A new online platform has been launched to raise awareness and inspire action by non-government organisations, local communities and businesses to protect, sustainably manage and restore areas of land and water. Well-managed protected and conserved areas play a vital role in safeguarding biodiversity, contributing to human livelihoods and bolstering climate resilience. With new international…
Biodiversity represents the tremendous variety of life on Earth on which we all depend. But human influence, including from land use changes, overexploitation and climate change means the biodiversity on which we all depend is under threat. More than one million animal and plant species are now at risk of extinction. Despite important progress that…
The planet’s sustainable future, and humanity’s sustainable development, relies on us being able to understand, quantify and recognize the multiple values of biodiversity. However, natural capital and ecosystem services are often neglected in traditional assessments of economic progress and development planning. This is where Natural Capital Accounts (NCA) are a useful tool: they quantify the…
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A new study from environmental mapping experts at the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) has revealed which parts of the Mediterranean face the greatest socio-economic threats from seagrass loss due to rising sea temperatures. The Mediterranean Sea is home to 1.2 million hectares of seagrass meadows. As well as being home to…
Cameroon, host to some of the most biodiverse places on Earth, became the third country in UNEP-WCMC’s National Ecosystem Assessment Initiative (NEA Initiative) to validate its national ecosystem assessment. National endorsement On January 27th 2022, Cameroon announced the validation of its national ecosystem assessment, a comprehensive knowledge-base on biodiversity and ecosystem services and its linkages…
The financial community is getting to grips with its pivotal and expanding role as a key driver of our sustainable future. Realities – such as half of global gross domestic product being dependant on nature and therefore vulnerable to spiralling nature loss – are sinking in, and awareness of and action on nature-related financial risks…
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The UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) has launched its new strategy, setting out the Centre’s priorities and focus for the next four years in its mission to develop knowledge and capacity for a nature-positive world. The “Nature and People” strategy for 2022-25 has been designed to deliver the Centre’s contribution to major…
Financial institutions around the world can now measure the positive impact of their investments into biodiversity conservation, adaptation, mitigation, forest protection and sustainable livelihoods with the help of a new indicator directory and resources platform, launched today. The Land Use Finance Impact Hub and its Positive Impact Indicators Directory – launched today by UN Environment…
Hazel Thornton, Senior Programme Officer in UNEP-WCMC’s Nature Restored team, explores the benefits of ecosystem restoration and the urgent need to act, as well as key campaigns and political opportunities for progress. From forests to farmlands, mountains to oceans, our ecosystems – both modified and natural – provide multiple environmental, economic and social benefits for…
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