UNEP

Out of all the biological carbon (or green carbon) captured in the world, over half is captured by marine living organisms --- hence it is called "blue carbon". Although emissions reductions are currently at the centre of the climate change debate, the critical role that oceans and ocean ecosystems play has been vastly overlooked.

This report focuses on the management of natural coastal carbon sinks. There is a lack of recognition and focus on coastal marine ecosystems to complement activities already well advanced on land to address the best practice management of carbon sinks.

This publication documents the devastating effects of hurricanes on coral reefs in the Caribbean in 2005, the hottest year on record. This report catalogues the impacts of the warming and storms during 2005 and 2006. The valuable information in this book underscores that urgent actions are needed to assist reefs in recovery by focusing on natural resistance and resilience as well as removing threats posed by human activities that slow or even prevent recovery from these damaging events.

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.

This book (published in French) consists of nine articles written by environmental lawyers from the region, regrouped around three themes: Chapter I deals with “convergences and divergences of national legal frameworks”, and provides illustrations from a number of countries and subjects; Chapter II considers a selection of legal frameworks for three types of ecosystems (forests, a river basin, and marine and coastal areas); Chapter III considers the implementation of international law and reg