Growing populations and economies in the Western Indian Ocean region are increasing risks to the world's least ecologically disturbed coasts, where ecosystem services are conservatively valued at US$25 billion annually, according to a new report by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released on the 30th Anniversary of signing of the Nairobi Convention.

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The Integrated Drought Management Program in the Horn of Africa (IDMP HOA) is a regional progamme with focus to promote drought resilience of countries, communities and ecosystems in the region. The program is being implemented in eight countries including Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda. The IDMP HOA is coordinated by the Global Water Partnership Eas...

On World Oceans Day, the GEF is proud to announce the approval of an innovative program to support sustainable fisheries, the Coastal Fisheries Initiative (CFI). CFI was approved at last week’s 48th GEF council and represents a strategic partnership to demonstrate holistic ecosystem based management and improved governance of coastal fisheries. The CFI addresses all coastal fisheries in t...

Bangkok –A bat with nightmarish fangs, a stealthy wolf snake, a 'dementor' wasp and the world's second longest insect are among the 139 new species discovered by scientists in Southeast Asia's Greater Mekong region in 2014. Many are already at risk, according to a new report by WWF.

GEF CEO Naoko Ishii was invited to kick off this important Forum on Waters on Monday, April 13 in Daegu, South Korea and share her personal experience in the opening plenary on how the GEF has worked towards achieving change in areas where challenges might seem entrenched and unchangeable, and how to sustain the momentum towards real transformational change.

Across the globe, 276 rivers connect the territories of two or more countries, covering about 50% of the Earth's surface, and 40% of the world's population depends on the freshwater resources from these river basins. Similarly, most of the world's 66 large marine ecosystems (MEs) are shared by more than one country. There are also untold numbers of shared aquifers. Collaboration across sectors ...

For far too long wetlands in all its forms have been labeled as "smelly, insect infested, and disease ridden" places. They have been used as the ecosystem of choice to dump unwanted substances into, to dredge for resources, drain for infrastructure or agricultural purposes. A switch to a more respectful attitude towards those precious natural ecosystems is much needed.

On Saturday, April 11, in Seoul, Korea, the GEF CEO Naoko Ishii met with mayors, leaders of local governments, and city-based networks, together with national governments and international organizations at the ICLEI World Congress to discuss issues related to urbanization from an environmental standpoint. ICLEI- or Local Governments for Sustainability, was founded in 1990 as the International C...

GWP Lithuania and GWP Poland successfully collaborated on a set of maps, a database and a video, to improve the management and protection of two transboundary rivers. The project brought together international experts from Lithuania, Poland, Belarus and Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia.

The Global Environmental Facility (GEF), International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) today announced the launch of a new project, Nexus Solutions for Sustainability. The project aims to identify integrated approaches to energy, water, food, and ecosystem security in selected regions of the world.

IUCN is involved in a session on Scaling-up Impact and Collective Action to Manage and Restore Ecosystems for Water Services and biodiversity at the 7th World Water Forum.