MINISTERS TO SIGN NEW ENVIRONMENTAL TREATY ON PROTECTING CASPIAN SEA

TEHRAN, 3 November (UNEP) -– Ministers from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation and Turkmenistan are meeting in Tehran today and tomorrow to adopt and sign the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea.

UN ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME ANNOUNCES 2003 SASAKAWA ENVIRONMENT PRIZE WINNERS

NAIROBI, 27 October (UNEP) -- Xie Zhenhua of China, who has worked tirelessly to steer the world's most populous country and fastest growing economy on an environmentally friendly path, is co-winner of this year's prestigious United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Sasakawa Environment prize.

UN ENVIRONMENT CHIEF CHALLENGES WORLD'S FINANCIERS

UNEP Launches New Initiative to Shift Investment to Sustainable Energy

UNDERWATER LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEM DYING THROUGH IGNORANCE, UNEP SURVEY ASSERTS

First ‘World Atlas of Seagrasses’ Reveals Vital Role of Marine Meadows

LONDON/NAIROBI, 14 October (UNEP) - Manatees, dugongs and green sea turtles are just some of the growing list of already threatened species at risk from the destruction of ocean seagrass, a new report has revealed.

CARIBBEAN NATIONS REVIEW PROGRESS ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN PREPARATION

FOR 2004 INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES

Call Made for Greater Transparency and Inclusion

Of Small Island Nations in Setting International Trade Standards

SCIENTISTS TURN SPOTLIGHT ON THREATS, OPPORTUNITIES

OF BOOMING MARINE AQUARIA TRADE

(Reissued as received.)

NAIROBI/LONDON, 1 October (UNEP)- - Over 20 million tropical fish, including 1,471 species ranging from the sapphire devil to the copperhead butterflyfish, are being harvested annually to supply the booming marine aquarium trade in Europe and the United States, according to the most comprehensive global survey ever undertaken.

CAN DAMS MEET HUMAN NEEDS AND BE ECO-FRIENDLY? STAKEHOLDERS SEEK SOLUTIONS

THROUGH UNEP-SPONSORED DIALOGUE

(Delayed in transmission; reissued as received.)

MILLENNIUM ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT RELEASES FIRST REPORT,

EXAMINES LINKS BETWEEN ENVIRONMENT, DEVELOPMENT

(Reissued as received.)

WASHINGTON, D.C., 24 September (UNEP) -- The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), the most extensive study ever of the linkages between the world's ecosystems and human well-being, today released its first report, Ecosystems and Human Well-being.

INTERNATIONAL TEAM DOCUMENTS DAMAGE FROM PAKISTAN TANKER SPILL;

PROGRAMME OF SCIENTIFIC STUDIES, RESTORATION RECOMMENDED

(Reissued as received.)

BANGKOK, 23 September -- An international team convened to assess the environmental damage caused by oil spilled from the tanker MT Tasman Spirit has reported its findings and recommendations to the Government of Pakistan.

United Nations Environment Programme Opens China Office

BEIJING/BANGKOK/NAIROBI, 19 September (UNEP) -- The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today opened an office in Beijing, China.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said it was a response to the important progress being made in meeting environmental challenges in China, the world's largest developing country, and to the challenges lying ahead.