Decade-old dream comes true for Lake Chad
World Wetlands Day is being celebrated with the full recognition of Africa’s Lake Chad as a wetland of international significance, fulfilling an agreement made a decade ago by the four nations that share it. The lake will then become the largest of the world's few formally designated transboundary wetlands of international significance - a step forward in protecting vital resources for around 20 million people and millions of migratory birds.
Russia makes way for dumping waste, sewage into Lake Baikal
Russia has opted to reopen a notoriously polluting paper mill on Lake Baikal, reversing long-time protections to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Illegally cultivated strawberries begin to fail the supermarket sustainability test
Legal and efficient use of water and land are among the criteria being applied by some of Europe’s leading retailers in sourcing strawberry suppliers from around the beleaguered Doñana National Park in southern Spain, WWF warned today.
Smaller glaciers more vulnerable, WWF-India report says
Smaller glaciers in the Himalayas are proving much more vulnerable to climate change impacts than previously thought, with significant implications for the livelihood and freshwater supplies of millions, according to a new report by WWF-India and Birla Institute of Technology (BIT).
Romanians protest lift of sturgeon fishing ban
A government decision to overturn a ten-year ban on the fishing of wild sturgeon in the Danube River basin drew protests in the capital this week, led by WWF and a contingent of local NGOs.
Water evaporates from the climate change negotiating text
The Stockholm International Water Institute joined governments, NGOs and United Nations agencies this week in calling on negotiators working to develop a climate change deal in Copenhagen later this year to recognize the critical role of water in climate change adaptation.
Red List update shows up global failure to slow biodiversity loss
The latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species should cause alarm over the continuing unprecedented loss of species and the failure so far of mechanisms to arrest biodiversity loss, WWF said today. More than one third of the species assessed for this year's Red List update were classified as threatened with extinction.
Bulgarian natural icon turns 75 under threat of dubious construction activities
A massive expansion of skiing infrastructure is threatening the essence of Vitosha Natural Park, one of Bulgaria’s most famous and popular protected areas, on the eve of it’s 75th anniversary.
Some Canadian rivers at risk of drying up
Some Canadian rivers are at risk of drying up as impacts of climate change intersect with growing water demand from the country's cities, industries and agriculture, a new WWF report has found.
NGOs join forces to save a living Danube threatened by inland navigation plans
Ruse – The most prominent environmental NGOs active in the Danube basin stand united in their opposition to plans that aim at improving inland navigation at the expense of nature and local economies. On the occasion of an international workshop taking place on the banks of the Danube River in Ruse, Bulgaria, sponsored by WWF, the global conservation organisation, and IAD, the International Association for Danube Research, NGOs adopted their common position “Save the Danube as a lifeline! Steps towards sustainable navigation” and discussed with local and park authorities as well as scientists recent findings and how to cooperate further on the issue.
