[20.05.2024.] 28.05.2024 - h 12:00 CET Zoom platform.  We are organizing the first webinar 2024 on a very promising instrument that can be useful for our work. Join us! The TRANSNATURE interactive MAP: An overview of relevant examples of transboundary biodiversity protection. www.transnature.eu/map   How the TBCSG can use and contribute to the map? --------------------- REGISTRATION REQUIRED. LINK TO REGISTER: https://forms.gle/xxdgn5bDBnpbp7ri8   [15.05.2024.] The TBCSG Executive Committee is happy to present the new logo of our Specialist Group! We hope you will like it!   Aims and indications for use: -The TBCSG logo was created in 2024 to give better visibility to the Specialist Group's activities. It is a communication tool of the TBCSG, is not an official IUCN logo and has no legal power. -The logo was developed and approved by the Specialist Group Executive Committee. -The TBCSG logo will be used in conjunction with the... [04.08.2023.] We are looking for suitable candidates who are interested to serve as Regional Coordinators the Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group-TBCSG.  The Regional Representatives form part of the TBCSG's Executive Committee.  As with the position on Co-Chairs and Senior Advisors, Regional Representatives also offer their services on voluntary basis. Their key roles and responsibilities include:   •           ... [31.01.2022.] The IUCN WCPA's Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group is a proud supporter of the upcoming compendium of lessons learned, visions for, and recommendations towards the future of environmental peacebuilding. The project is ongoing and aims to deliver a strong, cogent message about the future of the field to the Stockholm+50 forum in June 2022. There is a 50-entry compendium of visions for the field, as well as a shorter, policy-oriented document which was developed through a reflexive,... [24.03.2021.] A webinar presenting IUCN WCPA’s Diagnostic tool for transboundary conservation planners was held on 19 February 2021. The webinar was hosted by IUCN’s Vital Sites: The Journey to Marseille. It gathered some of the key experts who have been involved in the development of the tool and its implementation. Facilitated by Kevan Zunckel, Chair of IUCN WCPA’s Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group (TBC SG), the webinar included presentations on the overall purpose and structure... [12.06.2020.] In June 2020, IUCN WCPA Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group released Version 2.0 of the ‘Diagnostic tool for transboundary conservation planners: Suggested questions to determine feasibility for transboundary conservation’. The Diagnostic tool is a valuable asset in supporting the decision-making process in establishing and implementing transboundary conservation initiatives that might ultimately lead to the institutionalization of transboundary conservation, i.e., the... [20.04.2020.] QUEZON CITY, April 18 -- Protected area authorities in Malaysia and Thailand are working together to conserve a rainforest landscape of almost 260,000 hectares straddling the national border between the two ASEAN Member States. Both share the common interest of improving the management of the cross-border forest area, which covers Royal Belum State Park in Perak, Malaysia, and Hala Bala Wildlife Sanctuary, Bang Lang National Park, and Halasah Non-Hunting Area in Southern Thailand. The... [07.04.2020.] Homestays serve as an essential aspect of rural tourism in the Kangchenjunga Landscape (KL). They integrate sustainable resource utilization (especially the use of local food ingredients), promotion and protection of the natural environment, and recognition of the importance of ecosystem services – all within a sustainable business model. ICIMOD’s Kangchenjunga Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative (KLCDI) has been promoting homestay development in the KL through various... [03.04.2020.] In a collaborative move that bolsters yak conservation in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, the Government of Bhutan handed over two yak breeding bulls to Nepal and one to Sikkim, India, on 27 February 2020 during a ceremony in Paro, Bhutan. ICIMOD facilitated this yak germplasm exchange programme, which involved high-level delegations from Nepal and Sikkim convening in Thimphu, Bhutan, from 25 February to 1 March. The event’s conceptualization began in 2018, and the formal process... [02.09.2019.] The Hungarian government is planning a mega tourism development project inside the FertÅ‘-Hanság National Park (see promo video here) and invest 7,4 million EUR public fund in destroying nature. The FertÅ‘-lake, which is part of the transboundary FertÅ‘-Hanság National Park, is inscribed on IUCN’s World Database on Protected Areas managed by UNEP-WCMC (see the link to the national park here). This area is among the few... [05.06.2019.] A newly developed training module on initial phases of cross-border conservation and steps towards its institutionalization was presented today at a meeting of IUCN and BfN in Gland, Switzerland. Consisting of the Trainer’s Manual and eight lessons, it helps the trainees estimate how feasible the establishment of Transboundary Conservation Area (TBCA) is and develop strategies to address the most important factors for its successful creation. “The benefits of transboundary... [07.01.2019.] At a recent exhibition of cultural handicrafts in Gangtok, Sikkim, India, one item stood out among the rest. Two women in their mid-thirties – Ankit Lepcha and Pasangkit Lepcha – had come from Dzongu, 65 km away from Gangtok, to sell unique knit bags made from nettle fibre. Although nettle is a fibre traditionally used by the indigenous Lepcha community, this bag combined natural fibre with modern design, resulting in a product that drew attention to this vanishing craft. Himalayan... [14.12.2018.] Domesticated yak (Bos grunniens), an icon of the Himalayan highlands, are an important part of the livelihoods of mountain communities in Asia. Yak herding is practiced across the Himalaya – including the Tibetan Plateau and Mongolia – and is tied to the shared culture of the region.  However, changing contexts and environments resulting from development, climate change, and the geopolitical climate of the region have changed the practice, isolating and fragmenting herders and... [01.12.2018.] Following the 2014 Southeast Europe floods, which displaced millions of people and caused over 5 billion USD in damages, the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe implemented the CRESSIDA project with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The CRESSIDA project provided a theoretical framework for integrating sustainable development into policy making and water management at the local level in order to enable better transboundary watershed... [01.12.2018.] In April 2018, more than 1,000 people gathered in Falelung, a Nepali remote village in the Singalila range of the Kangchenjunga landscape for the country’s second annual yak festival. Yak farming is common across the Kangchenjunga landscape – in Bhutan, India, and Nepal. However, this traditional practice has been on the decline. Deteriorating rangeland productivity has led to a fodder crisis, and inbreeding has led to a decline in overall yak health. New economic opportunities and... [30.11.2018.] The domestic yak – long a cornerstone of mountain cultures and economies across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) – is facing an uncertain future.  With the closing of international borders in the region in the early 1960s, the seasonal migration of yak herds between highland summer pastures and warmer lowland wintering areas is restricted within country boundaries. With this, breeding is limited within smaller yak populations, reducing germplasm exchange and impacting overall yak... [21.11.2018.] A conference, ‘Strengthening Regional Cooperation Across Transboundary River Basins and Landscapes in the Hindu Kush Himalaya’, held from 15 to 16 November 2018 in Kathmandu, Nepal, was organised by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The conference gathered about 120 people from the Hindu Kush Himalayan countries, including representatives of government agencies, academia and civil society, as well as ICIMOD’s strategic partners, such as the... [20.11.2018.] The Prespa Ohrid ecoregion, covering parts of Albania, Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and including six protected areas, is not only rich in stunning nature, but also benefits from one of the world’s most innovative conservation financing approaches.  The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as well as WildArk – A Movement for the Wild are thrilled to announce the winners of the... [05.11.2018.] More than 20 participants from South-Eastern and Eastern Europe gathered in Ulcinj, Montenegro to attend a training workshop 'Initiating Transboundary Conservation', held from 30 October to 1 November 2018. The training course was facilitated by IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia's (ECARO) Director, Boris Erg, IUCN WCPA Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group's Vice Chair, Maja Vasilijević, and IUCN Environmental Law Centre's (ELC) Legal... [11.12.2017.] Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development hosted an International Conference of Transboundary Cooperation for Ecosystem-Based Sustainable Development, held from 5-7 December 2017 in Eberswalde, Germany. The conference gathered the participants of the “Transboundary cooperation for ecosystem-based sustainable development as a contribution to conflict prevention in Eastern Europe” project from Moldova, Romania and Ukraine, as well as a number of guests. Eco Horizon’s... [25.01.2017.] Hands Across Borders - An international workshop on transboundary conservation, held in Glacier National Park, USA, from 13-18 September 2016, gathered about 50 transboundary conservation practitioners and leaders from six different continents. Through a mix of presentations, problem-solving clinics, and field trips, the participants shared their experiences in catalyzing, enabling, and sustaining transboundary conservation initiatives across different types of ecosystems, social, economic, and... [22.12.2016.] IUCN released a brochure Solutions in focus: Transboundary Protected Area Solutions, edited by Diana Clamote Rodrigues and Marie Fischborn. Foreword was prepared by Co-Chairs of WCPA Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group, Kevan Zunckel and Maja Vasilijević.   The booklet is the first in a series of compilations assembling PANORAMA solution case studies on a defined topic. ‘Solutions in Focus’ zooms in on a topic of interest covered by PANORAMA, allowing to explore... [05.12.2016.] The 5th ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHPs) Conference, held on 24-28 October 2016 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, was organised by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (http://www.aseanbiodiversity.org) together with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of Myanmar.  The conference is held once every 3 years, with Thailand as the first host (2004), followed by Malaysia (2007), Brunei Darussalam (2010) and Philippines (2013). The 2-day conference was followed by a 3-day site visit... [02.09.2016.] IUCN World Conservation Congress 2016 on 1 September in Hawai'i. For the first time, the voting for adoption of the motions started prior to the congress. One of the key motions related to transboundary conservation, adopted during an electronic voting, is Motion 036: Transboundary cooperation and protected areas. Transboundaray conservaton Specialist Group (TBC SG) was very actively involved in the review process helping shape up the motion. Apart from being engaged in the... [01.09.2016.]   Glacier National Park, Montana, USA, will host Hands Across Borders – An international workshop on transboundary conservation from 13-18 September 2016. This unique event is being organised on the 100th anniversary of the US National Park Service to celebrate transboundary conservation worldwide. The week-long event includes a three-day workshop for transboundary conservation practitioners, field trips in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, and the 84th Waterton-Glacier... [19.07.2016.] The Awash River in Ethiopia drains into a land-locked delta in the arid Afar Region and into a series of fresh water and salt lakes. One of these, Lake Abbè, straddles the border between Ethiopia and Djibouti, and through the Biodiversity Management Programme of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for the countries in the Horn of Africa, it was agreed that a transboundary conservation landscape (TBCL) needs to be established in the Lower Awash - Lake Abbè area.... [17.06.2016.] The Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland National Park Region hosted the EUROPARC’s 2016 TransParcNet meeting, held from 7-9 June 2016 in the National Park Visitor Centre in Bad Schandau, Germany. This year’s TransParcNet meeting explored best practices and challenges in visitor management in European transboundary conservation areas. The programme also combined the field trips to the Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland consisting of two national parks and two Landscape Protected Areas in Czech... [21.12.2015.] In the last few months, more than 500,000 refugees and migrants from Syria and other Middle Eastern countries passed through Croatia in search of security and a better life in Germany and other European countries. In an attempt to control the further influx of migrants, Hungary started erecting razor-barbed wire fence along its boundary with Croatia in October 2015. This was followed by Slovenia which erected a razor wire fence along an 140 km portion of its boundary with Croatia. This... [11.11.2015.] Transboundary issues, especially relating to management of protected areas that straddle two or more economies and the growing illegal trade of plants and animals, are of particular concern in the effective management of conservation areas. In Asia, there are over 45 transboundary protected areas with an estimated area of over 570 500 km2. Notwithstanding their ecological contiguity across national boundaries, divergences in policies, laws and institutional arrangements undermine their... [07.10.2015.] The WCPA’s Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group (TBC SG) was invited by the UNESCO’s Category 2 Centre for Natural World Heritage Management & Training for Asia and the Pacific Region, located at the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, to deliver a presentation on transboundary conservation and assist during an International Workshop and Training on the Role of Natural World Heritage Sites in Disaster Risk Reduction. The event was held on 24-28 August 2015 and... [07.10.2015.] The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat organized a Capacity Building Workshop for East Asia and Southeast Asia on achieving Aichi Targets 11 and 12 in Yanji City, Jilin Province, China, on 15-18 September 2015. The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China and attended by 34 participants from 12 countries including Cambodia, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Lao People’s... [22.07.2015.] At the IUCN World Conservation Congress held in Jeju, Republic of Korea, in 2012, a resolution was adopted to establish an annual event aimed at gathering world leaders in conservation. The Koreans responded by offering to host the first of these events and so the 1st World Leaders Conservation Forum was held in the Republic of Korea on 7-9 July 2015, hosted by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. The theme for the event was Nature: a path to peace and coexistence and it was... [05.06.2015.] Hainburg/Donau-Auen National Park in Austria hosted the Little Sydney: Protecting Nature in Europe conference, held from 28-31 May 2015. The event was organised by IUCN and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) in collaboration with the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management. It built on the outcomes of the IUCN World Parks Congress, held in Sydney, Australia in November 2014. More than 200 participants from over 35 countries attended... [22.05.2015.] Transboundary conservation is a process of cooperation to achieve conservation goals across one or more international boundaries. Since 1932 when the first officially designated Transboundary Conservation Area was established by Canada and USA (Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park), there has been a rapid growth of transboundary initiatives. Today, sites such as Marittime Alps-Mercantour (Italy/France), Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area... [13.12.2014.] IUCN WCPA Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group (TBC SG) successfully organised two official events during the IUCN World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia, November 2014. In view of the forthcoming WCPA Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Transboundary Conservation: A systematic and integrated approach, prepared by TBC SG, with generous input by ICIMOD, an event was held to present key contents and findings featured in the publication. The audience widely welcomed the coming... [12.12.2014.] After the meeting in Podyjí National Park, Czech Republic, in September 2014, initiated by the EUROPARC Federation Czech Republic, EUROPARC is heading to a new geographic section – EUROPARC Central and Eastern Europe. The new section will be formed in March 2015 during the Members’ Assembly in Šumava National Park in Czech Republic, and will operate as an informal association of the EUROPARC Federation members from Central and Eastern European countries. This new... [05.11.2014.] IUCN WCPA Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group (TBC SG) will host two events at the World Parks Congress (12-19 November 2014, Sydney, Australia). On 17 November, TBC SG and Southern African Development Community (SADC) invite all interested congress participants to join us at the workshop Governance of Transboundary Conservation Areas where we'll have many interesting presentations on innovative transboundary governance models from around the world and mini regional workshops to... [31.10.2014.] “Conservation goals can be achieved across international boundaries through cooperative models, including enhanced nature conservation outcomes, sustainable socio-economic development and the promotion of peace”. This was the core of a statement made by Todd Walters on behalf of Maja Vasilijevic of IUCN’s Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group at the International Symposium on Biodiversity Conservation and Peace Building in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The... [25.07.2014.] The Heart of the Continent Partnership (HOCP) is joining with National Geographic Society (NGS) to create a regional geotourism initiative, including one of their famous maps and a website. Drawing input and involvement from a wide spectrum of local stakeholders, this project will help sustain and enhance the geographical character of the region—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents—by highlighting the outstanding natural, cultural and... [05.11.2013.] Thayatal National Park in Austria hosted an International workshop on defining transboundary conservation principles, held from 16-18 October 2013, and organised by IUCN WCPA Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group and local host Thayatal National Park, with support of adjacent Podyjí National Park in the Czech Republic. The workshop was organised within the framework of the IUCN WCPA Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group’s project titled ‘Revision of the IUCN WCPA... [09.09.2013.] An International workshop on defining transboundary conservation principles, organised by IUCN WCPA Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group with generous support of a local host, Thayatal National Park, will be held on 16-18 October 2013 in the Austrian National Park. The workshop is being organised within the framework of a project ‘Revision of the IUCN WCPA Best Practice Guideline on Transboundary Conservation’, funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature... [25.04.2013.] IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) annual Steering Committee meeting was held from 21 to 24 April 2013 in Podgorica, Montenegro. The meeting was organised with support provided by the Centre for Protection and Research of Birds of Montenegro and IUCN Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe, and endorsed by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro. While the first three days of the meeting were dedicated to presentation of results and discussion on a... [15.11.2012.] A new tool by Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group (TBC SG) of IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) provides guidance to transboundary conservation planners and initiators by helping them more efficiently plan a successful transboundary process. The “Diagnostic tool for transboundary conservation planners: Suggested questions to determine feasibility for transboundary conservation” consists of 91 carefully selected questions to help protected area authorities,... [14.11.2012.] A new publication by IUCN shows how transboundary conservation action in South-East Europe’s Dinaric Arc helps protect the region’s rich biodiversity and introduces an innovative tool which helps develop cross-border partnerships. The new book, Initiating effective transboundary conservation: A practitioner’s guideline based on the experience from the Dinaric Arc, highlights examples of cooperation across borders in the Dinaric Arc area – a region in South-Eastern...