A new report by WWF and ZSL, Below the Canopy, finds that on average the world’s forests have lost over half of their vertebrates in less than fifty years – a catastrophic decline that threatens numerous species and also the vital ecosystem services forests provide and that we all depend on. Exceptionally bad news for wildlife and for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The IPCC releases a special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems. The report has some very key conclusions, including emphasizing the need for conservation of high-carbon ecosystems (such as peatlands, wetlands, rangelands, mangroves and forests), the considerable risks associated with biofuels and the need for changes in consumption patterns, including the need to eat less meat.
See the Indigenous Peoples response to the latest IPCC Report on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
Read the new article in The Conversation: Why primary forests, not tree planting is the priority for biodiversity and climate change!
The inland temperate rainforest and “wetbelt” region of British Columbia are one of only 3 such areas globally. They have the highest known lichen richness, massive trees that live for nearly two millennia, their full complement of large carnivores, and imperiled woodland caribou – but the area is endangered by logging, roads, and energy development.
British Columbia’s unique rainforests are disappearing at shocking rates. Read about the great work by IntAct Steering Committee members Dominick DellaSala, Brendan Mackey and IntAct signatory Conservation North (Michelle Connolly) in this great article in The Narwhal.
A fantastic new report from the Sierra Club: Forests, Wood and Climate – read why trying to store carbon in wood products is not a sound mitigation strategy. Read the report.
More about 43COM in Baku, Azerbaijan: IUCN’s perspective on how things unfolded.
– An excellent new report from NRDC and STAND.earth: read how we are literally flushing primary boreal forests down the toilet…
The World Heritage Committee meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan inscribes the French Austral Lands and Seas on the World Heritage List, the 50th marine World Heritage site to be added to the List. At an astonishing 67 million hectares, this is – by far – the largest protected area in the world!
Iran’s unique and beautiful Hyrcanian Forests have been added to the World Heritage List. Stretching in an arc along the southern Caspian Sea coast, these fascinating temperate broad-leaved forests have been in continuous evolution for over 25 million years, and are a remnant of forests that used to cover most of the northern temperate region.
The World Heritage Committee inscribes Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park, a remarkable wilderness area and unique geological site featuring dramatic interactions of lava and ice, on the World Heritage List. The site totals about 1.5 million hectares (almost 4 million acres) or 14% of Iceland’s national territory!
