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Some great conservation news | Scimitar-horned oryx ‘back from the brink”, literally

On December 11th, 2023, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species announced the scimitar-horned oryx has been reclassified from Extinct in the Wild to ‘Endangered’. The downlisting of the oryx marks a milestone in one of the most ambitious conservation programs ever undertaken and contributes to putting the Sahara and the Sahel more firmly on the global conservation agenda. After nine years of the world’s most ambitious species reintroduction program, once ‘Extinct in the...

All about the Manatee

    Its manatee awareness month, so here’s some interesting items – and reality checks ( they are threatened) – about these unusual “sea cows”   Manatees v Dugongs Manatees have horizontal, paddle-shaped tails with only one lobe to move up and down when the animal swims; it’s similar in appearance to that of a beavertail. Dugongs have a fluked tail, meaning it is made up of two separate lobes joined together in the middle. The snout of a dugong...

Frogs – Evolution of & websites too

  Why are frogs important? “ Without frogs, we’d have a tougher job protecting our crops from pests. Healthy frog populations can keep mosquito numbers down, as tadpoles and mosquito larvae battle it out in ponds and swamps, thereby reducing your chance of contracting mosquito-borne disease “ ( source : https://inspiringnsw.org.au/2017/11/29/why-frogs-count/ ) A brilliant video below on frog’s evolution by Light Moth Media     Some recommended frog websites https://www.jonathankolby.com Save the Frogs Froglife UK Frog ID via Australia Museum ...

Celebrating women’s day planting mangroves

International Women’s Day is a global day to celebrate and acknowledge the social, economic, cultural and political achievements and contribution of women.  IUCN Pakistan and HRDN celebrated International Women’s Day at Port Qasim by planting Mangroves IUCN Pakistan in collaboration with its member organizations Human Resource Development Network (HRDN), Health And Nutrition Society (HANDS) and National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) celebrated International Women’s Day at Tor Island, Port Qasim, Karachi. The members of HRDN and IUCN staff members also participated...

IUCN establishes new conservation action centres

“The biodiversity and climate crises are being fuelled by unsustainable economic and social policies. Without more transformational approaches that invest in people and the planet, we will not achieve new nature or climate targets that are essential for us to protect and improve life on Earth,” according to  IUCN Deputy Director General Stewart Maginnis. * I’m a member of IUCN commission for education and communication This from IUCN : In response to the escalating nature and climate crises, including the urgent...

A global convention to stand together against pandemics

Some thoughts and responses to the current pandemic – from IUCN   The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 5.7 million people worldwide. As its devastating impacts continue to unfold, economic recovery is marking time, extreme poverty is rising, the labour market is being damaged, essential health services have been interrupted, natural resources are being depleted, access to energy, water and sanitation is hampered, plastic pollution is proliferating, and biodiversity is declining. With the combined effects of...

‘Reset Earth’ – IUCN new environmental awareness toolkits for teachers

The IUCN Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) extends the UNEP Ozone Secretariat’s invitation to explore Reset Earth, a set of free toolkits to support teachers looking for creating engaging learner experiences with new material on environmental awareness and protection. Aimed at adolescents and parents this innovative animation and game from the United Nations Environment Programme’s Ozone Secretariat uses the power of storytelling to educate and inspire young people around the world”. Reset Earth – UNEP Ozone Secretariat In commemoration...

Dragonflies threatened as wetlands disappear

The destruction of wetlands is driving the decline of dragonflies worldwide, according to the first global assessment of these species in today’s update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Their decline is symptomatic of the widespread loss of the marshes, swamps and free-flowing rivers they breed in, mostly driven by the expansion of unsustainable agriculture and urbanisation around the world. With the December update, the number of species at risk of extinction on the Red List has exceeded...

Western Indian Ocean coral reefs collapse within 50 years? So says IUCN

  We’ve known for some time that coral reefs are in decline, but now we know more precisely to what degree, and why,”   So said Dr. David Obura, lead author of a new assessment – Founding Director at Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO East Africa) and Chair of the IUCN SSC Corals Specialist Group. “This assessment reaffirms the urgency of the interlinked climate and biodiversity crises addressed by COP26 last month in Glasgow, and...

Sports & Nature in cities

While sports and nature often occupy and compete for the same green spaces in cities, well-planned sports infrastructure can make positive contributions to urban biodiversity. A new guide published today by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI), identifies key ecological criteria that city officials and sports venue developers can apply to incorporate the needs of nature in their planning. The new guide, published...

‘Lost’ elephant shrew found

A sengi species ‘lost’ for half a century has been rediscovered in a surprising location A small mammal that has not been by scientists seen the late 1960s has been found, and in a new country. ( source and full article- https://www.discoverwildlife.com/news/a-sengi-species-lost-for-half-a-century-has-been-rediscovered-in-a-surprising-location/ ) Sengis, also known as elephant-shrews, are a group of small insectivorous mammals. The Somali sengi had not been seen in the wild there for half a century, and was considered lost to science. It was known from...

Ocean hero dedicated to vaquita … COVID-19

IUCN is deeply saddened by the loss of Mexican conservationist Paco Valverde, who dedicated his life to protect the vaquita – the world’s smallest porpoise and most threatened marine mammal. Paco was regarded as an ocean hero who inspired his community to care for the marine environment on which their livelihood depends. Our thoughts go to his family, who have accompanied him in these conservation efforts. The site was formally listed as “in danger” last year after its population of vaquitas,...