Green List

IUCN WCPA Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas Specialist Group TOR 2017-2020
IUCN's work on the Green List 

The IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas (the ‘IUCN Green List Standard’) is a new global standard for protected areas in the 21st Century. In line with IUCN’s core mission of ‘A just world that values and conserves nature’ the aim of the IUCN Green List Standard is to improve the contribution that equitably governed and effectively managed protected areas make to sustainable development through the conservation of nature and provision of associated social, economic, cultural, and spiritual values.

The WCPA IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas (“IUCN Green List” (standard) and broader GLPCA Programme) Specialist Group will contribute to fostering an IUCN Green List Community within WCPA and across the Union that works to develop and support the IUCN Green List as a major IUCN initiative to improve the management of protected areas globally. Integral to the IUCN Green List initiative is a new global standard for protected areas in the 21st Century. In line with IUCN’s core mission of ‘A just world that values and conserves nature’ the aim of the IUCN Green List Standard is to improve the contribution that equitably and effectively managed protected areas make to sustainable development through the conservation of nature and provision of associated social, economic, cultural, and spiritual values.

The IUCN Green List has been developed as a joint initiative of the WCPA and the IUCN Global Protected Areas Programme (GPAP). Its development was supported by resolution WCC-2012-41 of the World Conservation Congress in 2012. The IUCN Green List was piloted in eight countries from 2012 to 2014 and the results of the pilot were presented in a launch event and workshop sessions at the World Parks Congress in 2014. Following the completion of the pilot programme, the IUCN Green List Standard has been revised to reflect lessons learnt during the testing, and an IUCN Green List User Manual and associated information management systems are in place. The IUCN Green List is strategically managed through a Leadership Team co-chaired by the GPAP Director and the nominee of the WCPA Chair; and is operationally managed through an Operations Team led by GPAP’s Community Manager for the IUCN Green List. 

WCPA has a critical role to play in the IUCN Green List as WCPA members are likely to play prominent roles in various elements of the IUCN Green List, including Expert Assessment Groups - Green List (EAGL) which provide the main expert scientific and technical assessments of candidate sites. EA+GL members who are not members of WCPA will be nominated to the WCPA Chair if they wish to become members. WCPA members are also likely to provide mentoring support for candidate sites. The Specialist Group will work closely with the Management Effectiveness Specialist Group, also Governance, Marine and other thematic specialist groups as relevant to the IUCN Green List.

More information about the IUCN Green List including Version 1.0 of the Standard and User Manual:
https://www.iucn.org/theme/protected-areas/our-work/iucn-green-list

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