IUCN is deeply shocked by the tragic loss of 12 park rangers, a staff driver and four civilians close to Virunga National Park, following an attack by armed militia on 24 April. One of the world’s most biodiversity-rich areas and home to the last remaining mountain gorillas, Virunga is Africa’s oldest national park and a World Heritage site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“This vicious attack is a tragic reminder that insecurity and conflict continue to claim the lives of those on the frontline of conservation. Our deepest condolences go to the families who mourn them,” said IUCN Acting Director General Dr Grethel Aguilar. “IUCN stands in unity with Virunga staff and calls for solidarity with park rangers around the world who risk their lives to protect wildlife and local communities.”

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The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a global health crisis unlike any other we have experienced. Our hearts go out to all those affected by the outbreak, and we are deeply grateful to the healthcare professionals and volunteers on the front lines helping our communities.

This is why keeping a sense of community is more important and meaningful than ever. In the words of IUCN’s Director General (Acting), Dr. Grethel Aguilar:

“There is no mistaking the challenge of this moment, but it is also an opportunity for the global conservation community to come together and for IUCN to show its commitment and strength as a Union. This pandemic is a stark reminder of how our economies and societies are interdependent, and how the well-being of humans, other living beings, and ecosystems, are deeply connected. Only a healthy planet can support healthy people. Once this situation passes, humanity will be called to reflect on its relationship with nature and redouble its commitment to safeguarding the natural world and rebuilding a healthy and equitable planet for all.”

Click to read IUCN's statement on the COVID-19 pandemic

Dr. Nirmal Jivan Shah, CEO at Nature Seychelles, argues that nature’s infrastructure and its services to people and planet are the heart of a productive and heathy nation and must be protected at all times to help us bounce back from crises. In this article, he writes, "It is clear that COVID-19, like others of the same ilk, has emerged from a completely twisted relationship between humans and nature. The wholesale destruction of habitats and the horrific ransacking and pillaging of wildlife for trade including consumption is at the heart of this crisis."

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South American protected and conserved areas are at a crossroads. COVID-19 has paralysed the work of staff and guardians to provide essential nature conservation services, while revenues from tourism and other related economic activities have evaporated almost overnight. Personal protective equipment (PPE) for the defenders of nature is hard to come by, if at all. Very few environmental agencies are receiving support from State-level financial interventions and ‘stimulus’ pledges.

A new wave of IUCN Green List commitments in the Amazon to help COVID recovery for rural and indigenous communities and their vital ecosystems.

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Conservation and human welfare are not incompatible, in fact, quite the opposite, as this project in the Marshall Islands demonstrates.

To reduce climate change vulnerability and dependence on declining fisheries, Namdrik Atoll Local Resources Committee is promoting a model of community self-sufficiency, local food security and adaptation, relying on reintroduction of native crops; a pearl farm to fund education and health projects; and introduction of rainwater harvesting and solar technology. The community-owned initiative is a sustainability model for other atolls in the Pacific.

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Other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) are becoming an increasingly important topic in the discussions leading up to the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. As a contribution to the dialogue, the Asia Protected Areas Partnership (APAP) chose OECMs as the topic for its very first webinar, held on 23 April 2020.

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Seventy-six years after its initial creation, the Mangai Hunting Domain and Hippopotamus Reserve has been given a new lease of life, thanks to an in-depth participatory process, leading to the adoption of a brand new management plan. The process brought together key governance actors, rightsholders and stakeholders, who jointly identified a wide range of natural, historical, cultural and socio-economic values at play in the area.

The Mangai Reserve is the sixth protected area in the DRC with a land use and management plan validated by all stakeholders at all levels. Several national parks and reserves are in the process of developing or revising their management plans, and the lessons learned in Mangai serve as a valuable model. 

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The BIOPAMA programme continues to strengthen the capacity of protected area stakeholders across the Caribbean by assisting countries in assessing Protected Area Management Effectiveness (PAME). The most recent success story comes from Saint Lucia. With BIOPAMA’s support, the country has developed its own national protected area management effectiveness tool for conducting future site level assessments. Stakeholders benefited from capacity building on the PAME framework and assessment tools through a series of trainings and workshops.

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Creole medicinal plants have been used for a long time in Martinique to treat everyday health problems. Known under the creole appellation of “Rimèd Razié”, the recipes exploiting the elemental secrets of these plants have been mastered by generations.

To keep this original traditional natural knowledge alive, a local association has designed and implemented a project combining ecological and social impacts, with support from BEST RUP. The Centre de Culture Populaire Ypiranga de Pastinha association has grown a garden assembling 170 medicinal plants in the north mountainous quarters of the Trenelle-Citron slum, an area built by people who came from the rural areas in the 1940s, and facing important economic and social challenges nowadays.

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Inclusive conservation is an emerging framework that recognises the variety of connections people make with natural areas and the landscapes in which they live, and opens up a dialogue across the various stakeholders of a protected area. The approach holds promise to transform different visions into management strategies and in doing so informs a set of policies and practices for sustainable use of natural resources. Inclusive conservation involves the use of a variety of methods that emphasise local and regional participation, and reflection on future growth and landscape change. This new approach connects people with policies and practices making everyone part of the conservation effort in ways that benefit both nature and our society.

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Consultations toward the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework are well under way, and Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity are engaged in understanding what progress has occurred during the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity through the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. It is against this backdrop that an expert workshop was convened to examine the specific role of protected and conserved areas within the emerging framework, and to provide recommendations for consideration by the Parties.

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The 44th session of the World Heritage Committee has been postponed to a later date, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. UNESCO is currently holding consultations to determine the exact dates of the session and of the release of IUCN’s recommendations. IUCN remains fully committed to providing the highest quality of technical advice to the Committee.

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Papaco’s latest MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) series was launched on 17 February 2020. Three months in, we have reached a record-breaking number of 10,000 students in a single session! If you are confined and have some time on your hands, now is the time to take a look at our range of online courses on protected area management at mooc-conservation.org. Stay safe.

With all the changes occurring around the world around the COVID-19 pandemic, parks and protected areas are also being impacted – both positively and negatively. Many parks around the world have been closed. However other parks are still open and are now receiving more visitors than ever before! Those who have been permitted to visit parks during isolation measures have realised that nature is a critical ingredient for their physical, mental, social and community health and well-being. This presents the conservation, park management and other sectors with an incredible opportunity.

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Within five years of its launch, the English version of IUCN’s Protected Area Governance and Management compendium textbook has reached the remarkable statistic of 100,000 downloads across 87 countries.

Editor and project manager for the book, Graeme Worboys reflected, “The development of this peer-reviewed book reflected the WCPA at its very best. It was a volunteer project with 164 authors and five full time editors contributing, and represents the world’s leading protected area practitioners passing on their lifetime of experience and knowledge to the next generation! These efforts form a major investment towards a better planet”.

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The NAPA n°140 is all about capacity development for improved PA management and better nature conservation. If you have time at home nowadays, why don't you suscribe to one of our online courses available on www.mooc-conservation.org

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La NAPA n°140 parle de renforcement des capacités pour la gestion des aires protégées, pour mieux assurer la conservation de la nature. En cette période de confinement, pourquoi ne pas suivre une de nos formations en ligne sur www.mooc-conservation.org?

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Les Lignes directrices abordent la planification et la gestion des aires protégées à gouvernance privée (APP). Ce guide est destiné principalement aux professionnels et décideurs, intéressés ou impliqués dans le domaine des APP. Des lignes directrices sont proposées sur tous les aspects de la création, de la gestion et de l’établissement de rapports concernant les APP. Ce guide fourni des informations sur les principes et meilleures pratiques dans le cadre des APP, illustrés par des exemples tirés de différentes régions du monde. L’objectif de ce manuel est d’ébaucher l’application de politiques et principes de l’UICN afin d’améliorer l’efficacité et des résultats de conservation.

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Humanity’s relationship with the natural world is more important than ever. At the IUCN Congress, experts showcase the latest conservation science, policy and best practice. IUCN’s government, civil society and indigenous peoples’ Member organisations vote to set priorities for nature conservation and sustainable development actions for the decades ahead.

IUCN and France have postponed the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2020 to 7-15 January 2021. Learn more about the event, participation and the implications of the new dates on the Congress website.

To receive IUCN Congress updates, subscribe here.

25 April to 3 May 2020 is World Parks Week, spearheaded by World Urban Parks. It is an opportunity to celebrate parks and green spaces around the world – even if you are stuck inside and isolating.

With COVID-19 affecting each country, region and city differently, access to parks, trails and open space can be open, limited or even closed. People, now more than ever, are yearning for those spaces and the physical and mental well-being that comes with it.

For World Parks Week 2020, we are challenging everyone out there to explore how and in what ways they are experiencing nature in their own circumstances. Share your stories and photos highlighting your parks during the week, with the hashtag #NatureForAll and tag World Urban Parks!

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The African Leadership University through its School of Wildlife Conservation is driving a campaign to develop current and future generations of West African leaders who can create economic value from wildlife conservation activities in the region. Full-tuition scholarships are available until 4 May 2020.

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When the EUROPARC Federation decided last year that 'Healthy Parks, Healthy People' would be the theme for the European Day of Parks in 2020, we would have never thought it would be this relevant. Due to the special situation we are currently living in, the European Days of Parks will go online! Using the hashtag #ParksForHealth, get the word out through your social media channels and your park's homepage on how essential healthy parks are. 

Send us footage from your park, from birdcalls to wildlife pictures and videos that showcase just how special these places are. We will create a 'tour through Europe' and release it on 24 May 2020. Send your footage with the park name and credit info to communications@europarc.org

Download the Guidelines for Parks here to give you inspiration for your posts and activities.

The Canadian Community of Practice in EcoHealth is offering a series of Webinars in May. Discover innovative and dynamic approaches for better understanding the multiple factors which influence health – ecosystem approaches to health. During this intensive course, you will learn methods for carrying out research and interventions on issues at the confluence of health, the environment and society.

A special session is proposed on 28 May 2020 concerning the COVID pandemic.

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In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, our work in nature conservation has suddenly become simultaneously more difficult and more important than ever. We are aiming at producing a short video centred on how people working in nature conservation are responding to the crisis. We are interested in questions about nature, community, and how COVID-19 outbreak is affecting everyday life in and around protected and conserved areas.

We want to build a network of local contributors and grassroots storytellers, and involve our global audience in guiding us and sending us footage and information about what is happening all across the protected areas community.

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The global movement #NatureForAll, dedicated to inspiring love of nature, launched a new, interactive platform this week that can be used by anyone looking to help connect people with nature or experience nature wherever they may be.

The Discovery Zone, available in English, French, and Spanish features links to materials that help individuals, children and families to experience and learn about nature, from their balconies, to urban parks, protected areas or virtually. Currently made up of resources from the IUCN as well as #NatureForAll partners, the comprehensive and collaborative tool features resources in multiple languages and formats, such as games, curriculum, music and videos.

WCPA members can also share their engaging resources that allow people worldwide to continue to connect with nature, regardless of their circumstances, by filling out this online form.

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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