A new project in Uganda, the Snares to Wares initiative is transforming one of the most dangerous and problematic poaching weapons into inspiring pieces of art.

The initiative supported by IUCN Save Our Species and co-funded by the European Union is working with youth and converted poachers, who transform the wire from wire snares into beautiful sculptures.The initiative is currently creating more than 1000 sculptures per month, with markets as far as the United States.

Protected areas in Seychelles have usually been managed by government entities such as the Seychelles National Parks Authority and conservation NGOs such as Nature Seychelles.  Now, in an exciting turnaround, local people can get involved in managing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for the first time. This highly innovative project will involve the local communities through a co-management process that officially kicked off on 3rd December 2020 .

IUCN and ProAZUL (an entity of the Mozambique Ministry of Internal Waters and Fisheries (MIMAIP) are promoting a cycle of seminars on Coastal Resilience and Financing Approaches for the Blue Economy.

The series of seminars launched on 16th November 2020 are aimed at presenting and discussing lessons learned, best practices, tools and approaches.

Dailus Laurence, the Chief Warden of Cousin Island Special Reserve, has won the prestigious 2020 African Ranger Award promoted by the Alibaba Foundation and the Paradise Foundation. Cousin Island special Reserve is managed by Nature Seychelles, a national environmental and sustainable development NGO and a Member of IUCN in Eastern and Southern Africa

The BIOPAMA programme focuses on promoting effective and sustainable protected and conserved area management and governance. Establishment of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Resource Hub (RRH) to facilitate the provision of relevant information and data is one of the focus areas.

The RRH platform  is intended to continue operating and providing services beyond the BIOPAMA Programme and it is therefore important that it is driven and fostered by the countries and regional commissions. This is one of the primary functions of the TEAM conservation actors who champion the RRH as a One-stop-shop resource for fair and effective management of protected and conserved areas that will also ensure sustainability.

See the TEAM profile here: https://esahub.rcmrd.org/en/teams

The expansion of the TEAM members is still ongoing and if you would like to be involved then you can email mkimani@rcmrd.org and beryl.nyamgeroh@iucn.org

In April 2021, IUCN-PAPACO will be launching a brand new MOOC on Marine Protected Areas, thereby adding a course to the existing MOOC catalogue aimed at building capacities among protected area practitioners in Africa. To add dimension and practicality to this MOOC, theory sequences will be followed by “real-world” illustrations, specifically by video case studies based on Solutions published on Panorama.

For more information on IUCN-PAPACO MOOCs: mooc-conservation.org

As a part of the SOS African Wildlife initiative funded by the European Union, Rapid Action Grants are now available for projects implemented in South Africa and responding to threats linked to the COVID-19 crisis.

You can learn more and submit your applications through the SOS Online Portal.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the French government have agreed to hold the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2020 from 3 to 11 September 2021 in Marseille Read more

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