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Spotlight on nature and biodiversity

Nature is humanity’s lifeline. Human health, food, economies and well-being depend on nature. Yet nature is in crisis. One million of the world’s estimated 8 million species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction. Meanwhile, ecosystem degradation is affecting the well-being of 40 per cent of the global population.

The spotlight on nature and biodiversity highlights updates from around the UN System, from partners and others, helping to call attention to the need for a just, prosperous and sustainable future for all.

03 Apr 2024 10:06

Ms. Astrid Schomaker appointed as Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, following consultation with the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), has announced the appointment of Astrid Schomaker of Germany as the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the CBD.

Read the full statement.

22 Mar 2024 12:45

New virtual reality game for nature action

A screenshot of the Unearthed virtual reality game by Meta

Embark on an immersive adventure—interact with bears to protect your cubs, shrink in size to face marauding piranhas as a fish or ride beetles into gigantic Amazonian flowers.

This new Meta virtual reality game, Unearthed, allows players to experience nature in a new way and learn more about its vital role for people, for planet.

14 Mar 2024 08:09

Fighting fire with forests across the Mediterranean

Two firefighters in a cloud of smoke
Photo: UNEP/Celine Barakat

The non-profit Association for Forests, Development and Conservation in Lebanon is devoted to protecting and restoring forest landscapes, including Lebanon's famed cedar trees. 

The association’s work falls under the banner of the Restoring Mediterranean Forests initiative, an ambitious effort to revive woodlands that span from Morocco to Lebanon. The initiative has restored 2 million hectares of forest, creating economic opportunities and helping to counter devastating wildfires in the process.  

Read more

08 Mar 2024 12:06

Access to finance for women proves life-changing for Kenya’s ‘mama karanga’

Women walking down a beach
Photo: UNEP/Habel Lenga

Women’s lack of access to capital is the focus of this year’s International Women’s Day, celebrated on 8 March. Addressing this issue is seen as essential for dealing with climate change and biodiversity loss, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.  

Read this story to find out how a UNEP-supported project aims to build sustainable coral reef fisheries by empowering women in marine area management.

01 Mar 2024 12:34

2030 Seagrass Breakthrough

https://youtu.be/3GnT1E-KzbY?si=iK0Sluieluh3-li4

This video by UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) President H.E. Razan Al Mubarak on World Seagrass Day highlights the 2030 Seagrass Breakthrough, an initiative announced at UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP28 that aims to establish a collective framework of action for seagrass conservation worldwide, aligning with global agendas. 

28 Feb 2024 12:07

Colombia unveils COP16 logo to the world and sends a message of 'Peace with Nature'

27 Feb 2024 15:45

Financing Nature-based Solutions for a better future

16 Feb 2024 15:07

New global initiative to protect and connect natural areas

Herd of elephants

Natural habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation are two of the most serious hazards to migratory wild animal species. A major new programme launched at the UN wildlife summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, aims to ensure that places important to migratory species are identified, protected, and connected. The Global Partnership on Ecological Connectivity (GPEC) was announced on the margins of the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP14) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).

Find out more

14 Feb 2024 15:56

Is the world making good on a landmark pact to protect nature?

Arctic fox with sea behind
Photo: UNEP/Stephanie Foote

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework consists of global targets to be achieved by 2030 and beyond to safeguard and sustainably use biodiversity. Ahead of the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), read this Q&A to discover the importance of the framework and whether countries are positioned to deliver on its promise. 

13 Feb 2024 10:09

Nature is staging a comeback: UN recognizes seven World Restoration Flagships

Collage of 2024 World Restoration Flagships
Photo: UNEP

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) have named seven initiatives from Africa, Latin America, the Mediterranean, and South Asia as UN World Restoration Flagships. These initiatives include ecosystems at the tipping point of outright degradation resulting from wildfires, drought, deforestation, and pollution. They are now eligible for technical and financial UN support.

The World Restoration Flagships awards are part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration – led by UNEP and FAO – which aims to prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean. 

Read the full press release

Related Sustainable Development Goals