表彰保護區模範生 IUCN首度發布「綠色名單」

The IUCN’s Green List of Protected Areas was introduced to the world today at the IUCN World Parks Congress 2014 in Sydney. Held once every 10 years by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the World Parks Congress gathers thousands of delegates from around the world to strategize on protection of the planet’s vanishing pristine areas.

Protected areas in Australia, South Korea, China, Italy, France, Spain, Kenya and Colombia were unveiled as the first to be listed at the official announcement as part of the innovative Green List of Protected Areas project developed by the IUCN.

The Green List parallels the IUCN’s authoritative Red List of Threatened Species as a resource for planetary protection.

The Green List of Protected Areas is the only global standard of good practice for protected areas and it aims to recognise and promote success in managing some of the most valuable natural areas on the planet.

“The sites have been evaluated against a set of demanding criteria, including the quality of protection of natural values. They should demonstrate fair and transparent sharing of the costs and benefits of conservation, effective management and long-lasting conservation outcomes. These criteria are tailored and measured according to the challenges and opportunities faced in each country,” said Julia Marton-Lefèvre, IUCN Director General at the launch.

“The ‘Protected Planet’ report launched yesterday in Sydney revealed that much more needs to be done to improve the quality of governance and management of global protected areas,” said James Hardcastle, manager of the IUCN Green List of Protected Areas.

“The Green List will help the global protected area community ensure that protected areas have real conservation impacts that benefit people, economy and the environment,” he said.

In Australia, three reserves managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service have been accepted to the IUCN Green List: Arakwal National Park, Cape Byron State Conservation Area, and Montague Island Nature Reserve.

“One of the successful candidates, the Cape Byron State Conservation Area/Arakwal National Park in Australia, has been ‘green listed’ for its engagement with the local community. The Aboriginal Arakwal traditional owners were instrumental in establishing the National Park in 2001 and are fully involved in its daily management,” said Hardcastle.

In Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy, pastoral ranching is allowed within the protected area. Its management runs a community cattle ranching programme providing monitoring, protection and livestock health services, ensuring protection for both wildlife and cattle and a safe haven and rich pastures for local herders.

In France, the Cerbère-Banyuls Natural Marine Reserve has seen a successful recovery of marine species and habitats since it was established to protect fragile marine habitats in 1974. A guided underwater educational safari is one of the most popular visitor drawcards on this stretch of the Côte Vermeille, at the foothills of the Pyrenees.

The “Protected Planet” report released by the UN Environment Programme at the Congress finds that the world is on track to meet a 2020 target on the expansion of protected areas, but more work is needed to ensure areas of importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services are prioritized for protection under equitably managed conditions.

Watson, director of WCS’s Climate Change Program, outlined the successes, challenges, and need for a larger conservation vision for the world’s protected area networks in his keynote address for the Opening Parallel Plenary of the Congress’s Parks session.

“We need social, financial, and political buy-in,” he said, “and, at the very least, the various levels of government and industry to be neutral to conservation, and at best actively supporting conservation.”