BAKU, Azerbaijan (November 15, 2024)—Rio Tinto has committed $16 million to the Makira Natural Park REDD+ Project in northern Madagascar, through a new partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Everland. This commitment complements Rio Tinto’s investment in nature-based solutions in the south-east of the country.   The Makira Natural Park REDD+ Project encompasses 372,000 hectares of dense primary forest. One of the largest remaining rainforests in the...

BRONX, N.Y. — November 12, 2024 — Today, the Bronx Zoo announced that Idina Menzel, Tony Award-winner, actress, philanthropist and multi-platinum-selling singer/songwriter, will perform in the 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® on the zoo’s new “Wondrous World of Wildlife” float. As part of the Bronx Zoo’s monumental debut in the Macy’s Parade, Menzel will perform “Great Escape” – a song from her new Broadway musical, &ldquo...

NEW YORK, NY, Nov. 12, 2024—A groundbreaking study released today reveals the alarming state of African elephant populations over the last 50 years. Both forest and savanna elephant species have experienced widespread declines due to overexploitation and habitat loss, mirroring the global trend affecting large-bodied animals. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzed hundreds of population surveys from 475 sites across 37 African countries ...

New York, New York, November 11, 2024 -- The sounds of barking elephant seals are again in the air along the breeding grounds of Península Valdés, Argentina—but it’s quieter. Almost exactly a year after a massive outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza killed more than 17,000 elephant seals, including about 97% of their pups, scientists estimate that only about a third of the elephant seals normally expected here returned. “It’s beautiful to w...

(Photo, above) H.E. Susana Muhamad, Minister of Environment of Colombia and President of CBD COP16 in Cali, Colombia, celebrates several wins for people and nature upon suspension of UN biodiversity meeting on Nov. 2, 2024. Photo credit: Mary Dixon ©WCS.   CALI, COLOMBIA, Nov. 2, 2024 – The following assessment of CBD COP16 was released today by the Wildlife Conservation Society upon the suspension of this 12-day United Nations Biodiversity Conference. The UN Bio...

Cali, Colombia, November 1, 2024 – On October 31, the penultimate day of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16), WCS Brazil and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA) officially launched a Protocol of Intent to strengthen biodiversity conservation in Brazil. The document was signed by the National Secretary of Biodiversity, Forests, and Animal Rights, Rita Mesquita, and the Executive Director of WCS Brazil, Marcos Amend....

Cali, Colombia, Oct. 31, 2024 – It is imperative that governments meeting here at the UN’s Biodiversity Conference take action ensuring an alignment of the world’s biodiversity and climate agendas. More than 190 governments are working toward a consensus-based COP decision to reaffirm the interlinkages between the crises of biodiversity loss and climate change and call for greater action from governments. This could include greater cooperation between UN policy fora des...

Cali, Colombia (October 30, 2024) – After 16 years of grassroots efforts, local communities in northern Puerto Rico are celebrating the creation of a new marine protected area (MPA) – Jardines Submarinos de Vega Baja y Manatí. The newly-established MPA encompasses 202.7 km² (77 square miles) of coastal coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds home to more than 14 endangered species, including the Greater Caribbean Manatee. The area also hosts vibrant small-scale fisheries an...

CALI, COLOMBIA, OCTOBER 29, 2024—Today, at the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Re:wild, The Wildlife Conservation Society, and World Wildlife Fund in the US announced the formation of a coalition to scale climate and conservation outcomes through the use of sovereign debt conversions. Robb Menzi, Interim President and CEO, Wildlife Conservation Society, said: “Sovereign debt conversions are...

Cali, Colombia, Oct. 28, 2024 – Governments at the United Nations biodiversity meeting are poised to take an important step to integrate health and conservation and lessen the chances of future deadly pandemics of zoonotic origin, with the adoption of the Global Action Plan for Biodiversity and Health at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 16). At CBD COP16, WCS, which has provided scientific and technical input throughout the process, is urging Parties to adopt a stron...