IUCN World Parks Congress
The World Parks Congress (WPC) is the major global forum for protected areas.
Participants refine policies on protected area policy, share experience about protected areas, and plan future developments
© WWF / Mauri RAUTKARI
Occurs every 10 years
The congress takes place every ten years and is run by IUCN - the World Conservation Union and its World Commission on Protected Areas. WWF supports the World Parks Congress and recognizes its critical role in global conservation policy.
Why is a meeting on protected areas important?
Over the last 130 years, over 100,000 protected areas (national parks, sanctuaries, reserves, etc) have been established, covering some 12% of the Earth’s surface — more than India and China put together.
These areas are extremely important.
They give refuges for biodiversity; provide essential environmental services; maintain natural resources; shelter local cultures and spiritual sites; mitigate against long-term global threats like climate change; reduce border tensions; help reduce poverty; and provide economic benefits.
Areas remain under threat
But despite this, the world’s natural areas remain under threat. There are several reasons for this. One is that some protected areas are not well managed. Another is that many habitats are not well represented in the current network of protected areas, including open seas and coastal areas, marshes and swamps, mangroves, grasslands, and temperate forests.
There are also several long-term global threats to protected areas, including climate change, continued conversion of natural habitat, and diversion of water from rivers and other freshwater systems.
On top of this, there is not always enough support from governments, development agencies, business and industry, and sometimes local communities to ensure the long-term success of some protected areas.
A forum for solutions
The WPC provides a place where these problems can be discussed, with solutions implemented into future planning for protected areas.
