It’s inspiring hope and change – but what is the IUCN’s green list?

The red list of species at risk is well-known, but the list for protected sites is quietly helping to ‘paint the planet green’

When Kawésqar national park was formed in the Chilean part of Patagonia in 2019, just one ranger was responsible for an expanse the size of Belgium. Its fjords, forests and Andean peaks are a precious wilderness – one of the few remaining ecosystems undamaged by human activity, alongside parts of the Amazon, the Sahara and eastern Siberia.

Chilean officials hope that Kawésqar will, one day, meet the high standards for protected areas laid out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and make it on to the organisation’s “green list”.

Conservation is often about red lists, threats and potential extinctions. This is the opposite

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has drafted a document that outlines nature commitments until 2030. One of the key features of the pledge – which is set to be agreed on next year – is to protect 30% of the planet by 2030 in a bid to halt global biodiversity loss. This would mean approximately doubling the current amount of protected land and quadrupling the size of marine protected areas.

I am convinced you cannot have protected areas if the people in and around them don’t benefit

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