The IUCN Green List Standard is a unique and holistic approach to nature conservation, it examines protected and conserved areas across several components covering governance and equity, design and planning and management effectiveness.

The ten areas are 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 closest to the Green List Phase. Biodiversity monitoring has been conducted in the protected area since the early 2000s, with data on important species populations such as birds, primates, deer, and crocodiles collected.

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.

Pham Xuan Thinh, Director of Cat Tien National Park, said that not every national park or conservation area can meet the Green List standards.

A difficulty in building the dossier is how to prove the area’s biodiversity, he said, adding the national park staff worked with domestic and foreign scientists to complete the dossier over a long period.

“While waiting for the results from the IUCN, we commit to continued implementation of comprehensive conservation measures and efforts to meet the strict criteria set by the Green List, to become one of the examples that meet international standards for sustainable management and biodiversity protection," Thinh said.

According to the assessment of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), 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./.VNA