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07 - Natural Heritage
2009
- Jan
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- Oct
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2008
- Jan
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- Mar
- Apr
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- Jun
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- Aug
- Sep
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- Dec
2007
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31 March
- World
Conference on Education for Sustainable Development - Workshops
- Workshop 1: Education for Water Sustainability
The workshop will be based on experiences from many fields
of education around the world, especially school education,
vocational education and training, higher education and community
and stakeholder education. The workshop will include the various
outcomes from regional water education workshops, national
developments of member countries, examples from NGOs, among
others.
- Workshop 2: Strengthening the educational response
to climate change internationally
There has been a large bloom of educational initiatives related
to climate change but so far with not much coordination/cooperation
among them and there are still a large number of structural
obstacles for a real integration in curricula and daily classroom
work. In addition there are still big disbalances between
regions of the world.
- Workshop 3: Advancing sustainable lifestyles and
responsible consumption through ESD
Consumption has become the socio-economic driving force and
the core value of an increasing number of societies worldwide.
While standing for a more and more important component of
socio-economic models and lifestyles overall, both in developed
and developing countries, patterns of consumption also have
serious impacts on people and the environment when unsustainable...
- Workshop 7: Mainstreaming Biodiversity into education
and learning
Biodiversity is the foundation of human well-being. Without
genetic diversity and the diversity of species and ecosystems,
we would not enjoy clean water, a variety of food stuffs,
protection from extreme weather, inspirational, aesthetic
and spiritual experiences and other goods and services...
- Workshop 9: UNESCO Biosphere Reserves as learning
sites for integrating local and global sustainability issues
Biosphere reserves promote and demonstrate sustainable interactions
between conservation of ecosystem functions and socio-economic
well being of people, through research, education, monitoring,
capacity building and participatory management. They are areas
of terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems, nominated by
national governments and recognized under UNESCO’s Man
and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme since 1976...
20 March
- Message
from Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO on
the occasion of World Water Day 2009: Transboundary Waters
Water affects all aspects of human life, from health and sanitation
to the food that we eat, from our environment and ecosystems to
the industry and energy that power our development. Yet this vital
resource is under threat. The amount of water we have has remained
constant for thousands of years while the number and types of
users have increased massively. Global dynamics – such as
population growth, urbanization, land use changes, and global
warming – are creating competing pressures on this finite
resource. As a result, the amount of water available for each
person is increasingly unequal and diminishing dramatically.
17 March
- Valorisation
touristique et protection des espaces naturels littoraux : un
juste équilibre à trouver
Le Jeudi 26 Mars 2009. Maison du Tourisme - Espace Cartier
23, place de Catalogne 75014 PARIS
La fréquentation touristique des espaces naturels littoraux
est en croissance. Ces espaces sont perçus comme autant
de lieux de découverte, de détente et de loisirs.
Pour les gestionnaires des espaces naturels littoraux et pour
les acteurs du tourisme, la question se pose du juste équilibre
entre leur valorisation touristique et leur préservation.
- Solutré:
the parking will not be seen!
Landscaping integration and technical innovation allowed to carry
out infrastructures that can no longer be seen and cover cars
improving at the same time access to the place. The Great Site
has been committed for several years to the protection and restoration
planning of the landscape of vineyards and hills that protects
the rocky promontory. The SMGS, mixed management union of the
site, already undertook the restoration of mud walls and cabins,
presents konik polski horses to maintain turfs developed in calcareous
lands, renew footpaths…
10 March
6 March
- Biosphere
Reserves: Rising Tides
Climate change is driving sea-level rise and creating a dilemma
for coastal communities all over the world. The BBC World News
Earth Report series travels to the UK and Kenya to see if UNESCO
Biosphere Reserves provide answers. The BBC documentary investigates
how two ‘twinned’ coastal biosphere reserves, one
in the UK and one in Kenya are comparing their mutual challenges
and sharing the lessons learnt in trying to find sustainable solutions
to local development in the face of climate change. The ‘twinning’
has taken place within the framework of the UNESCO World Network
of Biosphere Reserves which includes 531 biosphere reserves in
105 countries.
3 March
- Increasing
pressure on water resources, says report to be presented on 12
March
Increased demand linked to population growth and mobility, to
evolving consumption and higher energy needs, and to the tangible
effects of climate change are putting additional pressure on the
world’s water resources, according to the Third United Nations
World Water Development Report, which will launched during the
Fifth World Water Forum in Istanbul (Turkey), 16 to 22 March.
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The
Future of Drylands
Published by: UNESCO-MAB, 2008
Language: English
Drylands have been cradles to some of the world’s greatest
civilizations, and contemporary dryland communities feature rich and
unique cultures. Dryland ecosystems support a surprising amount of
biodiversity. Desertification, however, is a significant land degradation
problem in the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions of the world.
Deterioration of soil and plant cover has adversely affected 70% of
the world’s drylands as a result of extended droughts as well
as mismanagement of range and cultivated lands. The situation is likely
to worsen with high population growth rates and accompanying land-use
conflicts.
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Water,
Ecosystems and Society - Jayantha Bandyopadhyay
Water, Ecosystems and Society is an excellent guide to interdisciplinary
knowledge on water. It draws attention to ecological benefits of floods,
economic productivity of water systems and the feasibility of the
proposed river-link project of India. It focuses on the need to recognise
ecosystem services provided by rivers as well as the necessity of
environmental flows in such a system. The book deals with emerging
areas of research, by connecting ecology, economics and water management.
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Towards
Environmentally Friendly Tourism in Arabian Biosphere Reserves
Travel has been an age-old builder of bridges and relationships between
civilizations. It continues to be a necessary condition for promoting
a meaningful inter-cultural dialogue that is part of UNESCO's mission
to build peace in the minds of men and women. The dividing line between
travel and tourism has never been sharp; frequently global tourism
data shadow international travel statistics. |
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Sustainable
Management of Marginal Drylands - Using Science to Promote Sustainable
Development
Published by: UNESCO, 2008
Editors: Cathy Lee and Thomas Schaaf
This publication summarizes the results of the project on "Sustainable
Management of Marginal Drylands (SUMAMAD)" which has been carried
out in Northern Africa and Asia from 2003 to 2007. |
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Sacred
Natural Sites - Guidelines for Protected Area Managers
Task
Force on the Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas
in collaboration with UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme
Robert Wild and Christopher McLeod, Editors
ISBN–13: 978–2–8317–1039–6
These guidelines evolved over the period 2003–2008. Their original
focus was the sacred natural sites of indigenous and local communities,
and this remains their primary scope. These communities, of
which there are many thousands across the globe, usually hold deep
sacred values in regard to nature, values that are often focused on
and
rooted in specific locations. Some indigenous people have such a
close relationship to their sacred natural sites that the deterioration
or
destruction of those sites threatens their very existence. In addition,
sacred natural sites related to indigenous and local communities are,
in general, more vulnerable andmore threatened than sacred natural
sites associated with mainstream faiths. |
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Fluctuations
of Glaciers (prepared by the World Glacier Monitoring Service -
WGMS)
The series 'Fluctuations of Glaciers' (FoG), prepared by the World
Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS), continuously publishes internationally
collected, standardised data on changes in glaciers throughout the
world at 5-yearly intervals. The objective of the publication is
to reproduce a global set of data which:
- affords a general view of the changes,
- encourages more extensive measurements,
- invites further processing of the results,
- facilitates consultation of the further sources, and
- serves as a basis for research.
This standardised data set should be regarded as a working tool
for the scientific community, especially concerning the fields of
glaciology, climatology, hydrology, and quaternary geology.
Debut
of "Birds of Sri Lanka"
Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne’s latest book ‘Birds of Sri
Lanka’ published in the Heritage
Publications series of the National Trust - Sri Lanka, was launched
on Thursday February 26th. The book is said to cover 100 species
of birds in 208 pages, and is illustrated with photographs and the
text written in a style to interest both the seasoned bird watcher
as well as the recently initiated. Other works under preparation
and due to be published by the National Trust are in the areas on
Sri Lankan - Monuments and Sites; Contemporary Sculptors; Painters;
Photographers; Dancers; Singers; Instrumentalists; Animals; Trees.
'The Protection of Cultural Heritage and Cultural Property’
by Justice Dr.A.R.B. Amerasinghe has also been published.
Biodiversity
in UNESCO
"In the last decades biodiversity has been lost at an unprecedented
rate mostly due to unsustainable human activities. There is no doubt
that biodiversity is a very complex issue that cuts across different
sectors of society. Consequently, biodiversity issues should be
addressed in an integrated interdisciplinary manner. It is crucial
that different disciplines and competencies are brought together
so as to develop urgently needed solutions to address the global
challenge of biodiversity loss. Since its early days, UNESCO has
provided support and guidance to countries to help them conserve
and sustainably and equitably use biodiversity. UNESCO's interdisciplinary
and cross-sectoral action aims at setting standards, developing
ethical frameworks and building capacity for efficient biodiversity
governance. It focuses on addressing the educational, scientific,
cultural and communication aspects of biodiversity in an integrated
way." Extract from Foreword to "Biodiversity in UNESCO"
by Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO. |
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Biodiversity
and Stakeholders
For thirty years, the MAB Programme, particularly through its World
Network of Biosphere Reserves, has initiated and supported studies
on the interactions between human societies and natural resources
in various cultural and socio-economic contexts. A biosphere reserve
is a multi-objective (conservation, economic development, scientific
research and training), multi-use and multi-stakeholder territorial
space, which relies on a zonation system to fulfi ll its functions.
The takeholders and institutions intervening in this space may have
different interests and relationships to time, property and nature,
which may confl ict. The Seville Strategy seeks to promote the management
of each biosphere reserve essentially as a ‘pact’ between
the local community and society as a whole. |
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Climate
Change Adaptation in the Water Sector
(Eds. Fulco Ludwig,
Pavel Kabat, Henk van Schaik and Michael van der Valk)
Today’s climate variability already has a large impact on water
supply and protection. Millions of people are affected every year
by droughts and floods. Future climate change is likely to make things
worse. Climate Change Adaptation in the Water Sector is a new book
for students and practitioners in the water sector on how to adapt
to climate change and variability. Its main purpose is to offer a
compendium of specific adaptation strategies for students, water managers
and decision makers. After reading this book, water professionals
and advanced students should feel much more comfortable in using climate
data in decision support and/or managing water resources. They will
know what kind of data or information on climate change and variability
are available and how they can be used within the water sector. |
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Protection
of Sacred Natural Sites: Importance for Biodiversity Conservation
The 10th Meeting of the UNESCO-MAB East Asian Biosphere Reserve
Network (EABRN 10). Published by UNESCO-Beijing Office
As the regional network in East Asia for the World Network of Biosphere
Reserves, the East Asian Biosphere Reserve Network was initiated in
1994 with three priority themes for cooperation: ecotourism, conservation
policy and trans-boundary conservation. It includes the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, the People’s
Republic of China, the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation
as the member countries. EABRN facilitates information exchange between
reserves and governing bodies, and conducts regular regional meetings
on various issues. It also serves a mechanism to facilitate training
and site-to-site cooperation. The UNESCO Office Beijing, as secretariat
from January 2003, has placed great importance on this regional network
and provides supports to this network. |
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