Case studies

Protected areas have proven themselves to be an effective tool for the conservation of biodiversity in situ. However, conserving biodiversity, even in protected areas, is a challenging assignment for most countries around the world where governments and local communities are often in competition for access to and use of resources. On top of these challenges, the world is facing changes in climate and sea level, increasing numbers of invasive species, and fragmentation of forests.

Biodiversity captured worldwide attention at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro when 150 nations signed the Convention on Biological Diversity. Although most countries by now have had some experience planning and implementing biodiversity-related measures, few have approached them in the comprehensive, integrated manner required by the Convention.

With the highest percentage of threatened sharks and rays in the world, the Mediterranean region is in need of regional planning and policy development for the conservation and sustainable management of chondrichthyan fishes. This third report in the series of Mediterranean Red List Assessments presents the findings of an expert workshop at which 71 Mediterranean species of sharks, rays and chimaeras (cartilaginous fishes) were assessed using the IUCN Red List categories and criteria.

Access to justice in environmental law is a worldwide movement dedicated to assisting members of rural communities to achieve redress for environmental harms.This publication contains a review of the rural environmental justice movement in India and Nepal, illustrated with case studies.

In this groundbreaking text, forest quality is discussed as a useful new concept in forest conservation and management. Three main assessment criteria are used: authenticity, environmental benefits, and social and economic benefits. A methodology and protocol for collecting and analysing data is described, and the approach needed with each indicator is outlined in detail.

El Centro de Derecho Ambiental y la Oficina Regional de UICN para Mesoamérica presentan el libro Gobernanza de aguas compartarget_idas: aspectos jurídicos e institucionales, el cual es un esfuerzo conjunto que recoge los aportes del diálogo sobre gobernanza de cuencas compartarget_idas celebrado en Ciudad de Guatemala en septiembre de 2004 y organizado por la Unidad de gestión del agua de la UICN-Mesoamérica.

Este texto reúne las ponencias del Segundo Seminario Internacional Mujeres indígenas, territorialidad y biodiversidad. Uno de los ejes para el desarrollo de estos seminarios ha sido partir del supuesto de que en todas las culturas, las mujeres y los hombres establecen relaciones muy distintas, no sólo con el resto de la sociedad, sino también con sus territorios y recursos, o con su biodiversidad.

Important Bird Areas and Important Plant Areas have already been identified in more than 170 countries. The Key Biodiversity Areas approach builds on the work done to date, in order to provide practical guidance to governments in identifying those sites which must be protected to ensure the future of both biodiversity and humanity.

Este documento recoge el esfuerzo conjunto de organizaciones e investigadores provenientes de los cinco países andino-tropicales (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú y Venezuela)sobre la relación entre áreas protegidas y gobernanza ambiental.

Le Programme Régional pour le Secteur des Energies Traditionnelles (RPTES) qui visait l’amélioration des systèmes de gestion du bois - énergie ainsi que la promotion des politiques nationales dans le secteur de l’énergie domestique et des modèles de gestion durable et participative des forêts naturelles a été exécuté par différents partenaires dont l’ambassade du Royaume du Danemark, la Direction Générale de l’Energie, le Ministère de l’Environnement et l’UICN.