Eight journalists from eight different countries are attending the IUCN World Conservation Congress being held in Jeju, Korea in early September, 2012 as part of an EJN Fellowship program. A description of each of the Fellows can be found here.
This program is aimed at working with journalists who cover agriculture and want to learn about and boost their coverage of agro-ecology and food sovereignty issues. The program is led by Jeff Rutherford, a journalism trainer who runs a farm in Chiang Mai, Thailand that seeks to operate sustainable practices. Rutherford has also written a media guide on agro-ecology issues that will be distributed to EJN journalists worldwide.
Over the seven days of the fellowship program, the participating journalists will attend the Congress, participate in capacity-building activities focused on agro-ecological themes, have contact with high-level members of civil society and academic organizations, and participate in a field trip.
This project is being carried out with support from the Christensen Fund.
Potential for business in environment preservation grows
Gustavo Bonato - 16-Nov-2012
(Reuters) - Conservationists have long placed the responsibility and costs of environmental preservation almost exclusively on the shoulders of governments and NGOs, but the expectation of participation by businesses and consumers is growing, following the unshakable law of supply and demand. The discussions at a major world meeting of conservationists in Korea in September, an event that until a few years ago had its meeting rooms filled only with members of governments and...
Korea highlights its green credentials at world conservation congress
RINA MUKHERJI - 10-Oct-2012
The International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN)'s World Conservation Congress in September gave the host country, South Korea, a chance to showcase its initiatives in "green" economics, but the controversial construction nearby of a new naval base cast a shadow over the "green Korea" image. The IUCN's congress, held every four years and billed as the world's biggest gathering of conservationists, was held on the resort island of Jeju. South Korean President Lee Myung Bak...
MSG green climate fund to address adaptation issues in Melanesia
Winston Tarere - 12-Oct-2012
The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) announced this week its ‘Melanesian Green Climate Fund,’ designed to mobilize investments from the public, private sector, donors, international and regional institutions to effectively address adaption needs of local communities most vulnerable to impact of climate change. “The MSG ‘climate fund’ will introduce the conservation world in the pacific to a new and innovative form of partnership with the private sector. It will create a framework for the...
Lone delegate from Vanuatu discusses local marine conservation at world environment congress
Winston Tarere - 18-Sep-2012
Vanuatu was represented by a single delegate at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) recent World Conservation Congress held on the tourist island of Jeju in South Korea. Kenneth Lango, the secretary of the Tasi Vanua Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) in North Efate was on Jeju with around 4000 delegates from around the world to talk about the future of the earth and how to conserve our biodiversity and ecosystems – through adopting development practices that have...
Lack of taxonomists hinders biodiversity protection
Winston Tarere - 18-Sep-2012
A reported lack of local taxonomists in the Pacific region is hindering efforts to reverse trends towards species extinction, conservationists say. There are 5000 species in the Pacific on the ‘red list’ of threatened species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Of this total, 500 are under threat of extinction. The IUCN recently held its World Conservation Congress, the biggest grouping of conservation organizations in the world, in Jeju, South Korea. A taxonomist is...
World conservation group establishing list of threatened ecosystems
Yu Sun - 16-Sep-2012
From coral reefs to rainforests, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is establishing a Red List of Ecosystems.The group is well known for its Red List of endangered species, from gorillas to candy cane ginger. Now it is working to list entire ecoystems under threat. This new list of ecosystems, discussed at IUCN's recent congress in Jeju, Korea, will assess the status of ecosystems worldwide, identifying risks and the potential impact on both ecosystems and human...
Global conservation group elects first ever president from China
Yu Sun - 15-Sep-2012
Mr. Zhang Xinsheng from China was elected as the new president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world's oldest conservation organization. This marks the first time in its 64-year history that the IUCN has chosen a president from East Asia. In his speech seeking the office at the IUCN's World Conservation Congress in Jeju, South Korea, Zhang Xinsheng said that he would energize IUCN’s internal and external partnership if elected. To promote conservation...
Conservation and agriculture try to “converge” at international nature conference
Jeff Rutherford - 11-Sep-2012
Dragonflies buzz over a rice field in northern Thailand, dive bombing insects and gobbling them up. This aerial display, which would put to shame the maneuverability of the most advanced jet fighter, is an age-old example of nature’s “pest” management system. This is just one of many examples of what the world’s leading conservationists, meeting this week in Jeju, South Korea, call “nature-based solutions” to some of the world’s most pressing problems. One of the trends emerging at this...
Gulf of California porpoise is one of 100 species on the brink of extinction -- report
César Angulo - 11-Sep-2012
The vaquita (Phocoena sinus), a small porpoise that lives exclusively in the upper Gulf of California in Mexico, is listed as one of the 100 most-endangered wild species and is in critical danger of extinction, concluded scientistsfrom the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN is meeting in Jeju, Korea. Read the story in Spanish at bionero.org
Fight against military base on the "Island of Peace"
César Angulo - 10-Sep-2012
Coral reefs and a rich and delicate biodiversity of flora and fauna is being destroyed by the construction of a South Korean naval base in the shadow of the world's largest nature conservation conference, say activists opposed to the base. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is holding its World Conservation Congress, held every four years, on the volcanic island of Jeju, situated off the southern coast of South Korea. But just seven kilometers from the gathering, which...
Indigenous peoples play growing role in biodiversity protection
Brendan Borrell - 10-Sep-2012
Community-based conservation is poised to take a starring role in the effort to meet global biodiversity targets. That’s one of the messages of the first-ever Protected Planet Report, released Sept. 7 by the United Nations Environment Programme's World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC). The semi-annual report will track progress towards the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets to protect 17% of the area in each of 823 terrestrial ecoregions, and 10% of the area in 232 marine ecoregions (see...
World's biggest nature conservation meet opens in Korea
Yu Sun - 08-Sep-2012
The International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN) opened its World Conservation Congress this week, what organizers say is the world’s largest and most important conservation event. Beginning on Sept. 6 on Jeju Island in South Korea, more than 8,000 people from 170 countries are expected to participate. The IUCN congress is held every four years. This is the first time it is held in northeast Asia. IUCN country representative for China, Zhu Chunquan, said participants will discuss how...
One-fifth of invertebrate species at risk of extinction
Brendan Borrell - 08-Sep-2012
One in five of the world’s invertebrate species are threatened with extinction, according to the latest report from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). From the checkerspot butterfly to the giant squid, spineless creatures are thought to represent around 99% of biodiversity on Earth. However, until now, scientists have never attempted a comprehensive review of their conservation status. In fact, fewer than 1% of invertebrates had been assessed by the International Union...
Protected areas cover 13% of world's land surface, study says, but still not enough
Gustavo Bonato - 07-Sep-2012
Areas of environmental protection cover 12.7 percent of the world's terrestrial surface but are still below targets set by UN countries, reports a study released Friday at the World Conservation Congress in Korea. South America is the region with the most land under protection. See the article in Portuguese: http://br.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idBRSPE88600T20120907
World Bank: volatility in food prices will go on for a decade
Gustavo Bonato - 07-Sep-2012
Spikes in food prices should recur for the next decade and Brazil will need to increase yelds of crops and cattle, the vice president of sustainable development of the World Bank told Reuters Friday. See the article in Portuguese: http://br.reuters.com/article/topNews/idBRSPE88601V20120907?sp=true
Nature congress kicks off in South Korea with challenge to balance economics and environment
Gustavo Bonato - 07-Sep-2012
Economic growth and preservation of natural resources are the two greatest challenges for humanity, political leaders and specialists said Thursday at the opening of the World Conservation Congress on Jeju Island in South Korea. The congress is organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world's biggest and oldest environmental organization. Congresses are held every four years. This is the first held in northeast Asia. See original article in...
