Organizations :: Biodiversity
Conservation and Endangered Species :: Environment

BBC News | Science & Environment | World Edition

Moon probe returns first images
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:55:17 -0000
The US space agency's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft sends back its first images since reaching the Moon.
No safe haven for rarest antelope
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:40:19 -0000
Hopes are dashed that some of the few remaining hirola antelope have managed to colonise new, safer territory.
New dinosaurs found in Australia
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:48:58 -0000
Three new dinosaur species are found in Queensland, Australia, and named after the Outback song Waltzing Matilda.

NYT > Environment

In Public Housing, Talking Up the Recycling Bin
By MIREYA NAVARRO Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:54:26 -0000
In the General Grant Houses in Manhattan, two women are spreading the word about recycling, door by door.
Green Power Takes Root in the Chinese Desert
By KEITH BRADSHER Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:36:43 -0000
Beijing is steering a push toward wind and solar power, while the U.S. is just starting.
Observatory: The Case of the Shrinking Sheep
By KENNETH CHANG Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:10:25 -0000
On a remote Scottish island, the sheep are shrinking, and the cause appears to be the warming of winter.

ENN: Climate

Climate body to try to bridge differences before G8
Officials from a 17-member body which account for the lions share of the world's carbon emissions will hold urgent talks next Tuesday to iron out differences on the eve of a July 8-10 summit of the G8. Group of Eight diplomats and climate change officials told Reuters the meeting of the Major Economies Forum (MEF) was called to narrow the gap between rich countries and developing nations such as India over long-term targets on global warming and emissions.
Plant life saved Earth from an icy fate
Besides the obvious benefits they bring, it looks like we owe our very existence to plants, which helped prevent the Earth from freezing over during the past 25 million years.
US at Bottom of G8 Emissions Reduction/Climate Change Action Rankings
The US ranks next to last among G8 member countries when it comes to cutting greenhouse gas emissions and paving the way toward a clean energy economy, according to a World Wildlife Fund SE-Allianz study released July 1.

L.A. Times - Environment

Bald eagles at risk in Washington
Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700
The only nesting pair in the capital could lose a chunk of its scarce urban habitat to the Department of Homeland Security. The crraaaack! crraaaack! was so loud that James Tolbert looked out his town house window to investigate, and that's when he saw it -- a snowy white head with yellow eyes soaring into the woods across the street, a tree branch the size of a baseball bat locked in its beak.
USDA organic label comes under fire
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700
Lax agency standards mean that consumers aren't always buying foods without pesticides and other chemicals that were produced in environmentally friendly ways, consumer advocates and lawmakers say. Three years ago, U.S. Department of Agriculture employees determined that synthetic additives in organic baby formula violated federal standards and should be banned from products carrying the federal organic label. Today those same additives, purported to boost brainpower and vision, can be found in 90% of organic baby formula.
Sheep getting smaller in Scotland due to climate change, study says
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700
The average weight and size of sheep on a remote island have been falling in small but steady increments since 1985. Milder winters mean smaller animals but a larger herd. Along with polar icecaps and sandy beaches, sheep on a remote Scottish island are gradually shrinking as a result of global warming, according to a study published today in the journal Science. The finding offers unusual proof that large animals are already evolving to adapt to changes wrought by climate change, experts said.

National Geographic News

WEEK IN PHOTOS: Ugliest Dog, "Miracle" Birth, and More
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0000
Filipino inmates dance to "Thriller," a girl rests 1,400 feet in the air, and an elderly ape has a baby in this week's best news photos.
"Diamond Dust" Snow Falls Nightly on Mars
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0000
Ice crystals drifting from Martian clouds resemble the glittering precipitation that falls in Earth's Arctic regions during winter, new data show.
Tunguksa Blast Mystery Solved by Space Shuttle?
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0000
Rare "night shining" clouds linked to the 1908 Russian event and plumes from shuttle launches suggest that the blast was caused by an icy comet, a new study says.

USDA - Natural Resources

Remarks by First Lady Michelle Obama at the U.S. Department Of Agriculture

Transcript: Secretary Tom Vilsack Hosts News Conference Call with Reporters

TRANSCRIPT: President Bush Announces Resignation of Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and Names Chuck Conner Acting Secretary of Agriculture


The Economist: The environment

Evolution and climate change: Survival of the less fit
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:53:46 -0000
The mystery of Scotland’s shrinking sheep may have been solvedON THE remote island of Hirta, in the St Kilda archipelago beyond the Outer Hebrides, live hundreds of wild Soay sheep. Over the past 20 years biologists studying this primitive breed, which has not changed much since the Bronze Age, have noticed that the sheep are getting smaller. This was a puzzle because, in general, bigger animals are usually much better at surviving the island’s extremely cold winters. The biologists now think that climate change could be involved. Tim Coulson of Imperial College, London, and his colleagues examined the weights of about 2,000 female sheep that lived on the island in the two decades of their study. They combined this information with detailed histories of individual animals. They found that daughters were, on average, lighter than their mothers had been at the same age. Their legs were shorter, too, suggesting that the breed really was shrinking. ...
Banyan: When the catfish stirs
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:54:22 -0000
Earthquakes, and the preparations for them, are metaphors for Japan’s malaiseA CAPRICIOUS, mythical catfish lies beneath the Japanese archipelago. Usually the Shinto god of the earth keeps the brute’s head pinned down with a granite keystone. But when Kashima drops his guard, the thrashings of the grotesque fish convulse the earth. Japan is extraordinarily prone to earthquakes, accounting for nearly a fifth of the world’s supply of them. No city, not even Los Angeles, surpasses Tokyo for seismic action. With tsunamis and typhoons too, an acceptance of natural disasters is said to be hard-wired into the Japanese psyche. ...
Captain Hudson’s journey: Fair to foul and back again
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:54:22 -0000
The Hudson River, 400 years onAS AMERICA celebrates its birthday on July 4th, New York is celebrating the discovery of its Hudson river. The Dutch East India Company hired Henry Hudson, an English explorer, to find a north-west passage to Asia. He failed: the route defied all explorers until Roald Amundsen in 1906. But Hudson’s journey of 1609 up the river that would later bear his name led to a valuable trade in furs and eventually to settlement by the Dutch. His shipmate recorded abundant fish and that the surrounding lands “were as pleasant with Grasse and Flowers, and goodly Trees, as euer they had seene, and very sweet smells came from them.” The smells unfortunately, have not always been so sweet. The Hudson has been exploited and abused. Factories used the river as a dumping-ground. At one time a 20-mile stretch of the Hudson had little or no aquatic life. “You could tell what colour the GM plant in Sleepy Hollow was painting its cars by the colour of the water,” recalls Alex Matthiessen, president of Riverkeeper, an environmental watchdog. Since the 1960s, groups like Riverkeeper and advocates such as Pete Seeger, a folk singer, have fought to restore the river’s ecosystem. The 1972 Clean Water Act helped deter polluters. And in 1984 the federal Environmental Protection Agency classified 200 miles of the river as a Superfund site, eligible for special attention. As a result of all this the river has begun to look like its old self. Water quality has improved. Some fish populations look healthier. The Bald Eagle once again nests nearby. ...

Reuters: Environment

Climate body to try to bridge differences before G8
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:03:25 -0400
ROME (Reuters) - Officials from a 17-member body which account for the lions share of the world's carbon emissions will hold urgent talks next Tuesday to iron out differences on the eve of a July 8-10 summit of the G8.
China mulling new air quality regulations
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:57:17 -0400
BEIJING (Reuters) - China is considering new air quality regulations as it looks to build on its success clearing Beijing's skies during the Olympics, environmental officials from the capital said on Friday.
EU seen meeting renewable fuel targets with blends
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:49:01 -0400
HAMBURG (Reuters) - The European Union is likely to achieve its target of generating 10 percent of transport fuels from renewable sources by 2020 by blending biofuels with fossil fuels, a leading EU researcher said.

NPR Topics: Environment

In Spain, The Dead Help Fight Climate Change
Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:47:00 -0400
In the Barcelona suburb of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, a cemetery installed more than 450 solar panels on top of the mausoleums.
Debate Over Food Movie Misses Most Farmers
Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:59:00 -0400
Food Inc., a documentary film about the modern agricultural industry, is a hit with big-city movie reviewers, small organic farmers and vegetarians. But ordinary farmers — the people who grow the lion's share of what America eats — have largely been left out of the mainstream media debate over the film.
Can The Mississippi Delta Survive Rising Seas?
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:00:00 -0400
Reporting in Nature Geoscience, two coastal scientists write that rising sea levels, combined with slow Mississippi Delta growth, could drown the Louisiana coast by 2100. Delta expert Ivor van Heerden, who is not involved with the research, discusses the findings.

UN News Centre - Environment, Shelter

High-level forum stresses need to tackle radioactive waste in Central Asia
Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500
A high-level forum organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) wrapped up in Geneva today with the adoption of a joint declaration stressing the need to tackle the challenge of radioactive waste in Central Asia.
Secretary-General welcomes new UK climate change financing scheme
Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the new initiative announced by the Government of the United Kingdom on financing for climate change, ahead of this December's meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, where countries are expected to wrap up negotiations on an ambitious new pact to slash greenhouse gas emissions.
Free trade can help combat global warming, finds UN report
Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500
Contrary to conventional wisdom, further liberalization of international trade can help combat climate change and support a low carbon economy, said a joint United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Trade Organization (WTO) report launched today in Geneva.

Environment

Designing and Implementing Large Scale Energy Efficient Lighting Programs (Part 2)
B-SPAN On March 31April 2, 2009, the World Bank held Energy Week 2009 in the spirit of gathering field specialists, practitioners and policymakers to discuss energy and development issues. The conference was organized by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), The Energy and Mining Sector Board and the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). The objective of this event was to enable leading energy experts to provide and exchange solutions and insights towards the current challenges in global energy issues.
Designing and Implementing Large Scale Energy Efficient Lighting Programs (Part 1)
B-SPAN On March 31April 2, 2009, the World Bank held Energy Week 2009 in the spirit of gathering field specialists, practitioners and policymakers to discuss energy and development issues. The conference was organized by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), The Energy and Mining Sector Board and the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). The objective of this event was to enable leading energy experts to provide and exchange solutions and insights towards the current challenges in global energy issues.
Energy Transport Joint Plenary 1 Technology and Energy Innovations for Clean Transport
B-SPAN On March 31April 2, 2009, the World Bank held Energy Week 2009 in the spirit of gathering field specialists, practitioners and policymakers to discuss energy and development issues. The conference was organized by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), The Energy and Mining Sector Board and the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). The objective of this event was to enable leading energy experts to provide and exchange solutions and insights towards the current challenges in global energy issues.

 

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IUCN - The world conservation union, whose mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.
Meta Description: [ IUCN - The World Conservation Union ]

Species Survival Commission - Species conservation network: a science-based organization, offering to the conservation and development communities the knowledge and tools needed for sound decisions regarding ecosystems and the people who depend on them. The web site is an umbrella for the component specialist groups, programs, publications and Red Lists.
Meta Description: [ The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is a network of 7000 experts fighting the extinction crisis. Produces the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ]

2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - Provides taxonomic, conservation status, and distribution information on taxa that are facing a high risk of global extinction.

ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation - Supports the generation, exchange and dissemination of information related to biodiversity conservation in South East Asia and serves as the focus for networking and institutional linkage among ASEAN Member countries and between ASEAN and EU partner organizations.

404 Biodiversity - Provides information on present status and key issues of biodiversity in India. This also contains case studies, discussion list, and links.

Biodiversity and Worldmap - Measuring biodiversity value and selecting priority areas for conservation. Page includes graph and resource links.
Meta Description: [ Measuring biodiversity value & selecting priority areas for conservation ]

404 Biodiversity Conservation - Detailed information on issues related to biodiversity conservation such as conservation strategies, community oriented approaches, and biodiversity laws.

404 Biodiversity Conservation - Biodiversity conservation programme for the Eastern Caribbean, 1990-1999.

Biodiversity Conservation - A national strategy and action plan of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Biodiversity Conservation - The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) implements and coordinates programs or activities that study, conserve, and manage biological diversity, both domestically and internationally.

Biodiversity Conservation Information System - A partnership of major international organisations involved with biodiversity and conservation. Aiming to provide conservationists, government officials and others with access to important information about conservation of biodiversity.

Biodiversity Conservation Network - BCN was established to test hypotheses about the conditions under which community-based enterprises can lead to conservation. This BCN Web site is no longer being updated, however, details of the research are still accessible.
Meta Description: [ The Biodiversity Conservation Network (BCN) is about putting conservation to work in the real world. ]

404 Biodiversity Conservation Programme - For the Eastern Caribbean, 1990-1999.

Biodiversity Program - The program conducts studies relating to biological diversity, systematics, evolution and ecology and is one of the five National Museum of Natural History research initiatives.

Biodiversity Servers - Links to many biodiversity sites.
Meta Description: [ ECNC, European Centre for Nature Conservation ]

Biodiversity Support Program - Operated from 1989-2001 as a consortium of international conservation agencies. Numerous publications and other documents have been archived online. Emphasis on projects combining conservation with social and economic development.

Biological Conservation Newsletter - A monthly publication of the Department of Systematic Biology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.

500 Biosis - An abstracting and indexing service for the life sciences.

BP Conservation Project - Provides funding for student led conservation projects world-wide.
Meta Description: [ An overview of the BP environmental management system ]

Bushmeat Crisis Task Force - A consortium of conservation organizations and scientists dedicated to the conservation of wildlife populations threatened by commercial hunting of wildlife for sale as meat.

Calypso Environmental Research Bureau - A not-for-profit non-governmental organisation, aiming to preserve the natural heritage of the Mediterranean environment. Gives information on research being undertaken, the resources available and sponsers.

Center for Applied Biodiversity Science - A division of Conservation International, calling attention to areas of biodiversity that are threatened with destruction.

Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University - Specializes in the education and study of biodiversity conservation, environmental policy, social awareness, and land restoration. Page includes list of research projects and publications.

404 Community Biodiversity Network - A description of biodiversity and its conservation in Australia.

Conservation Breeding Specialist Group - An international conserveration organization whose mission is to assist conservation of threatened animal and plant species through scientific management of small populations in wild habitats, with linkage to captive populations where needed.

500 Conservation Environment Ecosystems - Focuses on the privatization of important conservation lands by Toronto Conservation Authority in the Rouge Park.

404 Conservation Fund - Established in 1986, the fund has protected over 1.4 million acres of the nation's natural and cultural heritage, seeking sustainable solutions by integrating environmental and economic goals.

Conservation International (CI) - Nonprofit applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth's biodiversity around the world. Includes conservation regions and programs, strategies, newsletters, publications and how to get involved.
Meta Description: [ !cs(1): Description; ]

Conservation Law Foundation - Uses law, economics and science to solve the environmental problems that threaten the people, natural resources and communities of New England.

Conservation Management Institute - Addresses multidisciplinary research questions that affect conservation management effectiveness.

Conservation through Research Education and Action - A UK charitable organisation dedicated to the conservation of tropical environments in Panama. Gives information on research being undertaken and conservation projects.

Darwin Initiative Biodiversity Conservation - A UK government grant scheme to promote biodiversity protection and sustainable resource use in less developed countries. Project, programme and monitoring information.

Earthroots Park Alert - Working to stop high-impact activities such as hunting, mining, ATV and snowmobile use in protected areas such as parks and conservations reserves. Information about the impact of these activities, and the action being taken, is given.
Meta Description: [ This Earthroots website is dedicated to increasing protection for Ontario's provincial parks and conservation reserves. Too many of our protected areas still face threats like mining, sport hunting, motorized access and road building. Help us take action to protect our parks today! ]

500 Eldis Biodiversity Resource Guide - Offers a structured overview of the subject, particularly in the context of international development and the environment.

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation 1999 - Information on all aspects of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act, 1999
Meta Description: [ The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) protects the environment, particularly matters of National Environmental Significance. It streamlines national environmental assessment and approvals process, protects Australian biodiversity and integrates management of... ]

ESRI Conservation Program - Conservation information and links to organisations.

Indiana Conservation - Dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity in Indiana, includes lists and descriptions of endangered species and habitats, and news and updates of conservation groups.

International Marine Mammal Association - Dedicated to the conservation of marine mammals and their habitats worldwide, through research and education.

International Trust for Nature Conservation - A UK charity working mainly in Nepal and India. Gives information on species and habitat protection, monitoring, reforestation and environmental education.
Meta Description: [ International Trust for Nature Conservation, Charity, Habitat and Species Conservation ]

Last Refuge Ltd. - Supporting endangered environments and species through films and images, with photo and sound galleries and information about films made and the awards won.
Meta Description: [ Films and Images of Wildlife, Peoples and Environments, specialise in Aerial Filming, with Stock Film Footage, Sound Library and Digital Photo Library ]

Madagascar Fauna Group - An international consortium of zoos and related institutions working to conserve Madagascar's wildlife and habitats. Gives information about Madagascar, projects being undertaken and contact details.

Mangrove Environmental Protection Group - Established in 1994 in San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico to protect the mangrove wetlands from damage by tourism and shrimp farmers. Gives history of the group, current projects and photographs of the area.
Meta Description: [ San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico. El Manglar (Mangrove Environmental Group) was established in 1993 to protect the mangroves, jungles, and beaches around San Blas. ]

National Biodiversity Network - An information network of biodiversity data provided by a collaboration of organisations, such as the UK nature agencies, wildlife trusts, the Natural History Museum and others.

Native America - Information about the plants and animals of North America, research being undertaken, restoration/protection projects and membership details.
Meta Description: [ Native America is dedicated to the reintroduction of native plants and animal species to their respective places in North American lands through education, research and habitat restoration. ]

Natural Resources Defense Council - Information about the threats to endangered animals and their habitats.
Meta Description: [ NRDC fights to protect threatened and endangered species, to restore their habitats, and to bring their populations back to sustainable levels, NRDC fights to protect threatened and endangered species, to restore their habitats, and to bring their populations back to sustainable levels ]

NatureServe Explorer - Source for conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals, and ecological communities of the United States and Canada.
Meta Description: [ NatureServe Explorer: An Online Encyclopedia of Life. NatureServe Explorer is an authoritative source for conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals, and ecological communities of the United States and Canada. ]

Office of Protected Resources - Provides advice for national policy direction and conservation of marine mammals, endangered species and their habitats.

Offwell Woodland and Wildlife Trust - Concerned with the conservation of species, habitats and biodiversity.

Oryx - A journal that provides a comprehensive review of the conservation and status of fauna, flora and habitats, and of conservation policy and sustainable use.

Pacific Conservation Biology - Papers on conservation research and management in the Pacific region.

Rainforest Conservation Fund - A non-profit organization that is dedicated to preserving the world's tropical forests.

Research, Conservation and Education - Engages in scientific research, conservation, and education activities involving wildlife species at all levels of biological organization, from the molecular level up to the biosphere level.

Teaming With Wildlife - A national campaign to prevent species from becoming endangered and to nurture a new generation of wildlife stewards by securing funding for state-level nongame wildlife conservation and related education and recreation programs.

Temper of the Times Foundation - Provides funds to underwrite advertising designed to promote the conservation and restoration of native wildlife, plants, and ecosystems in the United States. Application guidelines and procedures are given.
Meta Description: [ Providing the means for advertising for the environment through grants. ]

The Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species - Dedicated to preserving and protecting rare and endangered wildlife, with much of the research conducted since its foudning in 1975 has become critical in helping save many species from extinction.
Meta Description: [ Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES), is one of the world's largest zoo-based research centers. Dedicated to preserving and protecting rare and endangered wildlife and habitats, CRES's research is critical in the war against extinction. ]

The Charles Darwin Foundation - Founded in 1959, under the auspices of UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the Charles Darwin Foundation is dedicated to the conservation of the Galapagos ecosystems.
Meta Description: [ The Charles Darwin Foundation and the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos Islands; Science and Conservation for the Galapagos Islands, Marine Conservation, Marine Research, invertebrates, sharks, giant tortoises, lonesome george, marine iguanas, Charles Darwin, Evolution ]

The National Park Service - Charged with the trust of preserving the natural resources of America.

The Paradise - Information about the threats to cacti, bromeliads and other plants and wildlife in Brazil.
Meta Description: [ Welcome to Paradise, a web site signed by Eddie Esteves Pereira and Dr. Pierre Braun, giving you a general impression of the Brazilian Flora and Fauna, but also of the danger of extinction regarding several endemic species from the biomass of the Cerrado and the Caatinga. , ]

The Whitley Awards Foundation - Offers a wide range of awards and grants for nature conservation projects worldwide. Applications are welcome from those working in nature conservation, botanical and habitat conservation and renewable energy.

Tropical Research and Conservation Centre - Research and education in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of marine environments of East Malaysia.

Ulster Wildlife Trust - A conservation organisation in Northern Ireland and a partner in the network of Wildlife Trusts, providing information about habitats, species, reserves, and. projects being undertaking. Current news, events and contact detail are given.
Meta Description: [ Home ]

UNEP-WCMC Species Conservation Database - Animals - The web frontend to the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre species conservation database of animals. This website provides access to the international legislative and distribution information of animal species throughout the world.
Meta Description: [ United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre ]

Wild World - Provides maps identifying habitat types and areas that are identified as priority for conservation.

WildCRU Wildlife Conservation Research Unit - Oxford University group develops practical solutions to conservation problems through research, implementation, education and local public involvement. Includes support and donation details.

Wildlife Conservation Network - Information about the network which focuses on funding and supporting independent and innovative conservationists who are creating and implementing new strategies for saving endangered wildlife and habitats and the projects in progress.
Meta Description: [ Wildlife Conservation Network ]

Wildlife Conservation Society - USA organization managing national and international conservation projects, research and education programs.

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust - UK based charity that promotes and manages natural preserves. Features mission statement, project descriptions, news, and contacts.
Meta Description: [ Wiltshire Wildlife Trust manages 37 Nature Reserves and promotes a sustainable future for wildlife and people. ]

World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Provides information services on conservation and sustainable use of the world's living resources, and helps others to develop information systems of their own.
Meta Description: [ The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre is the biodiversity information and assessment arm of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ]