18 Oct 2012

HYDERABAD / BIODIVERSITY REPORT

Despite the growing number of nature reserves, national parks and other protected areas across the globe, half of the world's richest biodiversity zones remain entirely unprotected, according to a report launched today by the UN Environment Programme. UNEP / FILE

Posted at: October 18, 2012 2:50 pm

Duration: 02:20

Available in: SD

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STORY: HYDERABAD / BIODIVERSITY REPORT  
TRT: 2.20
SOURCE: UNEP / WORLD BANK / FAO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE 
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS

DATELINE: 18 OCTOBER 2012, HYDERABAD, INDIA / FILE

SHOTLIST:

UNEP – 18 OCTOBER 2012, HYDERABAD, INDIA

1. Various shots, report launch conference with Trevor Sandwith and Jerry Harrison 
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Trevor Sandwith, Director, Global Program on Protected Areas, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN):   
"A huge part of the carbon that is stored in the world is stored in the forests and other eco-systems. Protected areas protect that carbon and keep it there and avoid emissions into the atmosphere. But there are other issues, for example the world's water supply, hundred of the world's biggest cities are dependent on the protected areas, on the water supplies. Turning to things like fisheries food security, you look at coral reefs and island communities, people live on the coast lines and are dependent on the protected areas for their very daily protein intake." 
4. Various shots, conference      
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jerry Harrison, Head of Development, World Conservation Monitoring Cenre, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
"There are far more protected areas in the terrestrial than in the marine. There is twelve percent protection terrestrially but there is far, far less in the marine. But even if you look at land you realize that there is far greater area covered in forests than in dry lands or grass lands. So, there is a lack of balance, there are some species that are better covered than others. But there is very little review of the existing services, of the existing functions, the way they are protected. So there is a lot still to do." 
6. Pan left, from podium to journalists

FILE – WORLD BANK – RECENT

7. Med shot, waves crashing over coral
8. Med shot, underwater coral
9. Med shot, underwater fish and coral
10. Med shot, turtle eating
11. Various shots, gutting fish

FILE – FAO - RECENT 2012, VIET NAM

12. Various shots, forests 
13. Wide shot, saw mill factory
14. Various shots, certified lumber in large stacks
15. Wide shot, two men planting saplings

FILE – UNEP – DATES AND LOCATION UNKNOWN

16. Various shots, life forms in their habitats

STORYLINE:

A new UN report warns that despite the growing number of nature reserves, national parks and other protected areas across the globe, half of the world's richest biodiversity zones remain entirely unprotected.

The "Protected Planet Report 2012" was launched today in Hyderabad, India at the 11th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 11). It received the official backing of countries at COP 11 this week as a major contribution towards tracking progress on global efforts to increase protected areas.

Produced by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)'s World Conservation Monitoring Centre in partnership with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the study is the first in an annual series that will monitor global efforts to support and expand protected areas.

The report says that protected areas have increased in number by almost 60 per cent, and in area by just under 50 per cent, since 1990. But the study states that poor management, underfunding and a lack of critical data on protected areas mean that the world is making insufficient progress towards the 2020 goals.

The report says that the ecological performance of protected areas remains poorly understood. Further studies are needed to analyze the impacts of protected areas on species, ecosystems and genetic resources.

At the launch, Trevor Sandwith of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said that protected areas help keep carbon in forests, thereby avoiding emissions into the atmosphere. He also said that looking at coral reefs and island communities, "people live on the coast lines and are dependent on the protected areas for their very daily protein intake".

Jerry Harrison of UNEP's World Conservation Monitoring Centre pointed out that there are far more protected areas on land than in marine areas.

While twelve percent of terrestrial areas are protected, marine protected areas are lagging behind, according to the report. Around 1.6 per cent of the global ocean area is protected, mostly in near-coastal areas. To meet the target of ten percent, an additional eight million square kilometres of marine and coastal areas would need to be recognized as protected - an area just over the size of Australia.

However, the UNEP study states that the number of very large marine protected areas has grown significantly in recent years. Today, there are over 13 such areas, each bigger than 100,000 square kilometres. Overall, marine protected area coverage has increased by over 150 percent since 2003.