IW:LEARN News
Global Conference on Land-Ocean Connections Bulletin
A summary report of the Global Conference on Land-Ocean Connections (GLOC) published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Yangtze Basin lakes shrinking as climate change, development takes its toll
Beijing - A new WWF study finds that many Yangtze River Basin lakes are shrinking dramatically and could dry up completely if measures aren’t taken to stem the impacts of climate change, increased industrialization, and urbanization along China’s longest river.
IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science and GWP announce International Water Law Scholarship Programme
The module is aimed at persons working in water resources who wish to acquire specialist knowledge of international water law, especially as it relates to transboundary water challenges in the GWP regions.
Groundwater Governance Project: Launch of Regional Consultation Workshops
In January 2011, the UNESCO-IHP - together with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) and the World Bank - initiated a new project on "Groundwater Governance: A Global Framework for Country Action". For this three-year project, UNESCO jointly with the partners, is working closely with the Member States, the main actors in the management of groundwater resources. Under the responsibility of the UNESCO-IHP network, the Regional Consultation Workshops (RCW) are a fundamental component of the Groundwater Governance project.
ICRI General Meeting Adopts Resolutions on Coral Reefs and Rio+20
15 December 2011: The 26th General Meeting of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) adopted resolutions on the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) and the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). The Rio+20 resolution encourages ICRI members to support the inclusion of references to the conservation and sustainable management of all coral reefs, in the conference outcome document. The other resolution suspends ICRAN.
A Handbook of Global Freshwater Invasive Species
Edited by Robert A. Francis, King's College London, UK. "This Handbook is a must-read for anyone seriously concerned with aquatic invasions. Its detailed yet readable accounts of impacts and management approaches for important introduced plants, animals, and parasites will serve as authoritative references for years to come." Daniel Simberloff, Nancy Gore Hunger Professor of Environmental Studies, University of Tennessee and Editor-in-Chief, Biological Invasions
Launch of Benthic Atlas
The pioneering Seafloor Geomorphology as Benthic Habitat: GeoHAB Atlas of Seafloor Geomorphic Features and Benthic Habitats was released in December.
Endangered whales are crossing the Pacific
Two female western gray whales, Agent and Varvara, left the coast of Russia late last year and are now half-way across the Gulf of Alaska. For the second consecutive year, an international team of scientists successfully tagged endangered whales off Sakhalin Island and the team is now tracking the animals via satellite.
Investment opportunities in Lake Tanganyika and Victoria are still limited by security and environmental threats
The East African Community (EAC,) in an attempt to boost investment and the livelihood of more than the 20 million people whose livelihoods depend on Lake Tanganyika and its surroundings, organized a conference entitled, “Unlocking the Overflowing Trade and Investment Opportunities in the Lake Tanganyika Basin,” for the first time on Nov.28-29 in Bujumbura.
Fishery data collection review underway
November 2011 - The BOBLME project has recently initiated a review of the fishery data collection systems of its member countries.
Finding a Balance between Meeting Needs and Addressing Policy Issues in Integrated Watershed and Coastal Areas Management – The GEF-IWCAM Project reviews achievements and lessons learned
The Global Environment Facility-funded Project on “Integrating Watershed and Coastal Areas Management in Small Island Developing States of the Caribbean” (the GEF-IWCAM Project) hosted its Final Project Conference in Kingston, Jamaica, 16 – 18 November 2011.
Sharing the water, sharing the benefits: Lessons from six large dams in West Africa
A new publication, jointly developed by IUCN, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and the Institut de Recherches et d’Applications des Méthodes de développement (IRAM), reviewed detailed experiences from six dams in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal through the lens of benefit-sharing and compiled these into the report 'Sharing the water, sharing the benefits: Lessons from six large dams in West Africa'.
WWF reveals huge overcapacity still in place in Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery
Istanbul, Turkey – As ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) opens tomorrow in Istanbul, WWF releases a new study showing current fishing capacity doubling bluefin tuna quotas in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean and points to the need to strengthen the current capacity reduction plan. In addition, WWF urges ICCAT this year to ban bluefin tuna farming. At this 22nd edition of ICCAT, WWF will focus on assessing implementation of the current bluefin tuna recovery plan. In addition the Mediterranean swordfish will be high on the agenda. WWF urges ICCAT to adopt a management plan for this species, the first one ever
Rivers for Life: The Case for Conservation Priorities in the Face of Water Infrastructure Development
WWF's "Rivers for Life: The Case for Conservation Priorities in the Face of Water Infrastructure Development" addresses the need for approaches and methodologies that help identify and prioritize freshwater areas of conservation value. It showcases some of WWF’s freshwater prioritization assessments in the Amazon, Austria, China, India, the Mekong, and Mexico, each having been implemented in different contexts and under diverse conditions
Illegal caviar trade poses major threat to Danube sturgeons
The highly endangered sturgeons of the Danube river basin are at risk because of the persistent illegal trade in their caviar involving Bulgaria and Romania, according to a newly published TRAFFIC report compiled for WWF.
Make or break time for Mekong river as Xayaburi dam decision looms
Siem Reap, Cambodia – Environment and water resource ministers from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam meeting in Siem Reap next week hold the fate of the Mekong river in their hands as they look set to reach a decision on a go or no-go for the controversial Xayaburi dam in northern Laos.
The acid truth about our oceans: experts urge action to limit ocean acidification
Ocean acidification can no longer remain on the periphery of the international debates on climate change and the environment and should be addressed by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and other global environmental conventions, urges IUCN and the International Ocean Acidification Reference User Group (RUG) at the climate change summit in Durban.
UNIDO looks at processes to promote sustainable management of coastal zones
NAIROBI, 15 November 2011 – An integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) training exploring dynamic and multidisciplinary processes to promote sustainable management of coastal zones will be held in Watamu, Kenya from 21-25 November 2011. The main output of the training will be the development of an ICZM strategy and a work plan for the Kenya and Tanzania demonstration sites.
A Shared Strategic Vision for the Management of the Drin River Basin was agreed at high level
On 25 November 2011 in Tirana, Albania the five Drin River Riparians signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a Shared Strategic Vision for the Sustainable Management of the Drin River Basin for the benefit of about 1.5 million people relying on the water resources of the basin for drinking water, agriculture, fisheries, industry and hydropower. Recent floods, in particular, have highlighted the need for such closer transboundary cooperation. Ministers and Deputy Ministers responsible for water issues from Albania, Greece, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo (UNSC 1244) and Montenegro signed the Memorandum, which represents a significant step forward in the development of transboundary cooperation in the Drin Basin. The Drin Dialogue process which was set up in 2009 to look into the many competing interests and challenges the Riparians are facing and which led to the signing of the Strategic Vision, is facilitated by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean (GWP-Med); the UNDP provides technical support. The process for the enhancement of the transboundary cooperation in Drin had been initiated already in 2006 with the assistance of the German Ministry of Environment and GEF IWLEARN.
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