IUCN

IUCN's Protected Areas Management Categories, which classify protected areas according to their management objectives, are today accepted as the benchmark for defining, recording and classifying protected areas.They are recognized by international bodies such as the United Nations as well as many national governments. As a result, they are increasingly being incorporated into government legislation.

IUCN's Protected Areas Management Categories, which classify protected areas according to their management objectives, are today accepted as the benchmark for defining, recording and classifying protected areas.They are recognized by international bodies such as the United Nations as well as many national governments. As a result, they are increasingly being incorporated into government legislation.

This book is a product of the Marine Conservation Sub-Committee, an advisory body on marine species issues within IUCN. The book features twelve stories of different ocean animals that highlight the latest issues in marine conservation. The tales in this exquisitely illustrated book are testament not only to the eccentricity of life in our oceans, but also the diversity of challenges and opportunities we face to conserve these marine marvels.

The Earth's biodiversity-the rich variety of life on our planet-is disappearing at an alarming rate. And while many books have focused on the expected ecological consequences, or on the aesthetic, ethical, sociological, or economic dimensions of this loss, Sustaining Life is the first book to examine the full range of potential threats that diminishing biodiversity poses to human health.

Seagrasses are flowering plants that thrive in shallow oceanic and estuarine waters around the world. Although there are only about 60 species of seagrasses worldwide, these plants play an important role in many shallow, near-shore, marine ecosystems. There is growing evidence that seagrasses are declining globally because of anthropogenic impacts. This paper presents an overview of seagrasses, the impacts of climate change, and other threats to seagrass habitats.

Groundwater is the earth's largest accessible store of fresh water. The volume is almost 100 times that of surface water. In recent decades use of groundwater has grown exponentially. Over 2 billion people depend on it for their daily supply. Not only have population increases and economic growth laid claim to an ever larger share of groundwater, but the quality of the resource is also increasingly under strain.

This technical report uses the framework of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment to extend awareness on the value of coastal ecosystems, their products and services for human well-being (i.e. livelihood security and development benefits) and shows how economic valuation of coastal ecosystem services can be a valuable tool for conservation managers and development decision-makers. It presents case studies from Sri Lanka and Thailand.

This book is the very first attempt to describe the development of environmental law. In particular, those developments under the auspices of the Environmental Law Programme of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and within the network of the International Council of Environmental Law and all concerned national and international agencies and organizations.