Pu Mat National Park in Nghe An Province joined the IUCN Green List in 2016 (Photo: VNA)

The IUCN Green List of Protected and Conservation Areas is a set of global conservation standards, tailored to each country or region where the program is adopted. The first step for a site to achieve “Green List” status is a voluntary commitment to the program. Once admitted as a candidate, the site begins a phase of independent assessment. When a candidate site is awarded ‘Green List’ status, the management is given a certificate. The site will then have the right to use the program’s mark and logo, and will be recognized and promoted by IUCN as a global conservation model.

Nguyen Manh Ha, chief of Vietnam’s Expert Green List Assessment Group, says Vietnam has been a member of the Green List program since 2016, following approval by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. 4 sites in Vietnam have achieved the Green List status - the Van Long Nature Reserve in Ninh Binh province, Con Dao National Park in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, Cat Tien National Park in Dong Nai province, and Pu Mat National Park in Nghe An province.

The two organizations held a second workshop on Wednesday in Hanoi on the management of conservation areas in Vietnam. At the workshop, participants were introduced to current governance models in Vietnam, including a community-based forest protection and livelihoods development model in Thai Nguyen and Thanh Hoa, Ha Giang’s efforts to build a local conservation area, and a community-based program to save the Delacour langur in Ha Nam.