News Releases

April 19, 2017

Experts Plan Conservation Roadmap for Shark and Ray Hotspot

April 19, 2017 – Marine experts and conservationists from the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), TRAFFIC, the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), regional governments, and other groups have produced a status report and roadmap for protecting sharks and rays in the southwest Indian Ocean, one of the last remaining strongholds for these ancient creatures in the world’s oceans.

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February 16, 2017

Saving the Whales in Ship-filled Seas Under Examination by Scientists & Decision-makers at UN

February 16, 2017 – Scientists and government officials met at the United Nations on Wednesday, February 15th to consider possible solutions to a global problem: how to protect whale species in their most important marine habitats that overlap with shipping lanes vital to the economies of many of the world’s nations.

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September 01, 2016

WCS Reports Organized Poaching is Decimating Madagascar’s Sea Turtles

September 1, 2016 – The illegal hunting of Madagascar’s sea turtles is reaching a crisis level as a result of organized trafficking networks says a team of WCS conservationists.

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May 05, 2016

Achieving Fish Biomass Targets: The Key to Securing a Sustainable Future For The Western Indian Ocean’s Coral Reefs

May 5, 2016— Scientists from WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), University of Queensland, James Cook University, and Macquarie University have completed a massive study that will help communities and countries of the Western Indian Ocean measure and restore fish populations while identifying the best policies for achieving global sustainable and conservation targets.

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March 01, 2016

Vote for Critically Endangered Lemurs Of Madagascar in Online Contest

March 1, 2016—Want to help save two critically endangered lemur species in Madagascar with your smartphone or mouse? Here’s your chance to make a difference.

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November 25, 2015

Scientists Looking for Whales in Tanzania Find Widespread Blast Fishing

November 25, 2015 – WCS scientists conducting a large-scale survey of whales and dolphins along the Tanzanian coast have unintentionally revealed the extent of a major marine threat: blast fishing, a highly destructive fishing method using explosives to catch fish.

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September 01, 2015

Saving Coral Reefs Depends More on Protecting Fish Than Safeguarding Locations

September 1, 2015— A new study by WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) has found that coral reef diversity ‘hotspots’ in the southwestern Indian Ocean rely more on the biomass of fish than where they are located, a conclusion that has major implications for management decisions to protect coral reef ecosystems.

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July 03, 2015

Surveying the Top 10 Threats to Natural World Heritage Sites

During the 39^th session of the World Heritage Committee, WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) unveiled a comparative analysis of the top major threats facing natural World Heritage sites around the globe.

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May 29, 2015

Government of Madagascar Inaugurates Makira Natural Park

May 29, 2015 —The Government of Madagascar has officially inaugurated Makira Natural Park, home to 20 species of lemur and over 50 percent of Madagascar’s plant biodiversity, and the first protected area to be created in a national network of 95 new marine and terrestrial protected areas established by the Government of Madagascar.

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May 05, 2015

May 5--Lafaza and WCS Announce New Partnership For Sustainable Vanilla and Clove Production Around Madagascar’s Makira Natural Park

Lafaza and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) today announced the launch of a new partnership to work with communities to expand environmentally sustainable vanilla and clove production around the Makira Natural Park in Madagascar’s northeast. The partnership will support more than 1,900 households to produce high-quality vanilla and cloves that will be destined for international buyers in the United States and abroad.

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Madagascar & Western Indian Ocean

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