In the United Nations biodiversity agreement, freshwater ecosystems were finally included as ‘inland waters’ in the commitment to safeguard and restore at least 30 per cent of the world’s lands, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans by 2030. So, what is the freshwater biodiversity crisis, and why should we be concerned for people and [...]
With the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s new agreement dominating conservation headlines, it can be easy to lose sight of the people working every day to protect our planet’s biodiversity on the ground. However, throughout 2022, our partners restored ecosystems, protected endangered species, and collaborated with Indigenous Peoples and local communities to build a [...]
What role do rivers play in your life? For billions of people around the world, they are – literally – their source of life and survival. Although rivers cover less than one percent of the Earth’s surface, they are the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems in the world. In this post, Félix Feider looks [...]
The state of biodiversity has been in the news again these past few weeks, with high-profile reports like the Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 (by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity) and Living Planet Report 2020 (by the Zoological Society of London and World Wildlife Fund) generating depressing headlines. Among Earth’s fragile natural systems, [...]
Sinking sharks and freshwater pandas When people think about Earth’s larger animals they usually think of the tiger burning bright in Asia’s forests, or great herds of wildebeest sweeping across the African savannah. The amazing cinematography of shows like the BBC’s Blue Planet has even brought the larger species of the world’s oceans [...]
Dr William Darwall is Head of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Biodiversity Assessment and Knowledge Team (BAKT) – Freshwater Unit at the IUCN Global Species Programme, based in Cambridge. The goal of the IUCN BAKT - Freshwater Unit is to provide information on species and sites of importance to freshwater biodiversity [...]
By Christian Poirier A blog by Christian Poirier. Christian is the Brazil-Europe Advocacy Director for Amazon Watch. This blog first appeared as a blog post on the Development Progress website. In the last decade, the Brazilian government has advanced an Amazon hydroelectric dam building program of unprecedented proportions. The construction of dozens of large [...]
By Rudo Sanyanga A blog by Rudo Sanyanga from International Rivers. A native of Zimbabwe, Rudo holds a PhD in Aquatic Systems Ecology from Stockholm University. She is the Africa Program Director of International Rivers and is based in Pretoria. This article was first published by Business Day. THE world's water experts convene in [...]
My name is Catherine, I have many years experience in the financial sector and I have always cared about and been engaged with the environment and conservation. Over the past few months, I have been working with Synchronicity Earth on a voluntary basis, exploring how we can get more information on the environmental impacts [...]