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General guidelines for surveillance of diseases, pathogens and toxic agents in free-ranging wildlife : first edition
This document provides broad guidance on surveillance of infectious and non-infectious wildlife diseases, pathogens and toxic agents to assist in the implementation of a national surveillance programme for free-ranging wildlife. It is intended to promote a common understanding, which can serve as a foundation for training and operational procedures. While this guidance is geared to surveillance of free-ranging wildlife (whether in spaces managed by the public or private sector), much of the information is also generally applicable to (though not comprehensive for) wild animals in captive settings.
Opportunities for enhancing biodiversity at wind and solar energy developments
The need to transition to a lower carbon, naturesafe renewable energy-based economy is more urgent than ever. This report provides an overview of potential opportunities for biodiversity enhancement for wind and solar developments, bringing together information on good practice principles, case studies from industry practice, and a summary of existing approaches to biodiversity enhancement. It is intended as a compendium summary resource for developers, combining a variety of diffuse information from literature and community of practice.
Sustainable agriculture and Nature-based Solutions
Unsustainable agricultural practices are among the main causes of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution globally. It is thus essential to integrate environmental conservation practices in the agriculture sector when looking at pathways for a sustainable future. In this context, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) could be a critical tool for improving the status of productive landscapes. This publication focuses on the relationship between sustainable agricultural practices and the concept of Nature-based Solutions, and specifically the applicability of the IUCN Global Standard for NbS™ in agricultural contexts. The aim is to provide experts and policymakers with ideas, recommendations, and concrete uses for these tools, in order to outline a potential path to a more sustainable future for the agricultural sector.
The global status of sharks, rays, and chimaeras
In the 20 years since the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group’s first status report (2005), much has changed for sharks, rays and chimaeras. This report updates our understanding, and the scope of information reflects the scale of these two decades of change. The breadth of research topics has expanded, mirroring the inclusion of a greater diversity of species, and attention is being trained on the emerging threats and the accelerating global changes to aquatic ecosystems. The 2005 report heralded a sea change for sharks, rays and chimaeras, whose historical obscurity in policy, conservation and fisheries management was a serious concern. In this report, the increased focus that was called for is now apparent in the scale of work happening across the planet.
Spatial planning for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructure
This technical note focuses on spatial planning for wind and solar development with respect to biodiversity. It is intended primarily for government planners responsible for the longterm sustainable roll out and/or expansion of renewable energy and associated infrastructure (e.g. grid infrastructure and facilities such as ports) at regional, national, and sub-national levels. For developers and lenders/investors, this technical note could also help illustrate how these actors could play a role in spatial planning in certain contexts (e.g. emerging markets, providing resources, and supporting governments to identify appropriate areas for development).
Guidance on biodiversity cumulative impact assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructure
The key aim of this guidance is to reframe cumulative impact assessment (CIA) to help support biodiversity conservation and the achievement of global biodiversity goals (alongside climate and other societal development goals). This guidance is focused on biodiversity and wind and solar development, and is aimed primarily at government planners and project developers. The report applies approaches for government-led CIA and project-level CAI. However, since it is designed to help tackle some of the existing challenges of CIA, there is potentially broader applicability.
Guidance on other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs)
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022, provides a framework for the effective implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) through four goals and 23 targets. Target 3 (known as the ‘30×30 target’) calls on Parties to conserve at least 30% of terrestrial, inland waters, and coastal and marine areas by 2030. These guidelines are designed to promote good practices relating to identifying, reporting, monitoring and strengthening OECMs. They are intended for use by a wide range of rightsholders and stakeholders to promote understanding of whether a site meets the CBD criteria for identifying an OECM, how to report OECM data at the national and global levels, and how to monitor and strengthen OECMs.
Assessing the biodiversity-agriculture nexus
Food is one of the basic needs for human life. At the same time, agriculture is a leading cause of biodiversity loss, driving 80% of deforestation and consuming 70% of freshwater resources globally. Conventional farming practices have further contributed to habitat degradation, soil depletion, and species loss. This report aims to provide a general overview of how the relationship between biodiversity and agriculture is assessed. The report also examines how international and European policies address the biodiversity-agriculture nexus, highlighting the need for improved integration and comparability of approaches. The insights provided aim to help various stakeholders, including policy-makers in creating effective policies, farmers in making informed decisions, companies in aligning with sustainability goals, and academics in conducting further research.
Unselective, unsustainable, and unmonitored trawl fisheries?
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.
Rapid assessment and monitory of biodiversity recovery at remediated oil spill sites in the Niger Delta
Engaging in oil activities poses a significant risk of impacting the environmental and social values in a landscape. The aim of the remediation effort is to restore the site’s environmental and socio-economic values. In natural habitats, this is about the recovery of biodiversity and the ecosystem functioning. This field manual aims to guide the design and implementation of biodiversity monitoring (recovery), following remediation of an oil spill. Its objective is to enhance understanding of recovery processes as well as the linkage between the recovery process and the effects of remediation.
Monitoring biodiversity after oil spill remediation in the Niger Delta
The Niger Delta region of Nigeria is facing severe environmental challenges due to widespread oil extraction activities, resulting in recurring oil spills and adverse effects on biodiversity, ecosystem services and livelihoods. This report documents the implementation of protocols of the IUCN Niger Delta Biodiversity Technical Advisory Group (BTAG) on two impacted sites at Adibawa Well 8 S/L wellhead in Joinkrama, Rivers State, and Adibawa North-East 1 wellhead in Tien Biseni, Bayelsa State, both located in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. The innovative approach of BTAG integrates eDNA analysis with traditional field sampling to enhance the monitoring strategies, offering a more comprehensive understanding of ecological recovery.
Enhancing Nature-Based Solutions in North Macedonia
The main goal of this scoping study is to provide a state-of-the-art overview of the national aspect of North Macedonia in regard of pilot activities to apply the Nature-based Solutions (NbS) concept for disaster risk reduction (DRR). The study refers to the available information from existing policies, programmes, and strategies (at the global, regional, national, and local levels). The analysed data are related to NbS for DRR, directly or indirectly.
