A new study appearing in the journal Nature Communications finds that that less than ten percent of the world’s protected areas are connected, and that increased isolation, due to human threats such as land clearing for agriculture, mining, and urbanization, is limiting the ability of the global protected area estate to prevent further biodiversity loss.

WCS released pics and video today showing critically endangered Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) – among the world’s most endangered crocodile species – swimming in a natural lake in Sre Ambel district of Koh Kong Province, Cambodia.

A team led by WCS and Myanmar’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, along with James Cook University, University of New South Wales and IUCN have completed the first IUCN Red List assessment for ecosystems in Southeast Asia, identifying 64 individual ecosystems types for Myanmar.

A team of researchers from the University of Queensland, WCS, and other organizations, conducting a first-of-its-kind analysis, found that Indigenous Peoples’ lands are critical to the survival of thousands of species of Threatened and Endangered wildlife.

A new study appearing in the journal Nature Communications says that increasing demand for minerals used in renewable energy production is a looming threat to biodiversity conservation, and without careful planning, may surpass those averted by climate change mitigation in the short term.

“This unprecedented conviction in the criminal court is a major milestone in the protection of wildlife in the Republic of Congo and in upholding the rule of law. It sends an extremely strong message that wildlife crime will not be tolerated.” – Dr. Emma Stokes, WCS Regional Director for Central Africa