IUCN calls on industry and governments to stop mining and oil operations in World Heritage sites Gland, Switzerland, 4 July 2008 (IUCN) – More than a quarter of natural World Heritage sites are under pressure by existing or future mineral ...

Governments should strengthen protected areas as a way to save their countries’ species. That was the message from IUCN as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) starts to discuss protected areas at its ninth meeting in Bonn.Protected areas now cover 11.63% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface, but David Sheppard, Head of IUCN's Programme on Protected Areas, says he is concerned that significant gaps remain, particularly in marine, freshwater and coastal areas.He says that this meeting should call for a renewal ...

Bonn, Germany, May 20, 2008 (IUCN/GISP) – Countries should avoid planting crops for biofuels that stand a high risk of becoming invasive species, according to a report released today. The Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP) has identified all the crops currently being used or considered for biofuel production and ranked them according to the risk they pose of becoming invasive species. The report, Biofuel Crops and Non Native Species: Mitigating the risks of Invasion calls on countries to carry out risk assessments ...

Background: The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), with 168 Parties signing since 1993, aims to promote "the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources." The high level ministerial segment will be during the second week (28-30 May). Several other high level events are planned for the second week including the Mayors Conference “Local Action for Biodiversity” (26-28 May) and ...

Bonn, Germany, 24 April, 2008 – A new generation of antibiotics, new treatments for thinning bone disease and kidney failure, and new cancer treatments may all stand to be lost unless the world acts to reverse the present alarming rate of biodiversity loss a new landmark book says. The natural world holds secrets to the development of new kinds of safer and more powerful pain-killers; treatments for a leading cause of blindness – macular degeneration – and possibly ways of re-growing ...