The International Union for Conservation of Nature welcomes 12 new sites from Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Saudi Arabia and Zambia to the Green List

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The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has admitted 12 new sites from Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Saudi Arabia, and Zambia to the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas, the global standard for recognising fairly governed and effectively managed sites. It also serves as a complementary indicator for Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. In addition, two existing Green List sites in France and Mexico have had their status renewed. With these new additions, there are now 87 IUCN Green Listed sites across 18 countries. 

IUCN / Switzerland

“As the IUCN Green List continues to grow with new listings and renewals across the globe, it plays an important role in facilitating implementation of the CBD Global Biodiversity Framework. The Green List Standard, developed collaboratively across the IUCN family and drawing on the expertise of the World Commission on Protected Areas, ensures that conservation actions are credible and verified. The Standard is a testament to IUCN’s commitment to promoting trustworthy and recognized conservation practices. The success of these sites not only highlights their positive impact on people and nature but also inspires other sites to strive towards similar objectives, significantly contributing to the 30×30 target for effective area-based conservation by 2030.” said Stewart Maginnis, IUCN Deputy Director General, Programme. 

Traditional and sustainable fishing

In Brazil, the Soure Marine Extraction Area on Marajó Island, located at the mouth of the Amazon River, has been added to the Green List and is the country’s first. This area is home to fishers and extractive families, and promotes traditional and sustainable extraction methods. The island features some of tallest mangrove forests in the world, coastal sand dunes, and diverse wildlife, including the mangrove crab and manatees. 

Further north in Colombia, three new sites have been recognised for their exemplary conservation practices. Los Katios Natural National Park, situated on the Central American Land Bridge, is a biodiversity hotspot with endemic species such as the cativo tree, 450 bird species, and tapirs. The Guanentá Alto Río Foncé Fauna and Flora Sanctuary in the East Andean Region boasts glacial vistas and species like the spectacled bear and the puma. Alto Fragua Indi Wasi Natural National Park, located on the southeastern slope of the Andes, features cloud forests and dense vegetation, home to jaguars and many other species. 

Ecotourism destination near Lake Tanganyika

In Zambia, Nsumbu National Park (image on the top) is the country’s second site on the IUCN Green List. Lying on the southwest shore of Lake Tanganyika, with its diverse landscapes of cliffs, valleys, and lakeshores, it is a prime ecotourism destination known for its rich fauna on land and in water. In Nsama and Mpulungu districts of the Northern Province, this site has an area of about 2,020 km2, rich with diverse vegetation communities and a variety of fauna. The Park was gazetted under the Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 44 and declared a National Park on 25th February 1972 with the principal aim of protecting the wildlife resources in the area. Tondwa and Kaputa are the two existing Game Management Areas (GMAs) buffering the park. The park includes a protected marine area of 123 km2 in which a large array of significant aquatic biodiversity is present. The terrestrial protection includes a few introduced species, and the National Park is currently successfully rewilding after significant periods of poaching and wildlife decline.

In the Middle East, two sites in Saudi Arabia have been added to the Green List: Ibex Protected Area and King Salman Royal Nature Reserve (KSRNR). The Ibex Protected Area, in the south of Riyadh is home to wild Nubian ibex among other various desert mammals and the KSRNR is a desert home to over 300 species, and a rich cultural heritage, harbouring over 420 archaeological assets. 

The Kunyushan Reserve Forest Coverage Rate reaches to 82% or more

Reminiscent of Confucian scrolls

In China, four sites have been added to the Green List, highlighting their conservation commitment. Wuyishan National Park in Jiangxi province, with its fog-laden cliffs, reminiscent of Confucian scrolls, is a prime example of well-preserved subtropical forests. Shandong Kunyushan National Nature Reserve, significant to Taoist tradition, features the rugged landscape of Mount Kunyu with cherry, apple, and apricot trees. Nanshan National Park, one of China’s earliest national parks, is known for its wetlands, pastures, and diverse bird species, offering a retreat for city dwellers. Finally, the Guizhou Mount Fanjing National Nature Reserve, with its unique metamorphic rock pillar and rare species like the Guizhou golden monkey and Chinese giant salamander, stands out for its ecological and cultural importance. 

Oak and chestnut trees

In the Massif des Maures, the Maures Integral Biological Reserve is a newly added site to the Green List in France. The site features oak and chestnut trees, birds of prey, and unique reptiles, while the Regional Natural Park of the Northern Vosges, located on the French-German border, known for its remarkable natural and cultural heritage, saw its status renewed. 

In Mexico, Biosphere Reserve Island San Pedro Mártir has also been re-listed. Nestled between Baja California and Sonora is a Biosphere Reserve with 292 species, 30 of which are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The island is rich in bird guano and serves as a passage for various bird species. 

“Through the IUCN Green List, the custodians and managers of sites actively participate in the governance and management of sites. Green List status provides an independently assured benchmark of protected area quality, while identifying aspects needing investment and enhancement through capacity development. This benchmark offers crucial assurance to governments, donors, and communities that protected and conserved areas are delivering on their promises.” said IUCN Centre for Conservation Action Director, Trevor Sandwith.  

With our partners – the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the French Development Agency (AFD), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea, Esri, the world’s leading supplier of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software, and Huawei, a leading technology giant – we look forward to scaling up the IUCN Green List. This effort supports the implementation of Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) Target 3, aiming to increase and recognise fair and effective conservation areas to advance the new GBF targets.

The Ibex Reserve is in the central region, south of Al-Hariq and west of Hawtat Bani Tamim. It is 180 kilometers from Riyadh. Some 1841 square kilometers in area, it is a large, rugged plateau in the Tuwayq Escarpment, and is dissected by deep canyons and gorges; its plains and depressions are sandy. The highest summit is on the western edge of the escarpment at 1,097 meters in elevation. The main reason for protecting this area was its harboring a small herd of wild Nubian Ibex, whose numbers quickly increased after the conservation programs were initiated. In the reserve and based on the surveys more than 13 mammal species were recorded, such as rock hyrax, Arabian wolf, red fox, Blanford’s fox, and rodents. A number of Idmi Gazelle (Mountain gazelle) were reintroduced to the reserve in 1990, which adapted to the nature of the area and their numbers grew well, and it is probably the only place in the Riyadh Region where you can see ibex and gazelle together, in their natural habitat.in addition to record more than 44 bird species the most important of which are sand partridges. The Reserve is characterized by a diverse vegetation cover, as it contains more than 286 species of annual, seasonal, and perennial plants, among them Acacia raddiana, Acacia tortilis, Acacia ehrenbergiana, Ziziphus spina-christi, and Haloxylon persicum, and Ochradenus arabicus.
Photo: National Centre for Wildlife, Saudi Arabia
The biosphere reserve Island San Pedro Martir has great scientific relevance for what is considered a natural laboratory of adaptation and evolution. It is one of the best preserved sites of the Gulf of California. This marine protected area has a great biological wealth, registering 292 species of flora and fauna both marine and terrestrial, of which 42 species are protected, either by the Mexican laws (NOM ECOL-059 2001) 30 in the IUCN Red List and 36 under CITES. This island is home to the world´s largest nesting colonies of blue-footed boobies (Sula nebouxii) and brown boobies (S. leucogaster), one of the largest colonies in Mexico of brown pelicans and probably the largest colony in the Gulf of California of the red billed tropic bird (Phaethon aethereus). It also houses the fourth most important breeding colony of sea lions (Zalophus californianus) of the Gulf of California. In its surrounding waters there are 14 species of marine mammals, big aggregations of whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are often seen in its western portion. In its insular habitat there are two species of endemic reptiles: the lizard whiptail (Aspidoscelis martyris) and stained sides lizard (Uta palmeri); while the Emperor black snake (Lampropeltis nigritus) is restricted to just a few islands in the Gulf. The fishing bat (Myotis vivesi), which is endemic to the Gulf of California, also lives on this island. Currently the island is free of exotic species, due to an eradication program in 2007. Black rats (Rattus rattus) were introduced to the island during the extraction of guano in the nineteenth century. The top of the island is covered by a forest of columnar cacti, considered the best-preserved portions of the Sonoran Desert. In the waters of this reserve there are five types of marine habitats: black coral beds (Antiphates galapagensis), rodolith beds which sustain rich diversity of fish and invertebrate species (some of them commercially important). There are also Sargassum forests, sandy habitat, and a wide rocky habitat that houses a big number of species. The reserve has an economic importance, and its main users are artisanal fishers who come from at least 5 communities in the Gulf of California, as well as foreign anglers with permits. To a lesser extent the island is visited for tours and researchers. 
Photo: Gobierno de México / Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas
Los Katíos National Natural Park (PNNK), with an area of 77,968.20 hectares, is located in northwestern Colombia, in the region known as Bajo Atrato and Darién (Darién and Urabá), in the jurisdiction of the departments of Chocó: municipalities of Unguía (1.08%) and Riosucio (82.32%); and Antioquia: municipality of Turbo (16.60%) (PPNC). The Darién region is linked to the Pacific, Caribbean and Northwestern Andes regions. From a biogeographical point of view, the Darién is a biota (fauna and flora) exchange bridge between North and South America, with a concentration of regional and local endemisms. The entire protected area is part of the great Atrato River basin, which crosses it in a south-north direction on its way to the Gulf of Urabá. The river crosses the protected area for approximately 35 km (Pintor, 1986). The park’s hydrological system is part of the lower Atrato River basin.  
Los Katíos Park is registered as an IBA (Important Bird Area) with the code CO 019, with one bird in the Endangered category (EN), two in the Vulnerable category (VU) and five in the Near Threatened category (NT) and was inscribed as World Natural Heritage in the minutes of the 28th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, held in Phuket, Thailand from December 12 to 17, 1994, due to its strategic position, the quality of Katíos NP’s ecosystems, its great supply of environmental goods and services such as CO2 sink, water regulation, protection against erosion, conservation and protection of biological and cultural diversity, recreation, environmental education, and tourism. In June 2009 Los Katíos National Natural Park was included in the List of World Heritage in Danger at the request of the Colombian Government to manage threats to its protection, especially deforestation, unauthorized settlements, illegal fishing, and hunting (https://en.unesco.org/news/colombia-s-katios-national-park-removed-list-heritage-danger). During the following years, Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia developed a corrective measures scheme called “Plan Choque” (Shock Plan), composed of a series of strategic actions. After almost six (6) years, with Decision 39 COM 7A. of July 19, 2015, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee decides to “Remove Los Katíos National Park of Colombia from the List of World Heritage in Danger”, due to significant improvements in the management of the Park, in recognition of the measures taken by the national authorities to reduce illegal logging and overfishing.

Photo: Cristian A. Pimiento Ordóñez / Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia

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