Guidelines

The IUCN system for classifying protected areas distinguishes six management categories (I-VI). This publication aims to further clarify how they can be interpreted within Europe, in order to help protected areas managers and others concerned with protected areas to apply the IUCN system more consistently to ensure reliable categorisation and data gathering.

When making assessments at regional levels it is also particularly important to recognize that while IUCN Red List Categories reflect the relative extinction risk of species, the process of setting priorities for conservation actions may require several additional considerations. As a consequence, the following guidelines were produced to assist in the application of the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria at regional levels.

IUCN’s Protected Areas Management Categories, which classify protected areas according to their management objectives, are today accepted as the benchmark for defining, recording and classifying protected areas.They are recognized by international bodies such as the United Nations as well as many national governments. As a result, they are increasingly being incorporated into government legislation.

IUCN’s Protected Areas Management Categories, which classify protected areas according to their management objectives, are today accepted as the benchmark for defining, recording and classifying protected areas.They are recognized by international bodies such as the United Nations as well as many national governments. As a result, they are increasingly being incorporated into government legislation.

Biodiversity-related laws and institutions will be key mechanisms for attaining the objectives of the Convention on biological diversity. As part of the national biodiversty planning process, legal and institutional profiles should be undertaken to ascertain which laws apply to and affect biodiversity and which institutions oversee legislation and portfolios which intersect with biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and benefit-sharing of genetic resources.

Des zones importantes pour la conservation des oiseaux ainsi que des zones importantes pour les plantes ont déjà été identifiées dans plus de 170 pays. L’approche des Zones clés de la biodiversité se base sur le travail accompli jusqu’à ce jour, dans le but de prodiguer des conseils pratiques aux gouvernements dans l’identification des cites qui doivent être protégés pour assurer l’avenir à la fois de la biodiversité et de l’humanité.

The purpose of these guidelines is to update and expand the original guidelines on protected areas legislation published in 1980 and to reflect new developments and emerging issues. These developments include significant advances in international environmental law, and an improved scientific understanding of the role of protected areas in nature conservation, including conserving biodiversity, maintaining ecosystem functions and supporting sustainable development.

These guidelines were drafted by the Re-introduction Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission, and approved by the 41st Meeting of IUCN Council in May 1995. The definition of "re-introduction" is "an attempt to establish a species in an area which was once part of its historical range, but from which it has been extirpated or become extinct".

These guidelines were drafted by the Re-introduction Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission, and approved by the 41st Meeting of IUCN Council in May 1995. The definition of "re-introduction" is "an attempt to establish a species in an area which was once part of its historical range, but from which it has been extirpated or become extinct".