Healthy ecosystems produce goods and services that provide livelihoods for people and the potential for economic development. These include fresh water, agricultural productivity, fisheries, forest products, energy and protection from natural hazards. But when human activity degrades the environment, these goods and services decline, hampering economic and social development and leaving rural, marginalized communities more vulnerable.
About conservation and social policy
IUCN welcomes ‘Forests 2011’ - International Year of Forests
The world’s forests are essential to life in all its diversity and to attaining humanity’s biggest goals such as reducing poverty, curbing climate change and achieving sustainable development. Throughout 2011 IUCN will work towards making sure that forests deliver their maximum potential for human well-being and biodiversity conservation. … | Spanish
03 Jan 2011 | News story
Development and Conservation organizations partner on adaptation
IUCN, CARE, and WWF have joined forces to build poor and marginalized people's resilience to the impacts of climate change by promoting sound ecosystem management into human adaptation. …
20 Dec 2010 | News story
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WANI supports good water governance in Uganda and Kenya
Across East Africa, governments have recognized watershed management at the local level is key to improved water resources management. …
16 Dec 2010 | News story
Make sure the poor don’t miss out on REDD, says IUCN
Governments need to put more attention and resources into making sure vulnerable people get their fair share of benefits from REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), according to IUCN. … | French | Spanish
07 Dec 2010 | International news release
'Lives of the Forest'
'Lives of the Forest' is a new video created by indigenous activists from across the Asia Pacific region exploring the likely impacts of the UN's REDD programme on indigenous resources and lifestyles. It was created during a participatory video facilitator training in Ifugao (Philippines) by representatives of 15 distinct indigenous communities from 8 different countries. …
03 Dec 2010 | Downloads - document
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Women adapting to climate change in Mozambique
Through its Climate Change and Development Project (CCDP), IUCN is working to develop adaptation measures which will sustainably safeguard local livelihoods and natural habitats. …
02 Dec 2010 | Video
Gender and Climate Change Dialogues, Costa Rica, October 2010
Highlights and participant reactions from the Gender and Climate Change Dialogues held in Costa Rica on 11-14 October 2010 are shown in this short video. …
01 Dec 2010 | Video
IUCN’s Cahoacan and Tacaná projects selected as role models
The IUCN Cahoacan and Tacaná projects in Mesoamerica were recently selected to feature in the new ECODES catalogue, profiling a distinct selection of innovative social projects implemented by organizations around the world. … | Spanish
05 Nov 2010 | News story
Jordan first Arab country to mainstream gender in climate change policy
Amman, Jordan – 2 November 2010. Water scarcity is one of the major challenges affecting the Arab region as a direct result of the impacts of climate change. Jordan was one of the first developing countries to respond to this challenge by signing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). …
02 Nov 2010 | International news release
It’s in our hands: New book on our relationship with nature launched
A new book, Sacred Natural Sites: Conserving nature and culture, is being launched by IUCN today at the Convention on Biological Diversity conference in Nagoya, Japan. The launch is part of an event organized through a collaboration between ETC-COMPAS and IUCN and is dedicated to promoting sacred natural sites and their crucial role in conserving nature and culture. The book is based on experience from around the world which highlights the importance of sacred natural sites in biodiversity conservation and the long-standing relationships between nature and people. …
26 Oct 2010 | News story
