Dubai, Dec. 13, 2023 – The following statement was released by WCS President and CEO Monica Medina upon the conclusion of the UN Climate Conference: “The countries of the world leave COP28 in Dubai with a consensus to transition away from fossil fuels, and in a world full of conflict, that is progress. This consensus may mark the beginning of the end of the road for fossil fuels. But we are gravely concerned that it does not take us far enough or fast...

WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec 12, 2023— As the United States faces escalating impacts from the joint biodiversity and climate crises, leading conservation groups including Defenders of Wildlife, the Endangered Species Coalition, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Oregon Wild, Sierra Club, Wildlife Conservation Society, and World Wildlife Fund today applauded Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) for introducing a resolution in the Senate calling on the Biden administration to establish a National Bio...

New York, NY, December, 12, 2023—The IUCN Red List status assessment of Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) has been changed from Critically Endangered to Near Threatened, thanks to effective national and international conservation efforts. This substantial positive change in global Red List status – a rarity in conservation – reflects the remarkable recovery of saiga populations in Kazakhstan, which have recovered from a perilously low estimate of just 39,000 in 2005 to ...

Washington, DC, December 11, 2023—The following statement was released today by WCS Executive Vice President for Public Affairs John Calvelli in support of a newly introduced bill to address environmental crime in the Brazilian Amazon: “WCS commends U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) on the bipartisan introduction of the Strengthening the Rule of Law in the Brazilian Amazon Act. U.S-Brazil cooperation to address nature crimes such as i...

Dubai, Dec. 11, 2023 – The Wildlife Conservation Society's President and CEO Monica Medina released the following concerning the latest version of the Global Stocktake posted today at the UN Climate Conference COP28: “Anything less than a full phase out of fossil fuels is unacceptable at the conclusion of the UN climate conference, COP28. We are addicted to oil and gas and it’s killing us and our planet. Enough. The human rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communit...

Dubai, Dec. 9, 2023 -- The following statement was issued today as ministers at the UN Climate Conference, COP28, signed a watershed “Joint Statement on Climate, Nature and People.” The joint statement was launched by the UAE UNFCC COP28 Presidency and the People’s Republic of China CBD Presidency. The statement calls for adopting a synergetic approach, aligning national climate and biodiversity plans and strategies, to support the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-M...

Dubai, Dec. 9, 2023 – The following statement was issued today by Daneil Zarin, Executive Director of Forests and Climate Change at the Wildlife Conservation Society: “With just a few days left in the negotiations, here is what we need ministers to do at COP28 in Dubai.: Use the Global Stocktake to align all countries with 1.5C targets Commit their own countries to implement their "Nationally Determined Contributions" (NDCs) with 1.5C targets no later than 2025 ...

Dubai, December 8, 2023 - The following statement was issued from the UN Climate Conference, COP28,  today by Joe Walston, Executive Vice President of WCS Global at the Wildlife Conservation Society: “We welcome the launch of the country package partnerships for the Republic of Congo, Papua New Guinea,  Democratic Republic of Congo and the National Ambition plan for Colombia. ”The Country Packages are an articulation of the governments’ priorities for the protec...

Dubai, Dec. 8, 2023 – The following statement was released by Monica Medina, President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society on reflection of Nature Day which will be recognized on December 9 at the UN Climate Conference, COP28. “The world won’t address the climate crisis without safeguarding and investing in nature—technological solutions simply won’t be enough. Forests, our ocean, wetlands, and mangroves help sequester an immense amount of the carbon tha...

DUBAI, December 8th, 2023 – The formation of a new Jurisdictional REDD+ Technical Assistance Partnership, JTAP, was announced today at COP28. The initial group of partner organizations, Conservation International, Climate Law and Policy, Environmental Defense Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Winrock International’s Ecosystem Services Unit, are actively seeking to engage additional partners including forest country governments and local organizations to further stren...