UNEP-WCMC will play a key role in the Biodiversity and Economics of Conservation (BIOECON) Annual Conference on Resource Economics, Biodiversity Conservation and Development which is being held18 - 20 September in Cambridge. BIOECON is an interdisciplinary network aiming to advance economic theory and policy for biodiversity conservation. UNEP-WCMC is going to chair sessions on “PES Design and Implementation: New Insights and Approaches” and on "Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+)”. UNEP-WCMC will also contribute by giving a presentation titled “Towards a holistic assessment of national REDD+ options: Accounting for ecosystem service and biodiversity impacts”.

Read more...

On Monday 9 July 2012, the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Family Online Reporting System (ORS) was showcased during an event organized by the UNEP/CMS and UNEP/AEWA Secretariats in collaboration with UNEP-WCMC in the margins of the 11th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in Bucharest, Romania. Read more here.

 

Read more...

A new report presenting selected results of spatial analyses to explore potential biodiversity benefits and risks from REDD+ in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been launched in Kinshasa on 5 July 2012. The report is available in English and French. Read more here.

Read more...

In April this year, the first of five regional meetings organised within the framework of the PARCC West Africa project (‘Protected Areas Resilient to climate Change’) was held in Freetown Sierra Leone on the theme of Climate Information. It was co-organised by UNEP-WCMC and IUCN PAPACO and lead by the Met Office Hadley Centre.

Read more...

Geneva, 21 June 2012 – Elephant poaching levels are the worst in a decade and recorded ivory seizures are at their highest levels since 1989, according to a report published today by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The findings, largely based on information submitted by governments, will be presented and discussed at the 62nd meeting of the CITES Standing Committee to be held in Geneva from 23 to 27 July 2012.

The report analyses data from the CITES programme on Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE), IUCN’s data on the status of elephant populations, the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) managed by TRAFFIC, and the CITES trade database managed by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC).

Read more...

The United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in which they agree a framework for future collaboration in support of the implementation of the Convention.

Signed on 17 May 2012 in London by the Director of UNEP-WCMC, Mr. Jon Hutton and the Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, Mr. Luc Gnacagja, the MoC underscores the commitment of both organizations to sustainable development of the drylands.

Read more...

Greening the Blue, the United Nations in-house sustainability campaign, is inviting staff in all UN and UN-related organizations to pledge to make a difference for World Environment Day 2012.

The Greening the Blue Pledge-athon provides an opportunity for individuals to commit to make one small action that will help to reduce their carbon footprint.

Examples of pledges made so far include choosing trains over planes where possible and having a meat-free day once a week. Staff can either sign up to an existing pledge or create their own. When a user submits a pledge their name appear on a map of the world.

World Environment Day takes place on the 5th of June each year and aims to be the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action.

You can make a pledge by visiting the Pledge Page [http://www.greeningtheblue.org/get-involved] and telling the organisers what you’re planning to do.

Read more...

As part of its contribution to the UN-REDD Programme in Indonesia, UNEP-WCMC is working to develop a cross-sectoral analysis of policy and legislative frameworks that are relevant to REDD+ implementation in Central Sulawesi province. A local consultant will be hired to support this work.

Read more...

UNEP-WCMC has produced four briefing notes on biodiversity and ecosystem services issues for Rio+20 that are now available online here.

The briefing notes describe how UNEP-WCMC has helped contribute to the implementation of outcomes on biodiversity and ecosystem services under Agenda 21, the Rio Conventions and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, and outline how the Centre can contribute to the development and delivery of Rio+20 outcomes on biodiversity and ecosystem services in the future.

Read more...