About A-Z
The A to Z is a glossary of various important systems to assign and protect areas for biodiversity conservation. It is designed to be a useful reference to all sectors, specially to help business decision making to avoid and minimise impacts on biodiversity from commercial operations by providing relevant information about these areas of biodiversity importance.
The guide contains detailed information for a number of recognised systems to prioritise and protect areas of biodiversity importance that fall into two main categories: areas under protected area frameworks that are supported by national or sub-national institutions as well as international conventions and programmes, and global prioritisation schemes that are developed by academic and conservation organisations.
For each type of area, the guide provides a brief description along with helpful facts on geographical coverage and scale, the criteria and objectives behind their identification, management related information, and links to other sources of information and tools of relevance for each area. In addition, information is given on the business relevance of each type of area, focusing on legal recognition and protection, business compliance requirements, and the biodiversity and socio-cultural value and sensitivity of each area.
The information contained in this guide is drawn from various sources including the official documents of international conventions, reports from a number of relevant international organisations, and academic publications. Users of the guide are encouraged to contact businessandbiodiversity@unep-wcmc.org with suggestions for additions, corrections or improvements to the information provided.
