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MPA Enforcement Toolkit

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are essential for conserving marine biodiversity, ensuring sustainable fisheries, and maintaining the health of ocean ecosystems. They also provide economic and cultural benefits, including ecotourism opportunities and the preservation of livelihoods for coastal communities. However, merely establishing an MPA is generally insufficient to secure these protections and benefits.

Guidelines on harvesting threatened species

1. Societies around the globe harvest wild species, to a greater or lesser extent, for food, building materials, healthcare, medicines, pest control, ornamentation, income, recreation, and cultural and spiritual purposes. While this use of wild species directly contributes to the well-being of billions of people globally, over-exploitation of wild species is one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss.

Partner support and interactions with communities show mixed effects on governance of community-based resources

Community-based natural resource management is recognized as an effective area-based conservation approach. Accordingly, conservation organizations worldwide are providing support to local communities seeking to sustainably manage and use their local natural resources. However, there is little understanding of how different types of support provided by partner organizations influence local community governance of these resources.

Management approach matters: meeting seagrass recovery and carbon mitigation goals

Seagrass habitats support biodiversity, improve water quality, protect coastlines, and sequester carbon, among other essential ecosystem functions, yet they are declining worldwide due to human activity. Seagrass restoration and conservation can act as nature-based solutions for climate change, garnering growing interest from a diversity of stakeholders globally. Despite this interest, no seagrass projects have yet received carbon credits under international voluntary carbon standards.

Biodiversity and biogeography of zooxanthellate soft corals across the Indo-Pacific

Documentation of biodiversity and its geographical distribution is necessary to understand the processes and drivers of evolutionary diversification as well as to guide conservation and management initiatives. Among the most emblematic patterns of biodiversity in the world’s oceans is the Coral Triangle (Indo-Australian Archipelago), widely recognized to be the center of species richness for a variety of marine life forms.

Nature-Related Finance and Indigenous Peoples

This briefing provides an overview of the interlinkages between the financial sector, nature and Indigenous Peoples. It summarizes UNEP FI’s views of the outcomes and recommendations of sessions on these themes within the Finance & Biodiversity Pavilion at CBD COP16 in Cali, and is prepared for use by UNEP FI members and others in the financial system engaged in nature-related activities willing to reorient their approach and learn more on engaging with Indigenous Peoples, Afro-Descendent Peoples and local communities.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and practices associated with the Vanate (Raggiana Bird of Paradise, Paradisaea raggiana) along the Kokoda Track in Central Province, Papua New Guinea

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is lost due to the increase of urbanisation, and the lack of transfer of this knowledge to younger generations. Aims. The aim of this study was to examine the TEK of the Koiari Indigenous People of Central Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG) concerning the Vanate (Paradisaea raggiana), which is the national bird of PNG. Methods. We used the mixed methods research methodology, specifically the convergent parallel mixed method design with a questionnaire.

The Database of Island Invasive Species Eradications (DIISE)

Islands are at the forefront of the global extinction crisis, with invasive vertebrates posing a significant threat to native flora and fauna. The removal of these invasive species is crucial for the restoration and protection of island ecosystems, helping to prevent extinctions and promote biodiversity!

Island Conservation hosts an invaluable dataset to help show the impact of this key environmental intervention: the Database of Island Invasive Species Eradications (DIISE).

Utilizing Protected and Conserved Areas for Human Health and Well-being: A Technical and Methodological Framework

In recent years, social prescribing—particularly green prescribing and nature prescriptions—has rapidly gained popularity as a holistic approach to improving health and well-being by connecting individuals with nature-based activities and community support. Due to the unique qualities of protected and conserved areas, they provide irreplaceable benefits to humans. This has prompted many to quickly identify, define, and measure their positive impacts on human health and well-being.