International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines a protected area as:
"A clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values."
A large number of kinds of protected area exist, which vary by level of protection and by the enabling laws of each country or rules of international organization. Examples include parks, nature reserves, world heritage sites, wildlife sanctuaries & marine protected areas. There are over 147,000 protected areas in the world with more added daily, representing a total area of 19,300,000 km2 (7,500,000 sq mi), or over 13 percent of the world's land surface area, greater than the entire land mass of Africa!
Do you want to know what areas they cover? What species and ecosystems are they protecting? Now you can explore most beautiful parts of the globe from the comfort of your own home on the World Database on Protected Areas. Moreover, you can contribute information about protected areas alongside national agencies and international organisations on http://protectedplanet.net/
Sources:
http://www.protectedplanet.net/
IUCN (2010) Protected Areas - what are they, why have them?
Bradshaw, CJA (2010) Failure of the CBD 2010 targets. Conservationbytes.com
"Conservation Refugees" by Mark Dowie. First published in Orion, November/December 2005. Re-published in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2006
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