IUCN

This report reviews current knowledge of global biodiversity, discusses priorities, assesses policies required, and suggests where efforts of the Convention and its financial mechanisms should be focused.

Prepared as an input to the discussions on the establishment, under the auspices of the Convention, of a clearing house to promote and facilitate technical and scientific cooperation in the field of conservation and sustainabile use of biological diversity.

Based on the premise that all research done in protected areas can enhance their management, these guidelines, which originated in a parks Congress workshop, provide a source of ready-to-adapt ideas suggesting ways that researchers and managers can work more effectively with each other and with the public at large. Of use to protected area professionals and those with an interest in resource management and research planning.

Burkina Faso boasts both varied natural and artificially created wetlands, the latter resulting from some 1100 dams or embankments. These wetlands, however, have not been seen as distinct ecosystem units and responsibility for wetland issues has been fragmented. At the initiative of IUCN in Ouagadougou, an informal network of experts was set up during 1992 to provide a forum for debate on wetland issues in Burkina Faso.

This well-illustrated traininig manual for wetland managers summarises the ecology of freshwater and coastal wetlands in West Africa. It provides an overview of the main tools for ensuring that their values and functions are adequately maintained for the benefit of local communities and wildlife. The technical appendices offer detailed guidance on designing and implementing management plans and monitoring programmes for protected wetlands.

Both Agenda 21 and "Caring for the earth : a strategy for sustainable living" recommend that every country should undertake a National Sustainable Development Strategy in order to mobilize and focus society's efforts to achieve sustainability. This book shows how the task can be approached, drawing on a wide range of national Conservation Strategies, Green Plans, Environmental Action Plans, sectoral plans such as Forestry Action Plans and comparable exercises throughout the world.

This volume describes the major issues facing protected areas, both terrestrial and marine, and discusses the approaches needed to address these issues. An additional section, drawing upon the expertise of CNPPA's vice-chair, marine, and members of 14 task forces, specifically addresses protected area issues in the coastal marine environment.