Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve is the first protected area in Southeast Asia to receive Green List certification. (Photo: thiennhienmoitruong.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – Ten protected areas in Vietnam have participated in The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’sGreen List of Protected and Conserved Areas (IUCN Green List) which is a set ofglobal standards on successful conservation.
The IUCN Green List Standard is a unique and holisticapproach to nature conservation, it examines protected and conserved areasacross several components covering governance and equity, design and planningand management effectiveness.
The ten areas are the national parks of Cuc Phuong, Phong Nha-Ke Bang, Vu Quang, Bach Ma, Song Thanh, Bidoup-Nui Ba, Cat Tien, Pu Mat, and Con Dao; and the Dong Chau-Khe Nuoc Trong Natural Reserve.
Of them, Con Dao National Park and Pu Mat National Park are in the Registration and Application Phase, while the others are in the Candidate Phase.
Cat Tien National Park is now closest to the Green List Phase.Biodiversity monitoring has been conducted in the protected area since theearly 2000s, with data on important species populations such as birds,primates, deer, and crocodiles collected.
At the meetings of the National Expert Assessment Group forGreen List (EAGL) in Vietnam in April and September 2023, the Cat Tien NationalPark dossier was carefully reviewed and all EAGL experts approved the decisionto nominate it to the Green List Phase. An independent appraisal agencyapproved the application in December 2023 and submitted it to the Green ListCommittee for final assessment and granting Green List status.
Pham Xuan Thinh, Director of Cat Tien National Park, saidthat not every national park or conservation area can meet the Green Liststandards.
A difficulty in building the dossier is how to prove thearea’s biodiversity, he said, adding the national park staff worked withdomestic and foreign scientists to complete the dossier over a long period.
“While waiting for the results from the IUCN, wecommit to continued implementation of comprehensive conservation measures and efforts to meet the strict criteria set by the Green List, to become one of theexamples that meet international standards for sustainable management andbiodiversity protection," Thinh said.
According to the assessment of the United States Agency forInternational Development (USAID), Vietnam has made encouraging progress inbiodiversity conservation and joining the IUCN Green List demonstrates itscommitment to a sustainable environment. After a two-year evaluation process,Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve is the first protected area in Southeast Asiato receive Green List certification./.
