• Neville Ash, UNEP-WCMC director, at the 2026 Nature Action Dialogues

    UNEP-WCMC hosts third Nature Action Dialogues

    UNEP-WCMC hosted the 2026 Nature Action Dialogues to foster private sector collaboration and action for nature. A whole-of-society approach is needed to meet ambitious global biodiversity targets by 2030. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) sets out 23 major biodiversity targets to achieve by 2030, from conserving and restoring ecosystems to aligning financial flows to…

    UNEP-WCMC hosts third Nature Action Dialogues
  • Ecosystem-based adaptation for climate resilience 

    How we are supporting ecosystem-based adaptation around the world. Climate change is rapidly transforming our planet. While its effects are being felt globally, some areas of the world face these impacts more acutely. Countries are largely underprepared for the serious consequences associated with longer periods of drought, higher levels of flooding, increased frequency and severity of wildfires and more intense heatwaves caused by climate change.   While there has been global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, climate change continues to proceed at a rapid…

    Ecosystem-based adaptation for climate resilience 
  • Two caribou, or reindeer, standing on a mountain

    Explainer: Why OECMs are crucial to conserving 30% of Earth’s lands and waters

    Places where nature thrives outside of protected areas have huge potential to help the world achieve the global pledge to conserve 30% of Earth’s lands and waters by 2030 A sacred forest in India. A community-managed fishery in the Philippines. A military training ground in Europe. What do these places have in common?  They could…

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    Explainer: Why OECMs are crucial to conserving 30% of Earth’s lands and waters
  • Three Hudsonian godwit shorebirds standing in a lake

    Four migratory birds that now have stronger international protections

    Our conservation experts highlight four species that governments recently recognized need greater protections and explain how these decisions can lead to positive outcomes for the world’s long-distance migrants The only global treaty focused exclusively on the conservation of migratory species recently brought governments together in Campo Grande, Brazil. A team of experts represented the UN…

    Four migratory birds that now have stronger international protections
  • A riverside village in Madagascar, Elise Belle

    Five steps to strengthen data justice as we conserve 30% of the planet

    Most conservation data are biased and unjust. Jasmin Upton and Sol Fernandez share how the Protected Planet Initiative at UNEP-WCMC is addressing data justice for protected and conserved areas. Data are never an unbiased representation of the world. Rather, datasets are the result of decisions regarding what can and should be measured and often represent…

    Five steps to strengthen data justice as we conserve 30% of the planet
  • Scientists determine urgent priorities for peatland research 

    An international team of researchers have identified the most urgent unanswered questions about peatland ecosystems, from forest to tundra. This provides a global roadmap which can guide future science and inform policy for one of the planet’s most important and threatened ecosystem types.   The study published in Communications Earth & Environment involved input from 467 peatland experts across 54 countries to determine which research questions matter most for understanding…

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    Scientists determine urgent priorities for peatland research 
  • Ashley Highfield appointed as Chair of WCMC 

    WCMC, the Cambridge-based charity, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ashley Highfield as Chair of its Board of Trustees, who will formally take up the role in September. In collaboration with UNEP at the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, the charity works to promote the conservation, protection, enhancement and support of nature…

    Ashley Highfield appointed as Chair of WCMC 
  • Building understanding of the use of Traditional Knowledge Indicators for monitoring biodiversity 

    Expert Workshop on Traditional Knowledge Indicators considers the next steps in developing rights-based monitoring frameworks.  Indigenous Peoples are vital knowledge holders and custodians of many of the world’s most biodiverse landscapes. Respecting and advancing their rights is imperative to achieving the world’s major international commitment on biodiversity, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).  Indicators related to traditional knowledge (TK) help reveal how Indigenous…

    Building understanding of the use of Traditional Knowledge Indicators for monitoring biodiversity