May 22, 2012
- The FAO Regional Conference for the Near East agreed to establish plans to reduce food waste and promote the sustainable use of resources, as well as address climate change.
May 21, 2012
- Organized by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in collaboration with the Government of Thailand, this workshop aims to build capacity to address invasive alien species (IAS) and to support implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, in order to integrate activities related to the Global Taxonomy Initiative (GTI), as needed, into national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) in East and...
- Delegates discussed, among other things: the implementation of the Agreement and Action Plan; international reviews; the International Implementation Tasks 2009-2016; the African-Eurasian Flyways Global Environment Facility Project; implementation and revision of the communication strategy; proposals for amendments to the Agreement’s Action Plan; and international Single Species Action Plans and Species Action Plans.
- The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) has launched a four-year project to strengthen the capacity of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela to monitor and generate information about the deforestation process in the Amazon.
- The 11th session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) concluded with the adoption of nine draft recommendations, including on the special theme of the session this year; on arrangements for the 2014 World Conference; and on issues related to intellectual property, food sovereignty, human rights, and emerging issues.
- The FAO assistance on 17 projects in Saudi Arabia will focus on small-scale agricultural producers and fishers, aiming to increase and diversify food production.
May 18, 2012
- The Little Green Data Book published by the World Bank presents comparable information on environmental indicators from more than 200 economies. The data reflect indicators on agriculture, forests, energy, water, sanitation, and ocean health, including a new series of data on marine resources.
- According to this policy brief, invasive alien species (IAS) are a leading and rapidly growing threat to food security, human and animal health, and biodiversity, and difficult to reverse. Key recommendations for decision makers at Rio+20 include awareness raising and prevention by building risk mitigation of IAS into the assessment of activities under a green economy.
- The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), through the Pacific Invasives Initiative (PII), has organized an intensive training course to strengthen the capacity of Pacific countries to combat invasive species threats. David Sheppard, Director-General of SPREP, said invasives "are causing an extreme loss of species and for small island nations" and stressed the need to act quickly.
- The European Environment Agency (EEA) has released the Environmental Indicator Report 2012, which focuses on six main themes: nitrogen emissions and threats to biodiversity; carbon emissions and climate change; air pollution and air quality; the marine environment; stress on water resources; and use of material resources.