Biodiversity

Swimming with Sturgeon

Thursday, December 8, 2011
From December 2011 World Rivers Review Several years ago I picked up the morning newspaper and came across one of those stories that forces you to sit down, breathe deep, and read on. No, it wasn’t the latest inter-governmental report on climate change forecasts nor a numbing reminder that the global economy is extinguishing species at an average clip of 200 per day. It was an article about Green Sturgeon. When I lived in Russia as a young man, I’d come to know this ancient and mysterious creature mostly through their roe, and their lore: a fish without bones (having taken a different evo

Saving the World’s Rivers: What Must Be Done?

Biodiversity the world over is threatened by changes to rivers. These Great One-horned Rhinoceroses live in India's Kaziranga National Park, which is threatened by dams planned in the Brahmaputra River Basin.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
From December 2011 World Rivers ReviewFlying across any continent today confirms that the world’s rivers are dominant features in the landscape, and are places where humans and animals gather to reap the many benefits and services they provide. Rivers of all sizes all over the world have underpinned the process of human development. As we progress into the twenty-first century, this development process must now be reassessed. Across the world, we have mismanaged and in some places almost destroyed the core ecological fabric on which river health – and indeed our own survival – depend

Perseverance to Protect Wild Areas Pays Off at UN Meeting

Kaziranga National Park in India
Thu, 07/21/2011 - 4:02pm
Kaziranga National Park in India Far Horizon India Tours During this year's UNESCO World Heritage meeting, the World Heritage Committee issued some of the strongest language yet to countries with dam building activity in their World Heritage properties. While it awaits to be seen how this language is translated into action, it could be a positive step forward for many of the activists, experts, and dam-affected peoples who have been working tirelessly for months, and at times years, to protect their natural and cultural heritage. Thanks to their perseverance, the Committee this year has call

UNESCO World Heritage Committee: "Expresses Concern" and Calls for a Halt to Huay Samong Dam

Thursday, July 21, 2011
In its 2011 annual meeting, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee requested Thailand to halt all construction on the Huay Samong Dam until the Committee had a chance to review the Environmental Impact Assessment. Thailand withdrew from the World Heritage Convention over a temple dispute. Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex (Thailand)The World Heritage Committee Decision 35 COM 7B.19 Having examined Document WHC-11/35.COM/7B, Recalling its Decision 34 COM 7B.18, adopted at its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010),Notes the State Party's statement that it is conducting an Environmental Impact Assessmen

UNESCO World Heritage Committee: Requests Reports on Dam Activity in Kaziranga, India

Thursday, July 21, 2011
In its 2011 annual meeting, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee urged the State Party of India "to inform the World Heritage Centre of any planned developments that could negatively impact the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, including dams." India has until 1 February 2012 to submit any plans on dam construction in the Kaziranga National Park. Kaziranga National Park (India)The World Heritage Committee Decision 35 COM 7B.13 Having examined Document WHC-11/35.COM/7B.Add, Recalling Decision 33 COM 7B.13, adopted at its 33rd session (Seville, 2009), Regrets that the State Party did n

云南三江径流保护区 35COM 7B.12

Thursday, July 21, 2011
云南三江径流保护区 （中国）（N 1083 bis） 决议： 35COM 7B.12 世界遗产委员会 已检阅 文件 WHC-11/35.COM/7B回顾 在第32次会议（2008，魁北克市）上的决议 32COM 7B.11, 关切地注意到关于怒江六库未经批准便已开始的水坝建设，及其造成的傈僳民族的迁徙和在遗产附近所建的新的公路的报告， 并注意到对遗产边界以外的四个项目- 马吉、亚碧罗、六库和赛格的初步调查正在进行，包括钻孔和公路建设。同时注意到缔约国关于在金沙江外沿，离哈巴雪山顶峰缓冲

Recognizing Dams as a World Heritage Threat

The Omo River Valley and Lake Turkana downstream, both home to World Heritage Sites, will be impacted by Gibe III Dam
Thu, 06/30/2011 - 11:04am
The Omo River Valley and Lake Turkana downstream, both home to World Heritage Sites, will be impacted by Gibe III Dam Andrzej Zarzecki The UNESCO World Heritage Committee just concluded its 35th session in Paris, and for the activists and experts who worked long and hard to protect many dam-threatened World Heritage Sites, the results were a mixed bag. In early June of this year, 18 organizations and individuals sent a letter to World Heritage Committee members urging them to list a number of threatened sites on the List of World Heritage In Danger. Here are some of the recent decisions: Th

Nu River Under Threat

Child jumping rope over the Nu River
The Nu River, known also as the Salween, starts at the Tibetan Plateau and flows through southwest China, Burma and Thailand, before emptying into the Andaman Sea. It is home to one of China's most biodiverse regions, a World Heritage Site, and provides sustenance for thousands of people downstream. Situated in a highly seismic region, the Nu River Valley has come under the additional threat of plans for a cascade of large dams on the mainstream. Our film, Double Threat on the Nu details the situation in the region. Learn more about the Nu River by visiting our campaign page.

怒江面临双重威胁

Tuesday, June 21, 2011
怒江是中国仅有的自由奔腾的河流之一，属于中国、泰国和缅甸三国共有。河流发源于青藏高原，流经中国的三江并流世界遗产保护地。这里是中国生物多样 性的核心地区，并以此著称。世界遗产地中生活着6000多种植物，并且相信养育着全世界25％和全中国50%的动物物种。同时它也以文化多样性闻名于世， 分属13个少数民族的近30万人生活在三江地区。 Want to help spread the message about the threat to the Nu River Valley? Here is how you can help to preserve this important plac

NGO Letter to the World Heritage Centre and Committee Members

Friday, June 10, 2011
Mr. Kishore Rao Director World Heritage Centre 7, place de fontenoy 75352 Paris France Subject: Dams an Increasing Threat to World Heritage Sites in Asia, Africa and Latin America Dear Mr. Kishore Rao, We appreciate the work that the UNESCO World Heritage Committee continues to do to protect the world's cultural and natural heritage for future generations. We, the undersigned, represent civil society organizations that work to protect the world's most endangered rivers and the communities and ecosystems that depend on them. We are writing to express our grave concern regarding the increasing n

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