Figures published c. 2005 by the World Bank. The Millennium Development Goals program concluded in 2015; this site is preserved as a historical record.
Target 9. Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources.
Habitat conservation is vital for stemming the decline in biodiversity. The establishment of protected areas is an important mechanism for achieving this aim. Some areas, such as scientific reserves, are maintained in their natural state and closed to extractive use. Others are partially protected and may be used for recreation or tourism.
In addition to protecting biodiversity, protected areas have become places of high social and economic value: supporting local livelihoods; protecting watersheds from erosion; harboring an untold wealth of genetic resources; supporting thriving recreation and tourism industries; providing for science, research and education; and forming a basis for cultural and other non-material values. These values continue to grow in importance.
Protected areas, both terrestrial and marine, are totaled and expressed as a percentage of the total surface area of the country. The total surface area of the country includes terrestrial area plus any territorial sea area (up to 12 nautical miles).
Data are collected by environment and other ministries responsible for the designation and maintenance of protected areas. Data are stored in the World Database on Protected Areas and can be accessed at http://sea.unep-wcmc.org/wdbpa/UN.cfm.
World Database on Protected Areas, United Nations Environment Programme–World Conversation Monitoring Centre (sea.unep-wcmc.org/wdbpa/UN.cfm).
Indicators of Sustainable Development: Guidelines and Methodologies, 2001 , United Nations Division for Sustainable Development (www.un.org/esa/sustdev/natlinfo/indicators/isd.htm).
Gender and Biodiversity , Tipsheet, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/Development Assistance Committee ( www.oecd.org ).
Data are constantly updated in the World Database on Protected Areas as new information is received from countries.
Mainstream agricultural, environmental and related policies and programs tend to see farmers as men. They often fail to recognize women’s work, knowledge, contributions and needs. This has important consequences for biodiversity as well as gender equality.
The designation of an area as protected is not confirmation that protection measures are actually in force. The indicator provides a measure of governments’ will to protect biodiversity. It does not measure the effectiveness of policy tools in reducing biodiversity loss, which ultimately depends on a range of management and implementation factors not covered by the indicator.
The indicator provides no information on areas not designated as protected, but which may also be important for conserving biodiversity.
The data also do not include sites protected under local or provincial law (World Conservation Monitoring Center, Protected Areas Data Unit).