Against the background of the alarming decline in global biodiversity, national parks are of outstanding importance for safeguarding species and habitat diversity. In response to the worrying state of nature, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The establishment of a global network of terrestrial and marine protected areas, and the simultaneous establishment of their effective management, are the main goals of the CBD’s Programme of Work on Protected Areas.
