Today, on UN World Wildlife Day 2025, we come together to celebrate the incredible diversity of life on our planet—its beauty, resilience, and the essential role it plays in sustaining humanity.
As the World Heritage Convention celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022, over 1100 sites around the world are recognized as World Heritage – places that are so valuable to humanity that there conservation has been deemed our collective responsibility. Yet many of these exceptional places face increasing pressure from diverse types of development projects within and around the sites. Assessing the impacts of such projects is essential to both prevent damage to World Heritage and identify sustainable options. This Guidance and toolkit explains the process for achieving these goals. Offering practical tips and tools including checklists and a glossary, it provides a framework for conducting impact assessments for cultural and natural heritage sites.
La gestion collective de la Bourgeoisie de Cormoret depuis plusieurs siècles a permis à ce territoire de montagne de 450 ha (233 Ha pâturages boisés et 217 Ha de forêts) de préserver ses activités agricoles et forestières extensives et d’investir dans l’entretien de ses infrastructures. Située dans le Jura bernois, elle abrite une mosaïque d’habitats ouverts et boisés dont la biodiversité importante dépend du maintien du taux de boisement actuel lié lui-même à la pérennité de ses activités économiques. Les Bourgeois collectivement en suivant les règlements établis et en utilisant les organes de décision et financiers existants, grâce à des liens étroits et un investissement fort de ses membres, gèrent avec le conseil de la bourgeoisie, leur territoire durablement en contact rapproché avec des spécialistes et entreprises locales. Ceci se fait main dans la main avec la commune de Cormoret et en relation avec les autres bourgeoisies du Val Saint-Imier, le canton de Berne, la Confédération, et le parc naturel de Chasseral.
Debido principalmente a la baja superficie de áreas protegidas en Uruguay, y al alto porcentaje de superficie en manos de privados se creó la figura de Reservas Privadas en 2017. En 2023, en el marco del Proyecto URU/21/G31, se comenzó a trabajar en su instrumentación. En 2024, se aprobó el instructivo de implementación de esta figura a través de una Resolución del Ministerio de Ambiente. Entre fines de 2024 y principios de 2025, se recibieron varias solicitudes y, en junio de 2025, se dio un gran hito, mediante la declaración de la primer Reserva Privada para el país. Actualmente, hay seis Reservas declararas cubriendo una superficie de 4.049 hectáreas y se encuentran en proceso de evaluación varias más, totalizando una superficie que supera las 6.800 hectáreas. El instrumento aporta al reconocimiento de iniciativas privadas de conservación que no estaban siendo reconocidas por entidades gubernamentales, así como a metas tanto nacionales como globales (Meta 3) del Marco Mundial de Biodiversidad de Kunming-Montreal.
As the World Heritage Convention celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022, over 1100 sites around the world are recognized as World Heritage – places that are so valuable to humanity that there conservation has been deemed our collective responsibility. Yet many of these exceptional places face increasing pressure from diverse types of development projects within and around the sites. Assessing the impacts of such projects is essential to both prevent damage to World Heritage and identify sustainable options. This Guidance and toolkit explains the process for achieving these goals. Offering practical tips and tools including checklists and a glossary, it provides a framework for conducting impact assessments for cultural and natural heritage sites.
This document presents the findings of a comprehensive needs assessment conducted by the IUCN SSC CEC Behaviour Change Task Force. It is designed to provide a structured understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and actionable recommendations for integrating behavioural sciences into conservation strategies. The report aims to serve as both a diagnostic tool and a roadmap for advancing the application of behavioural sciences in conservation efforts.
The majority of marginalized households of forest fringe villages of Sundarban are dependent upon firewood for cooking. Burning firewood in traditional cook stove creates enormous indoor air pollution which directly effects women and children. Considering the gravity of the situation we have already installed more than 2500 Improved Cook Stoves (ICS) which is reducing firewood consumption by 30%. A single ICS may save minimum 900 kilograms of firewood annually (3 kilograms /day/family of 04 members x 300 days use/year), thus it reduce 1728 kilograms CO2 emission per annum. In it’s lifetime (10 years) a single ICS reduce 17280 kilograms of CO2 emission. ICS reduce indoor air pollution and improve the health condition of women and children. Due to reduction of cooking time, rural women may involve in other economic and social activities. ICS helps to protect the green covered area too. With minimum investment ICS may provide multiple benefit for rural marginalized community.
The RNDN, created in 2021, is the largest Natural Protected Area in Peru (6,239,205.75 ha) and the only one focused exclusively on marine ecosystems. Located 105 km off the coast of Ica, it is a vital source of resources like giant squid, sharks, and flying fish eggs for fishers from Paita, Pisco, Marcona, and Matarani. Its creation was an unprecedented multisectoral process that involved various stakeholders and governmental institutions. In 2022, the San Andres Artisanal Fishers Syndicate led the RNDN management committee, and in 2023 the Master Plan’s terms of reference were approved. The first Master Plan was developed collaboratively with fishing organizations and stakeholders, setting strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of natural and cultural resources. This plan integrates commitments to protect marine species, including the “Blue Five” (in this case whales, sharks, turtles and dolphins), and recognizes the identity and knowledge of artisanal fishers as part of the sociocultural value of the NPA.
At Chongming Dongtan National Nature Reserve in Shanghai, reeds are vital to wetland ecology and local culture. Yet as reed uses and crafts faded, fast-growing reeds became a management challenge, requiring regular cutting and disposal.
With support from the UNDP-GEF Flyway Conservation Network Project, Chongming Dongtan NNR and local partners revived reed craft heritage as a practical conservation and community solution. Three locally rooted women, with experience in media, planning, nature education and design, returned to Chongming and helped establish the women-led enterprise Jiang Yi Wei. Through the Reed Artisan Guardian Plan, they worked with artisans and community women to pass on reed craft skills, develop products and courses, and create a village-based studio.
The solution shows how fading heritage can be revived to turn reed management challenges into a women-led green enterprise model that supports cultural transmission, supplementary income and public awareness of migratory bird conservation.
Adventure Scientists’ Coral Reef Monitoring and Restoration Project is building the first coordinated, standardized coral reef monitoring network spanning two of Latin America’s most important marine regions: the Mesoamerican Reef Corridor and the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR). The project trains and employs local divers, coordinators, data analysts, and local photographers to collect standardized reef health data in marine protected areas using regionally adapted monitoring protocols and a custom mobile application. Since launching in August 2025, the project has completed over 1,500 monitoring transects across more than 100 reef sites in Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Mexico. In Year 2, the network is expanding to Ecuador, further strengthening regional collaboration. The long-term vision is to establish a permanent community science network that generates the data needed for coordinated conservation action across national boundaries and supports coral reef resilience throughout Latin America.
As the World Heritage Convention celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022, over 1100 sites around the world are recognized as World Heritage – places that are so valuable to humanity that there conservation has been deemed our collective responsibility. Yet many of these exceptional places face increasing pressure from diverse types of development projects within and around the sites. Assessing the impacts of such projects is essential to both prevent damage to World Heritage and identify sustainable options. This Guidance and toolkit explains the process for achieving these goals. Offering practical tips and tools including checklists and a glossary, it provides a framework for conducting impact assessments for cultural and natural heritage sites.
The “Mobile Intervention Unit for Wild Carnivores” project equipped the formal rapid-response team for interventions involving wild carnivores in Serbia, focusing on Brown Bear related interventions. A new vehicle was procured through this project for the transport of 5 team members and the accompanying equipment (tools for safe catching and immobilizing brown bears). Apart from ensuring the main means of rapid deployment of 5 members of the Mobile Intervention Unit for Wild Carnivores anywhere in Serbia, the project also contributed with the establishment of key protocols for intervention procedures and team safety, ensuring compliance with modern best practices. Capacity building done through this project involved a practical training for the members of the Brown Bear Intervention Team and a workshop for stakeholders, involving more than twenty participants, including protected area staff, hunting associations, local self government units and others.
A major barrier to scaling Push–Pull Technology (PPT) in Ethiopia is the limited availability of affordable, high-quality desmodium and brachiaria seed. Reliance on imported seed significantly increases costs, limiting farmers’ access and slowing adoption. While PPT has proven effective in reducing pest pressure, suppressing striga, improving soil health, and providing high-quality livestock feed, uptake remains constrained by weak local seed supply systems and limited awareness of its broader benefits.
This project addresses these challenges by establishing sustainable local seed systems, strengthening partnerships with seed producers, and building farmers’ capacities through training, demonstration sites, and extension support. It also introduces a renewed communication strategy that reframes PPT around tangible farmer benefits, including increased fodder production, reduced crop losses, and income opportunities from forage seed production.
