IUCN Med supported the set up and training of Italy’s new Expert Assessment Group for Green List (EAGL) this April. An EAGL is a group of expert assessors with the task to assess and verify, based on documentary evidence provided by the applicant and following IUCN methodology, the candidatures presented by protected areas interested in joining the Green List. Selected through an open call, the experts must have experience with protected areas’ management. Once the experts are selected, the group receives a training on the Green Lists standards by IUCN. IUCN Med’s Green List team is currently supporting the Green List processes in Italy, Spain and the Maghreb, and is collaborating with other regional IUCN offices to support further countries.

In Italy, there are already three National Parks on the Global Green List: the Gran Paradiso National Park, the Arcipelago Toscano National Park, and the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona and Campigna National Park. With the launch of Italy’s second EAGL now more sites can be green listed.

The Green List is an IUCN initiative which was launched in 2014 during the IUCN World Park Congress, in Sydney. The aim of this international list is to recognise and promote fairly and effectively managed protected areas on a global scale. Through this recognition IUCN hopes to encourage protected areas to verify, improve and maintain their performance through the application of globally consistent criteria that identify benchmarks with respect to: (i) governance, (ii) planning, (iii) effective management and, (iv) success of conservation actions. These standards were defined at a global level, but are adapted to the context and specificities of each country to offer the fairest assessment. Supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF), the Green List initiative hopes to support the implementation of the new Global Biodiversity Framework Targets and the 30x30 ambitions to secure biodiversity and climate benefits.

If interested in applying for the Green List, the process involves several key steps. The organisation overseeing the application must submit the form. Before completion, thorough review of IUCN's guidelines is essential (the latest versions of the ´IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas Standard´, the ´Generic Indicators´, and site-relevant sections of the ´IUCN Green List User Manual´ ‘IUCN Green List User Manual’). The form requests general site information and a brief description. While applications can be in the local language, key details must be translated into English. Find more information on the application process on the Green list website.

To submit an application to the Green List CLICK HERE