Other Publications
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Review on the economics of biodiversity loss: Scoping the science
(2008)
This report was produced under contract to the European Commission, with the objective
of providing a coherent overview of existing scientific knowledge upon which to
base the economics of the review on the economics of biodiversity loss proposed
as part of the Potsdam Initiative by the G8 in March 2007 ("The Economics of Ecosystems
and Biodiversity"). The project was a collaboration between the University
of Cambridge, IEEP, Alterra and UNEP-WCMC.
Download the report from the European Commission website (PDF file).
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The Cost of Policy Inaction: The case of not meeting the 2010 biodiversity target
(2008)
This report was produced under contract to the European Commission, with the objective
of providing sustantive input to the review on the economics of biodiversity loss
proposed as part of the Potsdam Initiative by the G8 in March 2007 ("The Economics
of Ecosystems and Biodiversity"). The project was a collaboration lead
by Alterrra, and including IEEP, Ecologic, the Netherlands Environment Assessment
Agency and UNEP-WCMC among others.
Download the report from the European Commission website (ZIP file).
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Scoping the potential benefits of undertaking a MA-style assessment for England
(2008)
This report was produced under contract to the UK Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs, with the aim of: reviewing the current evidence base for assessing
ecosystem services associated with the terrestrial and marine environment; identifying
the current monitoring and research gaps; exploring the policy needs for such an
assessment and the extent to which these needs are currently being fulfilled by
existing initiatives; enabling a critical review to be made of the case for and
against undertaking a comprehensive ecosystem assessment for England in the style
of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA); and concluding by reviewing the options
open to Defra, making recommendations on how such work can best be taken forward.
The project was lead by researchers at the University of Nottingham, working with
MRAG, ORMI Consulting and UNEP-WCMC.
Download the overview report from the Defra website (PDF file).
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the full technical report from the Defra website (PDF file).
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Biodiversity and Poverty Reduction: The importance of biodiversity for ecosystem
services (2007)
This report reviews existing scientific knowledge regarding the links between biodiversity
and the sustainable provision of ecosystem services, and considers the implicatons
of these links for the World's poor, and for international development policy.
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Environment on the Edge 2006 - 2007
This publication presents five of the lectures from the 2006 - 2007 'Environment
on the Edge' lecture series. It includes the following themes:
- Europe on the edge
Professor Jacqueline McGlade
- Are we running out of oil?
Dr Jeremy Leggett and Dr Ian Vann
- The impacts of the Three Gorges Dam
Professor Zhang Jing
- Humans and carbon: a Faustian bargain?
Professor Berrien Moore III
- Valuing sustainability
Richard Saxon CBE
- Transport: a case of systematic sclerosis?
Professor David Fisk
This lecture series is the result of collaboration between New Hall and St. Edmund's
College, Cambridge University, the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre and
the British Antarctic Survey. The lectures and this publication are sponsored by
BP.
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Ozzy Goes Island Hopping
The fourth issue of the "Ozzy Ozone: Defender of our Planet" comic book
series, entitled "Ozzy Goes Island Hopping" features ozone depletion and
climate change with a special focus on Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).
In this story Ozzy and Zoe Ozone travel from the stratosphere to visit their friends
Alida, the leatherback turtle; Guno, the sand crab and Ronaldo, the red snapper
in Suriname to learn about the effects of climate change in small islands and low-lying
coastal states. They also journey to Fiji to meet Tau, the crested iguana to learn
about the importance of phasing out HCFCs, which are gases used to replace ozone
depleting substances but themselves can contribute significantly to climate change.
At the end of their travels they meet Frank the Frog and Maakanaa, the Grey Heron
in the Maldives to learn some simple actions that young people can take in their
daily lives to help protect the ozone layer and diminish the impacts of climate
change.
Ozzy Goes Island Hopping is a joint publication of UNEP, UNICEF, UNESCO and Scouts
International with participation of the governments of the hosting islands.
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Millenium Development Goals
The United Nations, in its 2000 Millennium Declaration, recognized the fundamental
importance of environmentally sustainability in development and called for a new
ethic of conservation and stewardship in environmental actions. This was enshrined
in Millennium Development Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability. MDG Target
9, under Goal 7, is to ‘Integrate the principles of sustainable development
into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources.’
One of five indicators chosen to demonstrate progress towards this target is ‘Ratio
of area protected to maintain biological diversity to surface area.’
This indicator acknowledges both the vital role that biological diversity plays
in providing environmental goods and services and the importance of protected areas
in maintaining biological diversity.
Please note: changes in the MDGs since publication of this booklet can be seen at
http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Default.aspx
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Environment on the Edge 2005 - 2006
This PDF presents five of the lectures from the 2005-6 'Environment on the Edge'
lecture series. It includes the following themes:
- Nature's capital: the key to poverty eradication - Dr. Klaus Töpfer
- Human development in China - Dr Zhao Baige
- Agriculture and food production: Quo vadis - Dr Hans Rudolf Herren
- The changing face of cities - Professor Anne Power
- Women and conservation - Kathryn Fuller
This lecture series is the result of a collaboration between New Hall and St. Edmund's
College, Cambridge University, the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre and
the British Antartic Survey. The lectures and this publication are sponsored by
BP.
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Marine and Coastal Ecosystems and Human Well-Being (2006)
Humankind depends on the oceans and coasts for its survival, with one third of the
world's population living in coastal areas, approximately 4% of Earth's total land
area. Global changes and a range of other drivers are causing degradation or loss
of ecosystem services. Changes to ecosystem services such as food security and employment
of nearly 38 million people in the fisheries industry will cause impacts that will
reach far beyond the coastal zone.
This report is a synthesis of the findings from the reports of the four MA Working
Groups (Conditions and Trends, Scenarios, Responses, and Sub-global Assessments)
concerning marine and coastal ecosystems. The preparation of this synthesis report
has been coordinated by UNEP-WCMC and UNEP's Division of Early Warning and Assessment
(DEWA) in recognition that the loss of marine and coastal services has impacts on
human wellbeing. The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Development Cooperation,
kindly funded the preparation and publication of this report.
The aim of this synthesis report is to contribute to the dissemination of the information
contained within the MA to decision-makers and a wide range of stakeholders of marine
and coastal ecosystems through seven key messages.
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Environment on the Edge 2004 - 2005
This PDF presents five of the lectures from the 2004-5 'Environment on the Edge'
lecture series. It includes the following themes:
- The Day After Tomorrow - Sir Crispin Tickell
- Oceans on the Edge - Dr. Jane Lubchenco
- Antartica on the Edge? - Professor Chris Rapley
- Biodiversity on the Edge - Dr. Cristián Samper
- Transport on the Edge - Dr. Bernard Bulkin.
This lecture series is the result of a collaboration between New Hall and St. Edmund's
College, Cambridge University, the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre and
the British Antartic Survey. The lectures and this publication are sponsored by
BP.
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CITES Checklist and Annotated Appendices (2005)
This book and accompanying CD-ROM provide a checklist of the fauna and flora listed
in Appendices I, II and III of the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species. UNEP-WCMC produces an updated
Checklist and Annotated Appendices following each Conference of the Parties to CITES.
The 2005 Checklist of CITES Species contains updates from the Thirteenth Conference
of the Parties, held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2004.
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ISBN 2 88323 027 7 | This publication has now sold out.
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Guidelines for Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring for Protected Areas
(2005)
These Guidelines are the result of the "Building Capacity for Biodiversity
Monitoring and Assessment in Nepal" project. They are based on the practical
experience of the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation (KMTNC) and the UNEP
World Conservation Monitoring Centre in the development of a biodiversity monitoring
system for the management of the Annapurna Conservation Area. They are the result
of a productive collaboration and it is hoped that they will be of wide relevance
for protected area managers throughout Nepal and beyond.
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After the Tsunami: Rapid Environmental Assessment (2005)
This report is produced by the UNEP Asian Tsunami Task Force in close partnership
with national environmental authorities in the affected countries. It summarizes
the interim findings from ongoing environmental assessments in Indonesia, the Maldives,
the Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Yemen, which are the countries
that specifically requested cooperation and assistance from UNEP. In Somalia, the
report is based on desk study only, as security restrictions did not allow an assessment
mission to be fielded. The Government of India did not request assistance, but has
shared with UNEP the initial findings of its own environmental assessment.
The assessments give evidence of environmental concerns that require serious attention
and immediate action. The short-term clean-up programme must be coupled with policy
development and strengthened institutions. The recovery agenda requires an 'environmental
reconstruction programme', which will immediately clean up contamination hotspots,
start rehabilitation of critical livelihoods and ecosystems and strengthen environmental
policies and institutions.
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ISBN 92 807 2565 3
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Biodiversity Trends and Threats in Europe: development and test of a species
trend indicator (2005)
At the global level, Heads of State and Government have agreed to significantly
reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. Within Europe, they have decided on
an even more ambitious target of halting biodiversity loss in the same period.
These 2010 targets will require strong will and focussed action across a wide range
of human activities and resulting pressures on biodiversity to ensure that they
are reached successfully. They will also require better quality data and information
to help achieve and to monitor progress.
Indicators are increasingly recognised as one of the most important forms of information
for tracking progress and showing where action is reaquired.
This report provides a major contribution to the development of a species trend
indicator by reviewing available data within Europe and showing how these data can
be aggregated to produce an index (or composite indicator) for a range of species
for which good data are already available.
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Conservation Bookstore
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Measuring Extent and Effectiveness
of Protected Areas – Indicator for meeting Global Biodiversity Targets
(2005)
This paper published by the Royal Society reviews the current global extent of protected
areas in terms of geopolitical and habitat coverage, and considers their value as
a global indicator of conservation action or response.
The paper discusses the role of the World Database on Protected Areas and collection
and quality control issues, and identifies areas for improvement, including how
conservation effectiveness indicators may be included in the database to improve
the value of protected areas data as an indicator for meeting global biodiversity
targets.
The paper was presented at a discussion meeting held July 2004, Beyond extinction
rates: monitoring wild nature for the 2010 target.
The complete publication is available from the Royal Society website.
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Biodiversity Indicators for National Use –
Experience and Guidance (2005)
This 20-page booklet present the lessons learned and guidance from the project ‘Biodiversity
Indicators for National Use’, or BINU for short, which was sponsored by the
Global Environment Facility (GEF) and others. The overall aim of the project was
to develop operational national-level biodiversity indicators to support planning
and decision-making in the four participating countries: Kenya, Ecuador, Ukraine
and Philippines.
The project developed a process, or series of steps, in producing biodiversity indicators
for national use. This report presents our experience and lessons learned so far
at each stage, although it is not intended to be a detailed manual on how to undertake
this work. Some examples are given of the indicators that have been developed.
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Rising to the Biodiversity Challenge (2004)
This report was prepared at the request of the World Bank to highlight the suitability
of the Living Planet Index and allied approaches for monitoring the state of biodiversity
at national levels, with a view to reporting on progress toward the 2010 biodiversity
target. It reviews the background to the 2010 biodiversity target and recent discussions
of how to assess and monitor the state of biodiversity, including CBD discussions
of biodiversity indicators and especially the recent meeting in London organised
by the CBD secretariat, UNDP and UNEP-WCMC. It evaluates the Living Planet Index
as a tool for monitoring biodiversity, considering its background, strengths and
weaknesses, and discusses the opportunities for, and constraints on adapting the
methodology of the LPI for use at the national level.
Authors: Martin Jenkins, Valerie Kapos and Jonathan Loh
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The Fall of the Water (2004)
This report illustrates several of the cumulative environmental impacts of piecemeal
infrastructure development, population growth, water shortage and climate change
in the Greater Asian Mountain region. The scope of this report is the broad, regional
scale land use change.
Edited by Christian Nellermann of UNEP GRID Arendal, with contributions from many
authors including Philip Bubb, Ian May, Lera Miles and Julian Caldecott of UNEP-WCMC
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Environmental Risks from Agriculture
in Europe (2004)
This report, written by a team of international environmental experts and conservationists,
describes an innovative methodology and results of a three-year study that applied
agri-environmental indicators and European datasets to identify the main agricultural
risk areas in Europe.
It covers:
- soil erosion
- nutrient enrichment
- pesticide use and their integrated risks for biodiversity and landscapes.
Editors: Ben Delbaere and Ana Nieto Serradilla, European Centre for Nature Conservation
ISBN 90 76762 17 1 | Order from European Centre for Nature Conservation | Download from
www.ecnc.org
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Speaking a Common Language: Uses and performance
of the IUCN System of Management Categories for Protected Areas (2004)
This report provides an overview of the use of Management Categories for Protected
Areas. It looks at the emergence of the system of protected area management categories,
the original purposes of the system and new uses being made of it. Suggestions are
made as to how the system can be used more effectively. Finally there is a set of
recommendations, along with a vision as to the place of the categories in the future.
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ISBN 1 902647 48 3 | Buy from
IUCN World Conservation Bookstore
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Reefs at Risk in the Caribbean (2004)
Coral reefs are an integral part of the Caribbean fabric, threading along thousands
of kilometres of coastline. Unfortunately, these valuable ecosystems are degrading
rapidly under the mounting pressure of many human activities. Understanding the
nature and extent of these threats and their likely economic impacts on the future
productivity of Caribbean coral reefs is of central importance to conservation and
planning efforts.
The Reefs at Risk in the Carribean project was launched to help protect and restore
these valuable, threatened ecosystems by providing decision-makers and the public
with information and tools to manage coastal habitats more effectively.
The project focuses on compiling, integrating and disseminating critical information
on these precious resources for the entire Caribbean region. This information is
intended both to raise awareness about the threats to and value of Caribbean reefs
and to encourage greater protection and restoration efforts.
Authors: Lauretta Burke, Jonathan Maidens
ISBN 1 56973 567 0 | Full text available on WRI website
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Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program - Framework Document. CAFF CBMP
Report No. 1. CAFF International Secretariat, Akureyri, Iceland. 46pp
(2004)
The CBMP is being developed by the Conservation of Arctic Fauna and Flora programme
as a coordinating entity for biodiversity monitoring programmes in the Arctic, for
data gathering and data analysis, and for coordinating the communication of the
results.
Authors: Petersen, A., Zöckler, C., Gunnarsdóttir, M.V.
ISBN 99979-59526-9-5 | PDF obtainable from the CAFF website
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Discussion Paper: Data Management and Communication for the Circumpolar Biodiversity
Monitoring Program - A Cooperation Strategy between CADD and UNEP-WCMC. CAFF CBMP
Report No. 8. CAFF International Secretariat, Akureyri, Iceland. 10pp.
(2004)
The CBMP is being developed by the Conservation of Arctic Fauna and Flora programme
as a coordinating entity for biodiversity monitoring programmes in the Arctic, for
data gathering and data analysis, and for coordinating the communication of the
results.
Authors: Zöckler, C. and Harrison, J.
ISBN 99979-59526-9-5 | PDF obtainable from the CAFF website
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Checklist of CITES Species 2003
This book and accompanying CD-ROM provide a checklist of the fauna and flora listed
in Appendices I, II and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species, as adopted by the Conference of Parties, valid from 13 February 2003.
The CD-ROM also includes the Annotated Appendices, which have an index to family
names and common names. It is hoped that these lists will act as an aid to Management
and Scientific Authorities, Customs officials, and all others involved in implenting
and enforcing the Convention.
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ISBN 1 899628 23 1 | GBP £40.00 | Buy from IUCN World Conservation Bookstore
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2003 UN List of Protected Areas
The 2003 UN List of Protected Areas, the thirteenth produced since 1962, records
the global community's endeavour to conserve the Earth's natural places. This is
the first version to attempt a comprehensive presentation of all the world's known
protected areas, listing 102,102 sites covering 18.8 million sq km compared to just
over 1,000 protected areas in 1962.
Significant progress has been made in conserving representative areas of the world's
terrestrial biomes, although some including Lake Systems and Temperate Grasslands,
remain under-represented. It is an essential reference document for all who want
to understand the progress made in responding to the challenges of biodiversity
loss and other environmental threats around the world.
The UN List is produced through a partnership between IUCN, the IUCN World Commission
on Protected Areas (WCPA), UNEP and the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre
and the valuable contributory role of more recent partners.
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ISBN 2 8317 0746 3 / 92 807 2362 6| GBP £30.00 Buy from IUCN World Conservation Bookstore
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Global Climate Change and Biodiversity
(2003)
The Earth's climate is changing and the impacts are already being felt by biodiversity
and wildlife habitats across the planet. This summary report from the international
conference Global Climate Change and Biodiversity presents some of the latest scientific
research into how the natural world is being affected by climate change - and also
how the natural world might respond in the future.
The conference, held at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK in April 2003,
was organised jointly by the RSPB, WWF-UK, English Nature, UNEP-World Conservation
Monitoring Centre and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.
Authors are: Rhys E Green, Mike Harley, Lera Miles, Jörn Scharlemann, Andrew
Watkinson and Olly Watts
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Reefs at Risk in South East Asia
(2002)
South East Asia contains nearly 100,000 km2 of coral reefs, almost 34% of the world
total. With over 600 of the almost 800 reef-building coral species, these reefs
have the highest levels of marine biodiversity on earth. Heavy reliance on marine
resources across South East Asia has resulted in the overexploitation and degradation
of many coral reefs. An estimated 88% of them are threatened by human activity.
Despite widespread recognition of this threat, specific information about it is
limited. This inhibits effective decision making concerning coastal resources. The
Reefs at Risk project was designed to address this by creating standardized indicators
that raise awareness about threats to coral reefs and highlight the linkages between
human activity and coral reef condition.
Authors: Lauretta Burke, Elizabeth Selig, Mark Spalding
ISBN 1 56973 490 9 | Full text available on WRI website
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Great Apes - The Road Ahead
(2002)
The Great Apes, including the chimpanzee, gorilla and orangutan, are threatened
with extinction. All species are rapidly declining in abundance, even within protected
areas.The main factors responsible for this decline are loss and degradation of
habitat, and hunting. Construction of roads in forest areas is particularly damaging,
as such development facilitates hunting and other activities which lead to habitat
destruction.
This report assesses the impact of infrastructural development on great ape populations,
using the GLOBIO modelling approach. GLOBIO is a multivariable spatial model, which
estimates the extent of land area with reduced abundance and diversity of living
organisms, as a result of infrastructural development. The model can also be used
to develop scenarios of possible future impacts, based on the current rates of infrastructural
development.
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Forest Biodiversity Indicators
(2001)
This is a brief introduction to biodiversity indicators in a forest environment
- their definition, source, presentation and uses.
Prepared by: V. Kapos, M. D. Jenkins, I. Lysenko, C. Ravilious, N. Bystriakova and
A. Newton
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Impacts of Climate Change on Wildlife
(2001)
This report was published by the RSPB on hehalf of English Nature, WWF-UK, UNEP
World Conservation Monitoring Centre and The Royal Society for the Protection of
Birds.
Edited by: Rhys E Green, Mike Harley, Mark Spalding, Christoph Zöckler
ISBN 1 901034 29 7 | Download as a PDF from the English Nature website
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