Official IUCN publications

The Greening Blue Energy project aims to facilitate well-balanced and science-based discussions on the impacts on the marine environment from offshore renewable energy developments and as such this publication provides a synthesis of current knowledge on the potential biodiversity impacts of offshore wind energy on the marine environment. It is based on scientific evidence and experiences from offshore renewable energy development and other relevant sectors.

The main objective of this work is to provide an introduction and sense of direction into the complicated world of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES). It by no means intends to serve as a comprehensive overview of this vast field. It provides one entry point for engaging in PES, and was designed to fit into the broader Livelihoods and Landscapes (LLS) strategy, as developed by IUCN’s Forest Conservation Programme.

The Livelihoods and Landscapes Strategy (LLS) seeks to influence the ways in which forests are managed and used. It intends to leverage real and meaningful improvements in the livelihoods of the rural poor, enhance biodiversity conservation, and ensure the sustainable supply of forest goods and services. These goals are founded on a strong recognition of the close relationship between people’s economic wellbeing, and the status and integrity of forests.

The Mediterranean Sea is a virtually enclosed basin that is frequented by three sea turtle species. In the last three decades the interest in sea turtles in the Mediterranean has continuously increased, motivated by a growing concern for these threatened animals. There has also been a great interest and need to develop adequate knowledge about their threats and about the biological and ecological parameters that are relevant for their conservation.

One of the innovative features of the first World Conservation Congress was the organisation of some 57 workshops divided into ten major streams. These ranged from topics as diverse as sustainability in artisanal fisheries to managing mountain protected areas to business and the environment. This publication presents a summary of all the workshops, the main speakers and the papers they presented.

The challenge of building biodiversity business is not trivial. Biodiversity is still largely neglected by private finance. There is a need to develop new business models and market mechanisms for biodiversity conservation, and to persuade the public and policy makers that biodiversity (or component ecosystem services) can be conserved on a commercial basis.