Biodiversity

Earth’s Biodiversity: A Pivotal Meeting at a Pivotal Time

By Cristiana Pașca Palmer and Anne Larigauderie
The quality of the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink depend directly on the state of our biodiversity, which is now in severe jeopardy. We need a transformational change in our relationship with nature to ensure the sustainable future we want for ourselves and our children.

Lack of Funds Prevent Ugandan Communities from Investing in Cage Aquaculture

By Wambi Michael
Colvince Mubiru had heard about cage fish farming on Uganda’s lakes. The small business owner decided to try his hand at it and spent USD8,000 to set up farming cages for Nile Tilapia on Lake Victoria, expecting to reap a huge profit. But just six months into his enterprise, he made huge losses.

Africa’s Bumpy Road to Sustainable Energy

By Eleni Mourdoukoutas
For years, Kenyans freely used and disposed of plastic bags. The bags were ubiquitous—in the markets, in the gutters and in the guts out of 3 out of every 10 animals taken to slaughter.

Barbados Looks Beyond its Traditional Sugar and Banana Industries into the Deep Blue

By Desmond Brown
Allan Bradshaw grew up close to the beach and always knew he wanted to become a fisherman. Now 43 years old, he has been living his childhood dream for 25 years. But in recent years Bradshaw says he has noticed a dramatic decline in the number of flying fish around his hometown of Consett Bay, Barbados.

Solar Power Lights up the World’s Fastest-Growing Refugee Camp

By Dr Iftikher Mahmood
Solar energy has long powered homes, businesses and portable electronics. Now, it’s powering a field hospital in the middle of the world’s fastest-growing refugee camp.

UAE Raising Awareness About the Impact of Climate Change

By Rabiya Jaffery
The Middle East, due to its geographical location, is particularly prone to the impacts of climate change.Longer droughts, more frequent and intense heatwaves, and higher temperatures in the summer are expected to to become increasingly prevalent throughout the Middle East - from Sana’a to Jeddah to Dubai to Tehran.

As Amazon Warms, Tropical Butterflies and Lizards Seek the Shade

By Jewel Fraser
Recent research at a centre in Guyana shows that some types of butterflies and lizards in the Amazon have been seeking shelter from the heat as Amazonian temperatures rise.

Saving the Lungs of Our Planet

By Gordon Radley
Dr Sylvia Earle, an eminent marine biologist and explorer has strong views on how nations needs to work together to save what the United Nations calls the lungs of our planet.

Saving the Kindergarten of Sharks

By Gordon Radley
Every winter dozens of bull sharks come to Mexico’s Mayan Riviera to breed. A single bull shark can give birth to up to 15 young. They are the only species of shark that can live in both fresh and salt water.

Fixing the Crisis of Confidence in the Green Climate Fund

By Jacob Waslander and Patricia Quijano Vallejos
The Green Climate Fund's mandate couldn't be more crucial: accelerating climate action in developing countries by supporting transformational investments in adaptation and emissions reduction.

First Steps Towards a Global Agreement on the High Seas

By Andrew Norton
The world’s first efforts to develop a way to govern the high seas – international waters beyond the 200 nautical mile national boundary – is truly underway. The initial round of negotiations at the United Nations has just ended after two weeks of talks.

Law of the Sea Convention Expands to Cover Marine Biological Diversity

By Dr Palitha Kohona
Responding to a persistent demand by developing countries, the conservation community and science, the UN General Assembly has commenced a process for bringing the areas beyond national jurisdiction in the oceans under a global legally binding regulatory framework.

Salmon Farming, Questioned in Chile, Arrives to Argentina

By Daniel Gutman
Questioned for its environmental and health impacts in Chile, where it is one of the country's main economic activities, salmon farming is preparing to expand in Argentina from Norway, the world's largest farmed salmon producer. The news has triggered a strong reaction from civil society organisations.

UN Begins Talks on World’s First Treaty to Regulate High Seas

By Thalif Deen
After several years of preliminary discussions, the United Nations has begun its first round of inter-governmental negotiations to draft the world’s first legally binding treaty to protect and regulate the “high seas”—which, by definition, extend beyond 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) and are considered “international waters” shared globally.

Maya Farmers in South Belize Hold Strong to Their Climate Change Experiment

By Zadie Neufville
In one of Belize’s forest reserves in the Maya Golden Landscape, a group of farmers is working with non-governmental organisations to mitigate and build resilience to climate change with a unique agroforestry project.

New Rules for High Seas Must Include Needs of Poorest Nations

By Essam Yassin Mohammed
Over-fishing, warming oceans and plastic pollution dominate the headlines when it comes to the state of the seas. Most of the efforts to protect the life of the ocean and the livelihoods of those who depend on it are limited to exclusive economic zones – the band of water up to 200 nautical miles from the coast.

Transforming Food Systems: Today’s Realities and Tomorrow’s Challenges

By Alice Lloyd
The world’s food systems face two immense challenges today. One, to produce enough food to nourish a global population of seven billion people without harming the environment. Two, to make sure food systems deliver nutrition to everyone, particularly the world’s poorest, many of whom suffer from chronic under-nutrition.

Caribbean Builds Resilience Through Enhanced Data Collection

By Zadie Neufville
By the end of September 2018, the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) would have installed the last of five new data buoys in the Eastern Caribbean, extending the regional Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS) network as it continues to build resilience to climate change in the Caribbean.

“The Sustainable Bioeconomy, a Path Towards Post-Extractivism”

By Ela Zambrano
Ecuador has decided to move towards a bioeconomy-based development model, “which must be sustainable,” because otherwise "the remedy could be worse than the disease," said the country’s Environment Minister Tarsicio Granizo, who is spearheading this innovative approach.

Blue Economy Movement Gains Traction in Africa

By Miriam Gathigah
An increasing number of African countries are now embracing the blue economy for its potential to deliver solutions to their most pressing development needs–particularly extreme poverty and hunger.

Q&A: Raising the Profile on the Largest Environmental Issue of Our Time

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
Land degradation caused by human activities is occurring at an alarming rate across the world, and the cost will be steep if no action is taken.
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