State of the World's Protected Areas at the End of the 20th Century *

Protected areas are widely held to be among the most effective means of conserving biological diversity in situ. A considerable amount of resources has been invested in their establishment over the last century or more, with the result that most countries have established or, at least, planned national systems of protected areas. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the extent of the world’s protected areas globally and regionally and to consider options for their further strengthening and development during the 21st century.