BIOLOGY, PROTECTED AREAS, CONSERVATION OF SPECIES AND HABITATS International Non-governmental Organizations Birdlife International BirdLife International is a global Partnership of non-governmental conservation organisations with a focus on birds that works together on shared priorities, exchanging skills, achievements and information, and so growing in ability, authority and influence BirdLife International is present in 103 countries and territories worldwide. http://www.birdlife.net/ Botanic Gardens Conservation International In 1987, BGCI was founded to link botanic gardens as a co-operating global network for effective plant conservation. It now includes over 450 member institutions in 100 countries, all working together to implement a worldwide Botanic Gardens Conservation Strategy for plant conservation. http://www.bgci.org.uk/ Fauna & Flora International Founded in 1903, FFI is the world’s longest established international conservation body. It is one of the few organizations whose remit is to protect the entire spectrum of endangered plant and animal species on the planet. We provide support to conservation initiatives throughout the world, in the form of partnerships, technical assistance, direct funding and consultancy. http://www.fauna-flora.org/ Wildlive.org This web site is a cooperation between Fauna and Flora International (FFI), one of the world's oldest wildlife conservation organizations, and its partners. The web page provides information on conservation projects all around the world. The result is for example a Vodafone Group Foundation-funded project called “Wildlife” (in English). http://www.wildlive.org/index.php International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) 1919 - IUBS is established, following the recommendations of the "Conférences des Académies Scientifiques Interalliées," held in Brussels, Belgium. 1922 - Statutes and structure are formalised. 1925 - IUBS is formally admitted as a member of the International Research Council, which is now the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). 1925 - 1939 -The Union’s two major fields of activity are the promotion of scientific information and the environment. Its information project is later developed into “UNISIST,” and its work on environmental issues contributes towards establishment of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). New ideas are pursued in the areas of evolution and genetics. 1935 - 1947 -During World War II the Union is inactive. 1 1947 - 1967 -With modern biological disciplines, such as evolutionary biology, genetics, cell biology ecology and developmental biology, coming to the fore, IUBS develops into an exemplary international forum for biology. The International Biological Programme IBP is initiated by IUBS, then taken over and coordinated by ICSU. This is the first serious effort to develop an international programme in the life sciences. 1980's -This period witnesses the creation of many IUBS scientific programmes of a multidisciplinary nature – Decade of the Tropics, Bioindicators, Biological Complexity, Biological Diversity. (cf. Accomplished Programmes) 1990's -The development of IUBS Scientific Programmes continues in the Nineties, with the birth of Diversitas, Biosystematics, Species 2000, Bionomenclature, Reproductive Biology and Aquaculture. The IUBS 26th General Assembly, held in 1997 in Taipei, adopts a new programme “Towards an Integrative Biology” TAIB. (cf. Current Programmes). http://www.iubs.org/ Conservation International (CI) Conservation International’s mission is to conserve the Earth’s living natural heritage, our global biodiversity, and to demonstrate that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature. http://www.conservation.org/ Wetlands International Wetlands International is a leading global non-profit organisation dedicated solely to the crucial work of wetland conservation and sustainable management. Well-established networks of experts and close partnerships with key organisations provide Wetlands International with the essential tools for catalysing conservation activities worldwide. Our activities are based on sound science and have been carried out in over 120 countries. Mission: To sustain and restore wetlands, their resources and biodiversity for future generations through research, information exchange and conservation activities, worldwide. http://www.wetlands.org/ World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF - International) WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by: - conserving the world's biological diversity - ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable - promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. Our work covers many different areas. From policy work to campaigning, on-the-ground action to education and capacity building. http://www.panda.org/, http://www.wwf.org/ Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (LCIE) Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe is a network of European organizations and experts from 25 countries working to secure viable populations of large carnivores in co-existence 2 with the people. The LCIE is a task force under the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN) Species Survival Commission. The web site provides essential information on large carnivorous species such as species description, distribution, life history, attitude of the people, threats and conservation priorities with focus on Europe (in English). http://www.lcie.org/ Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild lands through careful science, international conservation, education, and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks. The web site describes WCS activities worldwide. Under “Around the Globe” section of the web site, interesting information on various conservation topics, such as landscape ecology, herpetology and Living Landscape Programme, is available. Society’s Living Landscape Program is based on the fact that animals do not recognize park boundaries, particularly wide-ranging species such as elephants, bears and jaguars. The web site is in English. http://wcs.org/ Wildlife Society The Wildlife Society (TWS), founded in 1937, is an international non-profit scientific and educational association dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship through science and education. Our mission is to enhance the ability of wildlife professionals to conserve diversity, sustain productivity, and ensure responsible use of wildlife resources for the benefit of society. http://www.wildlife.org/ Australian Conservation Foundation The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) is Australia's leading national, environmental organization. It is non-profit, membership-based and is funded by individual Australians via their memberships, donations and workplace giving programs. The information that could be found at the web site covers the following topics: Climate Change, Northern Australia, Rivers and Water, Anti-Nuclear, Asia Pacific, Biodiversity, Corporate Environmental Responsibility, Forests, Land Clearing and Woodlands, Land Management, Marine, Salinity. The web page is in English. http://www.acfonline.org.au/asp/pages/home.asp PAN Parks PAN Parks or Protected Area Network of Parks is an initiative which aims to create a European network of wilderness protected areas; to improve nature protection by sustainable tourism development; and to provide a reliable trademark which guarantees nature protection and is recognized by all Europeans. The web site offers information on the parks of the network, verification and certification procedures and details about projects (in English). http://www.panparks.org/ EUROPARC Federation EUROPARC is the umbrella organization of Europe's protected areas. It unites national parks, regional parks, nature parks and biosphere reserves in 38 countries, with the common aim of protecting Europe's unique variety of wildlife, habitats and landscapes. 3 The web page provides information on the projects, working groups, awards, cooperation and publications of EuroPark. The web site is in English. http://www.europarc.org/ EUROSITE Eurosite is a large network of organizations devoted to nature conservation management across Europe. 21 countries are represented by more than 80 member organizations including public bodies, private organizations and Non-Government Organizations. The topics included in the web site are Natura 2000, projects, information on site management, workshops and publications (in English). http://www.eurosite-nature.org/ 4