The Big Plan
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World CONSERVATION THE MAGAZINE OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE January 2011 The Big Plan Ocean futures Curbing wildlife trade Love not loss WORLD CONSERVATION Volume 41, No. 1 January 2011 Rue Mauverney 28 1196 Gland, Switzerland Contents Tel +41 22 999 0000 Fax +41 22 999 0002 [email protected] Your space 3 www.iucn.org/worldconservation The turning tide 4 Editor: Anna Knee Managing Editor: John Kidd Production and distribution: Cindy Craker NEW CHALLENGES Contributing editors: A new idealism 5 Deborah Murith Stephanie Achard We need to unplug from virtual reality and reconnect with nature if we have a chance to save biodiversity, says Jeffrey A. McNeely Design: L’IV Comm Sàrl, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Getting tough on trade 7 Switzerland Richard Thomas describes the armoury of tools needed to tackle escalating levels of wildlife Printed by: Sro-Kundig, Geneva, Switzerland trade Opinions Staying power 8 Opinions expressed in this publication do not David Huberman examines the rapid rise of the Green Economy concept necessarily refl ect the views of IUCN, its Council or its Members. Comments and suggestions NEW APPROACHES Please e-mail the World Conservation team at [email protected], or telephone us on +41 22 999 0116. There’s no going back 10 Sue Mainka on why conservationists may need to rethink their priorities Back issues An easy win 12 Back issues of World Conservation are available at: www.iucn.org/worldconservation Don’t ignore the cost-effective solution that protected areas offer in tackling climate change and saving biodiversity, says Ernesto Enkerlin-Hoefl ich Paper Feel the love 14 This magazine is printed on FSC paper. Less of the doom and gloom, let’s be more positive in our communications efforts, says Laurie Bennett Photographs Cover: © Madmaxer / Dreamstime.com Talking heads 16 P4: © Svlumagraphica / Dreamstime.com Leading fi gures outline their priorities for saving the natural world P5: © Alis Gheorghe Leonte / Dreamstime.com P7: © Nick Biemans / Dreamstime.com Where there’s hope… 18 P9: © Irina Drazowa-Fischer / Dreamstime.com P10: © Kentannenbaum / Dreamstime.com An interview with Sylvia Earle on how to reverse the fate of the oceans P12: © Kampee Patisena / Dreamstime.com P14-15: © Sanclemenesdigpro / Dreamstime.com P18-19: © Masa Ushioda / Photolibrary P20: © David Lee / Dreamstime.com NEW PARTNERS P21: © Corbis P22: © Wiltding / Dreamstime.com P23: © Macsim / Dreamstime.com Bring it on! 20 P25: © Moravekv / Dreamstime.com Emerging challenges of the next decade and what IUCN is doing to address them P26: © Paul Topp / Dreamstime.com Let’s get our act together 24 © International Union for Conservation of Nature Jan McAlpine explains what’s needed to overcome the hurdles facing forest conservation and Natural Resources New players 25 A snapshot of some of IUCN’s emerging work with new and diverse partners Off the shelf 27 A selection of IUCN’s latest publications. World Conservation welcomes your feedback We’d like the magazine to stimulate debate, so please let us know what you think. Do you disagree with an article? Does it miss the point? What are you or your organization doing? Send your comments to worldconservation@ iucn.org World Conservation is available online. You can post comments on individual articles at www.iucn.org/worldconservation Your space The 100-billion-dollar question Several recent studies suggest that the current level of Awareness Awareness classes for politicians to be conducted with nearby investment in conservation is far below what is needed to fi eld trips. Environmental magazines and literature in regional halt biodiversity loss. While there is general consensus within languages to reach every corner of countries like India. Television the conservation community that more resources are needed, channels to transmit biodiversity, science and technology in regional languages. Forest corridors to be restored. Experiments it is less clear how that money might be most usefully spent. to be done on a war footing basis towards renewable energy To stimulate discussion on this topic, the last issue of World such as solar, wind; on wetland agriculture such as paddy and Conservation opened up a debate in which readers and visitors sugar cane to consume less water. Control of pests such as rats, insects, etc. by biological methods. to the IUCN website were asked to respond to the question: K. MRUTYUMJAYA RAO If someone handed you US$ 100 billion to spend on conservation, what would you consider to be the most cost-effective use of those funds? Support improvement of farming techniques in developing countries The responses posted on the IUCN website varied widely. The way agricultural and livestock systems are devastating the Many emphasized that better use of existing funds could go remaining Key Biodiversity Areas in developing countries is very fast and will continue until we improve them. To feed the growing a long way by ensuring that more resources were available population in a sustainable way in these countries, there is a huge for implementation at the local level. The emphasis on local- need to support the improvement of farming techniques through a level action was echoed in several comments calling for the land-use strategy with community involvement. At the same time, we will address hunger issues worldwide since this is fully related promotion of alternative (non-destructive) economic activities to extensive agricultural systems. Conservation will be diffi cult for communities living in or near protected areas. Ecotourism to address if people depending on natural resources are hungry. was singled out as a means of encouraging conservation MAMADY KOBELE KEITA while supporting local livelihoods. The need to improve the sustainability of farming techniques was also seen as an essential local-level action. Other specifi c suggestions included the restoration of currently degraded areas; a focus Managing over-population on key threatened species and areas; improving connectivity No matter how advanced our ecological-economic strategies, our between critically endangered ecosystems (such as through political will, higher budgets, public support, and terrestrial/marine biodiversity corridors); and purchasing land, especially in areas protected area estate, will all eventually hit a ceiling against human pressures for resources. Most conservation projects do with high levels of biodiversity. not address this. The reality is that a global paradigm shift in how we (humans) justify our increasing population is required in order Some recommendations focused on actions at the national to control it. Funding solutions to achieve this are, simply, critical. or global level. The most commonly expressed priority was MARK BEZUIJEN to invest more resources in environmental education and awareness-raising. Participants also noted the urgent need to build a stronger economic case for conservation and suggested that public education, social networks and media campaigns could be used better to ‘sell’ biodiversity. Others suggested Fund for private projects that the integration of biodiversity concerns into development An international fund that could offer low-cost loans to private planning and projects at all levels and in all economic sectors owners and groups wishing to start biodiversity projects, together with technical advice, recognition and moral support (the latter is would be a cost-effective strategy for supporting conservation. really important!) would be benefi cial, not only in increasing the Finally, and more controversially, several respondents focussed overall extent of protected areas, but also in raising the standard on the issue of human population growth, which they saw as of conservation work. SIMON HOLLEDGE the most signifi cant threat to biodiversity. WORLD CONSERVATION • JANUARY 2011 3 The turning tide elcome to the fi rst issue of World adoption of the Nagoya ‘package’ was cause biodiversity. Which new partners will we be Conservation in a new decade. We for much celebration there was also a sense working with? How will the Green Economy W take stock of the outcomes of that we have no time to lose in implementing unfold? What progress will be made in curbing the Convention on Biological Diversity it—we know what needs to be done, we burgeoning levels of wildlife trade? What conference that took place in Nagoya, Japan know that conservation action works, we have future for the oceans? in October last year and look at what might unprecedented levels of collaboration, so let’s be in store for conservation in the coming get on with it. As this issue went to print, the UN climate years. summit was coming to a close in Cancún, Mexico where governments approved a series In Nagoya governments approved a new of tangible, if modest steps towards a global ‘Big Plan’ for the next 10 years to reduce the 2020 vision deal. The inclusion of REDD (Reducing pressures on biodiversity and take action to Emissions from Deforestation and forest restore the natural world. A major blockage to Looking ahead to the next 10 years of Degradation) as part of the ‘Cancun Accord’ progress was unplugged in the form of a new conservation, we cover some of the latest was seen as a major achievement. And there agreement on managing the planet’s genetic thinking and new approaches that might be was wider progress in acknowledging nature- resources and signifi cant new funding was used and hear prominent fi gures outline what based solutions to both mitigating climate pledged