Query: "A United Nations report has identified the world's  rapidly growing herds of cattle as the greatest threat to the climate,  forests and wildlife. ...

Relevant passages:
United Nations Environment Programme <=SEP=> The United Nations Environment Programme ( UN Environment ) is an agency of United Nations and coordinates its environmental activities , assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices . It was founded by Maurice Strong , its first director , as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment ( Stockholm Conference ) in June 1972 and has its headquarters in the Gigiri neighbourhood of Nairobi , Kenya . UN Environment also has six regional offices and various country offices .   UN Environment has overall responsibility for environmental problems among United Nations agencies but international talks on specialized issues , such as addressing global warming or combating desertification , are overseen by other UN organizations , like the Bonn-based Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification . UN Environment activities cover a wide range of issues regarding the atmosphere , marine and terrestrial ecosystems , environmental governance and green economy . It has played a significant role in developing international environmental conventions , promoting environmental science and information and illustrating the way those can be implemented in conjunction with policy , working on the development and implementation of policy with national governments , regional institutions in conjunction with environmental non-governmental organizations ( NGOs ) . UN Environment has also been active in funding and implementing environment related development projects .   UN Environment has aided in the formulation of guidelines and treaties on issues such as the international trade in potentially harmful chemicals , transboundary air pollution , and contamination of international waterways .   The World Meteorological Organization and UN Environment established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) in 1988 . UN Environment is also one of several Implementing Agencies for the Global Environment Facility ( GEF ) and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol , and it is also a member of the United Nations Development Group . The International Cyanide Management Code , a program of best practice for the chemical 's use at gold mining operations , was developed under UN Environment 's aegis .

Madagascar <=SEP=> Madagascar ( -LSB- ˌmædəˈɡæskər -RSB- ; Madagasikara ) , officially the Republic of Madagascar ( -LSB- Repoblikan ' i Madagasikara , links = no -RSB- -LSB- republiˈkʲan madaɡasˈkʲarə̥ -RSB- République de Madagascar ) , and previously known as the Malagasy Republic , is an island country in the Indian Ocean , off the coast of Southeast Africa . The nation comprises the island of Madagascar ( the fourth-largest island in the world ) , and numerous smaller peripheral islands . Following the prehistoric breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana , Madagascar split from the Indian peninsula around 88 million years ago , allowing native plants and animals to evolve in relative isolation . Consequently , Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot ; over 90 % of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth . The island 's diverse ecosystems and unique wildlife are threatened by the encroachment of the rapidly growing human population and other environmental threats .   The first archaeological evidence for human foraging on Madagascar dates to 2000 BC . Human settlement of Madagascar occurred between 350 BC and AD 550 by Austronesian peoples arriving on outrigger canoes from Borneo . These were joined around AD 1000 by Bantu migrants crossing the Mozambique Channel from East Africa . Other groups continued to settle on Madagascar over time , each one making lasting contributions to Malagasy cultural life . The Malagasy ethnic group is often divided into 18 or more sub-groups of which the largest are the Merina of the central highlands .   Until the late 18th century , the island of Madagascar was ruled by a fragmented assortment of shifting sociopolitical alliances . Beginning in the early 19th century , most of the island was united and ruled as the Kingdom of Madagascar by a series of Merina nobles . The monarchy collapsed in 1897 when the island was absorbed into the French colonial empire , from which the island gained independence in 1960 . The autonomous state of Madagascar has since undergone four major constitutional periods , termed republics . Since 1992 , the nation has officially been governed as a constitutional democracy from its capital at Antananarivo . However , in a popular uprising in 2009 , president Marc Ravalomanana was made to resign and presidential power was transferred in March 2009 to Andry Rajoelina . Constitutional governance was restored in January 2014 , when Hery Rajaonarimampianina was named president following a 2013 election deemed fair and transparent by the international community . Madagascar is a member of the United Nations , the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and the Southern African Development Community ( SADC ) .   Madagascar belongs to the group of least developed countries , according to the United Nations . Malagasy and French are both official languages of the state . The majority of the population adheres to traditional beliefs , Christianity , or an amalgamation of both . Ecotourism and agriculture , paired with greater investments in education , health , and private enterprise , are key elements of Madagascar 's development strategy . Under Ravalomanana , these investments produced substantial economic growth , but the benefits were not evenly spread throughout the population , producing tensions over the increasing cost of living and declining living standards among the poor and some segments of the middle class . , the economy has been weakened by the 2009-2013 political crisis , and quality of life remains low for the majority of the Malagasy population .

Wildlife <=SEP=> Wildlife traditionally refers to undomesticated animal species , but has come to include all plants , fungi , and other organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans .   Wildlife can be found in all ecosystems . Deserts , forests , rain forests , plains , grasslands and other areas including the most developed urban areas , all have distinct forms of wildlife . While the term in popular culture usually refers to animals that are untouched by human factors , most scientists agree that much wildlife is affected by human activities .   Humans have historically tended to separate civilization from wildlife in a number of ways including the legal , social , and moral sense . Some animals , however , have adapted to suburban environments . This includes such animals as domesticated cats , dogs , mice , and gerbils . Some religions declare certain animals to be sacred , and in modern times concern for the natural environment has provoked activists to protest against the exploitation of wildlife for human benefit or entertainment .   The global wildlife population has decreased by 52 percent between 1970 and 2014 , according to a report by the World Wildlife Fund .

United Nations <=SEP=> The United Nations ( UN ) is an intergovernmental organization to promote international co-operation and to create and maintain international order . A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations , the organization was established on 24 October 1945 after World War II in order to prevent another such conflict . At its founding , the UN had 51 member states ; there are now 193 . The headquarters of the UN is in Manhattan , New York City , and experiences extraterritoriality . Further main offices are situated in Geneva , Nairobi , and Vienna . The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states . Its objectives include maintaining international peace and security , promoting human rights , fostering social and economic development , protecting the environment , and providing humanitarian aid in cases of famine , natural disaster , and armed conflict . The UN is the largest , most familiar , most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental organisation in the world .   The UN Charter was drafted at a conference between April -- June 1945 in San Francisco , and was signed on 26 June 1945 at the conclusion of the conference ; this charter took effect 24 October 1945 , and the UN began operation . The UN 's mission to preserve world peace was complicated in its early decades by the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union and their respective allies . The organization participated in major actions in Korea and the Congo , as well as approving the creation of the state of Israel in 1947 . The organization 's membership grew significantly following widespread decolonization in the 1960s , and by the 1970s its budget for economic and social development programmes far outstripped its spending on peacekeeping . After the end of the Cold War , the UN took on major military and peacekeeping missions across the world with varying degrees of success .   The UN has six principal organs : the General Assembly ( the main deliberative assembly ) ; the Security Council ( for deciding certain resolutions for peace and security ) ; the Economic and Social Council ( ECOSOC ; for promoting international economic and social co-operation and development ) ; the Secretariat ( for providing studies , information , and facilities needed by the UN ) ; the International Court of Justice ( the primary judicial organ ) ; and the UN Trusteeship Council ( inactive since 1994 ) . UN System agencies include the World Bank Group , the World Health Organization , the World Food Programme , UNESCO , and UNICEF . The UN 's most prominent officer is the Secretary-General , an office held by Portuguese António Guterres since 2017 . Non-governmental organizations may be granted consultative status with ECOSOC and other agencies to participate in the UN 's work .   The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 , and a number of its officers and agencies have also been awarded the prize . Other evaluations of the UN 's effectiveness have been mixed . Some commentators believe the organization to be an important force for peace and human development , while others have called the organization ineffective , corrupt , or biased .

United Nations Development Programme <=SEP=> The United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP ) is the United Nations ' global development network .   Headquartered in New York City , UNDP advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge , experience and resources to help people build a better life . It provides expert advice , training and grants support to developing countries , with increasing emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries .   The status of UNDP is that of an executive board within the United Nations General Assembly . The UNDP Administrator is the third highest-ranking official of the United Nations after the United Nations Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General .   To accomplish the MDGs and encourage global development , UNDP focuses on poverty reduction , HIV/AIDS , democratic governance , energy and environment , social development , and crisis prevention and recovery . UNDP also encourages the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women in all of its programmes . The UNDP Human Development Report Office also publishes an annual Human Development Report ( since 1990 ) to measure and analyse developmental progress . In addition to a global Report , UNDP publishes regional , national , and local Human Development Reports .   UNDP is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from member nations . The organization operates in 177 countries , where it works with local governments to meet development challenges and develop local capacity . Additionally , the UNDP works internationally to help countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals ( MDGs ) . Currently , the UNDP is one of the main UN agencies involved in the development of the Post-2015 Development Agenda .   UNDP works with nations on their own solutions to global and national development challenges . As they develop local capacity , they draw on the people of UNDP and its wide range of partners .