Latest news updates from IW projects worldwide

Europe’s coastal zones are under increasing pressure from erosion, pollution, climate change, urbanisation and tourism. Such pressures threaten entire ecosystems — vital not only for wildlife but also for the economy and human well-being. The European Environment Agency (EEA) takes a closer look at the state of coastal ecosystems and policy responses to the pressures affecting them.

• Posted by dwaigwa
• Published: 31-Aug-2010

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FFA REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS, HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, TUESDAY 24 AUGUST 2010: This year's Operation Island Chief, a surveillance operation involving Papua New Guinea, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Kiribati and the United States of America, coordinated by the FFA Regional Fisheries Surveillance Centre, ended yesterday with success in the region's activities to deter illegal fishing.

• Posted by dwaigwa
• Published: 24-Aug-2010

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Snow-capped peaks, rocky inclines, rich forests and sloping meadows provide recreation and economic opportunities for humans and a home to many plants and animals. The European Environment Agency's new assessment of mountain ecosystems sheds light on their state and the pressures they face.

• Posted by dwaigwa
• Published: 23-Aug-2010

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• Posted by dwaigwa
• Published: 23-Aug-2010

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Conservation International Lauds Unprecedented Multi-National Agreement by Pacific Island Leaders to Improve Ocean Health at Massive Scale

• Posted by dwaigwa
• Published: 23-Aug-2010

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MANADO, Indonesia (AFP) — Leaders from six nations have agreed to work jointly to save Southeast Asia's massive Coral Triangle, considered the world's richest underwater wilderness. The leaders of East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands signed off on proposals to expand maritime sanctuaries and no-fishing zones during talks in Indonesia.

• Posted by dwaigwa
• Published: 20-Aug-2010

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• Posted by dwaigwa
• Published: 27-Jul-2010

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Monday’s announcement of a new U.S. National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, Coasts, and Great Lakes (National Policy) should be a turning point in the country’s management of its coastlines and seas, and represents an important first step for improving global ocean health. That was the reaction of Dr. Gregory Stone today, Chief Ocean Scientist for Conservation International (CI). “Simply put, this is a monumental moment in ocean management by the United States, and a very positive step in the right direction for ocean health,” said Dr. Stone. “It could not have come at a more critical time for our oceans, which have been under siege from devastating, long-term threats that include the depletion of fisheries, habitat destruction, toxic pollution, and rising temperatures.”

• Posted by dwaigwa
• Published: 21-Jul-2010

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The 5+5 Dialogue is a forum for political dialogue which brings together ten countries bordering the Western Mediterranean Basin: five countries of the Arab Maghreb Union (Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia) and five countries of the European Union (Spain, France, Italy, Malta and Portugal).

• Posted by dwaigwa
• Published: 13-Jul-2010

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Ever wondered what tuna is found in your country? How long tuna lives? What tuna is overfished and what tuna is sustainable? What other species are caught with tuna? These questions and more are answered in a set of factsheets produced by the UNDP/GEF-funded Pacific Islands Oceanic Fisheries Management Project.

• Posted by kcustodio
• Published: 13-Jul-2010

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Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, 28 June 2010 - Environmental and hydropower experts will be meeting in Ho Chi Minh City over the next two days to discuss an assessment of the environmental and social impact of the 12 hydropower dams proposed for construction on the mainstream lower Mekong. The MRC commissioned Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of Proposed Mainstream Hydropower Dams in the Lower Mekong is due for release in August this year and this meeting will inform its final report. Consultants working on the SEA are expected to recommend a range of possible measures to Mekong countries in order to address both the development opportunities and concerns over the impact of the proposed projects. The MRC says that this will feed into subsequent discussions among MRC Member Countries Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam as to whether or not to go ahead with such schemes, and if so, under what conditions.

• Posted by kcustodio
• Published: 13-Jul-2010

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The ASCLME Project has combined forces with sister project SWIOFP, to bring you a combined newsletter, Current Affairs. The first edition has just been published and covers news about both Projects over the last year. At 56 pages, it shows just how much work is being done in the region.

• Posted by kcustodio
• Published: 13-Jul-2010

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Maps derived from airborne and satellite imaging systems provide reliable and cost effective information for monitoring, modelling and managing marine, terrestrial and atmospheric environments. As the number of commercial and free airborne and satellite image types increases, along with easier access to public domain and open-source image processing approaches, the choice of which data and processing approach(es) to use is confusing. To enable technicians, scientists and managers to make the most appropriate selection of data and a processing approach for a specific environment and application, an interactive, web-based toolkit was created by the Biophysical Remote Sensing Group at the University of Queensland. The toolkit teaches managers, scientists and technicians working in marine, terrestrial and atmospheric environments, how images collected from satellites and aircraft (remote sensing) can be used to map and monitor environmental features or processes, and their change over time.

• Posted by kcustodio
• Published: 13-Jul-2010

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The Pacific Islands region consists of 14 independent countries and 8 territories located in the western and central Pacific Ocean. The region’s fishery resources can be broadly split into two main categories: oceanic (offshore) and coastal (inshore). Oceanic or offshore resources include tunas, billfish and allied species and are characterized by an open-water pelagic habitat and potentially extensive individual movements. Coastal or inshore resources include a wide range of finfish and invertebrates and are characterized by their shallow-water habitats or demersal life-styles and restriction of individual movements to coastal areas. A recently published FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper, Marine fishery resources of the Pacific Islands, discusses these two resource categories, updating and expanding an earlier review by FAO of the marine fishery resources of the Pacific Islands. Information is provided on the major types of fishing, the important species, the status of those resources and the fisheries management that occurs. In general, the coastal fishery resources are heavily fished and often show signs of overexploitation, especially in areas close to population centres and for fishery products in demand by the rapidly-growing Asian economies.

• Posted by kcustodio
• Published: 12-Jul-2010

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On 24 June 2010, the IAEA´s Nuclear Knowledge Management programme received the The Column of Knowledge award for 2010 from Knowledge Management Austria.

• Posted by dwaigwa
• Published: 12-Jul-2010

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