IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA)

The IUCN system for classifying protected areas distinguishes six management categories (I-VI).

It is sometimes assumed that protected areas must be in conflict with the rights and traditions of indigenous and other traditional peoples on their domains.

This publication deals in two distinct parts with the status of our natural resources on the high-seas (approximately 50 per cent of the Earth's surface) which contain open-access common resources.

It is sometimes assumed that protected areas must be in conflict with the rights and traditions of indigenous and other traditional peoples on their domains.

Arbritary national boundaries do not define the extent of landscapes and ecosystems worthy of protection. They do, however, influence the quality of nature conservation as this is affected by differences in national legislation on different sides of the border.

Creation and effective management of marine protected areas (MPAs) have lagged behind those of protected areas on land, but they are just as important. The world urgently needs a comprehensive system of MPAs to conserve biodiversity and to help rebuild the productivity of the oceans.

This landmark publication builds on previous work between IUCN/WCPA and the European Commission and addresses the key protected area policy issues and needs of the ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) countries.

The South Asia Regional Action Plan was prepared through a collective effort by all countries in the region, and represents an agreed view of regional priorities, addressing such topics as training, transboundary protected areas and community involvements in protected areas management.

Assesses the role of the MAB Programme in promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, based on the outcome of a workshop held at the 1st World Conservation Congress, 1996. Included are several key papers which demonstrate experiences from around the world.

This new edition reveals a global network of over 30,000 protected areas designated under national legislation which covers 13.2 million square kilometres of land, freshwater and sea, an area larger than Canada, and accounts for nearly 8 per cent of the world's land area, as well as 1.5 million s

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is widely recognised as one of Africa's longest-standing experiments in multiple land-use promoting both natural resource conservation and pastoral development in northern Tanzania.