Marine and Polar

The ocean covers 70% of the Earth’s surface and support an extraordinarily diverse world. Only a fraction of it has been discovered so far and much of ocean life remains a mystery which IUCN experts are striving to unveil.

Latest news

IUCN to assess new measures protecting endangered vaquitas in Gulf of California World Heritage site
06.07.2017
IUCN is expected to carry out a field mission with UNESCO to Mexico’s Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California, to assess the effectiveness of new measures to protect the Critically Endangered vaquita. This follows a decision by the World...
Illegal activities threaten natural World Heritage, pushing the vaquita to the brink and depleting forests – IUCN
30.06.2017
Gland, Switzerland, 30 June 2017 (IUCN) – Illegal fishing, logging and poaching are impacting two-thirds of the 57 natural World Heritage sites monitored by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) this year, putting some of the world’s most...
Iroise, the jewel of France's west coast
29.06.2017
The Iroise Marine Nature Park, the first marine protected area in France, achieved IUCN Green List status in 2014. It was created in 2007 off the coast of Finistère between the islands of Ushant, Molène and Sein and the coasts of Crozon...