Cat Tien National Park targets to win IUCN Green List recognition

The IUCN Green List is a global initiative that aims to recognise and increase the number of protected and conserved areas which deliver long-lasting results for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

The IUCN Green List Standard is organised into four components: good governance, sound design and planning, effective management, and successful conservation outcomes. Progress is measured based on 17 criteria with 50 indicators.

Since the IUCN Green List Standard was launched at the 2014 IUCN World Conservation Congress, it has attracted the attention and participation of more than 60 countries around the world, as of 2022, with 77 certified protected areas from 18 countries worldwide having been Green-Listed.

Decision XIII/2 of the CBD directs to "Promote the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas as a voluntary standard to promote and encourage protected area management effectiveness".

Vietnam has made encouraging progress in biodiversity conservation, and joining the IUCN Green List demonstrates its commitment to a sustainable environment. After a two-year evaluation process, Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve is the first protected area in Southeast Asia to receive Green List certification.

Ten other protected areas in Vietnam have participated in the IUCN Green List, including the national parks of Cuc Phuong, Phong Nha-Ke Bang, Vu Quang, Bach Ma, Song Thanh, Bidoup-Nui Ba, Cat Tien, Pu Mat, and Con Dao; and the Dong Chau-Khe Nuoc Trong Natural Reserve.

Of them, Con Dao National Park and Pu Mat National Park are in the Registration and Application Phase, while the others are in the Candidate Phase.

Cat Tien National Park is now the closest to the Green List Phase. Covering an area of more than 82,000 hectares in the three provinces of Dong Nai, Lam Dong and Binh Phuoc, the park boasts a rich biodiversity site.

In 2001, the park was recognised by UNESCO as a World Biosphere reserved zone.

The park is home to 1,300 species of vascular plants, including 34 listed in the Vietnam Red Book, together with 77 mammals, 318 birds, 58 reptiles, 28 amphibians and 130 fish.

Participants at a panel discussion on the IUCN Green List in Vietnam, which was held at Cat Tien National Park on January 18, 2024 (Photo: tuoitrenews.vn)

At the meetings of the National Expert Assessment Group for Green List (EAGL) in Vietnam in April and September 2023, the Cat Tien National Park dossier was carefully reviewed and all EAGL experts approved the decision to nominate it to the Green List Phase.

An independent appraisal agency approved the application in December 2023 and submitted it to the Green List Committee for final assessment and granting Green List status.

According to Annie Wallace, Director of USAID/Vietnam Office of Climate Change, Energy and Environment, USAID biodiversity conservation programmes in Vietnam are supporting protected areas that exhibit good examples of management - like those outlined in the IUCN Green List standard - along with conservation best practices and initiatives.

She revealed that the recent camera trap survey shows good results in Cat Tien, and it demonstrates that long-term investments in improving the management of protected areas yield conservation results, which is why the US Mission to Vietnam through USAID is partnering with Cat Tien throughout the Green List assessment process.

"USAID intends to continue to support candidate sites to obtain Green List status to demonstrate effective management and Green List standard applicability," she stated.

Meanwhile, the Director of Cat Tien National Park, Pham Xuan Thinh, stated: "While awaiting results from the international IUCN committee, we commit to consistently implementing comprehensive conservation measures and tirelessly striving to meet the rigorous criteria set by the Green List."

"Our goal is to become one of the models of international standards in sustainable management and biodiversity protection," he asserted.

(Source: NDO)