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List of largest protected areas

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Northeast Greenland National Park is the largest terrestrial protected area in the world.

The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is compiled and managed by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, an executive agency of the United Nations Environment Programme.[1] It uses the IUCN and CBD definitions of protected areas to determine whether a site should be included in the WDPA.[2] The extent to which each area and the resources within are protected can vary significantly.

The largest protected areas – those exceeding an area of 250,000 square kilometres – are listed below in order of total area protected.[3] All are marine protected areas except for Northeast Greenland National Park – which is mostly terrestrial but also has a marine component – and three entirely terrestrial biosphere reserves in Brazil. Protected areas with multiple coterminous or overlapping designations (e.g. Northeast Greenland National Park and the corresponding Biosphere Reserve) are listed only once.

Currently, Marae Moana is the largest protected area in the world with a total area larger than Mexico (1,964,375 km2).

Largest protected areas of the world

[edit]
Rank Name Country Location Size (km2) Year Ref
1 Marae Moana  Cook Islands Cook Islands 1,976,000 2017 [4]
2 French Southern Territories National Nature Reserve  France French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1,600,000 2016 [5]
3 Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area Antarctica Ross Sea 1,550,000 2016 [6][7]
4 Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument  United States Hawaii and Midway Atoll 1,508,846 2006 [8]
5 Natural Park of the Coral Sea  France New Caledonia 1,292,967 2014 [9]
6 Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument  United States Central Pacific Ocean 1,270,480 2009 [10]
7 South Georgia Marine Protected Area  United Kingdom South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 1,240,000 2012 [11]
8 Coral Sea Marine Park  Australia Coral Sea 989,836 2018 [12][13]
9 Protection zone around the French Southern Territories National Nature Reserve  France French Southern and Antarctic Lands 989,787 2017 [14]
10 Northeast Greenland National Park  Greenland Northeast Greenland 972,000 1974 [15]
11 Steller Sea Lion Protection Areas  United States Alaska 869,206 2002 [16]
12 Pitcairn Islands Marine Reserve  United Kingdom Pitcairn Islands 834,334 2016 [17]
13 British Indian Ocean Territory Marine Protected Area  United Kingdom British Indian Ocean Territory (disputed by Mauritius) 640,000 2010 [18]
14 Rapa Nui Marine and Coastal Protected Area  Chile Rapa Nui 579,368 2018 [19]
15 Palau National Marine Sanctuary  Palau Palau 502,538 2015 [20][21]
16 Kermadec Benthic Protection Area  New Zealand Kermadec Islands 469,276 2007
17 Ascension Exclusive Economic Zone  United Kingdom Ascension Island 440,000 2019 [22]
18 Phoenix Islands Protected Area  Kiribati Phoenix Islands 408,250 2006 [23]
19 Trindade and Martin Vaz Archipelago Environmental Protection Area  Brazil Trindade and Martin Vaz 403,848 2018 [24]
20 Pacific Biosphere Reserve  Mexico Eastern Pacific Ocean 390,091 2016 [25]
21 Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago Environmental Protection Area  Brazil Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago 384,565 2018 [26]
22 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park  Australia Great Barrier Reef 348,700 1981 [27]
23 Offshore Trap/Pot Waters Area  United States Western Atlantic Ocean 336,101 1997 [28]
24 Tuvaijuittuq Marine Protected Area  Canada Ellesmere Island 319,411 2019 [29]
25 Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park  Chile Desventuradas Islands 300,035 2016 [30][31]
26 Cerrado Biosphere Reserve  Brazil Goiás, Maranhão, Piauí, Tocantins, and Federal District 296,525 1994 [32]
27 Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve  Brazil Atlantic Forest (15 states) 294,734 1993 [33][34]
28 Pantanal Biosphere Reserve  Brazil Goiás, Mato Grosso, and Mato Grosso do Sul 251,569 2000 [35]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "World Database on Protected Areas". Protected Planet. UNEP-WCMC. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  2. ^ "World Database on Protected Areas User Manual 1.5" (PDF). Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC. 2017. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  3. ^ "October update of the WDPA". Protected Planet. UNEP-WCMC. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  4. ^ "Cook Islands Marine Park". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  5. ^ "Emmanuel Macron annonce l'extension de la réserve naturelle des Terres australes françaises, la deuxième plus grande au monde" (in French). French Overseas Ministry. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  6. ^ Slezak, Michael (2016-10-27). "World's largest marine park created in Ross Sea in Antarctica in landmark deal". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  7. ^ Trade, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and. "Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area". New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  8. ^ "Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  9. ^ "Natural Park of the Coral Sea". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  10. ^ "Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  11. ^ "South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  12. ^ "Coral Sea Marine Park Management Plan 2018" (PDF). Parks Australia. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  13. ^ "Coral Sea Marine Park Management Plan 2018" (PDF). Parks Australia. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  14. ^ "A very large Marine Protected Area is created in the Southern Ocean by France". Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  15. ^ "North-East Greenland". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  16. ^ "Steller Sea Lion Protection Measures". National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Regional Office. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  17. ^ "Pitcairn Islands Marine Reserve". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  18. ^ "British Indian Ocean Territory Marine Protected Area (Chagos)". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  19. ^ "Rapa Nui". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  20. ^ "Palau National Marine Sanctuary". Global Island Partnership. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  21. ^ "Palau National Marine Sanctuary". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  22. ^ "Ascension Exclusive Economic Zone". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  23. ^ "Phoenix Islands Protected Area". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  24. ^ "Área De Proteção Ambiental Do Arquipélago De Trindade E Martim Vaz". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  25. ^ "Four protected areas announced in Cancún". Mexico News Daily. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  26. ^ "Área De Proteção Ambiental Do Arquipélago De São Pedro E São Paulo". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  27. ^ "Commonwealth Marine Protected Areas by Type (2016) (refer 'Detailed list' tab for 'Great Barrier Reef' breakdown)". CAPAD 2016. Australian government. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  28. ^ "Offshore Trap/Pot Waters Area" (PDF). National Marine Fisheries Service, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  29. ^ Government of Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (2019-09-18). "Tuvaijuittuq Marine Protected Area (MPA)". www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  30. ^ "Chilean government officially decrees the creation of the Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park" (Press release). Santiago: Oceana. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  31. ^ "Nazca-Desventuradas". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  32. ^ "Cerrado Biosphere Reserve, Brazil". UNESCO. 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  33. ^ "UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  34. ^ "Mata Atlântica (including Sao Paulo Green Belt)". Protected Planet. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  35. ^ "Pantanal Biosphere Reserve, Brazil". UNESCO. 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
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