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Portugal Establishes the Largest Fully Protected Marine Reserve in Europe

Today the government of Portugal expanded a marine protected area around the Selvagens Islands, creating the largest fully protected marine reserve in Europe at 2,677 square kilometers. The Selvagens islands are a small archipelago in the North Atlantic located midway between Madeira and the Can ...

New WWF-Canada Grant Recipients Restoring Over 100 Hectares of Habitat to Support Wildlife and Absorb Carbon

Groups across Canada are answering the call for a "whole-of-society" approach to the biodiversity and climate crises, taking meaningful and measurable actions to restore nature, recover wildlife and absorb carbon.

[VIDEO] Protected areas can help end nature loss and protect people. Here's how.

Creating a nature-positive future

Investing in effective protected and conserved areas is an essential tool for achieving the protection of nature, through biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. In our Creating a Nature-Positive Future report we present a path to enhance protected and conserved areas coverage a ...

Over three-quarters of the world’s vital carbon stores are unprotected

Only 23 per cent of Earth’s most vulnerable and crucial carbon storage ecosystems are in protected areas. But a study that pinpoints these carbon stores could help inform initiatives to keep them safe from development, while also protecting biodiversity.

DRC: The creation of Congo Air Nature to safeguard protected areas

This is one of the major works envisaged by the new management team of the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The creation of an airline called Congo Air Nature. Its mission is to monitor and promote ecotourism through the country's 82 p ...

The European Union at the forefront of biodiversity in the DRC

Hidden in the thick primary rainforest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are a few silverbacks and a host of small, fiery eyes. The Baraka, one of the last families of mountain gorillas, are welcoming a happy event out of sight: a young male snuggled in his mother's arms. A new victory for ...

Razan Al Mubarak: indigenous people and youth must be empowered to protect biodiversity

Indigenous communities and young people must be empowered in order to protect the world’s biodiversity, says Razan Al Mubarak, the president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Why the St. Martin's Island should be declared a marine protected area

Since St. Martin’s island is a hotspot for a wide range of species, from primary producers to top predators, a holistic approach is required to conserve biodiversity, so declaring a new MPA here would be a good option for conserving the multifariousness in this area

Canada’s marine protected areas aren’t as safe as you think

As the globe’s “do or die” UN climate conference gets underway next week, Canada must scale up efforts to meet its ambitious ocean conservation targets to simultaneously prevent the wholesale collapse of marine biodiversity and tackle climate change, experts say.

‘Biodiversity for future generations’: Two new national parks for NSW

Two private properties bought by the NSW government will be given national parks status to help safeguard up to 50 threatened plant and animal species including the eastern-fat tailed gecko and the major Mitchell cockatoo.

Five national parks to serve as nature conservation 'classrooms'

China's first five national parks will be partly open to the public and serve as the most beautiful "classrooms" for nature conservation education, an official with the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said on Thursday.

How China's new national parks are protecting biodiversity

It is well known China is the world's most populous country – what it not so well known is that it also has some of the highest numbers of different flora and fauna anywhere in the world. And this is what the nation's five inaugural national parks are trying to protect.

New protected area buffers Mauritania's shifting sands

Mauritania’s battle against encroaching desertification, which has damaged ecosystems and endangered species, has received a timely boost with the news that 200,000 hectares will be turned into a protected area to support biodiversity in the country.

China issues guidelines to further biodiversity protection work

China on Tuesday issued a guideline that outlines the country's biodiversity protection goals. According to the goals, protected natural areas, mainly national parks, will account for 18 percent of China's land area by 2025, when China's forest coverage rate and comprehensive grassland coverage ...

Why should St. Martin’s Island be declared as a marine protected area?

Bangladesh’s Exclusive Economic Zone covers 118,813km2 of the Bay of Bengal’s large marine ecosystem, which is located in the southeast corner of the country. With a 710 km coastline and three major coastal zones Bangladesh possesses a unique coastal and marine habitat. This marine ecosystem is ...

In Half-Earth Project, a full-on bid to get countries to protect biodiversity

As the world grapples with unparalleled rates of deforestation and extinction, an increasing number of governments and other entities are recognizing the importance of protecting 30% of the land and oceans by 2030. In fact, this goal is listed as a target in the first draft of the post-2020 glob ...

The New ‘Con’ in Conservation: Why the Proposed Voluntary, Paris Agreement-Style, ‘30×30’ Target for Protected Areas Won’t Save the World’s Biodiversity

The idea of increasing to 30% the portion of Earth’s lands and seas designated as protected areas by 2030 (‘30×30’) has become a rallying cry for conservationists.

Project to Expand the Marine Territory of Cocos Island Begins the Final Stretch

In order to protect new sites of marine conservation interest, the government and environmentalists seek to expand the marine territory of Cocos Island, while the fishing sector – artisanal, longliner, purse seine fishing and tourist fishing – expresses their opposition to the plan. at a time wh ...

New protections for high value conservation areas

The NSW Government has today announced the opening of nominations to identify and protect Areas of Outstanding Biodiversity Value (AOBVs) on both private and public lands across New South Wales.

UN cautions on depletion of biodiversity

Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Audrey Azoulay, has warned that biodiversity is depleting at an unprecedented speed.

The MPA Guide: A framework to achieve global goals for the ocean

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are now well established globally as tools for conservation, for enhancing marine biodiversity, and for promoting sustainable fisheries.

Ecuador seeks to expand Galapagos reserve to protect marine life

In hopes of protecting migratory marine species endangered by overfishing and climate change, Ecuador's government has proposed expanding marine reserves near the Galapagos Islands, a haven for sharks, turtles and whales.

Over 2.5 million hours of sea bottom trawling ploughed Europe’s ‘protected’ areas in 2020

As the global nature conservation community gathers in Marseille for the IUCN World Conservation Congress, at which marine protection targets will be discussed, Oceana releases new data revealing how EU countries continue to allow destructive fishing in Europe’s supposedly ‘protected’ areas and ...

With Ambitious Conservation Action, Governments Can Help Nature—and People—Thrive

Our planet is home to wonderfully diverse natural habitats that support a huge array of life and provide innumerable benefits to humankind. Yet nature is deteriorating faster than at any time in recorded history due to human activity, including overexploitation of natural resources and climate c ...

Creating awareness of MPAs

On Sunday, 1 August South Africa will become the first country in the world to celebrate Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day. To highlight the important role MPAs play in the conservation of marine biodiversity, a consortium of South African organisations passionate about the protection of marine l ...

Working through the pandemic to save the Cheer pheasant

Increasing anthropogenic pressures have led to severe environmental degradation and decline of several species. While protected areas offer refuge, a significant population of threatened species is found outside such areas -- unprotected areas are more widespread than these protected locations, ...

Five new designated Special Areas of Conservation in Cyprus

Five protected areas who were included in the Natura 2000 Network as Sites of Community Importance are now being designated as Special Areas of Conservation under the Nature and Wildlife Protection and Management Law.

Global study reveals effectiveness of protected areas

Researchers have conducted a global study on the effectiveness of recently established protected areas in preventing forest loss. The study explores protected area performance by countries, with South Africa, Cambodia, Latvia, Guatemala, Uruguay, Brazil and New Zealand leading the way in protect ...

Banking on protected areas to promote a green recovery

The rollout of vaccines globally, particularly as this effort picks up momentum, is spreading hope that countries will soon have control over the devastating health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries still, though, have a long path to travel for economic recovery.

Opening protected area off New England coast to commercial fishing compromises protections

A study published this week in the scientific journal Frontiers in Marine Science found that opening the 3.14 million acre Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to commercial fishing reduces species protection in the richly diverse and vital ecological area.

How protected are protected areas?

On the face of it, efforts to boost the amount of land and sea officially conserved for nature are going well. Since governments signed up to the Aichi biodiversity targets in 2010, almost 21 million square kilometres – an area larger than the Russian Federation – have been given new protected s ...

Kaziranga National Park, India

Kaziranga National Park is located in the northeast state of Assam, in India, and includes the Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, and Nagaon districts which border the Himalayas. The area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and measures roughly 430 square kilometers, or 170 square miles.

Little by little

Protection is all the more effective when it is carried out by local people and by working all together. Our Coral Guardian pilot project around Hatamin Island in Indonesia is a success, with eight local people working full time for the project.

Panama expands the limits of the Coiba protected area

On June 8, World Oceans Day, the President of Panama Laurentino Cortizo signed an executive decree that expands the limits of the Cordillera de Coiba protected area, a step that will double the amount of Panamanian marine surface that is under some degree of protection.

Diana McCaulay | Protecting the Palisadoes

Thanks to The Sunday Gleaner (May 22, 2021) for the story re the sea defence works on the Palisadoes tombolo, pointing out the all-too-common situation that the mitigation measures identified as necessary to avoid environmental damage have not been done 10 years later.

One Size Does Not Fit All Rivers: Diverse Protection Mechanisms Needed To Keep Them Connected

The world’s rivers are like an uninsured Ferrari being driven through an ice storm: exceptionally high value combined with inadvisably high level of risk and vulnerability.

China is setting up its first marine national parks

The Changdao archipelago marks the threshold between the Bohai and Yellow seas. It is already home to nine national protected areas, including marine parks, geoparks and reserves for birds and marine mammals.

In Madagascar, cultural taboos can protect or harm the environment

Marcel Rakotonary, 75, gives a sharp warning to visitors before they enter Antsahadinta, or the “valley of the leeches.” Located 20 kilometers (12 miles) southwest of the capital city of Antananarivo, the sacred hill of Antsahadinta is the site of royal tombs and ancient dwellings. Its forest ha ...

Thailand to nominate ‘Andaman Marine Protected Areas’ as world heritage site

Thailand is preparing to nominate Andaman Marine Protected Areas as a World Heritage Site at a World Heritage Committee session in July, hoping to help stimulate the economy post-COVID-19 while promoting a sense of pride among Thai people.

Protected areas now cover nearly 17% of Earth’s surface: U.N. report

The area of protected land on Earth has increased to seven times the size of India since 2010, according to a report released May 19 by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Sharks attract illegal fishing in protected areas

Sharks attract illegal fishing in protected areas, according to a new study from the University of Exeter. The researchers found that thousands of sharks have been illegally caught in a Marine Protected Area (MPA) around the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, where fishing has been banned s ...

Bees thrive where it's hot and dry: A unique biodiversity hotspot located in North America

The United States-Mexico border traverses through large expanses of unspoiled land in North America, including a newly discovered worldwide hotspot of bee diversity. Concentrated in 16 km2 of protected Chihuahuan Desert are more than 470 bee species, a remarkable 14% of the known United States b ...

Can marine protected areas reduce marine disease?

For some ocean creatures, infectious disease is growing amid a changing climate.Marine diseases, often caused by parasites, viruses, and injuries, keep making headlines. Seastar wasting disease, shrimp white spot disease, and white plague disease in coral were some of the big ones, killing thous ...

‘Ocean in crisis’: Global plan to protect world’s seas

A new global marine initiative has been launched to protect and conserve 18 million square kilometres of the ocean (seven million square miles) over the next five years, an area larger than the continent of South America.

Environmentally "Protected" Areas are Not as Guarded as they Should Be, Evidence Shows

In the last decade, more than 4 million square kilometers of land have been declared as protected areas around the world, with little evidence of how good these areas are at being protected.

World's protected areas need more than a 'do not disturb' sign

Lessons learned from the world's protected forests: Just declaring a plot of land protected isn't enough—conservation needs thoughtful selection and enforcement.

The hottest number in conservation is rooted more in politics than science

Right now, in the conservation movement, a lot of people are fixated on a single number: 30. The US and more than 50 other countries have pledged to conserve 30 percent of their land and water by 2030 as a means to help thwart the biodiversity crisis.

Maharashtra's Sindhudurg Where A Rare Fish Species Was Found Named Biodiversity Heritage Site

Following the discovery of a rare freshwater fish species there, the Maharashtra government has declared an area at Amboli in Western ghats in Sindhudurg district as a biodiversity heritage site. The notification to convert the locality into a protected area was issued on Wednesday under the Bio ...

Protecting the World’s Oceans

In 2015, palau, a nation of more than 300 coral and volcanic islands in the western Pacific Ocean, expanded on decades of marine conservation to create a 193,000-square-mile protected area encompassing an extraordinary 80% of its ocean waters.