Official IUCN publications

This book contains a selection of papers on various legal issues of interest to developing countries which have been prepared by Fellows from InWent who came to Germany between 2002 and 2004 from Africa, Asia, and Latin America to research and write about subjects of their choice at the IUCN Environmental Law Centre

Protected areas operate within complex ecological and social systems, presenting challenges that cannot be resolved by technical solution alone. Achieving the management objectives of protected areas requires a social approach in which strategic communication is a key instrument.

CEPA tools have been identified as one of the keys to achieving better outcomes in a broad range of environmental projects – increased community engagement, higher levels of collaboration among stakeholders, better targeted public awareness materials and increased sustainability of results.

Presents a guide to assist educators who are wrestling with educating for sustainability, by reflecting on the theory and practice of how to engage people in sustainable development and a framework of good practice (theory). It is intended to inspire actions for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-14) by illustrating innovation and practice in education with case studies, examples and interviews.

Mountain areas cover 24% of the Earth's land and 26% of the global population lives in or around these areas. At the global scale, perhaps their greatest value is as 'water towers', providing water for over half of humankind. As global centres of biological and cultural diversity, they are among the world's major tourist destinations.

The deep ocean is increasingly recognized as a major global reservoir of the Earth's biodiversity, although but a small fraction of the oceans' ecosystems found at depths below 200 meters have been studied. This report presents findings on the current extent, location and value of high seas bottom trawl fisheries worldwide and the countries involved.

Joint initiative between IUCN and WWF for addressing the need to protect the highly valuable deep sea ecosystems in the Mediterranean. Is included for the first time a comprehensive proposal for conservation firmly based in virtually all scientific information currently available.

The precautionary principle, or precautionary approach, is now widely accepted in environmental law and policy at international and, increasingly, national level. However, the principle remains highly controversial, its meaning contested, its acceptance and implementation inconsistent across sectors and contexts and its impacts unclear.

The workshop was organised to improve the understanding of the dialectic between water-related infrastructures and institutional frameworks in West Africa.

Sharks and their relatives, the rays and chimaeras, are the diverse group of cartilaginous fishes that have evolved over 400 million years. Historically considered of low economic value to large-scale fisheries, today many of these fishes have become the target of directed commercial and recreational fisheries around the world, and they are increasingly taken in the by-catch of fisheries targeting other species.