We analyse and advise on the many challenges facing biodiversity and ecosystem services in marine and terrestrial environments
Together with our partners, we work on dozens of projects every year across the range of areas described in Our Expertise. The projects and partnerships featured here give a flavour of the best, newest and most innovative work from across UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre .
Find out how UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre works with national and international partners, through the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries
Science–policy interfaces are critical in shaping environmental governance. UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre has developed significant expertise and long-standing experience at the boundary between science and policy in the context of biodiversity governance, including with the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
The Commodities and Biodiversity project aims to provide decision makers with the information and tools needed to balance demands for land and respond to future pressures on ecosystems.
National governments, scientists, non-governmental organizations and the private sector depend on current and reliable data to inform their research, conservation and business activities.
Species+, developed by UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat helps Parties to the Convention meet their international commitments. It provides them with easy access to the information they need to issue permits for trade on a daily basis, thereby facilitating the effective management of species and ensuring that trade in CITES-listed species is legal, traceable and sustainable.
UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) has been working closely with IUCN to provide technical support since the early days of the World Heritage Convention.
The Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool for Business is an authoritative website for companies seeking global biodiversity data. It is the result of a partnership among BirdLife International, Conservation International and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, together with UNEP-WCMC.
Working with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat and UN Environment to improve the policy coherence and coordinated implementation of the six major biodiversity-related conventions.
In 2011 the UK National Ecosystem Assessment delivered a wealth of information on the state, value and possible future of ecosystems across the UK. It also identified a number of key uncertainties, some of which are being addressed by a two-year programme of follow-up research.
In order to plan effectively, policymakers need to understand how ecosystems and biodiversity are likely to respond to human-induced changes in the future. UNEP-WCMC is working with partners to develop three computer models of ecosystems which are designed to provide this information.
The PARCC West Africa project assessed the vulnerability of biodiversity and protected area systems in West Africa to the impacts of climate change, and developed adaptation strategies and policy recommendations to enhance the resilience of protected areas and improve the effectiveness of their management.
In 2010, the 193 countries that are party to the Convention on Biological Diversity committed to updating and implementing their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). With our programme of work on NBSAPs, we are supporting the development and implementation of these NBSAPs so that environmental policy, planning and investment integrate and support economic and development policies.
Protected Planet is the online public interface for the World Database on Protected Areas, the most comprehensive global database on terrestrial and marine protected areas. Protected Planet allows users to discover the world's protected areas through maps, photos and descriptions.
Many businesses have a complex relationship with natural resources. Companies often struggle to find relevant information on biodiversity and the latest trends and developments in environmental policy. Proteus aims to ensure that businesses plan their activities around the best available biodiversity data.
UNEP-WCMC hosts the Secretariat of the Biodiversity Indicators Partnership, the global initiative to coordinate the development of indicators to track progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and other goals. The Partnership of more than 40 organizations works to provide comprehensive information on biodiversity and related trends.
We provide analysis, information and capacity building to national governments on the conservation status and levels of trade in protected species. This helps them to manage the legal trade in wildlife better.
