The World Conservation Monitoring Centre provides information services on conservation and sustainable use of the world's living resources, and helps others to develop information systems of their own.

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UN RECOGNISES CONSERVATION CENTRE'S PIONEERING WORK

The World Conservation Monitoring Centre, located in Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, is being given a more important, global role under the United Nations. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN), with the encouragement of the Government, are turning the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) into UNEP's world biodiversity information and assessment centre.

The Centre's new role is to be celebrated with a reception on July 2, at its Cambridge headquarters. It will be hosted by Rudolph Agnew, WCMC Chairman, with guests Anne Campbell MP and Anne Lonsdale, Pro Vice-Chancellor for External Affairs, and Chairman for the Committee on Inter-disciplinary Environmental Science, at the University of Cambridge.

The move to raise the Centre's position recognises the global need for reliable information on the status of the world's species and ecosystems, and to provide early warning of environmental problems. WCMC will be responsible for developing a biodiversity information and monitoring system that will support the work of decision-makers in governments, the private sector and by conservation and development agencies.

'Maintaining the diversity of life on earth is central to sustainable development,' says Mark Collins, Chief Executive of WCMC. 'By becoming a UNEP Centre, WCMC will enhance its international status, be better placed to collate and disseminate biodiversity information to the global community and will be able to attract staff and students of high calibre from around the world.

'The principal beneficiaries will be WCMC's users throughout the world, who will gain improved access to rich collections of biodiversity information. This will be of particular value to the less-developed countries where WCMC already delivers a wide range of information services including capacity-building projects and training programmes.

'As part of UNEP, we hope to extend the current student programme to include international studentships at the Centre's headquarters, in co-operation with the University of Cambridge with which WCMC has close relations.'

The Cambridge region is already a focus for environmental expertise with a number of key conservation organisations, such as Birdlife International, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Flora and Fauna International, TRAFFIC International, RSPB, British Antarctic Survey, English Nature, and the International Whaling Commission based in the area. Many have links with the University, which recognises the scientific and public importance of conservation biology.

WCMC is also using the Internet to deliver many of its services and is developing a range of innovative information products and services tailored to the needs of its clients in the private sector. For example, an internet-based Oil Spill Planning and Emergency Service designed with IPIECA*. This will enable the oil industry to plan its activities in order to reduce their impact on the natural environment.

'This is a great opportunity for WCMC to expand the scope of its services. Businesses that rely on natural resources such as oil, timber, metals and plants must take on the role of guardian to ensure their sustainable exploitation. Increasingly, organisations are using our data services to plan their development programmes.' says Mark Collins.

Further information: World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL. Tel: 01223 277314. Fax: 01223 277136.

Website: www.wcmc.org.uk

Press information: Rachel Holdsworth/Emma Stevens, Kartupelis Associates, St John's Innovation Centre, Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WS. Tel: 01223 421145. Fax: 01223 421148. e-mail: admin@kartupelis.co.uk

The World Conservation Monitoring Centre provides information services on conservation and sustainable use of the world's living resources, and helps others to develop information systems of their own. It is jointly funded by the UN, IUCN and WWF.

'JNCC has used the products and services of WCMC for many years. We look forward to the establishment of the UNEP Centre and to working in close collaboration with WCMC in future.'

'The RSPB welcomes the development of WCMC into a UNEP led global biodiversity information and assessment centre. RSPB and other Birdlife International Partners, believe that good information is indispensable to sound decision making and to the conservation of the world's natural resources. The UK is internationally recognised for its expertise in the conservation of biodiversity, and UNEP's backing for the development of WCMC should allow the world to capitalise on these strengths and so to develop better world-wide data on the status of biodiversity. This is badly needed.

'For WCMC to be as successful as we certainly hope it will be, a partnership will need to be developed by UNEP between the data providers and WCMC. To succeed, UNEP will need to work with and respect the needs and wishes of the thousands of individuals and organisations around the world who gather this data. The role of WCMC will be to facilitate the location, exchange and analysis of data, as well as, through UNEP, assisting with its delivery to Governments and international agencies. The role of the thousands of data gatherers round the world, will be to collect and provide data from 'their patch'. Each must make its contribution if we are to see the whole picture.

'The future for WCMC is now very exciting, but it is also very challenging. We wish it well.'

'WCMC is our natural choice as a data manager and provider. Their location in Cambridge greatly enhances the international expertise that exists here, and we welcome the strengthening of this by their close association with UNEP.'

'WWF has been a major supporter of the WCMC for the last 10 years and is delighted to see it move to this new level of international prominence through the UNEP/IUCN alliance. Its services are invaluable and will continue to be a key resource for WWF's conservation, public awareness and lobbying work.'

'The partnership between the petroleum industry and WCMC has resulted in an invaluable resource for emergency response situations, such as oil spills. It is also essential in strategic planning in, for example, environmental impact studies for pipeline routing or oil spill contingency planning.'

This support is valued by Andy Oliver, who comments, 'IPIECA's continuing relationship with WCMC gives the petroleum industry access to scientists and expertise from this world class, independent environmental organisation.'

The World Conservation Monitoring Centre provides information services on the conservation and sustainable use of species and ecosystems.

• WCMC, located in Cambridge, England, is currently sponsored by UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme), IUCN (International Conservation Union) and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
• UNEP, IUCN and the UK Government (Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions) are co-operating to establish WCMC as a world centre of biodiversity information under UNEP, whose world headquarters is in Nairobi, Kenya. (To be launched mid 2000).
• As part of UNEP, WCMC will participate in Earthwatch, which provides a focus for information on environmental problems and also in GRID - the global resource information database with offices in 10 countries.
• The objectives of WCMC as a UNEP world biodiversity information and assessment centre will be:
• to meet the needs of users in both the public and private sectors
• to provide information to assist the global protection and sustainable management of biodiversity
• to retain an international professional staff of the highest calibre
• to expand and emphasise its role in the provision of advice, technical assistance and training to build the biodiversity data-gathering and information handling capacity of developing countries
• to seek partner organisations in developing countries to enhance and promote its work
• to negotiate agreements with relevant international conventions including Ramsar, CITES, Biodiversity and World Heritage
• The Oil Spill Planning and Emergency Service has been developed for the oil industry with support from IPIECA (International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association) whose members include: BP Amoco, Total, Texaco, Chevron, Shell.
• The University of Cambridge has trained many leaders in conservation biology including Sir Peter Scott, Sir David Attenborough, Dr Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey.

For further information please write to: Information Officer, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL United Kingdom, Tel: +44 1223 277314, Fax: (44) 1223 277136 OR General e-mail: info@wcmc.org.uk Document URL: http:// www.wcmc.org.uk /latenews/un.htm Revision date: 30-June-1999 Current date: 21-January-2000
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