IUCN Newsletter September 2015

 

Please find the full newsletter here

 

 

Editorial by Luc Bas, Director, European Regional Office 

Dear Members, Partners, Readers,

Last week, I had the pleasure to attend IUCN’s 3rd Species Survival Commission (SSC) Leaders' Meeting in Abu Dhabi to discuss global conservation efforts to stop the alarming rate of biodiversity loss. The four day meeting was supported by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) and attended by over 300 of the SSC’s conservation experts. It was an opportunity to build new relationships and identify prospects for collaboration while discussing the myriad of issues facing species today. Through a packed schedule of plenaries and breakout sessions, the group pulled on expertise from its Specialist Groups, Red List Authorities, Sub-Committees, IUCN Programme Officers and Task Forces.

The work of the Species Survival Commission is one of the key pillars of IUCN and its Red List of Threatened Species™ – which recently celebrated its 50 year anniversary. The SSC gathering was an important reminder of what IUCN stands for: providing and sharing sound science to enable evidence-based decision making on biodiversity conservation action. The Red List has been doing exactly that for more than 50 years, and is recognized as the most authoritative knowledge tool on global species.

Getting so many species experts together in one place had everyone buzzing (or roaring, depending on which species experts you asked). Working on species can sometimes feel isolating, but the meeting replenished everyone’s energy as they tackled over-arching issues: invasive species, wildlife trafficking, species reintroductions, Key Biodiversity Areas, and climate change, among others. Sharing knowledge and experiences is the key to IUCN’s conservation work, and it was great to see so many Commission members maximizing on the opportunity to do this in person.

Read more

  • European Commission’s ‘fitness check’ process should result in enhanced implementation of EU nature legislation
  • Sustainable Development Agenda adopted at UN Summit
  • Tackling the EU ecological overshoot - On the Road to Paris
  • Blog: Sea and the city
  • IUCN has key role to play in Europe says IUCN Director General
  • One year to go until the World Conservation Conress in Hawai'i
  • Launch of call for proposals for conservation projects in Europe’s overseas territories
  • New BIOPAMA communications developments
  • Upcoming events

 

European Commission’s ‘fitness check’ process should result in enhanced implementation of EU nature legislation

In a position paper on the European Commission’s ‘Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme’ REFIT of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives, which form the backbone of European nature conservation action, IUCN supports the scientific and evidence-based assessment of policy and legislation, and calls for the process to result in enhanced implementation of the EU’s nature directives.

The position is the result of an intense process of consultation with IUCN National Committees and its Scientific Commissions in Europe.

“The EU Nature Directives have delivered demonstrable positive results. They have contributed to improving the conservation status of many of the species and habitats they aim to protect, such as wolves, white tailed eagles and beavers, which have all seen a comeback in recent years,” said Luc Bas, Director of the IUCN European Regional Office in Brussels. “However, despite the positive conservation impacts of the legislation, implementation and monitoring are currently incomplete and sub-optimal. Redoubling action on the ground is crucial and available resources should focus on both implementation and complementary conservation efforts to safeguard key biodiversity areas beyond the Natura 2000 network, so that biodiversity targets can be met.”

Read More

Sustainable Development Agenda adopted at UN Summit

2015 marks the final target year for the Millennium Development Goals, so it’s good news that before these goals ‘expired’, the follow-up 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda was adopted at the United Nations Summit in New York on 25-27 September, setting 17 new goals for the period up to 2030. These new goals are designed to be ‘universal’ in scope, applicable to both developed and developing countries.

IUCN Director General, Inger Andersen, applauded the strong integration of an environment component within sustainable development by stressing the role that healthy ecosystems play in addressing global challenges of poverty, climate change, food and water security, and their role in improving health, gender equality, disaster resilience and the sustainability of cities. She also acclaimed the SDGs for weaving ecosystem services more tightly into our economies.


Read More

 

Please find the full newsletter here