted by the Vietnam Environment Administration. The goal of the workshop was to provide a venue to develop a framework to harmonize national reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and World Heritage Convention. A strong focus was put on building the capacity of the ASEAN countries to improve and streamline national reporting as an output of implementation of global conventions. The fourth national reports to the CBD, which were due at the end of March, as well as joint reporting on inland waters to the Ramsar Convention and the CBD, were also highlighted. UNEP-WCMC contributed with an overview of global initiatives for harmonization of reporting and facilitated a training session on tools and approaches to harmonization. For more information, see http://www.aseanbiodiversity.org/.

The Regional Capacity Development Workshop for Central Asia on National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and the Mainstreaming of Biodiversity co-hosted by the Department of the Environment and the Ramsar Regional Center for Central and Western Asia, took place in Ramsar City of Iran from 9 to 12 March 2009. It was organized by the CBD Secretariat and brought together more than 20 participants including representatives from following member countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO): Azerbaijan, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The overall purpose of the Workshop was to strengthen national capacities for the development, implementation, reviewing and updating NBSAPs and the integration of biodiversity concerns into relevant sectors, through exchange of experiences; and to provide an opportunity for countries to identify ways and means for overcoming challenges in the implementation of NBSAPs. The field trip of the workshop also provided valuable insights in the link between biodiversity conservation and development.

UNEP-WCMC Senior Advisor, Asghar M. Fazel served as facilitator of the Workshop, and along with David Cooper (SCBD), Christian Prip (UNU), Mehrasa Mehrdadi (IUCN/NFP) and Mostafa Panahi (IAU), they gave numerous presentations on introducing tools for the preparation of the fourth national reports, progress towards the 2010 Biodiversity Target, the Clearing House Mechanism of the Convention and the Conservation Commons, national reports feed into the 3rd Global Biodiversity Outlook, integrated planning of protected areas and economic valuation of ecosystem services.

Additional information about the Workshop can be found at: http://www.cbd.int/nbsap/workshops/central-asia.shtml

Please contact asghar.fazel@unep-wcmc.org or david.cooper@cbd.int for further information.

The Environmental Food Crisis: The Environment's Role in Averting Future Food Crises (2009)

A new rapid response assessment report released by UNEP warns that up to 25% of the world's food production may become lost due to environmental breakdown by 2050 unless action is taken. Prepared by the Rapid Response Assessment Team at UNEP/GRID-Arendal and UNEP-WCMC, the report provides the first summary by the UN of how climate change, water stress, invasive pests and land degradation may impact world food security, food prices and life on the planet and how we may be able to feed the world in a more sustainable manner. The report concludes that we need to get smart and more creative about recycling food wastes and fish discards into animal feed. While major efforts have gone into increasing efficiency in the traditional energy sector, food energy efficiency has received too little attention.

Download (PDF File)

View Electronic Book

Further steps have been taken to strengthen the support provided by UNEP-WCMC to the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Dr. Jon Hutton, Director, UNEP-WCMC, and Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the CBD on 3 September signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in London that sets out a work programme of cooperation between the Convention and UNEP-WCMC.

The multi-year programme of work builds on an agreement established in March 2006, on the existing collaboration between UNEP-WCMC and the CBD Secretariat and Parties in order to bring the technical and capacity building expertise within UNEP-WCMC to bear on the improved implementation of the Convention. The cooperation aims to enhance, in particular, the preparation of the tenth meeting of the CBD Conference of the Parties to be held in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010.

A new study published this week found that many nations throughout the world are seeing continued annual increases in visitors to their
conservation areas.

The research, a collaboration between scientists at the University of Cambridge, WWF-US and UNEP-WCMC and published on 29th June in the journal PLoS Biology, found that in 15 of the 20 countries for which information was available there was an increase in the number of visitors to their nature reserves. This has important implications for nations who are reliant on nature-related tourism to generate funds for conservation, as well as for engaging the public about the importance of conserving biodiversity.

Download Full Document

Protected Areas Programme is proud to launch the 2007 State of the World's Protected Areas Report, the first in what will be a regular series of analyses to better understand progress being made in relation to global conservation targets such as those under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

This report was designed to highlight protected area accomplishments made at local, national, regional and global levels using information from the World Database on Protected Areas and other sources. Local protected areas are featured alongside reviews focused on marine and terrestrial protection, efforts to protect the high seas, of which less than 1% are currently protected, and social aspects of protected area management such as livelihoods impacts.

Other highlights include a global analysis of the management effectiveness of protected areas, indicating that although most regions still fall well below the 30% effectiveness target set by the CBD, progress is being made in this area. The value of protected areas is also strengthened through an analysis of global carbon stocks demonstrating that 15.2% of the earth's terrestrial carbon stores are found within the protected area network.

We have developed a short, 10 minute survey to accompany this first edition so we can use input from readers for improving the content and format of this report.

English, French and Spanish versions of the full report, and the link to the Survey Monkey, can be found on the Protected Area Programme's publications website.

In response to the global challenge, for a systematic conservation planning approach to MPA establishment, set by the Convention on Biological Diversity and other international agreements and action plans, there are now many initiatives to develop ecologically representative MPA networks. This report describes the progress being made in 30 national and 35 sub-national ecological MPA network initiatives, using information from the literature, MPA practitioners and planners, and conservation experts. The report explores the diverse range of approaches applied, at various spatial and geographical scales, to demonstrate how MPA networks can be established in practice, and how they can be adapted to different needs and priorities.

This report aims to promote a better understanding of the underlying principals and scientific basis behind MPA network design, while disseminating experiences and lessons learned from the initiatives underway at regional national and sub-national levels. The report concludes with a series of six recommendations for the establishment of effective MPA networks, which build on these experiences to capture the complex range of considerations in this rapidly evolving field.

The report is a joint publication between UNEP-WCMC and the UNEP Regional Seas Programme, and was written by Sue Wells, in collaboration with Victoria Sheppard and Hanneke van Lavieren, with support from Nicola Barnard, Francine Kershaw, Colleen Corrigan, Kristian Teleki, Penny Stock and Ellik Adler. The report was launched at the "International Coral Reef Marine Protected Area Network Meeting / 4th ICRI East Asia Regional Workshop" on 17-19th November 2008 in Tokyo, Japan.

The report can be downloaded from the UNEP-WCMC One Ocean Programme website

The 24 page demonstration atlas, launched at the 14th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, shows that areas high in both carbon and biodiversity do exist and can be identified by relatively simple mapping tools. Prioritising such areas could give the 'double benefit' of reducing emissions from land use change whilst conserving biodiversity. Three regional maps along with six national maps are shown for the tropics, derived from global-scale data.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said: "At a time of scarce financial resources and economic concerns, every dollar, euro or yen needs to deliver double, triple even quadruple dividends. Intelligent investment in forests in developing countries is a key example".

By demonstrating the potential for such 'win win' areas to be identified, the atlas could have particular input to the current discussions on reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries (REDD).

These new maps are just a first step towards demonstrating how combining different types of data can help to identify areas where opportunities and benefits overlap for storing carbon and protecting biodiversity. A new, detailed and web-based atlas is expected in 2009 in the run up to UN climate meeting in Copenhagen. The atlas will cover a larger number of countries with more accurate, national data on carbon and biodiversity where available, and examine options to include ecosystem services and impacts on local livelihoods. As emphasised by Mr Steiner, ensuring safeguards for local and indigenous people will be paramount to a successful REDD.

Full details of the press release can be found here

The atlas can be downloaded here as a screen friendly version, or as a printable version. The atlas is also available as hard copy or as a CD upon request.

Please contact barney.dickson@unep-wcmc.org for further information regarding the demonstration atlas, or alison.campbell@unep-wcmc.org to request copies.

Click here for interview dialogue

On Monday 6th October 2008, The Conservation Commons Secretariat organized an alliance workshop at the IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC) in Barcelona, Spain to address barriers to data sharing. The workshop was organized in collaboration with Conservation International, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, IUCN, National Geographic Society, The Getty Research Institute, The Nature Conservancy, and UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

The purpose of this workshop was to draw attention to the barriers faced by the conservation community which limit access to biodiversity data and information, and to identify efforts to collectively address these challenges. The workshop supported the "Safeguarding the Diversity of Life" Stream of the Forum.

Speakers and participants from sectors both within and outside the traditional conservation community were asked to consider key questions in relation to accessing biodiversity data or information; legal and technical data standards; and cultural challenges often faced in accessing the best available data and information. The audiences were challenged to think beyond current limitations and paradigms in order to develop innovative solutions to these challenges. The workshop concluded after a short open discussion.

For more information about Conservation Commons visit: www.conservationcommons.org

For background materials, presentations and full report of the meeting see the Conservation Commons Workspace: http://conserveonline.org/workspaces/commons

Based on input from more than 100 experts, this book aims to provide the most detailed assessment ever of the worldwide distribution and conservation status of national parks and reserves. It examines the relationship between people and protected areas, investigates threats and opportunities, cites the history of protected areas, provides expert conservation advice and celebrates the success of protected areas around the world.

With 352 pages, The World's Protected Areas: Status, value and prospects in the 21st Century, which is published in associated with UNEP-WCMC by the University of California Press, contains 110 colour illustrations, 165 line illustrations and 39 colour maps. It is edited by Stuart Chape, Mark Spalding and Martin Jenkins, and includes a foreword by Achim Steiner and Julia Marton-Lefèvre.

Available from University of California Press: www.ucpress.edu

A copy of the press release is available here

Since 1981 what is now UNEP-WCMC has been managing the only global database on the world's national parks and reserves, working in close collaboration with IUCN and its World Commission on Protected Areas. This database has now been completely redesigned, and was relaunched on Monday 6th October at the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona.

The new online tool includes many new features aimed at increasing access to the maps and associated data on the world's protected areas, including employing Google Earth to help users to visualise sites. Additional features facilitate update and quality control, and the Centre is working with a range of other organizations to develop new tools making further use of the data.

Redevelopment has been supported by UNEP-WCMC's Proteus Partners, a coalition of oil, gas, mineral and mining and information technology companies, who have between them contributed more than US$2 million into the initiative.

To access the World Database on Protected Areas: www.wdpa.org

A copy of the press release is available here

On 25 September 2008 world leaders are meeting at UN Headquarters in New York to identify new actions to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which now include a new biodiversity target. The High-level Event, convened by UN Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon, aims to ensure that all countries can achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The seventh Millennium Development Goal, to ensure environmental sustainability, now includes the target, "reduce biodiversity loss, achieving by 2010 a significant reduction in the rate of loss", which is compatible with the '2010 Target' of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Environmental sustainability will be one of three themes discussed at the High-level Event.

"The world is waking up to the fact that environmental destruction and species extinction does real damage to peoples' lives and livelihoods," says Dr Matt Walpole, UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre. "Pledging to reduce biodiversity loss as part of the Millennium Development Goals demonstrates clear recognition by the World's governments that poverty reduction and sound environmental management go hand in hand."

The 2008 MDG report includes the new biodiversity target and a new indicator to monitor progress, called the proportion of species threatened with extinction. This indicator is calculated from the IUCN Red List Index, which is based on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.

UNEP-WCMC has played a central role in promoting the inclusion of the new biodiversity target and indicator in the MDGs, working with IUCN, the Secretariat of the CBD, UNEP and UNDP. The IUCN Red List Index is presented for use by the United Nations through UNEP-WCMC, which is also responsible for reporting on the existing MDG indicator of coverage of protected areas, utilising the World Database on Protected Areas.

The biodiversity information in the 2008 MDG report shows that the proportion of land in protected areas is increasing, but only 0.7% of the world's oceans - about 2 million square kilometres - were protected, despite their importance to fish stocks and coastal livelihoods. At the same time the proportion of threatened species is increasing, which indicates the biodiversity on which the poor depend for their livelihoods may be degrading, since species are harvested and cultivated for food, medicines and fibres.

To view the official press release click here.

A new study published in Conservation Letters finds that protection of marine habitats is lagging far behind that of terrestrial areas. While 12 percent of the world's lands are protected, only 4 percent of the world's coastal waters fall within "marine protected areas," a conservation tool used around the world to preserve ocean resources.

"Unfortunately, we found that great swathes of the world's coastal waters are unprotected, meaning coastal livelihoods, incomes and food supplies are all at risk as fish stocks fall and coastlines erode," said Mark Spalding, senior marine scientist at The Nature Conservancy and lead author of the study. "The good news is that marine protected areas can be a powerful tool to ensure that ocean habitats remain healthy and productive for future generations - but we need to expand and strengthen protection efforts now."

The study was a collaboration between The Nature Conservancy (TNC), UNEP-WCMC and IUCN. As part of this study, spatial analysis was conducted at UNEP-WCMC using the marine classification system of coastal ecoregions (developed by TNC, the World Wildlife Fund and other partners) and a global marine protected areas dataset. The study examined the protection status for each of the world's varied coastal ecoregions (geographically and scientifically similar areas), but also expanded its vision out to the open oceans.

To read more about this study please see the press release

The marine protected areas dataset used in this study is now part of the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), hosted and managed by UNEP-WCMC. A joint project of UNEP and IUCN, the WDPA is the most comprehensive global spatial dataset on marine and terrestrial protected areas available, see www.wdpa.org.

From 15-19 September, the 4th Meeting of the Parties (MOP) to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) will take place in Antananarivo, Madagascar (see http://www.unep-aewa.org/press/mop4_media_alert.htm for more information). The conference is expected to adopt, for the first time, an online format for national reporting. UNEP-WCMC is glad to have been able to develop the online reporting facility, through a grant from UNEP for a project on knowledge management for the biodiversity-related agreements. Parties to AEWA are requested to prepare for each MOP a report on its implementation of the Agreement. National reporting can be a burden for Parties, in particular as such reports are required for most multilateral environmental agreements. The online reporting facility is expected to make reporting easier and more straightforward for Parties.

In addition, UNEP-WCMC, under contract to the AEWA Secretariat, has produced for MOP 4 posters depicting the Madagascar Pond Heron and the Sociable Lapwing, two threatened species that have attracted specific attention of AEWA and the wider conservation community. The meeting in Madagascar is expected to adopt an Action Plan for the Conservation of the Madagascar Pond Heron and will review the implementation of the existing Action Plan for the Sociable Lapwing.

UNEP-WCMC is also supporting implementation of the Wings Over Wetlands (WOW) UNEP-GEF African-Eurasian Flyways Project - the largest "flyway-scale" waterbird conservation project in the AEWA region, through the development of the Critical Sites Network (CSN) Tool, in close partnership with Wetlands International and BirdLife International. The CSN Tool will provide a web-based portal integrating data from multiple sources, and will help improve site management along the entire African-Eurasian Flyways; see http://www.wingsoverwetlands.org.

UNEP-WCMC is part of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Programme (CBMP) of the Conservation of Arctic Fauna and Flora (CAFF) programme of the Arctic Council that has taken a leading role in researching the responses of biodiversity to climate change in the Arctic (http://arcticportal.org/en/caff/cbmp). Consequently, for World Migratory Bird Day 2007, UNEP-WCMC released a news item on the threats from climate change to migratory waterbirds from the Arctic; see http://www.unep-wcmc.org/regions/arctic_climate.cfm for details.

At the beginning of October the IUCN World Conservation Congress takes place in Barcelona. This will be a very significant event, with some 10,000 people participating, from all levels of governmental and non-governmental organizations, and from industry and academe. A large delegation from UNEP-WCMC will attend, lead by the Centre's Director, Jon Hutton. While UNEP-WCMC staff will be addressing a wide range of issues at the Congress, key items on our agenda include the launch of the redeveloped World Database on Protected Areas on 6 October, and opportunities for promoting both the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership and the Conservation Commons - key partnership efforts in which UNEP-WCMC is centrally involved.

Further information on the congress can be found on the IUCN website.

The second meeting of the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP) was held at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montréal, Canada from the 25-26 June 2008. This meeting was crucial for determining the progress of the Partnership, as well as clarifying the expectations for the Partnership over the next two years in the run up to the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 10).

More than 30 participants from major biodiversity-related conventions, initiatives and networks attended the meeting. A variety of subjects were discussed by the numerous Indicator Partners including progress in developing the suite of 2010 BIP indicators and the linkages of indicators between focal areas. Future opportunities were identified for various Partnership products, including the contribution of the 2010 BIP to the 3rd edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3).

The meeting also focused on the work of the BIP post 2010 and the further development of national and regional linkages. The latter will ensure that biodiversity indicators are widely used in broader policy initiatives and by national governments.

For more information, see the 2010 BIP website: www.twentyten.net.

Silja Halle, communications advisor for the UNEP Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch in Geneva, presented an overview of the Branch's work at UNEP-WCMC on 26 June 2008.

The presentation highlighted the Branch's work in Lebanon and Sudan, and described how the Branch will develop as UNEP's Medium Term Strategies are implemented in the near future.

Presentation Part 1 (2.10MB)
Presentation Part 2 (28.8MB)

RALUCIAPA (RAPID ASSESSMENT OF LAND USE CHANGE IN AND AROUND PROTECTED AREAS ) does as it says on the tin and is a collaboration between KCL and UNEP-WCMC (the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre). It is a tool to assist in conservation monitoring and prioritisation and shows protected areas in green. In red it shows areas deforested between 2000 (when most of the NASA imagery used in Google Earth/Maps was taken) and 2005, based on the MODIS VCF data.

RALUCIAPA works best for large scale forest loss in areas of previously full forest cover (especially tropical forests) - it does not work so well in scrubland or in human dominated landscapes outside the tropics. It shows clearly the value of protected areas in preventing large scale forest loss but also where protected areas may be under threat.

The Earth and Earth-Plugin versions especially also provide a great deal of information on protected areas from the World Database on Protected Areas (2007, web download): particularly outlines, names and characteristics. This is a beta : in the next version, with the launch of the new UNEP-WCMC IUCN WCPA World Database on Protected Areas there will be links to tiled downloadable GIS data but these are inactive at the moment.

http://www.unep-wcmc.org/protected_areas/raluciapa/

Published it in Earth (all layers), Earth Plugin (all layers), Maps (some layers) and also VE (some layers)

http://earth.google.com/outreach/env_science.html

Senior UNEP officials presented an important new publication entitled "Africa: Atlas of Our Changing Environment" to the public on Tuesday during three simultaneous press conferences in Johannesburg, Nairobi and London.

UNEP-WCMC Deputy Director Monika MacDevette served on the panel at the launch of the publication in London, and along with Acting Director of the Division of Early Warning and Assessment Marion Cheatle and UNEP European Spokesman Robert Bisset. They gave numerous interviews to various UK-based media organisations on that day including the BBC, the Times and the Independent.

The Atlas was compiled by UNEP staff and other professionals at the request of ministers from the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment. South African President Thabo Mbeki was among those who presented the publication during the AMCEN meeting in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The nearly 400-page publication features 316 satellite images, 319 ground photographs and 151 maps from every country on in Africa that illustrate environmental changes in 104 locations on that continent during recent years. While most of the images outlined areas of environmental degradation, a number of the photographs do show improvements to the environment in those areas where conservation efforts have been undertaken.

UNEP Interview MP3

Conserving biodiversity must be considered when developing plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, researchers from UNEP-WCMC and University of Cambridge warn in a special issue of Science. The scientists support the plan to reduce deforestation but urge initiatives to protect biodiversity in other ecosystems from displaced land use changes.

Resources:
Special issue of Science magazine on forests, including video interviews; Press release at University of Cambridge

The 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP) Secretariat held a side event at the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 9) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on Friday, 23 May 2008. Chaired by SBSTTA's Spencer Thomas of Grenada, with presentations from Linda Collette of FAO, Sarah Simons of Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP) and Gordon Sheppherd of WWF, it was well attended and provoked a lively discussion.

Canada stressed that parties are really counting on delivery of the project and that it is imperative that the project targets SBSTTA-14. IUCN noted that the suite of core indicators form a continuum ranging from indicators for which the baseline will be delivered in 2010 to indicators ready to show trends by 2010. The 2010 BIP Secretariat, represented by Dr Matt Walpole, added that 2010 BIP feeds into the preparation for GBO-3 and looks beyond 2010 to inform the process of setting the next target. Various participants emphasized the importance of a solid communication strategy and SwedBio asked specifically about possible development of indicators for ecosystem services. The 2010 BIP Secretariat responded that work on this with WRI has recently been initiated.

For more information on the 2010 BIP see: www.twentyten.net.

Earth's terrestrial ecosystems store 2,052 gigatons of carbon in their biomass and soil (to 1 m depth). Protected areas worldwide cover 12.85% of the land surface and help to maintain ecosystem services including climate regulation through carbon storage. The latest analyses reveal that an astonishing amount of terrestrial carbon, over 312 gigatons or 15.2% of its global stock, lies within the protected area network. Our assessment of carbon storage in protected areas integrates information from the most up-to-date studies to inform decision-making at global, regional and national level.

Protecting the Carbon

From 19-30 May 2008, delegations from governments, IGOs and NGOs, business and indigenous communities will gather in Bonn, Germany. The meeting will discuss issues such as agricultural and forest biodiversity, the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, invasive alien species, progress towards the 2010 biodiversity target, financial resources, and a proposed international regime for access and benefit-sharing.

UNEP-WCMC will be well represented, and will highlight various aspects of its work, including on the World Database on Protected Areas, forest protected areas, the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership, the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, biodiversity and climate change, the International Year of the Reef, and national reporting to the biodiversity-related conventions. The Centre has a joint work programme with the CBD which focuses on support to the implementation of COP decisions, and a new version of the work programme is expected to be elaborated following COP 9.

Further information: http://www.cbd.int/cop9/ and http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/cop9/

Today, the day before Europe Day, 'Wild Wonders of Europe' rolls into action. 55 of Europe's top nature photographers embark on 90 assignments to 44 countries.

The mission: To reveal the amazing natural heritage of Europe and to inspire a desire to save it. This project is endorsed by UNEP. To find out more, visit http://www.wild-wonders.com

A strong team from UNEP-WCMC participated in the 9th Conference of the Parties (COP 9) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), 19-30 May, in Bonn, Germany. The Conference adopted more than 35 decisions, among which a roadmap for the final rounds of negotiating an international regime on access and benefit-sharing, and an agreement on criteria for establishment of marine and coastal protected areas, were perhaps the most significant. At the Ministerial Segment, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced major financial commitments by Germany for forests and protected areas.

Among the COP decisions were new mandates for UNEP-WCMC's work, including on the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership, protected areas, marine biodiversity, drylands biodiversity and harmonization of national reporting to biodiversity-related conventions. These will form the core of a new joint work programme with the CBD Secretariat. The Centre also organised COP 9 side events to present the redeveloped World Database on Protected Areas and the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership, and participated in others on the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, marine biodiversity and harmonization of national reporting.

For further information see www.cbd.int/cop9 and www.iisd.ca/biodiv/cop9. COP 10 will be held in October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan.

Seventeenth meeting of the CITES Plants Committee and Twenty-third meeting of the CITES Animals Committee

15-23 April 2008 | Geneva, Switzerland

UNEP-WCMC attended both meetings and provided information in relation to various agenda items. Chief documents discussed, and outcomes were:

1. Trade data, used as the first step in the selection of species for inclusion in the review of Significant Trade process.
2. The report from the South East Asia timber workshop and news on forthcoming Central and West African workshop, following which three recommendations for action were agreed.
3. Development of a Wiki type ID manual on the internet.
4. Contributions to discussions on species nomenclature.

Image: Harriet Gillett (UNEP-WCMC) presenting recommendations resulting from the technical workshop on "Strategies for Sustainable Use and Management of Timber Tree Species Subject to International Trade: Southeast Asia" held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 5-7 September 2007. © IISD Reporting Services

On Wednesday 23 April, SKY News visited UNEP-WCMC to record a message on the importance of biodiversity to human health and well-being. The news clip highlights the findings of the book Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity, written and edited by Harvard researchers Dr Eric Chivian and Dr Aaron Bernstein, along with contributions of over 100 leading scientists. The book, supported by the CBD, UNEP, UNDP and IUCN, was formally launched at UN headquarters in New York at a gala event on 23 April, and will be presented again at the Smithsonian Institute later in April. UNEP-WCMC staff members played a role in the review of several chapters in this book. Dr Chivian, who shared the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in working toward preventing nuclear war, will be in Cambridge on 2 June and participate in a programme of lectures jointly organised by UNEP-WCMC and the Zoology Department of Cambridge University. Monika MacDevette, one of UNEP-WCMC's two Deputy Directors, gave the interview on behalf of the Centre.

Sky News Press Release

Sky News Video Release

UNEP-WCMC participated in a regional timber workshop to develop a participatory action plan to ensure that international trade in Afrormosia Pericopsis elata is consistent with its sustainable management and conservation in Africa. Afrormosia is listed in CITES Appendix II and is used in furniture making, interior and exterior work, flooring and boat-building.

The action plan agreed by the workshop included five thematic areas:

1 - Building capacity of exporting and importing countries on implementation of CITES.

2- Building capacity of exporting and importing countries to manage P. elata sustainably.

3- Improving the ecological and sylvicultural knowledge of P. elata

4. Promotion of support programmes for regeneration of P. elata

5. Governance and marketing of P. elata

Harriet Gillett attended on behalf of UNEP-WCMC and presented UNEP-WCMC's plans for the implementation of a Central and West African timber workshop. This is the third in the series of regional workshops that UNEP-WCMC is running to support the sustainable use of timber trees in international trade.

UNEP-WCMC works closely with colleagues in GRID Arendal as part of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP). On March 6 - 7th, Tim Johnson and Christoph Zockler attended the CBMP International Workshop in Washington DC, United States, entitled "Building a Partnership for Enhanced Understanding and Conservation of Arctic Biodiversity".

The workshop launched the "implementation phase" of the CBMP after several years of substantive program development and planning. Participants discussed program priorities, and generated short term action plans and identified new partnerships to accomplish them. The event also managed to foster healthy debate regarding CBMP's opportunities for the next 5 years.

Mike Gill (CBMP Chair) summarized the events achievements "With the help of some of our existing partners, we were able to leverage new strategic partnerships in several key areas of the program. The program is very well positioned to deliver on the key products and activities planned over the next five years. We are confident that our vision of expanded and enhanced Arctic biodiversity monitoring and improved conservation and adaptation decisions for the Arctic will be achieved."

The Workshop attracted a large group of participants representing government agencies, academic insititutions, International NGO's, international organisations and funding foundations. The workshop was enabled through the generous support of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Finland Ministry of Environment.

From 7-9 March 2008, UNEP held a workshop with the secretariats of biodiversity-related multilateral agreements on knowledge management in support of improved agreement implementation. The UNEP-WCMC-hosted workshop brought together staff from the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), Ramsar Convention, African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and Indian Ocean South-East Asian Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding (IOSEA), as well as from the UN Environment Management Group (EMG) and Countdown 2010. Participants reflected on the results of the UNEP Knowledge Management project that WCMC has implemented over the past 18 months. The project developed an Internet portal that allows access to key agreement information as well as online tools for national reporting to CMS, AEWA and CITES. It also explored new options for harmonization of national reporting between these agreements. In addition, the workshop looked into potential links between the knowledge management tools and the issue-based modules that Tematea has developed. Participants agreed on ways forward, working towards developing further linkages between the information systems of the different agreements, with the support from UNEP. This will increase the capacity of secretariats to address issues of information management. Not least will it provide tools for parties to agreements that allow for easier access to information relevant for agreement implementation and will make reporting on implementation easier.

A global campaign including green travel tips for the world's growing number of international tourists have been developed and launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The internet-based campaign, "Green Passport", aims to raise tourists' awareness of their potential to contribute to sustainable development by making responsible holiday choices. Click here to visit the internet-based campaign.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and California State University, Chico are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jeff Price as Senior Fellow for Climate Change and Biodiversity at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge, UK. Paul Zingg, President of CSU Chico, said today "I am delighted with this new relationship with UNEP-WCMC because it will allow Jeff Price to inject an important new international perspective to his teaching and research".

Dr. Price, who was a lead author for the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC)'s Third and Fourth Assessment Reports, will work with UNEP-WCMC during 2008 to assist the Centre to assimilate the most recent information and research on climate change and its impacts on biodiversity, so that it can be used to better inform the development of international policy.

A central focus of the Centre's work on climate change is the linkage between policies and activities to reduce the rate at which tropical forests are destroyed. One aspect of this work is to address the increasing pressure on crops, agriculture and land to produce biofuels. Paradoxically, by encouraging the growth of biofuels to reduce greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, the international community is in danger of speeding up the rate of deforestation - which itself accounts for at least 18% of all greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

The Director of UNEP-WCMC, Prof Jon Hutton, described the appointment of Dr Price to the Centre's new Fellowship in collaboration with CSU Chico as "just the sort of partnership we need to raise our game, bridge the divide between research and policy and speed up the response to human-induced climate change". Jeff Price brings to UNEP-WCMC 15 years of experience working on these issues. He lectures on climate change adaptation and was one of the lead authors of the IPCC's Third and Fourth Assessment Reports dealing with ecosystems, and the IPCC's Technical Paper on Climate Change and Biodiversity. He also contributed text to one of the reports underlying the Stern Review of the Economic Impacts of Climate Change in the UK, and the National Assessment on Climate Change Impacts on the United States. He was co-author of the Nature article "Fingerprints of global warming on wild animals and plants" and produced the popular 'Birdwatcher's Guide to Global Warming'.

Eight staff members of UNEP-WCMC attended the meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy over the last two weeks. The Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Protected Areas, from 11-15 February, reviewed the CBD Programme of Work on Protected Areas as well as options for mobilizing financial resources for implementing the programme of work. The WCMC delegation worked with delegates and through side events to share progress to date on relevant protected area projects, demonstrating UNEP-WCMC's critical role in providing expertise and knowledge to biodiversity conservation, in particular through its joint work with the World Conservation Union (IUCN) to manage the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). The recommendations of the meeting include a draft mandate for WCMC to work with IUCN on development of verification and data improvements in the WDPA, development of additional and complementary data sets, and the development of tools that assist in monitoring and reporting on the progress of implementation of the Programme of Work on Protected Areas. UNEP-WCMC contributed to side events related to protected area management effectiveness and livelihoods.

From 18-22 February, the 13th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) to the CBD reviewed the implementation of the CBD programmes of work on forests and agricultural biodiversity and also considered specific aspects of marine and coastal biodiversity, inland water ecosystems, invasive alien species, biodiversity and climate change, as well as the SBSTTA modus of addressing new and emerging issues. WCMC contributed a paper on an interactive map (IMAP) and a review of spatial databases on marine areas beyond national jurisdiction to the consideration of marine and coastal biodiversity. The meeting acknowledged this work and also invited the Ramsar Convention, UNEP and UNEP-WCMC to continue their work on a joint reporting framework on inland waters between CBD and Ramsar. UNEP-WCMC contributed to side events on the Global Biodiversity Outlook and the 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership, the forest-related CBD indicators, and a global bioregional classification for open oceans and deep seas.

Both meetings ended with lots of bracketed text as delegates were unable to agree on many issues. The 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties, to be held in Bonn, Germany, in May this year, will have the onerous task of finding consensus on those issues as well as many other issues on the agenda. For further information, see the Convention on Biological Diversity and for a report on the meetings the earth Negotiations Bulletin.

The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) designated 2008 as the International Year of the Reef. As part of the ICRI secretariat, the One Ocean Programme is integral to the planning and coordination of IYOR 2008 through the IYOR ad hoc committee.

On the evening of January 24th, 2008, the International Year of the Reef was officially launched. Guests from international governments, organisations, embassies, private sector and the conservation / scientific community gathered at the World Bank hosted event, (Washington DC), to celebrate the beginning of this year's activities, which aim to draw attention to coral reefs as sentinels of the ocean environment.

Following this a mini-symposium was held at the Mexican Cultural Centre in Washington DC to celebrate the coming year through a showcase of IYOR 2008 activities taking place around the world. Opening remarks were given by Arturo Sarukhan, Ambassador of Mexico to the United States of America, who is an avid diver and lover of the ocean. Countries and organisations presented on regional launches and a wealth of planned activities.

To find out more about the launch or what is happening in your area, visit www.iyor.org

The Forest Restoration Information Service (FRIS) aims to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience among forest restoration projects and practitioners; and the prioritisation, design and implementation of forest restoration efforts. The open-access resources available through the FRIS include a database of projects worldwide, case studies, definitions, maps & links.

The online survey is closed as of 11th February 2008; we extend our thanks to all those who responded.

At the 13th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Bali in December, the topics included measures to address emissions from deforestation in developing countries. A Decision was approved on approaches to stimulate action on emissions from both deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, including indicative guidance for demonstration activities.

At the meeting, UNEP-WCMC released a paper on the factors that could influence the outcomes of such a decision for conservation and livelihoods, and a summary of related experience from protected areas.