Ngerukewid Islands Wildlife Sanctuary in Palau,also known as Seventy Islands

        Photograph: Peter Valentine

        Protected Areas
        Virtual Library

        Introduction

        Throughout the world, national governments have established systems of national parks and other types of protected area to fulfil a broad range of needs. Information available on these systems varies widely from country to country, but increasingly information is becoming available through electronic media.

        Using the Internet, it is possible to create an interlocking network of these information sources with access from one 'interface' or page. This information service has been developed to capture references to protected areas information currently available on the Internet to assist protected area professionals in their work.

        Contents

        Background

        The Protected Areas Virtual Library was developed by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, working in close collaboration with the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas.

        • The World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) provides information services on the conservation and sustainable use of species and ecosystems, and supports others in the development of their own information management services. WCMC is a joint venture between IUCN - The World Conservation Union, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

        • The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (previously the Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas) is the leading international scientific and technical body concerned with the selection, establishment and man agement of national parks and other protected areas. Its membership includes more than 1000 protected areas professionals from about 120 countries.

        Contacts

        Send any comments or queries to: Jeremy Harrison jerry.harrison@wcmc.org.uk