Guida all'identificazione delle specie vulnerabili oggetto di catture accidentali della pesca nel Mediterraneo

In 2016, the term UUU (unselective, unsustainable and unmonitored) fishing was developed and a Resolution of the World Conservation Congress, adopted by Members, tasked IUCN’s Species Survival Commission with reporting on the concept. The resulting situation analysis utilises the trawl fisheries of China, Thailand and Vietnam to explore how some of the issues associated with UUU fishing can be linked back to these three elements. The report found considerable variation in each component of UUU across the case study countries but that uncontrolled fishery development resulting in excess fishing capacity is commonly a root cause, leaving long standing impacts which have proven very challenging to solve. Whilst the report does not provide recommendations for action, it does identify 14 areas where further work would help accelerate progress on sustainable use, the protection of species of conservation concern and help safeguard the marine ecosystem.

The coastal zone of West Africa extends approx. 6,000 km, from Mauritania in the north, passing through the deeply indented coasts of the islands and estuaries, then the lagoon coasts and the coastal strips of the Gulf of Guinea, up to Nigeria. The small island state of the Cabo Verde Islands, volcanic and mountainous, completes this geography. These coastal areas are characterized by globally significant biodiversity. But the marine ecosystem and coastal communities face many challenges, namely illegal, unreported and/or unregulated fishing, pollution, uncontrolled coastal development, etc., which harm habitats and species. This report takes stock of the situation, while offering in-depth analyses as well as recommendations on the opportunities and challenges in terms of marine protected areas in the region.

Between 2013-2016, a series of shark-human interactions occurred on the coast of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, that led to a number of surfer fatalities. This situation triggered significant community concern, attracting international media attention and calls for shark culling.

In 2015, the NSW Government commissioned an independent review, led by Cardno, an environmental consulting services company, to investigate new and emerging technologies to mitigate shark-human interactions. This review was followed by a stakeholder summit held at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, and included shark experts from across the globe, to determine the technologies to be trialled in NSW waters. This led the NSW Government to develop the NSW Shark Management Strategy (SMS), 2015-2020.

Prior to the Shark Management Strategy (SMS), the NSW Government responded to serious and fatal shark incidents solely in accordance with its Shark Incident Response Plan, whereby the focus was to catch and euthanise the shark thought responsible for the incident. The SMS, however, saw a shift to catch, tag and release sharks from the area of the incident. It also provided an opportunity to focus more on the human part of the shark-human interaction through research and the establishment of a dedicated community and stakeholder engagement team, and a process by which that team could support those affected by shark incidents. This case study will focus on the development of the community engagement team and the process that takes place after a serious or fatal shark incident in NSW.

This document reports on a project for the co-management and valorization of fisheries resources, carried out by IUCN Guinea-Bissau since 1991 (Rio Grande de Buba region). It aims to provide a summary analysis of the approach taken by the project and its achievements, in order to provide a set of guidelines and lessons learned which will enable replication of the project in other sites.

This report gives an overview of the status of Mediterranean cetaceans (whales and dolphins), informed by IUCN Red List assessments undertaken between 2018 and  2022. Compared to the first review by IUCN, published in 2012, these recent assessments provide better information on the status of resident Mediterranean  subpopulations, thanks to improved regional monitoring. A total of 24 cetacean species have been recorded in the Mediterranean Sea, of which 10 are considered to be resident. This second regional IUCN Red List assessment on the cetacean species in the Mediterranean Sea shows a clearer image of the cetacean subpopulations  residing in the Mediterranean, but also highlights the need for more efforts to halt the decline of cetacean subpopulations resident in the Mediterranean Sea.