The inaugural IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC), previously scheduled for 7 to 12 March 2022, has been postponed.

The Congress will now take place from 18 to 23 July 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda.

Early Bird Registration has been extended to 31st March 2022.

Jean-Louis Etienne with #PolarPod will support IUCN's work on conservation of polar regions and the ocean, focusing on ocean as a foundation for planetary stability to help Nature 2030 IUCN targets.

The ice mass loss from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, the multiple impacts of climate change on marine biodiversity, the opening up of maritime routes, and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, are some of the challenges Jean-Louis Etienne will raise awareness on, by collecting data and calling for action to protect these highly sensitive environments and steer the international conservation agenda towards a more sustainable future.

IUCN WCPA's 'Vital Sites' online event series is back in 2022, with an exciting array of upcoming events.

16 February 2022: Understanding the role of protected areas as nature-based solutions: Part I

23 February 2022: Understanding the role of protected areas as nature-based solutions Part II

2 March 2022: OECMs: What are they? What counts?

The Vital Sites Pavilion at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille highlighted how fair and effective protected and conserved areas are a foundation for addressing biodiversity and development challenges, and are essential for human health and well-being.

With a new dedicated playlist on YouTube, updated regularly, you can now relive your favourite pavilion events in high-definition. Days 1 and 2 are now up, and Days 3 and 4 are coming soon!

We are pleased to share that the deadline for nominations for the IUCN WCPA International Ranger Awards has been extended to 28 February 2022.

We know that logistical difficulties in these challenging times have made it difficult for many people to complete a nomination in time.

Nominations are open until 28 February 2022.

The ocean regulates our climate, weather, and sets the conditions for life. It was US President John F Kennedy who famously once said “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it, we are going back from whence we came."

This beautiful short film from the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, narrated by Caroline Merner, explores this relationship and how radically scaled up and full and effective ocean protection is part of the blue print to secure a brighter future for us all.

As governments reflect on the recent COP26 Climate Convention held in Glasgow, UK at the end of 2021 and the start of the UN Ocean Decade, this multimedia StoryMap explores the fundamental links between ocean health and our health and prosperity, and why we must dramatically and rapidly scale up full and effective protection for our life-giving ocean for all our benefits.

A conversation with Siddharth Edake, Fellow and Area Convener for the Centre for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), which won the 2021 Pathfinder Award for its PANORAMA Solution - 'Strengthening community conservation in a biodiversity hotspot' in the Indian state of Nagaland.

This project, implemented by local NGO Société Réunionnaise pour l'Etude et la Protection de l'Environnement – SREPEN, was presented at the BEST pavilion at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille. More details (in French), including a recording of the presentation held online on September 6th by project manager Séverine Galisse, can be found here.

Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) works tirelessly to protect the last free-roaming population of black rhinos (Diceros bicornis bicornis) left in the world. Covering an area of 25,000 km2, SRT’s trackers come from local communities and possess a deep knowledge of rhinos and their surroundings. Their skills are tested during long patrols, on foot in an area with no national park status, no fences and no controls over who enters and exits.

Professionals engaged in the management of protected areas from 26 countries in West and Central Africa participated in the constitutive General Assembly for the establishment of the “African Network of Coaches for the Effective Management of Protected Areas (RACEGAP)”.

A new MOOC Conservation session has started! These online courses are free, and open to all, especially to protected area practitioners in Africa

Une nouvelle session MOOC Conservation est lancée! Ces formations en ligne sont gratuites, ouvertes à tous, en particulier aux acteurs des aires protégées en Afrique.

A l'occasion du lancement de la première session 2022 des formations MOOC de l'UICN PAPACO, et dans l'optique de les promouvoir, l'équipe des étudiants PAPACO du Gabon, l'ambassadeur de MOOC Gabon a organisé une journée d'échange avec les étudiants de l'ENEF dans l'anceinte de la dite école.

UNESCO has designated 1154 World Heritage Sites, 169 Global Geoparks, and 727 Biosphere Reserves. Among them, there are nearly 200 sites that hold two of these three designations, and 8 sites with all three designations. Huangshan is one of these eight. These sites are outstanding representatives of international natural and cultural value, and models of UNESCO sites management and sustainable development.

Quebec is one of the newest sub-national jurisdictions to have certified and created an Expert Assessment Group for the Green List (EAGL). The EAGL is composed of diverse specialists from NGOs, research institutions, government, and consultants working in the field of protected and conserved areas and represents the first in Canada to support this IUCN initiative to improve management, governance, and conservation of protected and conserved areas.

In the past few months, PANORAMA has surpassed the milestone of 1,000 published conservation solutions; announced the winners of the 2021 Pathfinder Award; presented a new publication on protected area solutions for development challenges, and much more. Read all about it in the latest PANORAMA newsletter!

The project ‘Sustainable Tourism and Protected Areas in a Post-COVID World’ aims to develop a more crisis resilient and sustainable tourism landscape and in the spirit of “building back better”, improve the ecological and social aspects of tourism in and around protected and conserved areas.

The measures are closely tailored to the needs of the local people and for this project IUCN has partnered with Planeterra Foundation who will provide training and support to community members in and around Protected Areas and World Heritage sites in Peru and Viet Nam.

En 2021 publicamos la METT 4, una versión electrónica totalmente actualizada, con las lecciones aprendidas en su aplicación en todo el mundo. En esta segunda edición del manual de la METT se comparten antecedentes sobre la eficacia de la gestión y consejos para usar la METT de la
mejor manera posible.

Over the past two years, the NPS has continued to adapt to the challenging conditions resulting from the global pandemic which constrained traditional methods of international conservation engagement. Like nearly all of our colleagues, we have become adept at any number of videoconferencing platforms and other forms of virtual collaboration. Following are brief notes about the ongoing cooperation between NPS staff and our international counterparts that occurred between July and December of 2021.

The 2nd Asia Parks Congress organising committee has extended the Early Bird Registration deadline to 28 February 2022, as well as the Calls For Proposals deadline to 14 February 2022.

Representatives from protected area authorities, other government agencies, NGOs, academia, youth, the private sector, Indigenous peoples and local communities are invited to submit proposals to give presentations, organise side events and/or display posters at the Congress.

With Parks Canada and the Canadian Parks Council and guidance from Indigenous elders and colleagues, CPCIL is excited to host the second pan-Canadian Parks and Protected Areas Research eSummit from February 22 to 25, 2022 along with a complementary year-long webinar and dialogue series.

By holding a virtual event, we can decrease our carbon footprint, increase accessibility for participants, and support social distancing during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Since its establishment in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. IUCN’s new legacy gift options will help ensure IUCN keeps playing this essential role for years to come.

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