Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities are Essential to Global Conservation

Campaign For Nature

September 26, 2019
Indigenous peoples and local communities around the world should be recognized and supported as leaders in global conservation efforts.

A recent study of spatial data in the journal Nature, reveals that indigenous peoples manage or have tenure rights over 38 million square kilometers of land in 87 countries. This land accounts for over a quarter of the terrestrial area of the globe, and interfaces with over 40 percent of the world’s existing conservation areas.

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conservation, land management, Indigenous peopleGuest UserIndigenous peoples, conservation
Oceans and ice are absorbing the brunt of climate change

National Geographic

September 25, 2019
On Wednesday, the IPCC released a major report on the state of the planet's oceans and ice. The 900-page report, which compiles the findings from thousands of scientific studies, outlines the damage climate change has already done to the planet’s vast oceans and fragile ice sheets and forecasts the future for these crucial parts of the climate system.

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climate change, oceansGuest Useroceans, ocean management, climate change
Less than 3 percent of the ocean is 'highly protected'

National Geographic

September 25, 2019
In 2014, scientists called for 30 percent of the world’s oceans to be protected by a network of MPAs by 2030, yet it already seems likely the world will fall short of the UN’s goal to protect 10 percent of oceans by 2020. Though the UN says we’re 8 percent of the way there, experts caution that only 2.2 percent of the world’s oceans are fully off limits to commercial activity, and only 4.8 percent is actively managed.

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climate change, oceansGuest Userocean management, oceans, climate change, marine protected areas
UK leads new global alliance to protect world’s oceans

Energy Live

September 24, 2019
The UK has announced the launch of a new global alliance to help drive urgent action to protect the world’s oceans and their wildlife. The Global Ocean Alliance will push for the trebling of existing targets to ensure at least a third of the oceans is safeguarded in Marine Protected Areas by 2030.

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habitat protection, oceans, conservationGuest Userocean management, marine protected areas, 30x30
Costa Rica calls for a Global Coalition of Champions to Protect Nature
Costa Rica calls for a Global Coalition of Champions to Protect Nature

Campaign For Nature

September 23, 2019
Today, on the eve of the United Nations Secretary General’s Climate Summit, President Carlos Alvarado Quesada of Costa Rica, called for the formation of a High Ambition Coalition of nations to push for a Deal for Nature that will protect 30% of the planet by 2030.

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climate change, conservationGuest UserUN, Global Deal for Nature, 30x30, climate change, High Ambition Coalition
Protected Areas Have a Lot of Benefits. Here’s How to Maximize Them.

Campaign For Nature

September 23, 2019
Effectively managed protected areas are a critical tool for safeguarding biodiversity, maintaining ecosystem balance, preserving important habitats, building resilience to climate change, providing global food security, maintaining water quality, conserving natural resources, driving economic success, curbing the spread of diseases and pests, and providing many other benefits to wildlife and human health. 

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land management, conservationGuest Userhabitat protection, ecological services, benefits of protection
Want to Tackle the Climate Crisis? A Key Step is Protecting Nature

National Geographic

September 21, 2019
The United Nations (UN) Youth Climate Summit and the 74th session of the UN General Assembly are taking place in New York this week. Both events highlight the critical importance of taking swift, decisive action on climate change, including achieving sustainable land and ocean management practices and resilience and adaptation to climate change impacts.

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climate change, oceans, land management, conservationGuest Userclimate change, land management, UN, ocean management
Biodiversity touches every aspect of our lives – so why has its loss been ignored?

The Guardian - OpEd

September 19, 2019
The evidence is unequivocal: biodiversity, important in its own right and essential for current and future generations, is being destroyed by human activities at a rate unprecedented in human history.

Governments around the world recognised this at the Earth summit in Brazil in 1992 and established the Convention on Biological Diversity to protect and conserve biodiversity. But the situation has become more and more dire. I have chaired or co-chaired three international assessments on the state of knowledge of biodiversity, and all have repeated the same message – we are destroying it at an alarming rate. Each time we have called for action, only to be largely ignored.

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Rwanda Reaffirms Commitment to 30x30

Convention on Biological Diversity

September 18, 2019
On behalf of the Republic of Rwanda, the Minister of Environment Vincent Biruta, reaffirmed the country’s commitment of a “comprehensive and ambitious Post-2020 biodiversity framework.” The country’s goals include the commitment to 30x30, helping protect 30 percent of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030.

Read the Minister’s Full Letter

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Protecting 30 Percent of the Planet by 2030 Requires Strong Country Leadership

Campaign For Nature

September 6, 2019
Last week marked a significant step for protecting biodiversity around the world. Lead negotiators from over 100 countries convened in Nairobi, Kenya to discuss a global strategy to protect nature and wildlife. Over the next 12 months it will be important to work towards an ambitious deal of protecting 30 percent of the planet by 2030 in Kunming, China.

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Global Deal for Nature, habitat protectionGuest UserGlobal Deal for Nature, conservation
Land conservation matters for the Chesapeake Bay

Op-Ed Washington Post

September 4, 2019
The Chesapeake, and the Earth itself, faces challenges unlike any we have seen before. Loss of natural areas, accelerated climate change, excessive pollution and dramatic reductions of wildlife and plant species threaten the foundation of what makes the Chesapeake special. While its easy to despair, I see an opportunity to usher in a new era of data-driven, results-oriented conservation focused on protecting the ecosystems and landscapes that are critical for maintaining our diverse cultures, local economies and health.

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conservation, land managementGuest Userconservation, land management, Chesapeake Bay