World Bank

In an era of climate change, deforestation and massive habitat loss, we can no longer rely on parks and protected areas as isolated 'islands of wilderness' to conserve and protect vital biodiversity. Increasing connections are being considered and made between protected areas and 'connectivity' thinking has started to expand to the regional and even the continental scale to match the challenges of conserving biodiversity in the face of global environmental change.

Protected areas play a major role in reducing climate changing carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. Fifteen percent of the world’s terrestrial carbon stock - 312 gigatonnes - are stored in protected areas around the world. Protected areas also serve as natural buffers against climate impacts and other disasters, providing space for floodwaters to disperse, stabilizing soil against landslides and blocking storm surges.

Understanding and managing the concerns of local people is essential for the success of most, if not all, conservation initiatives. These two volumes are a resource set designed to help professionals employed in conservation initiatives to identify the social concerns that are relevant for their work, assess options for action and implement them. The first volume is a companion to a process and may be used to assist in planning, evaluating or redesigning a conservation initiative. It is expected to involve a series of meetings in field-based activities.

This report provides a basis for development and implementation of a global system of marine protected areas to protect and manage representative examples of the world's rich marine biodiversity. It identifies priorities for establishing new marine protected areas and improving management of existing ones in each of the world's 18 major regions.

This report provides a basis for development and implementation of a global system of marine protected areas to protect and manage representative examples of the world's rich marine biodiversity. It identifies priorities for establishing new marine protected areas and improving management of existing ones in each of the world's 18 major regions.

This report provides a basis for development and implementation of a global system of marine protected areas to protect and manage representative examples of the world's rich marine biodiversity. It identifies priorities for establishing new marine protected areas and improving management of existing ones in each of the world's 18 major regions.

Poverty has become the central concern for development agencies, and because many of the areas that are most important for conserving biodiversity are occupied by poor people, or have poor people living around them, the relationship between poverty and protected areas can no longer be ignored. It is a complex one, but this book presents a balanced perspective on how protected areas relate to poverty, in both positive and negative ways.

The tsunamis of Sunday 26 December 2004 struck without apparent warning on a clear day. Not only was there a devastating loss of life, but coastal resources and infrastructure in the Indian Ocean suffered massive destruction as well. This book focuses on the impacts on the natural coastal resources, especially the coral reefs and associated ecosystems, and the responses by the international community.