In summary, 9,832 sites qualify for inclusion. However, the WCMC protected areas database includes summary data on more than 37,000 sites, many of which fall below the 1,000ha minumum size criterion. Thus, only a relatively small proportion of the world's protected areas are listed, and the absence of a country from the UN List does not indicate there are no protected areas in that country.

The 1993 UN List is the fourth to be prepared jointly by WCMC and CNPPA, and, as with the previous three lists (published in 1982, 1985 and 1990), there has been a considerable expansion in thelist - despite the fact that the criteria for inclusion have remained largely unchanged. While there have been some significant extensions to protected areas networks, much of the expansion of the list is due to improvements in available information, and improvements in our ability to collect and manage it. It is important to bear this in mind when using the list.

Layout of the UN List

Compilation of the UN List

Copies of the revised lists were then sent to the CNPPA Regional Vice-Chairs for review, as well as to the IUCN Secretariat. The responses of national management authorities varied considerably. In total, some 445 requests were made. In the case of federal nations, for example the United States, requests were sent to individual state authorities and in instances where more than one agency is responsible for protected areas, multiple requests were sent to the same country. By October 1993, 226 responses had been received, 49% of the total. The rate of response was best in Australia with an 88% response and poorest in Francophone Africa, with only 18% response. In the event that no information was received from official sources, data were taken, where possible, from published material and other sources.

As detailed above, information for the new UN List was gathered from management agencies during the course of 1993. Part of this exercise included providing summary text for each agency, briefly describing the then current IUCN Management Category System, with a request that the appropriate category be applied to each site (a summary of this category system is provided at the end of thisintroduction). The information presented in the 1993 UN List has been classified according to this category system which was in place at the time of data collection.

In mid-1993, a new protected areas management category system was approved by the IUCN Council, on the advice of CNPPA following review at the 1992 Forth World Congress on National Parks and Protected Areas at Caracas. This new system is introduced through the 1994 IUCN publication 'Guidelines for Protected Area Management Categories'. Subsequent editions of the UN List will be classified according to this new system.

Accuracy and quality of information

The quality of the information used to compile the UN List is very variable, and information on management effectiveness is still lacking for a number of countries. While the vast majority of the national parks which meet the relevant criteria are listed, information on the other categories of protected area is still incomplete, and much more information is necessary before we can be confident we are providing complete lists of areas in every management category. Three important sectors, forestry, private and indigenous, have not been included in the UN List, either because their areas do not meet the criteria or because available information is incomplete. Nevertheless, the contribution of these three sectors to conservation and sustainable development is considerable.

Managed areas in the forestry sector cover over 10% of the tropics, according to data collected by WCMC. Throughout the tropics, forestry policy is undergoing substantial change, with increased emphasis being placed on a balanced approach to sustainable production and conservation. However, there is still much to be achieved, and a need in many countries to properly assess the conservation value of the forest estate. Following initial review of forest reserves in tropical forest countries, carried out with the support of the UK Overseas Development Administration, WCMC is seeking to continue systematically reviewing the forest reserve systems of all countries to help assess their contribution to nature conservation objectives.

There is some debate on ethical as well as practical grounds as to what extent indigenous areas can be regarded as conservation areas. The importance of these areas for nature conservation cannot be denied, as indigenous areas collectively cover an area the size of Australia, and those areas which have been designated correlate strongly with areas of biological richness. For example Colombia has ceded over 25% of its territory to indigenous peoples, most of this in biologically diverse tropical forest regions. As conservationists are increasingly required to enter into dialogue with indigenous peoples over the joint conservation of cultural and biological diversity, information on indigenous areas will become more important.

Unlike the areas which fall within the other two sectors, private protected areas are not usually significant in terms of the area they cover, but they are important because of the quality of management and degree of protection afforded to them. Private areas include those areas administered by foundations and private enterprise, as well as those established and run by communities themselves. Excellent examples of private initiatives which support and complement state systems abound: The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the UK. The Nature Conservancy in North America, the Fundacion Moisés Bertoni in Paraguay and the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature in Jordan. Private protected areas are set to increase in importance, particularly in tropical countries, where state resources are very limited.

The 1993 UN List undoubtedly includes mistakes and omissions, but it is hoped that these will stimulate ever more accurate information. The responsibility for errors and oversights rests with the compilers, and corrections or updates should be communicated to the:

Protected Areas Programme
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre
219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1223 277314
Fax: +44 (0)1223 277136
email:jerry.harrison@unep-wcmc.org

Acknowledgements

Compilation has been actively supported by CNPPA, and in particular by the officers of the Commission, and Dr James Thorsell, Caroline Martinet, Jeff McNeely and David Sheppard of the IUCN Secretariat.

The list was prepared for publication by Elaine Shaughnessy and Anne Rodford of the IUCN Publication Services Unit.

Additional financial support was provided by the United Nations Environment Programme.

Finally, many individuals in protected areas management agencies and elsewhere in each country have provided information which has been used in compiling this list. Without this input, the list could not have been completed.