ABSTRACT
Protected areas (PAs) are arguably the most common and highest-profile conservation policy worldwide. PAs are used for both terrestrial and marine conservation. The IUCN defines six main categories of PAs. The six categories are: strict nature reserve, wilderness area, national park, natural monument, habitat or species management area, protected landscape or seascape and managed resource. These types are often grouped into two meta-categories: 'strictly' protected areas and 'mixed-use' areas. For at least 20 years, the international conservation community has had a goal of protecting 10 percent of terrestrial and marine territory. This goal pertains to the world as a whole, individual countries, and biomes within countries. As a region, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have led the developing world in PA coverage for several decades. As early as 1990, at the start of a period of rapid global expansion, LAC PAs encompassed 10 percent of the region's terrestrial area versus 9 percent for the entire developing world.
