UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre

UNEP-WCMC has participated in an unprecedented partnership of organisations – from forestry and conservation sectors and from across the United Nations -  to contribute to a new and comprehensive global assessment of the state of the world’s mangroves. The full colour World Atlas on Mangroves illustrates the extraordinary synergies between people and mangrove forests and contains detailed maps, photos and illustrations, and comprehensive country-by-country assessments of mangroves. The World Atlas on Mangrove was launched on July 14th 2010. For more information please see the press release and World Atlas on Mangrove Flyer.

UNEP-WCMC has been working with partners at UNDP and the Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas Consortium since 2008 to increase awareness of the role of indigenous and local people in the conservation of biodiversity. As part of its contribution, UNEP-WCMC has been leading on the development of an ICCA Registry to host information, maps and case studies about ICCAs. National-level analyses are being developed as a means to inform global policies and decisions. For further information, please visit this link for a news article written by UNEP.

Between 2000 and 2005 deforestation, and resulting carbon loss, was lower inside protected areas than in unprotected areas in the humid tropical forest biome. However, 1.75 million hectares of forest were lost from these protected areas, causing the emission of 250-330 million tonnes of carbon. These findings are reported in a paper co-authored by UNEP-WCMC staff published in the conservation journal Oryx and present the first detailed analyses of remotely-sensed deforestation data in protected areas.

Forest loss and degradation in the tropics contribute about 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Protected areas cover 217 million hectares of the world's humid tropical forests and contain 70,000 million tonnes of carbon. Reducing carbon emissions from ongoing deforestation inside protected areas could be valued at USD 6,200-7,400 million, 1.5 times the estimated spending on protected area management in the tropics. Improving management of protected areas to retain forest cover better may be an important, although certainly not sufficient, component of an overall strategy for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD).

The Beta version of the Crocodile Specialist Group's crocsurveys.net – also known as the African Crocodile Survey Database has been launched, and can be accessed at www.crocsurveys.net.

This database contains information on more than 1000 surveys of Crocodiles (C.niloticus, C. cataphractus and O. tetrapsis) in Africa undertaken since 1956.  The surveys can be viewed in a list, or in a Google map of Africa, both of which are fully searchable by country, location, species, date and author. The summary data is, in most cases, accompanied by a downloadable PDF of the original source document.   Users can immediately search and view the summary results, but if they want to download the documentation they are obliged to register. By registering they also agree to upload any additional data they may have.

The site also contains some basic information on survey methodology and a blog where users can exchange experiences.

Produced jointly between UNEP-WCMC and UNEP’s Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, this document reviews the business case for biodiversity; provides an overview of impacts by sector and highlights existing and potential opportunities for companies. The document covers a wide range of sectors and complements existing and ongoing work on business and biodiversity. Are you a Green Leader? is available as an executive summary as well as the full publication.

The CITES Trade Data Dashboards were launched on the CITES website on 1 July 2010 the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention. The CITES Trade Data Dashboards are a new, interactive and dynamic way of viewing the trade data submitted by CITES Parties in their annual reports to the Convention. The Global dashboard displays global trade trends (e.g. global trade in live reptiles), whereas the National dashboard shows information by country. The dashboards have been developed by UNEP-WCMC on behalf of the CITES Secretariat.

In June 2010, an agreement was finally reached that is expected to ultimately lead to the establishment of an IPBES. The Busan Outcome is the culmination of significant effort by Governments and a range of other stakeholders, including three intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder meetings in less than two years. UNEP-WCMC has provided significant technical support for this process, details of which can be found here. More details on IPBES and the series of meetings that have led to this agreement can be found at www.ipbes.net.

Restoring lost and damaged ecosystems from forests and freshwaters to mangroves and wetlands can trigger multi-million dollar returns, generate jobs and combat poverty according to a new report compiled by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Dead planet, living planet: Biodiversity and ecosystem restoration for sustainable development identifies thousands of ecosystem restoration projects worldwide and showcases over 30 initiatives that are transforming the lives of communities and countries across the globe. Further Details

Ramsar Convention Secretary General Anada Tiéga and Jon Hutton, Director, UNEP-WCMC, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the Ramsar offices in Gland, Switzerland, on 4 June 2010. The purpose of the agreement is to establish a framework for collaboration to further common goals, including the mobilization of UNEP-WCMC’s technical and capacity-building expertise for an improved implementation of the Ramsar Convention. Jon Hutton declared that UNEP-WCMC is proud to provide support to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, building on a long history of cooperation between the two institutions. Further Details

On 21 May 2010, the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) concluded its 14th meeting at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. In addition to the third edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3), in which UNEP-WCMC was substantially involved, the meeting also benefited from other inputs from UNEP-WCMC, including reports on the biodiversity implications of ocean acidification and ocean fertilization. SBSTTA adopted 19 documents, containing recommendations for the Conference of the Parties, which will meet in October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan. Further Details

The 10th May 2010 saw the launch of the third edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3). This much anticipated flagship publication of the CBD is the product of close collaboration between the Secretariat of the CBD and the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre. The Outlook, an assessment of the current state of biodiversity, is being launched simultaneously in a multitude of cities across the globe. UNEP-WCMC, with our partner the Zoological Society of London, is co-ordinating the UK launch. Further Details