Officially launched in November 2014 at the IUCN World Parks Congress in Sydney, the Green List is the first global standard of good practices for protected areas. So far, eight countries are established as partners with IUCN and have 'Green List' protected areas, while 20 still wait for the nod. India has so far not become a partner in the initiative, in which China and nations from Europe, Africa and South America are active members.
India hosts several wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, but unfortunately, only a handful of these meet the criteria for inclusion in the Green List. "Of 58 reserves evaluated, only nine (16 per cent) would possibly meet the IUCN Green List criteria, but many (a further 38 per cent) could reach this level with some targeted improvements in performance," said James Hardcastle of IUCN's Global Protected Areas Programme. Remarking that 14 per cent of the assessed areas lacked purely in terms of management, Hardcastle said that IUCN wished to collaborate with the nation on using the Green List standard to improve the implementation of conservation efforts.
A total of six Chinese national parks already have a mention on the IUCN Green List, Hardcastle said, adding, "India is not included simply because it has not stepped forward as a partner with IUCN in this initiative. That is normal, as the initiative is new. With more awareness and some promotion in the county, it could perhaps be a new collaboration."
The Green List will recognise and reward the best practices and results in the field, thus boosting the confidence and morale of all those associated with it.
Source: The Economic Times
