List of largest protected areas

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Northeast Greenland National Park is the largest terrestrial protected area in the world. Ymers Island(js)5.jpg
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

RankNameCountryLocationSize (km2)YearRef
1 Marae Moana Flag of the Cook Islands.svg  Cook Islands Cook Islands 1,976,0002017 [4]
2 French Southern Territories National Nature Reserve Flag of France.svg  France French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1,600,0002016 [5]
3 Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area Flag of the Antarctic Treaty.svg Antarctica Ross Sea 1,550,0002016 [6] [7]
4 Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Flag of the United States.svg  United States Hawaii and Midway Atoll 1,508,8462006 [8]
5 Natural Park of the Coral Sea Flag of France.svg  France New Caledonia 1,292,9672014 [9]
6 Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Flag of the United States.svg  United States Central Pacific Ocean 1,270,4802009 [10]
7 South Georgia Marine Protected Area Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 1,240,0002012 [11]
8 Coral Sea Marine Park Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Coral Sea 989,8362018 [12] [13]
9Protection zone around the French Southern Territories National Nature Reserve Flag of France.svg  France French Southern and Antarctic Lands 989,7872017 [14]
10 Northeast Greenland National Park Flag of Greenland.svg  Greenland Northeast Greenland 972,0001974 [15]
11 Steller Sea Lion Protection Areas Flag of the United States.svg  United States Alaska 869,2062002 [16]
12 Pitcairn Islands Marine Reserve Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Pitcairn Islands 834,3342016 [17]
13 British Indian Ocean Territory Marine Protected Area Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom British Indian Ocean Territory (disputed by Mauritius)640,0002010 [18]
14 Rapa Nui Marine and Coastal Protected Area Flag of Chile.svg  Chile Rapa Nui 579,3682018 [19]
15 Palau National Marine Sanctuary Flag of Palau.svg  Palau Palau 502,5382015 [20] [21]
16 Kermadec Benthic Protection Area Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Kermadec Islands 469,2762007
17 Ascension Exclusive Economic Zone Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Ascension Island 440,0002019 [22]
18 Phoenix Islands Protected Area Flag of Kiribati.svg  Kiribati Phoenix Islands 408,2502006 [23]
19 Trindade and Martin Vaz Archipelago Environmental Protection Area Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Trindade and Martin Vaz 403,8482018 [24]
20 Pacific Biosphere Reserve Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico Eastern Pacific Ocean 390,0912016 [25]
21 Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago Environmental Protection Area Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago 384,5652018 [26]
22 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Great Barrier Reef 348,7001981 [27]
23 Offshore Trap/Pot Waters Area Flag of the United States.svg  United States Western Atlantic Ocean 336,1011997 [28]
24 Tuvaijuittuq Marine Protected Area Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Ellesmere Island 319,4112019 [29]
25 Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park Flag of Chile.svg  Chile Desventuradas Islands 300,0352016 [30] [31]
26 Cerrado Biosphere Reserve Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Goiás, Maranhão, Piauí, Tocantins, and Federal District 296,5251994 [32]
27 Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Atlantic Forest (15 states)294,7341993 [33] [34]
28 Pantanal Biosphere Reserve Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Goiás, Mato Grosso, and Mato Grosso do Sul 251,5692000 [35]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protected area</span> Areas protected for having ecological or cultural importance

Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources is limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine protected area</span> Protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or large lakes

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are protected areas of the world's seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conservation purpose, typically to protect natural or cultural resources. Such marine resources are protected by local, state, territorial, native, regional, national, or international authorities and differ substantially among and between nations. This variation includes different limitations on development, fishing practices, fishing seasons and catch limits, moorings and bans on removing or disrupting marine life. In some situations, MPAs also provide revenue for countries, potentially equal to the income that they would have if they were to grant companies permissions to fish. The value of MPA to mobile species is unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protected areas of Canada</span> Areas protected for conservation or historical reasons

Protected areas of Canada consist of approximately 12.1 percent of the nation's landmass and freshwater are considered conservation areas, including 11.4 percent designated as protected areas. Approximately 13.8 percent of Canada's territorial waters are conserved, including 8.9 percent designated as protected areas. Terrestrial areas conserved have increased by 65 percent in the 21st century, while marine areas conserved have increased by more than 3,800 percent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve</span> Biosphere reserve in Jalisco, Mexico

The Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve is a biosphere reserve on the Pacific coast of the Mexican state of Jalisco. The park was founded in 1993 and covers 131.42 square kilometres in La Huerta Municipality. The land is mountainous and contains dry tropical forest and rolling hills and alluvial plains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isla Espíritu Santo</span> Island in Baja California Sur, Mexico

Isla Espíritu Santo is an uninhabited island in the Gulf of California, off the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It is separated from Isla Partida by a narrow canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indigenous Protected Area</span> Area of land or sea in Australia managed by traditional owners

An Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) is a class of protected area used in Australia; each is formed by voluntary agreement with Indigenous Australians, and declared by Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander representative organisations. Each is formally recognised by the Australian Government as being part of its National Reserve System. The areas may comprise land and sea, and are managed by Indigenous groups for the conservation of biodiversity. Managing IPAs also helps to protect the cultural values of their country for future generations, and has benefits for Indigenous health, education, economic and social cohesion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trifinio Fraternidad Transboundary Biosphere Reserve</span> Protected area in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras

The Trifinio Fraternidad Transboundary Biosphere Reserve is a transboundary protected area located where the borders of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras meet. It protects the Montecristo massif and its cloud forests across the three countries' borders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kep National Park</span> Cambodian national park

Kep National Park is a national park in Cambodia's Kep Province that was established in 1993 and covers an area of 11.52 km2 (4.45 sq mi). The nearest town lies at Kep.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nature reserves in Jordan</span>

There are at least seven nature reserves in Jordan. In 1966, the organization that would later start Jordan's nature reserves, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, was founded. RSCN's first efforts involved bringing back severely endangered species. In 1973, RSCN, was given the right to issue hunting licenses, giving RSCN an upper hand in preventing extinction. The first step was the founding of Jordan's first nature reserve, Shaumari Wildlife Reserve, in 1975. The primary purpose was to create means to breed endangered species, specifically: the Arabian oryx, gazelles, ostriches and Persian onagers in their natural environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abashiri Quasi-National Park</span> Protected area in Japan

Abashiri Quasi-National Park is a quasi-national park in Japan. The park protects the waters and surrounding coastline of the lakes and lagoons along the Sea of Okhotsk on Hokkaidō. This includes such lakes as Lake Abashiri and Lake Notoro as well as Lake Tōfutsu and Lake Saroma. Lake Saroma is the fourth largest lake in Japan. Most of the park lies within the limits of Abashiri in Abashiri Subprefecture of northeastern Hokkaidō.

Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru Kaigan Quasi-National Park is a quasi-national park in the Shiribeshi Subprefecture of Hokkaido, Japan. On the coast of the Sea of Japan, there is a Marine Protected Area covering the west and north coast of Shakotan peninsula from Kamoenai to Otaru. The park also protects the area around the Mount Raiden and Niseko Volcanic Groups. Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru Kaigan Quasi-National Park was established in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Database on Protected Areas</span>

The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the largest assembly of data on the world's terrestrial and marine protected areas, containing more than 260,000 protected areas as of August 2020, with records covering 245 countries and territories throughout the world. The WDPA is a joint venture between the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre and the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Commission on Protected Areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protected areas of Albania</span>

Despite being a relatively small country, Albania is exceedingly rich in biodiversity. Its ecosystems and habitats support over 5,550 species of vascular and non-vascular plants and more than 15,600 species of coniferous and non-coniferous evergreens, most of which are threatened at global and European levels. The country has made recent efforts to expand its network of protected areas which now include: 11 national parks, 1 marine park, 718 nature monuments, 23 managed nature reserves, 11 protected landscapes, 4 World Heritage Sites, 4 Ramsar sites and other protected areas of various categories, that when combined, account for 21.36% of the territory. Furthermore, a biosphere reserve, 45 important plant areas and 16 important bird areas are found in the country.

La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve situated in the Pacific Coastal Lowlands physiographic region of Mexico. It covers 144,848 hectares (559.26 sq mi) stretching over six municipalities in the Costa de Chiapas. It is composed of two large coastal lagoon systems that correspond to two core areas, and a wide variety of natural ecosystems including mangroves, zapotonales, tule swamps and marshes, as well as patches of tropical seasonal forest, coastal dunes and palm trees.

The biosphere reserves of Mexico are protected natural areas. Some are designated by the national government, while others are internationally designated by UNESCO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve</span> Nature reserve in Mexico

El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve is a biosphere reserve in southern Mexico. It is in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas in southern Chiapas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protected areas of Kiribati</span> Protected areas in Kiribati

Protected areas of Kiribati include marine protected areas managed by the Environment and Conservation Division, of the Kiribati Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agricultural Development. Kiribati, in partnership with the New England Aquarium and Conservation International (CI), manages the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), which is a World Heritage Site that was established in 2006, and is the second largest of the world's marine protected areas. The U.S. administered Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument is currently the world's largest designated marine protected area (MPA), and is to the north and north-east of the PIPA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protected areas of Tuvalu</span> Protected areas in Tuvalu

Protected areas of Tuvalu consist of protected areas located within the central Pacific country of Tuvalu and its territorial waters. One such area is the Funafuti Conservation Area, which is a marine protected area on the western reef area of Funafuti atoll.

References

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  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.