TM9 | Greening the Blue ... how the IUCN Green List for protected and conserved areas can help us meet the 30 x 30 objective

TM9

Greening the Blue ... how the IUCN Green List for protected and conserved areas can help us meet the 30 x 30 objective

Convener: Erwan Cherel | Co-convener: Jean-François Sys

Wed, 04 Jun, 09:00–10:00 (CEST)|Room 2

The Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) is a key moment for updating the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 14 in relation to those of the Kunming-Montreal Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Target 3 of the GBF, known as the 30x30 objective, aims to protect 30% of terrestrial, inland water, and of coastal and marine areas, but importantly also sets out essential qualitative elements that must be considered. Protected and conserved areas must be effectively managed, equitably governed and must achieve positive outcomes for biodiversity.

The IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas Standard is recognized and promoted by the CBD and the Barcelona Convention as a voluntary standard to measure protected area management effectiveness, contributing also to SDG 14. The associated Green List certification provides an independently assessed means of identifying those sites that meet the Green List Standard. As an evidence-based system, it helps protected and conserved areas improve or establish management plans, backed by guidance and metrics for governance, ecological integrity, long-term adaptive management strategy, . To date, 95 sites have been Green Listed, from 18 countries, while 379 sites from 48 countries are formally engaged in the certification process; in addition, many sites around the world are using the IUCN Green List Standard to improve their management and governance.

This session will present the Green List Standard, highlighting how it can streamline best practice to improve the management effectiveness of MPAs, but also of networks of marine protected and conserved areas, and provide a common reference to report on the qualitative elements of the CBD GBF Target 3. Case studies will illustrate the diversity of its application. The intended audience is the marine protected and conserved areas community as a whole, including representatives of governments, NGOs, Indigenous Peoples Organizations, researchers, the private sector and civil society.

The plenary discussion will enable panelists together with the audience to formulate draft recommendations for the “Nice Ocean Action Plan” on how the Green List Standard and associated certification programme can be promoted as a common framework to assess current MPA management effectiveness, guide improvement pathways towards an international standard, and support reporting against global goals such as SDG14 and CBD T3.