Biodiversity

OPINION: The Future of Wetlands, the Future of Waterbirds – an Intercontinental Connection

By Jacques Trouvilliez
The first global treaty dealing with biodiversity was the Ramsar Convention – predating the Rio processes by 20 years.

Marine Resources in High Seas Should be Shared Equitably

By Dr. Palitha Kohona
After almost 10 years of often frustrating negotiations, the U.N. ad hoc committee on BBNJ decided, by consensus, to set in motion a process that will result in work commencing on a legally binding international instrument on the conservation and sustainable use, including benefit sharing, of Biological Diversity Beyond Areas of National Jurisdiction.

U.S.-India Partnership a Step Forward for Low-Carbon Growth

By David Waskow and Manish Bapna
India garnered international attention this week for its climate action.

Aboriginal Businesses Stimulate Positive Change in Australia

By Neena Bhandari
Roy Roger Gibson, an indigenous Kuku Yalanji elder, would watch thousands of tourists and vehicles trampling his pristine land while working on the sugarcane fields in Far North Queensland. His people were suffering and their culture was being eroded. The native wildlife was disappearing. He dreamt of turning this around.

After Nine Years of Foot-Dragging, U.N. Ready for Talks on High Seas Treaty

By Thalif Deen
After four days of intense negotiations - preceded by nine years of dilly-dallying - the United Nations has agreed to convene an intergovernmental conference aimed at drafting a legally binding treaty to conserve marine life and govern the mostly lawless high seas beyond national jurisdiction.

A “Rosetta Stone” for Conducting Biodiversity Assessments

By Zakri Abdul Hamid
This month saw an important milestone reached by the U.N.’s young Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES): Publication of its first public product.

The Bahamas’ New Motto: “Sand, Surf and Solar”

By Kenton X. Chance
When it comes to tourism in the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM), The Bahamas -- 700 islands sprinkled over 100,000 square miles of ocean starting just 50 miles off Florida -- is a heavyweight.

Final Push to Launch U.N. Negotiations on High Seas Treaty

By Thalif Deen
The United Nations will make its third - and perhaps final - attempt at reaching an agreement to launch negotiations for an international biodiversity treaty governing the high seas.

Caribbean Youth Ready to Lead on Climate Issues

By Desmond Brown
At 24 years old, Stefan Knights has never been on the side of those who are sceptical about the reality and severity of climate change.

More Than Half of Africa’s Arable Land ‘Too Damaged’ for Food Production

By Busani Bafana
A report published last month by the Montpellier Panel - an eminent group of agriculture, ecology and trade experts from Africa and Europe - says about 65 percent of Africa's arable land is too damaged to sustain viable food production.

Integrated Farming: The Only Way to Survive a Rising Sea

By Manipadma Jena
When the gentle clucking grows louder, 50-year-old Sukomal Mandal calls out to his wife, who is busy grinding ingredients for a fish curry. She gets up to thrust leafy green stalks through the netting of a coop and two-dozen shiny hens rush forward for lunch.

Family Farming Eases Food Shortages in Eastern Cuba

By Patricia Grogg
Meat and vegetables are never missing from the dinner table of Damaris González and Omar Navarro, since they get almost all of their food from their farm, La Revelación, on the outskirts of the city of Santiago de Cuba, 765 km east of the Cuban capital.

Organic Farming in India Points the Way to Sustainable Agriculture

By Jency Samuel
Standing amidst his lush green paddy fields in Nagapatnam, a coastal district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a farmer named Ramajayam remembers how a single wave changed his entire life.

OPINION: Understanding Education for Global Citizenship

By Kartikeya V. Sarabhai
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) brings together concerns about the environment, economic development and social aspects. Since 1972, when the first U.N. Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm, Sweden, there has been increasing awareness of the intricate link between conserving the environment and human development.

Climate Change Threatens Quechua and Their Crops in Peru’s Andes

By Fabiola Ortiz
In this town in Peru’s highlands over 3,000 metres above sea level, in the mountains surrounding the Sacred Valley of the Incas, the Quechua Indians who have lived here since time immemorial are worried about threats to their potato crops from alterations in rainfall patterns and temperatures.
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