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Why do we need a ‘Green List’?

The future of life on Earth depends on our efforts to nurture and protect nature. On land and in the seas, the impacts of population growth, industrialisation, production and consumption patterns are pushing our planet’s boundaries to the limit. We are threatening our very existence through an accelerated loss of ecosystems, wild species and natural processes. We are degrading terrestrial and marine ecosystems beyond recovery, and we are only just beginning to see the real impacts of the climate crisis.

However, we can hope for change, and dream of a greener future. There is already a strong community of men and women fighting against environmental loss in and around protected and conserved natural areas worldwide. They live in remote and wild areas, in the countryside, in cities, in forests, mountains and savannahs, along our coasts and on islands, and out into the seas and oceans.

What is a ‘Green Listed’ site?

A protected or conserved area that reaches the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ Green List Standard is certified and recognised as achieving ongoing results for people and nature in a fair and effective way. Any site can join, and work its way towards achieving verified success, and then maintain the Standard or further improve .

Any protected and conserved area that gains ‘Green List’ status demonstrates:

• Respect: for the local community through fair and meaningful engagement of rights-holders and stakeholders
• Design: planning that identifies the needs to secure  the important values of the area
• Effective management: monitoring of the status of these important values
• Successful conservation results: for nature and for people
• Clear contribution: to climate change responses, health and well-being and other challenges

Measuring success in more than just size

Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥, along with the United Nations Environment  – World Conservation Monitoring Centre, maintains a global database of protected and conserved areas. This database, accessible through , lists about 261,766 officially recognised protected areas, covering over 15% of the of the earth’s land surface and 7.4% of the world’s oceans. This figure is only the official record; there are many more conserved areas, such as indigenous peoples’ territories and privately conserved wild areas. Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ is working to identify and recognise  these areas and to bring their achievements into the global community of protected and conserved areas.

Yet, to address the mounting challenges to nature, and achieve a positive foundation for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, we need more than percentages and hectares or acres on a map. We need these conserved  areas to be vital signs of life. We need them to offer hope, regeneration, and good health. We depend on them for clean air, fresh water and rainfall, pollination, and spiritual sanctuary to people all over the world, in urban and in rural communities.