IUCN protected area categories
IUCN protected area categories, or IUCN protected area management categories, are categories used to classify protected areas in a system developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Serengeti National Park, Tanzania is a designated Category II area
Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec, Canada
The Galápagos, Ecuador, is managed under category IV to preserve the islands' native flora and fauna
Satellite image of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia
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.
Strict nature reserve Belianske Tatras in Slovakia
Black Opal Spring in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Yellowstone, the world's second official protected area (after Mongolia's Bogd Khan Mountain), was declared a protected area in 1872, and it encompasses areas which are classified as both a National Park (Category II) and a Habitat Management Area (Category IV).
Schweizerischer National Park in the Swiss Alps is a Strict Nature Reserve (Category Ia).
The Jaldapara National Park in West Bengal, India, is a Habitat Management Area (Category IV).
