Résultats de recherche

Marine protected areas celebrated for safeguarding SA’s biodiversity

Cape Town - Following the success of the first Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day, celebrated last year on August 1, numerous environmental and conservation groups were stressing the importance of MPAs in South Africa and their role in protecting ocean ecosystems while also raising awareness for t ...

Africa Protected Areas Congress puts spotlight on protection and conservation of biodiversity

The first-ever Africa Protected Areas Congress has convened in in Kigali, Rwanda to discuss the role of protected areas in conserving nature.

Mobilizing communities trumps penalties in protecting seascapes: study

Conservationists have long recognised the significance of engaging locals in safeguarding the ecosystems they live off, but assessing those relationships can be hard because of time and resource constraints.

Protecting 30% of global lands could benefit biodiversity and climate change: Study

The study released by Science Advances says at least 1,000 species could benefit from protecting 30% of global lands by 2030.

Gains in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services from the expansion of the planet’s protected areas

Protected areas safeguard biodiversity, ensure ecosystem functioning, and deliver ecosystem services to communities. However, only ~16% of the world’s land area is under some form of protection, prompting international calls to protect at least 30% by 2030.

Nearly half of planet’s land in need of ‘conservation attention’ to halt biodiversity crisis

Almost half the planet’s land surface needs extra conservation protection if the biodiversity crisis is to be halted, a major new study has found.

Fishing industry still ‘bulldozing’ seabed in 90% of UK marine protected areas

More than 90% of Britain’s offshore marine protected areas are still being bottom-trawled and dredged, two years after analysis of the extent of destructive fishing exposed them as “paper parks”, according to data shared with the Guardian.

For 20 years, Comoros had only 1 national park. It’s now creating 5 more

Before the inhabitants of Itsamia in Comoros decided to intervene, turtles arriving to nest on its beaches drew villagers from neighboring hamlets. Anywhere from 10 to 30 green sea turtles were captured every day for their meat. That was in 1991. Today, the village is famous for its annual turtl ...

Ferns and Lycophytes Are Effectively Conserved in Protected Areas of Xishuangbanna

Xishuangbanna is highly renowned as the most biodiverse region in tropical China. To conserve this extraordinary rich biodiversity, more than 20% of Xishuangbanna’s land has been protected in protected areas (PAs).

Protected areas saw dramatic spikes in fires during COVID lockdowns, study finds

The number of fires inside protected conservation areas across the island of Madagascar shot up dramatically when COVID-19 lockdowns led to the suspension of any on-site management for five months during 2020.

Protected areas need effective management to protect biodiversity

Protected areas have a mixed impact on wildlife and don’t always boost biodiversity, according to a study published in Nature. This is the largest ever global survey about the impact of protected areas.

7 Solutions to Biodiversity Loss

All living things on Earth are connected to support and maintain life cycles, therefore biodiversity is extremely important for the functioning of ecosystems on the Earth.

Protect This Place: The Fragile and Enchanting Costa Dos Corais

Protect This PlaceCosta dos Corais harbors one of the largest reef formations in Brazil and is rich in biodiversity —groups of algae, fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic mammals, along with its namesake corals. I

To save the oceans, we need MPAs that emphasize actual protection of marine ecosystems (commentary)

Saving the ocean is possible but it requires getting serious about stopping its destruction, not everywhere, but especially in designated places called marine protected areas, a new op-ed argues.

Afro-Caribbean community safeguards pristine oceans with new protected area

An Afro-Caribbean community on the southwest coast of Colombia has helped establish a new marine protected area that will create more sustainable fishing and hunting practices while ensuring that one of the country’s most undisturbed ecosystems withstands outside threats of deforestation and pol ...

African wild dogs cope with human development using skills they rely on to compete with other carnivores

Large carnivores in Africa are important from ecological, economic and cultural perspectives, but human activities put them at risk. Increasingly, lions, hyenas and African wild dogs are restricted to protected areas like national parks. Within these limited areas, they must compete for the same ...

Communities adjacent to protected areas commit their land to conservation.

COMMUNITIES adjacent to protected areas in Mbire have committed part of their land towards wildlife conservation, a move that is expected to help curb poaching in the area.

Which African country is providing the world with a blueprint for ocean protection?

Gabon is in a world-leading position when it comes to protecting oceans, say experts. The country on Africa’s west coast provides a blueprint that could be used in many other nations, according to a new paper compiled by Gabonese policymakers and researchers from the University of Exeter, UK.

Mammal 'selfies' show protected areas thriving with species diversity

Ever wonder if protected areas are effective at conserving wildlife? Well, new research and photos from the University of British Columbia (UBC) have shed some insight on their usefulness.

Marine Life in the Galápagos Gets a New Protected ‘Ocean Highway’

Endangered turtles, sharks, and manta rays now have more room to roam in the pristine waters of the Galápagos Islands. In January 2022, Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso decreed a new marine reserve called Hermandad—“Brotherhood”—in the volcanic island chain famous for its impressive, unusual ...

Preserving biodiversity: begins the path to create new protected areas in the country – Unidiversidad

Priority is given to projects to create national parks and reserves in the provinces of Córdoba and Río Negro. They have unique ecosystems. The importance of their care to cushion climate change. Infographics.

Expert: Protecting 30% of Earth won’t be enough to save biodiversity

PROTECTING 30 per cent of land and sea areas will not be enough to stop, let alone reverse, the loss of biodiversity, argues Jukka Hoffren, an expert at Statistics Finland.

Effectiveness of protection areas in safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services in Tibet Autonomous Region

The Tibet Autonomous Region of China constitutes a unique and fragile ecosystem that is increasingly influenced by development and global climate change. To protect biodiversity and ecosystem services in Tibet, the Chinese government established a system of nature reserves at a significant cost; ...

Barking Deer Conservation Starts; KP's Protected Areas Enhanced To 15pc: Wildlife Chief

Khyber Pakthunkhwa Wildlife Department has started conservation of the endangered Barking Deer in Haripur district to protect the rare species from extinction.

More protected areas won't save biodiversity, warn experts

Expanding nature preserves will not be enough to stem a rising tide of extinctions, a panel of experts warned Wednesday, taking aim at a draft treaty tasked with rescuing Earth's animal and plant life.

Dynamic Ocean closures offer protection from accidental catch

Accidentally trapping marine animals such as sharks, seabirds, turtles, or sea mammals in fishing gear is one of the biggest barriers for making fisheries more sustainable. While marine protected areas are aiming to minimize accidental catch, they often prove to be quite inefficient in protectin ...

‘Huge blow’ for tiger conservation as two of the big cats killed in Thailand

Authorities in Thailand have arrested five suspects for killing two Indochinese tigers in a protected area in the country’s west; the suspects said the tigers had been killing and eating their cattle.

Expanding national parks not enough to protect nature, say scientists

Expanding national parks and protected areas will not be enough to halt the destruction of nature, warn leading scientists, who say urgent action on overconsumption, harmful subsidies and the climate crisis is also required to halt biodiversity loss.

Ecuador to announce creation of Hermandad Marine Reserve off Galapagos (commentary)

“Ecuador is proud to announce the creation of the Hermandad Marine Reserve in the coming days,” the country’s president declares in an opinion piece shared with Mongabay.

Newly declared dugong conservation reserve will help protect marine biodiversity

In an effort to protect the dugong, the Tamil Nadu government declared 500 sq. km of the biodiversity-rich waters in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, where the marine mammal is found, as the country’s first dugong conservation reserve. Announced in September last year, the reserve is spread over ...

Protected marine areas should serve nature and people: a review of South Africa’s efforts

Marine protected areas in South Africa and across the world have an identity crisis. For some, they’re the answer to all marine conservation challenges. They prevent habitat destruction and unsustainable resource extraction, and provide resilience against climate change.

‘Only the rains will stop it’: Bolivia forest fires hit protected areas

Forest fires in Bolivia’s Santa Cruz department razed an area twice the size of Jamaica in the first 10 months of 2021, officials said, with more than half of the affected land falling inside protected areas.

China’s Surprisingly Robust System of Marine Protection

China, as the world’s largest producer and consumer of seafood, is well known for its voracious international fishing fleet. But a comprehensive understanding of the country’s efforts on marine protection, at least in its domestic waters, has remained elusive—even to many experts within China. N ...

How Marine Protected Areas Can Pay for Their Own Protection

The area right next to a marine protected area is a prime fishing spot—and researchers think fishermen will pay to access it.

Costa Rica Expands Cocos Island National Park by 27 times in size

President Carlos Alvarado of Costa Rica has signed a decree expanding the Cocos Island National Park, increasing the fully protected area in their Pacific waters by almost 53,000 square kilometers.

Costa Rica’s pristine ‘Shark Island’ now a massive marine reserve

Three times the size of the country’s mainland, the reserve’s abundance of sharks, whales, turtles, and other marine life has been described as an “underwater Jurassic Park.”

Using strategy to preserve biodiversity while saving space

In South and Central America, an especially high number of biodiverse areas are in jeopardy. Tropical rainforests are being cleared so that the land can be used for livestock grazing and planting soybeans. To compensate for these losses, other areas need to be placed under protection. The United ...

Are marine protected areas helping marine mammals and birds? Maybe, but more can be done

Our oceans are under pressure like never before, with over 60% struggling from the increasing impact of fishing, coastal activities and climate change. The harsh truth is that as we move towards 2022 only 3% of oceans are totally free from the pressure of human activity.

Researchers: ‘Yellowstone to Yukon’ work boosts conservation

It’s one thing to mount a decades-long conservation campaign on a continental scale like the Yellowstone to Yukon, or Y2Y. It’s another to prove anything about it worked.

Southern Ocean conservation cannot be left behind

The recent CCAMLR meeting failed to increase marine protected areas, but progress was made on regulating krill fishing

Quebec entrepreneur, 93, donates cherished island after protecting it from city sprawl

Nature Conservancy of Canada will protect Île Ronde habitat for birds and vulnerable turtle species.

National Park City status creates ‘higher expectations’ for park lands protection

The judges of Adelaide’s successful bid to become a globally-recognised National Park City say the title should lead to “higher expectations, accountability and standards” on planning decisions to rezone and commercialise the city’s park lands.

Conservation and food production must work in tandem, new study says

Strictly protecting 30% of Earth’s land and sea by 2030 would result in food production shortfalls, and would render a fifth of mammals and a third of birds at high risk of extinction, according to a new study.

Indigenous lands have less deforestation than state-managed protected areas in most of tropics

Areas managed by Indigenous peoples cover more than 25% of the world’s land and overlap with 40% of protected areas globally. Studies in Nicaragua and Brazil have found that Indigenous communities with ownership of their land have lower rates of deforestation than neighbouring areas. Often, defo ...

Botswana's Okavango Delta: World Heritage Site under threat

Environmental organizations are raising the alarm over mining for oil and gas in the world's largest cross-border nature reserve, known for its biodiversity and unique landscapes.

Endangered Caspian seal habitat awarded important marine mammal area status

Special status has been awarded to the habitat of a species of seal left endangered due to human activity.

Ndumo Game Reserve: The complicated balancing act of subsistence farming and nature conservation in KwaZulu-Natal

As cultivated fields expand and grazing cattle explore ever further in the Ndumo Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, researchers worry about unresolved efforts to address human poverty while also trying to protect the ever-shrinking spaces left for wildlife and nature conservation.

Portuguese islands create Europe’s largest protected marine area

The Selvagens Islands Nature Reserve, created 50 years ago in Portugal’s Madeira archipelago, is home to a unique ecosystem. A newly adopted legal framework makes it the largest protected marine area in Europe and the North Atlantic.

Creating a nature-positive future

Investing in effective protected and conserved areas is essential to protect nature, through biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.

We need to protect 50% of the planet — but even that’s not enough

You may have heard the idea that we need to protect half of the planet to ensure enough resources for the sustainable replenishment of natural resources.

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.