Latest International Union for Conservation of Nature Stories
Changes in climate may be a partial cause to the record rainfall that is wreaking havoc in Asia, but environmental experts say the destruction of ecosystems is more directly at fault for the severity of killer floods.The devastating floods are becoming worse because of several factors, including deforestation, conversion of wetlands into farmlands and urban centers and the clogging of natural drainage systems, experts warn."You can't just blame nature... humans have encroached on the...
A top conservation group said Thursday that our planet urgently needs a "bailout plant" to protect its biodiversity. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned that failure to stem the loss of animal and plant species will have dire consequences on human well-being. "The gap between the pressure on our natural resources and governments' response to the deterioration is widening," said Bill Jackson, the group's deputy director, calling for a 10-year...
For the first time scientists have put a figure on how much it would cost to learn about the conservation status of millions of species, some of which have yet to be identified. The price tag is US$60 million, according to a team of scientists, including those from IUCN and Conservation International, who presented their case in this week's Science magazine in an article called "The Barometer of Life.""Our knowledge about species and extinction rates remains very poor, and this...
The next 10 to 20 years could be extremely significant for restoring wild populations of American bison to their original roaming grounds. But for this to happen, more land must be made available for herds to roam free, government policies must be updated and the public must change its attitude towards bison.A new publication by IUCN, American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010, reports on the current status of American bison, in the wild and in conservation herds, and...
LIBREVILLE, Gabon, December 2 /PRNewswire/ -- - "Bolstering Biodiversity in Africa: Everyone's Problem and Heritage" Coinciding with the International Year of Biodiversity, 2-3 June 2010 the Gabonese Republic is hosting an international conference in Libreville (Gabon) on the issue of safeguarding biological resources in Africa. The conference will be attended by government and state leaders, ministers, scientific experts, private companies, representatives of international...
The updated global "Red List" of endangered species on Tuesday showed that more than 1,000 freshwater fish species are threatened with extinction, reflecting the strain on global water resources, AFP reported.The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) covers more than 47,000 of the world's species and is the most respected inventory of biodiversity.Among the 3,120 freshwater fish observed, scientists found that 1,147, or a third, are now threatened with extinction....
The International Union for Conservation of Nature reported on Thursday that pledges to roll back the threat to biodiversity by 2010 are beginning to seem out of reach, AFP reported.Jean-Christophe Vie of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) told AFP the goal set by UN parties under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to reduce biodiversity loss by 2010 would clearly not be met.The Swiss-based IUCN issued a report on Thursday saying Earth was hurtling towards a...
The World Heritage Committee has added the Belize barrier reef system and Los Katios National Park to its list of world heritage sites that are in danger. Composed of seven protected areas, many small mangrove islands and coastal lagoons, the Belize Barrier Reef System is home to a number of threatened species, including marine turtles and the American crocodile, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said. The IUCN and the World Heritage Committee, part of the United Nations...
A major conservation survey assessed 64 species of open ocean sharks and rays and found that one third of them face extinction, including the great white shark. The study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reported that species hunted on the high seas are particularly at great risk, with over half in danger of extinction.The IUNC named tuna and swordfish fisheries as the main culprits for their accidental "by-catch" of sharks.Sharks are also being increasingly...
WASHINGTON, June 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pew Environment Group today called for stronger shark conservation measures worldwide as a new report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies 35 out of 64 known pelagic shark and related ray species around the world as threatened or near threatened with extinction. The IUCN report was released just days before a joint meeting of the world's fishery managers in San Sebastian, Spain. The regional...
