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September update on mountain protected areas

12.09.2017

Bursting with stories about newly inscribed World Heritage Sites, the construction of roads in wilderness areas, retreating glaciers and more, the 95th issue of the Mountain Protected Areas Update provides a glimpse into the world of mountains and mountain protected areas. This edition of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Mountains Specialist Group’s quarterly newsletter summarizes news and events from members of the Mountain Protected Areas Network, as well as submissions by various mountain enthusiasts and experts.

The newsletter opens with a message from Peter Jacobs, Chair WCPA Mountain Specialist Group, about the Group’s recent undertaking of identifying areas of high conservation value in mountains that are not adequately protected. He points out that a process to prioritize keys areas is being drafted and will be distributed for comment to those that contributed to the Mountains Workshop at the IUCN World Conservation Conference in 2016. Peter also invites members of the Mountain Protected Areas Network to consider becoming WCPA members if they are not already.

The update goes on to announce how four new World Heritage Sites were added to the World Heritage List, including two sites in mountainous regions: Los Alerces National Park in Argentina and Qinghai Hoh Xii in China. In an excerpt from an interview with sustainable tourism expert Tricia Barnett, Tricia provides five key insights and lessons that she learned about tourism from her career working in the industry. The highlights from such recent conferences as the International Congress of Páramo and Mountain Ecosystems in Colombia, the second Asia Protected Areas Partnership workshop in Japan and the International Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Forum in Kyrgyzstan are also described.

These stories and more are available in the 95th Mountain Protected Areas Update. For more information about what is happening in mountain protected areas globally, check out the IUCN WCPA Mountains Specialist Group’s website and publications.

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Photo: IUCN/Tilman Jaeger