Los Katios National Park

Decades of insecurity and violence continue to taint the relationship between governmental actors and local and Indigenous communities despite encouraging signs of trust-building. After extended periods of limited or even lacking governmental presence, a new chapter in the relationship between local people and protected areas management has been opened over the last years. As is common in remote rural settings where resource-dependent communities live in the vicinity of or inside of protected areas, there are conflicts regarding the use of natural resources; the well-documented over-fishing of the freshwater systems in the lowlands being one example. The management authorities, however, have been moving from confrontational law enforcement to working with communities to jointly assess and identify solutions. The undoubtedly most remarkable improvement in relationships is the Indigenous Wounaan. While the Wounaan were historically expelled from the National Park, they are today cooperating with the conservation authorities to facilitate the return to their ancestral lands within the property. The sensitive process in essence boils down to a negotiation of the terms of use of natural resources within the national park so as to balance indigenous needs and conservation objectives (State Party of Colombia, 2016; UNESCO, 2011). Agreements with both Indigenous and Afrocolombian authorities have been confirmed for the implementation of the already signed Special Management Regimes (REM) with the Wounaan community of Juin Phubuur and Use and Management Agreements (AUM) (State Party of Colombia, 2018), serving as tangible examples of the progress gained in this regard. The State Party of Colombia have been encouraged to build on these relationships further and to consolidate upon them, as well as document them to be shared as examples of best practice in the future (UNESCO, 2019).

The property is state-owned and has strong and adequate legal protection. The Colombian Constitution grants an exceptionally strong level of protection to federal protected areas, which are referred to as "inalienable, imprescriptible, and unseizable goods" (República de Colombia, 1991). Fully acknowledging Colombia's ethnic and cultural diversity of local communities, the Constitution also stipulates strong protection for communal lands, as well as guidance for sustainable natural resource management. Colombia has several layers of environmental and land use planning legislation and policies, which are highly relevant at the landscape level. More specifically, there is a comprehensive legal and policy framework for protected areas. This framework is adequate but much remains to be done in terms of implementation. Progress has also been made in recent years towards the legal recognition of agreements between rights-holders, most notably through Use and Management Agreements and the Special Management Regime with the Wounaan community of Juin Phubuur to promote shared management and governance with indigenous peoples and Afro-Colombian communities, and these should be further consolidated and documented to be shared as examples of best practice in the future (UNESCO, 2019). Although there is a current and robust environmental regulation, it is necessary to maintain the articulation, awareness, and knowledge about the importance of the application of the regulations for the defence and protection of the natural and cultural heritage of Los Katíos by the strategic actors with which the Park advances in its planning and management processes (State Party of Colombia, 2023).

Los Katios National Park is governed by the government at national level (State Party of Colombia, 2023). According to the information provided for the third Periodic Report (State Party of Colombia, 2023), governance arrangements has had current positive impacts, outside and inside the site. In the framework of the Special Management Regime (REM) signed in 2016 with the Juin Phubuur community of the Wounan people, a decision-making body was established, responsible for guiding and making decisions on the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the REM; and a technical body, which is of a local operational nature, in which the procedures for the implementation of the REM are established (IUCN Green List, 2024).

In 2005, Los Katíos National Park signed agreements with the Integral Community Council of Atrato, for fishing regulations and to provide the basis for new agreements. In 2012, the specific agreement on the use and management of hydrobiological resources and fishing activities in the Tumaradó marshes was signed. In 2014, the agreement for the use and management of hydrobiological resources was signed with the Consejo Mayor de la cuenca del río Cacarica. There has been an agreement of wills signed since 2015 between Los Katíos National Park and the Bijao community, with the purpose of reducing pressures within the protected area for the use of ecologically, economically, and environmentally important forest species and to contribute to organizational strengthening (IUCN Green List, 2024). The community of Bijao has an Agreement Coordination Committee, which monitors the implementation of the agreement, defines annual work plans, and addresses other issues related to the protected area and the community.

With the black communities of Puente América and Tumaradó, with whom Agreements on the Use and Management of Hydrobiological Resources were signed in 2012, there is a Local Coordination Committee, through which the implementation, compliance, and evaluation of the signed agreements are monitored, which consider thematic areas such as the management of hydrobiological resources, organizational strengthening, and joint management of alternative projects to reduce fishing pressure and improve the living conditions of families. The community councils La Larga Tumaradó, Bocas del Atrato and Leoncito, Mayor del Bajo Atrato, Cacarica River Basin, Codechocó and Corpourabá are members of this committee. In addition, there is a Regional Roundtable, which serves as a mechanism for guidance and monitoring of the implementation of the agreements in the direction of building a territorial policy in the Pacific territory-region (IUCN Green List, 2024).

Los Katios is within the Pacific Subsystem within Colombia’s National Protected Areas System (SINAP). All regional subsystems must develop regional action plans which are complementary to the national action plan for SINAP. There is also a strong reference to land use planning as a complementary conservation strategy to ensure connectivity of the units of SINAP. For instance, Los Katíos is implementing actions with an ethnic community from a regional protected area called “Regional District of Integrated Management Lago Azul los Manatíes”, with which there is an agreement of use and management of the hydrobiological resource, impacting positively both Katíos and Lago Azul Los Manatíes.

Regional and local governments, including but not limited to environmental authorities, are required to work towards a landscape approach, which considers conservation and connectivity across sectors, land use and institutions. In terms of coordination with the adjacent land users and managers, the main entry point for the protected area authority (UAESPNN) are the so-called Regional Autonomous Corporations (CAR) and Corporations for Sustainable Development (IUCN, 2015; IUCN, 2011). Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) have been carried out for the two planned port projects (Pisisí and Antioquia), and indicate no direct impacts of the projects to the conservation of the site's values (State Party of Colombia, 2018). Further efforts should be pursued to ensure that any potential indirect impacts on the site are fully considered during their future planning and implementation, particularly of the Antioquia port, "including those caused by disturbance to other important ecological areas and the connectivity of the property" (World Heritage Committee, 2019). The 2016 MoU signed between the States Parties of Colombia and Panama to strengthen cooperation and connectivity with the contiguous Darien National Park World Heritage site in Panama is undoubtedly beneficial to the regional planning with regard to the site's conservation. Nevertheless the MOU expired without an official answer from Panama’s authorities to the continuous communications from Colombia. Both National Parks have made contact at the local level and there is an opportunity to strengthen ties with a cooperation project. However, it is not currently considered a priority of the State Party of Colombia to incorporate other adjacent areas within Colombia into the Los Katíos National Park, such as the Serrania del Darien National Protection Forest Reserve (State Party of Colombia, 2018; UNESCO, 2019). This may be of some concern in the absence of a formal buffer zone despite laudable efforts to foster sustainable use of natural resources and improved ecological connectivity (World Heritage Committee, 2019).

Los Katíos was created by the Resolution 172 of August 6 of 1974, which approved the Agreement 37 of 10 September of 1973 from INDERENA "By which the boundaries of the area of Los Katíos National Natural Park are established", an area of 52.000 ha. Seeking greater ecosystem protection and representativeness, Los Katíos increased its surface to 72.000 ha. with the Presidency of the Republic Executive Resolution No. 239 of 12 September 1979 which approved the Agreement 016 of 1979. Technical concept No. 20162400001596 cartographically specifies the boundary of the Protected Area, resulting in a boundary at a reference cartographic scale of 1:25,000. Additionally, concept No. 20172400002576, the boundary of the Protected Area is specified in the field between markers 4, 5, and 6 and between markers 8, 9, and 10. The specified area is 78,254.9 hectares at a scale of 1:100,000, updated to the Single National Source.

Los Katíos National Park is relatively small, particularly when compared to the vast Darién National Park to the west. Its designation was partially aimed at maintaining a natural barrier against livestock diseases (IUCN, 2011). Consequently, the park’s configuration prioritized lower-elevation areas targeted by agricultural and ranching interests, while the ecologically distinct higher elevations along the international border were not included. There is credible evidence of intact areas of high conservation value nearby, such as the Serranía de Darién (IUCN, 2015).

Concerns remain regarding the absence of a formally designated buffer zone (State Party of Colombia, 2023). While existing cooperation with surrounding protected areas and local communities serves as a de facto functional buffer, a formal delineation is still required, as requested by the World Heritage Committee (UNESCO, 2019; World Heritage Committee, 2019). According to the information provided in the third Periodic Report (State Party of Colombia, 2023), a buffer zone recognized under national legislation, followed by UNESCO, would be beneficial.

The Arquía Indigenous Reservation has proposed establishing a buffer zone in the park’s northern sector, adjacent to their community. This would enhance ecological connectivity, protect sacred and medicinal sites, facilitate species movement, and support habitat restoration in areas currently affected by livestock farming. In 2024, National Parks of Colombia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, clarified the limits of the Colombia-Panama international frontier at the section “Mojón” 12 to 1 of Los Katíos.

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Overall the State Party of Colombia is mostly effective in implementing and responding to World Heritage Committee decisions. In terms of the inscription on and subsequent removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger, the State Party of Colombia has followed up on corresponding Committee decisions and recommendations in exemplary fashion, with encouragement for further consolidation, namely by through additional resource allocation and further investment in the promising partnership approach (World Heritage Committee, 2015; 2017; 2019). In the most recent 2019 decision, the State Party of Colombia was highly commended for "continuing to systematically respond to the Committee’s requests and recommendations, particularly with regard to enhanced resources, improved governance and effective partnerships with local communities, fostering sustainable use of natural resources and improved ecological connectivity" (World Heritage Committee, 2019). However, a number of issues remain, and the site is currently subject to a number of requests made by the Committee. Although encouraged to assess the feasibility of extending the national park so as to include the Serranía del Darien National Protection Forest Reserve (Colombia) and potentially other areas (World heritage Committee, 2017), it was not found to be a priority by the State Party (State Party of Colombia, 2018). As such, the Committee has encouraged the State Party of Colombia to "continue exploring alternative options to reflect the evolving regional protected area network in the framework of the World Heritage Convention, where appropriate, for example through defining a formal buffer zone" (World Heritage Committee, 2019). Consolidating and integrating the conservation of the site into landscape planning and participatory resource management inside the park also remains the subject of requests from the Committee. The State Party of Colombia has been encouraged to address the impacts and risks posed by the artificial connection between the Leon and Atrato Rivers, while respecting the socio-economic importance of the canal (World Heritage Committee, 2017), as well as reporting on the outcomes of EIAs related to two port development projects and provide updates on a proposed electricity transmission corridor between Colombia and Panama (World Heritage Committee, 2019). The State Party of Colombia has responded to all these but corresponding activities remain to be fully concluded. At a level beyond conservation management, the Committee, on the occasion of the inscription decision in 1994, recommended that the States Parties of Colombia and Panama “consider the inscription of the transfrontier site as a single entry on the List” (Decision CONF 003 XI). The recommendation remains valid to this day. In 2016, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Panamá and Colombia, and Decision 43 COM 7B.23 repeats its encouragement towards both States Parties to continue efforts to implement actions in the management of the two contiguous properties of Los Katíos National Park (Colombia) and Dárien National Park (Panama) (World Heritage Committee, 2019).

In 2016, National Parks produced the document “Institutional guidelines for addressing climate change from protected areas. Ecosystem-based adaptation and adaptation-based mitigation for the resilience of protected areas 2016”, which defines the action plan for the Park System.

The current Management Plan, in chapter 2.1.2.1 Biophysical Dimension - 2.1.1.2.1. Physical Aspects, includes basic information on the climate in the local and regional context and the area of influence of Los Katíos National Park. Physical, biological, and climatic aspects are also considered in the process of updating this instrument. In the formulation of the Research Portfolio, among the prioritized lines of research is the line “Social, cultural, and economic dynamics of communities associated with PNNs in their local and regional context,” and the research topics of this line are “Climate change and land use planning” and “Climate change and the supply of goods and services in the PNNK.”

The Prevention, Surveillance, and Control Protocol describes the threats affecting the Los Katíos National Park, some of which are associated with climatic effects and socio-natural factors, such as mass removal caused by heavy rains, seismic and anthropogenic activity; vegetation fires during periods of intense drought and high temperatures; and floods caused by extreme precipitation levels and certain practices carried out by local residents that cause blockages and overflows of water sources.

The park also has a Natural and Socio-Natural Disaster Emergency and Contingency Plan for the protected area, which is currently being implemented and aims to provide immediate responses to possible natural events, including those associated with climate, that may occur and may partially or suddenly affect the integrity of the protected area's human resources, as well as the alteration and imbalance of the different ecosystems present in the Park (Green List 2024).

The Colombian national protected areas agency is the land manager, represented by the local unit in charge of the property. There is coordination within the national protected area system SINAP, including the regional unit to which the property belongs. The management system encompasses elements of local participation, as well as important and increasing efforts to cooperate with institutions and sectors in charge of or otherwise shaping land and resource use in the broader landscape. Los Katíos has its Management Plan as a tool for planning the protected area; has evaluation and monitoring instruments, such as the AEMAPPS (Analysis Protected Area Management Effectiveness with Social Participation) and the SMART System, as well as management reports of the annual action plan and agreements signed with afrocolombian communities (Use and Management Agreements) and with the indigenous communities (Special Management Regimes) within the "special management strategies" (State Party of Colombia, 2023). The current Management Plan and the Special Management Regime (REM) have been developed in conjunction with local communities. The Management Plan is the main instrument guiding the management of the park, establishing guidelines for the conservation of biodiversity, cultural values, and ecosystem services. The plan is currently being updated to incorporate new scientific data and adapt to changes in the social and environmental context (IUCN Green List, 2024). This process is carried out with the participation of local communities, ensuring that their perspectives and traditional knowledge are integrated into the planning and management of the protected area.

Inside the property, zonation is used as a major management instrument. Controlled resource use is in principle possible as long as it is compatible with conservation objectives (IUCN, 2015; State Party of Colombia, 2016). Even though the area was originally nominated as an extension to the previously inscribed Darién National Park in nearby Panama, the site is formally not inscribed as a transboundary property. There are modest recent efforts to increase the conservation dialogue between the two countries as regards the two contiguous national parks and properties, which are intricately linked ecologically, ethnically and culturally. During the last three years, there has been no direct communication between the management of both properties (IUCN Consultation, 2020). Los Katíos National Park was designated as part of the IUCN Green List in 2024 (IUCN Green List, 2024).

Law enforcement temporarily broke down due to security challenges contributing to the inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2009 upon request by the State Party. The situation could since be substantially improved permitting basic management operations, which in turn contributed to the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2015. It is clear that the ongoing peace process is a long-term commitment and challenge and that security issues may well resurface in the future. Park management cooperates with a range of governmental law enforcement actors (IUCN, 2015). Even though the protected area implements the environmental law with the Prevention, Surveillance, and Control program that enables the conservation of Los Katíos ecosystems, fauna, and flora, deficiencies in enforcement are still noted, in particular in terms of poor staff capacity and training opportunities (State Party of Colombia, 2023).

Governmental core funding for Los Katíos National Park could be significantly increased, with external support from non-governmental, bi-lateral and multi-lateral sources historically supplementing funds to meet the capacity requirements for the management of the site (60% from National Government, 40% from International Cooperation-European Union, KFW-Germany, and FAO) (State Party of Colombia, 2023). While there is currently no drastic under-funding and the total budget for the management of the site doubled in the period between 2016 and 2018 (State Party of Colombia, 2018), it is clear that available resources are not sufficient for the effective management necessary for the conservation and that reliable funding will be required to respond to the ongoing challenges.
Furthermore, there is evidence that the financial gap for national parks has increased in the last years at the national level (according to CONPES 4050 of 2021, National Parks participation in environmental budget decreased) (State Party of Colombia, 2023).

Staff are highly dedicated and qualified (IUCN, 2015). As long as funding enables adequate staffing levels, the required management capacity can be secured. Until 2020, staff levels has remained constant, however reported budgets cut in 2019 and 2020 (in the context of COVID-19 pandemic) lead to a reduction of staff capacity (IUCN Consultation, 2020). For the 2023 term, according to the management effectiveness results (AEMAPPS PNN Los Katíos, 2023), Los Katíos National Park had a total of 21 people on its work team, of which 5 are civil servants and 16 are contractors. And although the available staff is 50% of what is required, there is a high level of commitment to meeting the goals (IUCN Consultation, 2025). Additionally, capacity building is highly recommended for local and regional authorities and ethnic communities regarding World Heritage protection in the framework of the “Pact of Los Katíos World Heritage Conservation” created by the National Park (State Party of Colombia, 2023). Upon the inscription to IUCN Green List, recommendation have been made to strengthen the park’s infrastructure, particularly in remote areas like the Sautatá headquarters, to ensure adequate working conditions for the management team and improve safety and connectivity (IUCN Green List, 2024). It is also crucial to enhance the team’s capabilities in terms of gender approach and conflict management, ensuring inclusive and equitable management that respects the rights and roles of all involved communities (IUCN Green List, 2024). Los Katíos has included women in its technical team, and it has been strengthening the capacities of the technical team through technical, operative, and personal development capacity building processes.

Both the State Party of Colombia and NGOs engage in environmental education, including as regards the indigenous Wounaan and neighboring communities (State Party of Colombia, 2011; 2016). An environmental atlas of the park is a great example of effective environmental communication (WWF, 2012). External projects (funded by GEF BioCaribe, EU and KfW) provide support to conservation and community development in the area, including communication and education programs (IUCN Consultation, 2020; State Party of Colombia, 2023).

The remoteness, comparatively difficult and costly access and decades of security concerns continue to impose limits to the realization of the tourism potential despite the indisputable attractiveness of the property (WDPA, 2011). Until 2023 Los Katíos was still closed to the public (UAESPNN, 2020; State Party of Colombia, 2019; State Party of Colombia, 2023), and an "Ecotourism Corridor of Ciénagas” was sponsored by the BIOCARIBE Connection Project – GEF and implemented by FAO. In 2023 an Ecotourism Ordering Plan was approved to restore visitor facilities and promote nature-based tourism on relatively short term (Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia, 2023), implementing actions that will allow Los Katíos to open the Park to visitors in the medium term.

Los Katíos National Natural Park is managed in a sustainable and inclusive manner, integrating biodiversity conservation with the needs and rights of local communities while promoting responsible tourism that respects the ecological value of the protected area (IUCN Green List, 2024). In the past, main examples of sustainable use are freshwater fisheries in the lowlands and the localized re-establishment of an indigenous settlement. In the case of fisheries, the management efforts are a response to unsustainable resource management and can thus be described as an attempt to move towards sustainable use. The situation in the Wounaan community differs in that the return of the indigenous peoples marks a new beginning in the history of the park. The agreements with local resource users are promising instruments to address overfishing and overharvesting of rivers and wetlands and need to be pursued further. The same holds true for the Special Management Regime with the Wounaan community of Juin Phubuur. Ecological restoration activities have been implemented, including the planting of native species to restore degraded areas, and agreements on the use and management of hydrobiodiversity resources have been established with local communities, resulting in the conservation of more than 30,000 hectares both inside and outside the park (IUCN Green List, 2024). These efforts have been crucial to ensuring that natural resources are managed sustainably and in line with the park’s conservation objectives. Visitor management is carried out through an ecotourism zoning plan that seeks to balance the visitor experience with the conservation of the park’s natural resources.

Active monitoring is planned and underway for several vertebrate species, freshwater ecosystems and fisheries (State Party of Colombia, 2016). The main challenges requiring sustained long-term effort and investment are the participatory monitoring of the freshwater fisheries in the lowlands and the resource of the Wounaan. According to the third Periodic Report (State Party of Colombia, 2023), Katíos has a monitoring program that analyzes 14 Values Object of Conservation (VOC), which is being updated currently to meet present and future needs. Communities participate in the monitoring, for example in the case of the signed fishing agreements. National Parks counts with an indicator battery (state, pressure, answer) and Katíos has indicators for 6 of the VOC. Further strengthening of monitoring practices is needed with an improvement of technological equipment and capacity development, which could be achieved with agreements and alliances with other public entities and academic sector.

In the process of updating the management plan, the selection of the values to be conserved has been carried out following different criteria, such as integrity, representativeness, complementarity, cultural value, among others, identifying the following:

VOC coarse filter
1. High dense upland forest
2. Dense flooded dense grassland
3. High dense flooded forest
4. Lentic and lotic systems

VOC fine filter
1. Choibá
2. Jaguar
3. Bird assemblage
4. Arracachal
5. Chavarría
6. Cativo
7. Balsam
8. Cacarica River
9. El Tilupo Waterfall
10. Bocachico

Los Katíos National Park is making progress in the formulation of its monitoring program, which incorporates monitoring designs for land cover, hydrobiological resources with an emphasis on bocachico, chavarría, choibá and bálsamo timber species, and limnological monitoring. Progress is being made in the various monitoring activities for the prioritized VOCs. The results of the coverage monitoring with multitemporal analysis for the period 2012-2017, for the coarse filter VOCs, the dense highland forest, dense floodplain forest, and dense floodplain grassland, indicate that they are in good condition, as they show no loss of coverage, and in dense tall floodplain forest, there is an increase in current coverage (ecological integrity analysis). The monitoring of fishery resources shows satisfactory results, as no negative changes were observed in the proportion of Catch per Unit Effort-CPUE (kg/hr) (status indicator) of the prioritized species.
Limnological monitoring results are also available, where physical and chemical parameter data provide information on water quality and allow inferences to be made about causes that may lead to sudden changes in these parameters and put the biological richness of the wetlands at risk. With the monitoring information, progress is being made on the VOC baseline. La Chavarria has monitoring results that indicate the presence of the species in the protected area, information that has been consolidated to generate the baseline and estimate comparisons of changes in the species' population. For the other VOCs, there is no information available from monitoring, however, efforts are being made with academia and other actors to conduct research on VOCs such as the jaguar, choibá, and bálsamo.
Los Katíos National Natural Park has baseline data sheets for VOCs such as the arracacho, balsam, bochachico, dense high forest, floodplain forest, cativo, chavarría, choibá, lentic and lotic ecosystems, dense floodplain grassland, and jaguar (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

The return of the Indigenous Wounaan community is based on anthropological studies confirming conflicts, their perceptions on natural resources management and the location of their ancestral lands (WWF, 2012; Racero, 2008; Van Uhm, 2021), in fact an indispensable legal requirement underpinning the very option of their return. Another example of recent and ongoing scientific investigation are assessments and monitoring of forest and freshwater fisheries in the lowland swamps linked to the Atrato River system (Corredor, 2020; Obando, 2021). Other than that, the remoteness combined with decades of insecurity have limited research in the national park and its surroundings (Arrubla et al, 2019). Very little is known about the higher elevations of the Darién Range (Serrania del Darién), which undoubtedly harbors an important biological and ecological wealth. The enhanced security situation comes with an opportunity to better understand the conservation values and status of the Colombian side of the border area. More dissemination and access to the results of the different research projects is needed. Los Katíos is currently developing the investigation portfolio to establish the investigation work priorities (IUCN Consultation, 2025).

Besides localized illegal activities and excessive subsistence use most threats to the property originate in the surroundings. Management acknowledges the various threats outside the site by putting considerable and increasing effort on addressing natural resource management of communities in the surrounding areas. These are some of the reasons why Los Katíos National Park was included in the IUCN Green List. At the same time, the mandate and capacity of the protected area agency routinely reaches its limits, e.g. when it comes to upstream contamination and excessive river fisheries affecting the Atrato River or broader deforestation trends in the Colombian Chocó.

Management effectiveness has been severely constrained in the past by longstanding armed conflict deeply affecting the region, but also limited resourcing. However, recent improvement of the security situation and increasing investment has produced tangible results in terms of management effectiveness, up to its inscription to IUCN Green List in 2024 (IUCN Green List, 2024). As such, the management system has transitioned from reactive emergency measures to a much more structured and systematic approach to law enforcement and community involvement. Given that all overarching threats and challenge stem from outside the property, the coordination and cooperation with stakeholders and rights-holders at various levels outside the property is a decisive factor in the management effectiveness equation. Coordination and cooperation is steadily improving (IUCN, 2015, State Party of Colombia, 2016; 2018; IUCN Green List, 2024). Agreements with local resource users are encouraging to this end, however, issues relating to illegal activities including logging, and overfishing and harvesting in rivers and wetlands remain which cannot be fully controlled by the Park's management and negotiations with communities and stakeholders in resource use surrounding the site should be pursued further (UNESCO, 2019; World heritage Committee, 2019). Overall, Los Katíos National Natural Park is managed in a sustainable and inclusive manner, integrating biodiversity conservation with the needs and rights of local communities while promoting responsible tourism that respects the ecological value of the protected area (IUCN Green List, 2024). The governance structure and implemented management strategies reflect a continued commitment to the protection and preservation of this valuable ecosystem.