“Swatch of No Ground Marine Protected Area” is Bangladesh’s first MPA New marine protected area announced as run-up to World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia (Nov. 12-19) New York (November 3, 2014)—The Government of Bangladesh has created the country’s first marine protected area that will now safeguard whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, and other oceanic species, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. The creation of the “Swatch of No Ground Marine Protected Area” occu...

WCS study finds strong management can protect fisheries – and local fishing-based economies – otherwise affected by climate disturbances NEW YORK (October 24, 2014) – A new study has found that implementing stricter fisheries management overcame the expected detrimental effects of climate change disturbances in coral reef fisheries badly impacted by the 1997/98 El Niño, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. The 17-year study led by WCS fisheries scientists found that rapid implementati...

During the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly, world leaders discuss some of the greatest challenges facing the global community. Susan Lieberman, WCS Vice President for International Policy, explains why wildlife trafficking is on this list. 

WCS’s Wildlife Crimes Unit assists Ministry in bustArrest marks first-ever enforcement action of Indonesia’s recent national protection of manta raysIndonesia operates largest known shark and ray fisheries on earthNEW YORK (SEPTEMBER 30, 2014) – The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), Government of Indonesia, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)’s Wildlife Crimes Unit announced today the first-ever series of enforcement actions against a trader of sharks and rays in Indonesia...

A new paper looks at the issues facing biodiversity throughout the world’s mountain regions, sets agenda for conservation Do we need corridors between “habitat-islands?” BOZEMAN (September 2, 2014) – A recently published paper provides a history of scientific research on mountain ecosystems, looks at the issues threatening wildlife in these systems, and sets an agenda for biodiversity conservation throughout the world’s mountain regions. The paper, “Mountain gloom and mountain glory revisited:...

New York (August 28, 2014)—A new study reports that an expansion of marine protected areas is needed to protect fish species that perform key ecological functions. According to investigators from the Wildlife Conservation Society and other organizations, previous efforts at protecting fish have focused on saving the largest numbers of species, often at the expense of those species that provide key and difficult-to-replace ecological functions. Many vital ecological functions of ocean ecology a...

New global research reveals extreme vulnerability of primary forests Authors say just 22 percent of primary forests are located in protected areas, which is the equivalent of only five percent of original primary forest Analysis provides clear policy recommendations to protect primary forests Paper URL:http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.12120/full August 18, 2014: An international team of conservationist scientists and practitioners has published new research showing the precarious...

In a new blog for Huffington Post, WCS Director of Conservation Support David Wilkie suggests that current rates of fossil fuel consumption could both contribute to - and severely limit the Earth’s ability to recover from - a sixth mass extinction event.

Wildlife Conservation Society, University of Queensland, and others urge more focus on more imminent threats New York (July 30, 2014)—Scientists studying the potential effects of climate change on the world’s animal and plant species are focusing on the wrong factors, according to a new paper by a research team from the Wildlife Conservation Society, University of Queensland, and other organizations. The authors claim that most of the conservation science is missing the point when it comes to cl...

Authors say wildlife loss leads to exploitative labor practices, violence, and organized crime Study’s recommendations call for multi-disciplinary approach to understand underlying causes and far-ranging effects of wildlife loss (NEW YORK-JULY 24, 2014) – Citing many sobering examples of how wildlife loss leads to conflict among people around the world, a new article co-authored by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Health & Ecosystems: Analysis of Linkages (HEAL) Program Director Dr. Chri...