The massive reserve, covering more than 5 million acres of rainforest, is a central piece of Brazil’s Amazon conservation efforts and has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Arguably the most biologically diverse spot on Earth, it remains the South American nation’s largest national park. It is within the claimed ancestral territory of the Huaorani Indigenous people and is home to two uncontacted Indigenous tribes.
CITES is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of international trade. It is now one of the largest and oldest conservation and sustainable use agreements in existence.
Earth Day was the brainchild of U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, a staunch environmentalist who hoped to provide unity to the grassroots environmental movement and increase ecological awareness.
Now known as Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the park was established to protect forest habitats for local gorilla populations. In 1979, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Situated in a region deeply impacted by the effects of war and armed conflict for over 20 years, Virunga is now protected by a dedicated team of 689 rangers. These rangers go through intensive training, risking their lives on a daily basis to safeguard the Parkâs exceptional wildlife.
Although individual countries designate their own national parks differently, there is a common idea: the conservation of ‘wild nature’ for posterity and as a symbol of national pride. As of 2023, there are over 6500 national parks worldwide.
The conservation movement can be traced back to Sylva, one of the most highly influential texts on forestry ever published.
