IUCN

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are seen as a response to many societal challenge. It is becoming increasingly obvious that protected and conserved areas (PCAs) are a major vehicle for NbS and essential to their success in many situations.

This report presents the results of a broad assessment of freshwater diversity in the Douro river basin in Spain and Portugal. The Douro river basin is the largest of the Iberian Peninsula, and an ecological region of great value due to the high diversity of ecosystems and the number of species. A total of 14 sites, either identified as Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) or potential KBA sites, were surveyed for fish and macroinvertebrate species.

Com base no volume de rejeitos lançados e na extensão das áreas atingidas, o rompimento da Barragem de Fundão, em Mariana, Minas Gerais, foi o maior desastre ambiental de todos os tempos na mineração brasileira, e um dos mais graves do mundo. Ao serem transportados a jusante da barragem rompida, os rejeitos foram se acumulando ao longo dos rios e alcançaram o estuário do Rio Doce, na ecorregião marinha do Leste brasileiro, afetando importantes ecossistemas.

Based on the volume of tailings releases and the distance they travelled, the Fundão Dam failure in southeast Brazil (Mariana, Minas Gerais state) was the largest ever environmental disaster in Brazil’s mining industry, and one of the world’s most serious. As they dispersed downriver, the tailings accumulated along the riverbanks and reached the Rio Doce estuary in the Eastern Brazilian Marine Ecoregion.

Given the vital role of power lines for social development, the rapid spread of such infrastructure worldwide and the fact that power lines can be one of the main causes of direct mortality for several species of birds and other wildlife, including mammals, it is essential to have suitable tools to ensure that these lines are built and maintained in accordance with environmentally friendly principles, and that priority is given to avoiding and reducing negative impact

Wetlands are among the world’s most productive and valuable ecosystems and are an integral part of many ecosystems. This book attempts to raise awareness on the relevance of wetland systems and their current impacts and existency threats in different regions of the world. It aims at describing the status, challenges and loss of wetlands related to conflicts between anthropic activities and natural ecosystem services fundamental for people’s livelihoods.

World Heritage glaciers cover almost 10% of the Earth’s glacierized area and play a crucial role in sustaining life on Earth. However, they are retreating at an accelerated rate because of climate change. By combining satellite data and projections at the site level, this study quantifies the extent of World Heritage glaciers’ retreat and its impact on global sea-level rise and provides projections of glacier mass loss.

This report offers an overview of the work by the Save our Mangroves Now! (SOMN) initiative in the region to date, bringing together data on extent, loss and gains, and the socio-economic value of mangroves in the region, as well as governance challenges and policy opportunities.