7 September 2012
UNEP-WCMC/IUCN Report Highlights Growth in Protected Areas
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The First Edition of the Protected Planet Report finds that global protected area coverage has increased in both terrestrial and marine areas, but remains behind the Aichi targets.

The 2012 issue of the report was compiled by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and released during the fifth World Conservation Congress.

7 September 2012: A new report finds that protected areas are growing in number and coverage of the earth’s surface. The First Edition of the Protected Planet Report was compiled through a collaborative effort between the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and released during the fifth World Conservation Congress, on 7 September 2012.

According to the report, 12.7% of the world’s terrestrial area and 1.6% of the global ocean area is protected. The report measures progress against the Aichi Targets and shows that from 1990-2010, global protected area coverage increased from 8.8% to 12.7% in terrestrial areas and from 0.9% to 4% in marine areas under national jurisdiction. However, these numbers remain behind the Aichi targets.

The report finds that nearly half of the world’s protected areas are within sustainable use areas and protected landscapes or seascapes, and nearly a quarter are managed by non-governmental actors or under co-management arrangements, often with indigenous peoples or local communities.

The next edition of the report is planned ahead of the IUCN World Parks Congress and 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 12) in 2014. [IUCN Press Release] [Publication: Protected Planet Report 2012]

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