As global forest challenges take center stage, the 21st session of the United Nations Forum on Forests convenes from 11 to 15 May at UN Headquarters in New York. The meeting focuses on strengthening policies and speeding action to meet global forest commitments, including key goals related to protecting them and promoting their sustainable management. The session marks the launch of the Global Forest Goals Report 2026  to understand where the world stands on forest commitments, and a series of side events on primary forests, forest finance, and sustainable wood production. Follow the forum on UN WebTV.

Across more than 2,260 UNESCO-designated sites worldwide, communities and ecosystems remain deeply interconnected, offering powerful lessons for protecting biodiversity, sustaining livelihoods, and confronting climate change.

“What’s the weather going to be?” is one of the most frequently asked questions each day. We expect the answer instantly—just a tap on a phone or a swipe on a screen. Yet behind every forecast lies a powerful global network working quietly in the background. This World Meteorological Day (23 March), discover how the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) brings together data from land, sea, and sky to keep you informed, safe, and ready for whatever comes next. The day also marks the release of WMO’s State of the Global Climate report, outlining key climate indicators and impacts on people.

Forests sustain livelihoods, drive economies, and provide vital ecosystem services, celebrated annually on March 21 with the 2026 theme as: “Forests and Economies”

United by wetlands 

Although they cover only about six percent of the Earth’s land surface, 40 percent of all plant and animal species live or breed in wetlands. In the Bahamas, Mexico, and Zambia, local communities are working to protect this life-sustaining ecosystem. United in action with UNDP.

Although wetlands cover only about 6% of Earth’s land, they support 40% of all plant and animal species. Essential for people, ecosystems, and climate, they regulate water, reduce floods, and help purify water. Yet they are disappearing three times faster than forests and are Earth’s most threatened ecosystem. This World Wetlands Day (2 February) highlights their cultural importance for communities and marks the 50th anniversary of the Convention on Wetlands, a treaty that works to halt their loss worldwide.

The forests around Mount Kanchenjunga in Nepal boast rich biodiversity, including endangered species like the snow leopard and red panda. Indigenous communities have traditionally used their knowledge for conservation, but challenges such as climate change, poaching, and hydropower projects are threatening this balance. Local resident Purna Kumar Limbu notes that frequent explosives from these projects are driving wildlife away. In response, the UNESCO initiative, Strengthening Community Engagement for Biodiversity Conservation, launched in 2025, aims to enhance global recognition of the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area and reinforce its importance to the local community.

Australia’s Reef Builder program, led by The Nature Conservancy and the government, is restoring critically endangered shellfish reefs across southern Australia, boosting biodiversity, water quality, and fish stocks. Since 2021, the initiative has rebuilt 62 hectares of reefs, created over 425 jobs, generated AUD$14 million in annual benefits, and brought together communities, Indigenous groups, scientists, and local businesses in a collaborative conservation effort.

Oppressive heat. Species extinctions. Pollution-choked skies. This is the future that awaits the world unless humanity takes dramatic steps to end a series of mushrooming environmental crises, finds a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The seventh edition of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7) offers a stark vision of the decades to come. But its authors say the worst forecasts can still be avoided if countries quickly take meaningful steps to address climate change, nature, land and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.

Photographer Alexis Rosenfeld and the 1 OCEAN team have documented the planet’s largest animal migration at the southern tip of Africa, a vital natural phenomenon now threatened by climate change and industrial drilling.

Everyday life in Uzbekistan’s Pskem Valley is shaped by constant exposure to natural hazards, including landslides and mudflows. Local communities have long relied on local knowledge to live alongside natural hazards. Their stories show how this experience, combined with the scientific and technical support of a UNESCO project, is strengthening preparedness and resilience to landslides and mudflows.

UNEP has announced five 2025 Champions of the Earth, honoring leaders advancing bold solutions to the climate crisis. Marking the award’s 20th year, the laureates address climate justice, methane reduction, sustainable cooling, resilient architecture, and forest protection. Honorees include Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change for reshaping global climate law; Supriya Sahu for pioneering sustainable cooling and green jobs in India; architect Mariam Issoufou for climate-resilient design in the Sahel; Brazil’s Imazon for AI-driven forest protection; and the late Manfredi Caltagirone for global methane action. Together, they demonstrate that innovative leadership can protect people, ecosystems, and the planet.

Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution already cost trillions annually, warns a new United Nations Environment Programme report. But systemic transformation, circular economies, clean energy, sustainable agriculture, could unlock $20 trillion yearly by 2070, save nine million premature deaths, and lift millions from poverty and hunger. Investing $8 trillion a year until 2050 secures a thriving planet and economy. However, the cost of inaction is far higher.

Bamboo-based restoration restores degraded land, supports biodiversity, boosts rural livelihoods, mitigates climate impacts, and promotes sustainable development across nine countries globally.