The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by WWF, the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or water containing a characteristic set of natural communities that share a large majority of their species dynamics, and environmental conditions". So, for example, based on their levels of endemism, Madagascar gets multiple listings, ancient Lake Baikal gets one, and the North American Great Lakes get none.
The WWF assigns a conservation status to each ecoregion in the Global 200: critical or endangered; vulnerable; and relatively stable or intact. Over half of the ecoregions in the Global 200 are rated endangered.
The WWF has identified 867 terrestrial ecoregions across the Earth's land surface, as well as freshwater and marine ecoregions. The goal of this classification system is to ensure that the full range of ecosystems will be represented in regional conservation and development strategies. Of these ecoregions, the WWF selected the Global 200 as the ecoregions most crucial to the conservation of global biodiversity. The Global 200 list actually contains 238 ecoregions, made up of 142 terrestrial, 53 freshwater, and 43 marine ecoregions.
Conservationists interested in preserving biodiversity have generally focused on the preservation of tropical moist broadleaf forests (commonly known as tropical rainforests) because it is estimated that they harbor one half of Earth's species. On the other hand, the WWF determined that a more comprehensive strategy for conserving global biodiversity should also consider the other half of species, as well as the ecosystems that support them.
Several habitats, such as Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, were determined to be more threatened than tropical rain forests, and therefore require concerted conservation action. WWF maintains that "although conservation action typically takes place at the country level, patterns of biodiversity and ecological processes (e.g., migration) do not conform to political boundaries", which is why ecoregion-based conservation strategies are deemed essential.
Historically, zoologists and botanists have developed various classification systems that take into account the world's plant and animal communities. Two of the worldwide classification systems most commonly used today were summarized by Miklos Udvardy in 1975.
The Earth's land surface can be divided into eight biogeographical realms (formerly called kingdoms, and which the BBC calls ecozones) that represent the major terrestrial communities of animals and plants, and are a synthesis of previous systems of floristic provinces and faunal regions. The biome system classifies the world into ecosystem types (i.e. forests, grasslands, etc.) based on climate and vegetation. Each biogeographical realm contains multiple biomes, and biomes occur across several biogeographical realms. A system of biogeographical provinces was developed to identify specific geographic areas in each biogeographical realm that were of a consistent biome type, and shared distinct plant and animal communities. The WWF system represents a further refinement of the system of biomes (which the WWF calls "major habitat types"), biogeographical realms, and biogeographical provinces (the WWF scheme divides most biogeographical provinces into multiple smaller ecoregions).
Based on a comprehensive list of ecoregions, The Global 200 includes all major habitat types (biomes), all ecosystem types, and species from every major habitat type. It focuses on each major habitat type of every continent (such as tropical forests or coral reefs). It uses ecoregions as the unit of scale for comparison. WWF say ecoregions could be considered as conservation units at regional scale because they meet similar biological communities.
Some ecoregions were selected over other ecoregions of the same major habitat type (biome) or ecozone. Selection of the Global 200 relied on extensive studies of 19 terrestrial, freshwater, and marine major habitat types. Selection of the ecoregions was based on analyses of species richness, species endemism, unique higher taxa, unusual ecological or evolutionary phenomena, and global rarity of major habitat type.
Global 200 ecoregion list is most helpful to conservation efforts at a regional scale: local deforestation, destruction of swamp habitats, degradation of soils, etc. However, certain phenomena, such as bird or whale migration, depend on more complex parameters not used to define the current database, such as atmospheric currents and dynamic pelagic ecosystems. These would require gathering more information, and co-ordination of efforts between multiple ecoregions. However, the Global 200 ecoregions can help these efforts by identifying habitat sites and resting sites for migratory animals. It may also help identify the origin of invasive species, and offer insights for slowing down or stopping their intrusion.
Guinean moist forestsAT0111 Eastern Guinean forestsAT0114 Guinean montane forestsAT0130 Western Guinean lowland forestsCongolian coastal forestsAT0102 Atlantic Equatorial coastal forestsAT0107 Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forestsAT0127 Sao Tome, Principe and Annobon moist lowland forestsCameroon Highlands forestsAT0103 Cameroonian Highlands forestsAT0121 Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forestsNortheastern Congolian lowland forestsAT0124 Northeastern Congolian lowland forestsCentral Congo Basin Moist ForestsAT0104 Central Congolian lowland forestsAT0110 Eastern Congolian swamp forestsWestern Congo Basin Moist ForestsAT0126 Northwestern Congolian lowland forestsAT0129 Western Congolian swamp forestsAlbertine Rift montane forestsAT0101 Albertine Rift montane forestsEast African Coastal ForestsAT0125 Northern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaicAT0128 Southern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaicEastern Arc Montane Forests (Kenya, Tanzania)AT0108 East African montane forestsMadagascar lowlands and subhumid forestsAT0117 Madagascar lowland forestsAT0118 Madagascar subhumid forestsSeychelles and Mascarene Islands moist forestsAT0113 Granitic Seychelles forestsAT0120 Mascarene forestsSulawesi moist forestsAA0123 Sulawesi lowland rain forestsAA0124 Sulawesi montane rain forestsMoluccas moist forests (Indonesia)AA0106 Halmahera rain forestsSouthern New Guinea lowland forestsAA0122 Southern New Guinea lowland rain forestsNew Guinea montane forestsAA0116 Northern New Guinea montane rain forestsSolomons-Vanuatu-Bismarck moist forestsAA0126 Vanuatu rain forestsQueensland tropical rain forestsAA0117 Queensland tropical rain forestsNew Caledonia moist forestsAA0113 New Caledonia rain forestsLord Howe–Norfolk Islands forestsAA0109 Lord Howe Island subtropical forestsSouth Western Ghats montane rain forests and moist deciduous forestsIM0150 South Western Ghats moist deciduous forestsIM0151 South Western Ghats montane rain forestsSri Lanka moist forestsIM0154 Sri Lanka lowland rain forestsIM0155 Sri Lanka montane rain forestsNorthern Indochina Subtropical moist forestsIM0137 Northern Indochina subtropical forestsSoutheast China-Hainan moist forestsIM0149 South China-Vietnam subtropical evergreen forestsIM0169 Hainan Island monsoon rain forestsTaiwan montane forestsIM0172 Taiwan subtropical evergreen forestsAnnamite Range moist forests (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam)IM0136 Northern Annamites rain forestsIM0152 Southern Annamites montane rain forestsSumatran Islands lowland and montane forestsIM0157 Sumatran freshwater swamp forestsIM0158 Sumatran lowland rain forestsIM0159 Sumatran montane rain forestsIM0160 Sumatran peat swamp forestsPhilippines moist forestsIM0114 Greater Negros-Panay rain forestsIM0122 Luzon montane rain forestsIM0123 Luzon rain forestsIM0128 Mindanao montane rain forestsIM0129 Mindanao-Eastern Visayas rain forestsIM0130 Mindoro rain forestsIM0156 Sulu rain forestsPalawan moist forestsIM0143 Palawan rain forestsKayah-Karen/Tenasserim moist forestsIM0119 Kayah-Karen montane rain forestsIM0163 Tenasserim-South Thailand semi-evergreen rain forestsPeninsular Malaysian lowland and montane forestsIM0144 Peninsular Malaysian montane rain forestsIM0145 Peninsular Malaysian peat swamp forestsIM0146 Peninsular Malaysian rain forestsBorneo lowland and montane forestsIM0102 Borneo lowland rain forestsIM0103 Borneo montane rain forestsIM0104 Borneo peat swamp forestsNansei Shoto Archipelago forests (Japan)IM0170 Nansei Islands subtropical evergreen forestsEastern Deccan Plateau moist forests (India)IM0111 Eastern highlands moist deciduous forestsNaga - Manipuri - Chin Hills moist forests (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar)IM0109 Chin Hills-Arakan Yoma montane forestsIM0120 Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forestsIM0131 Mizoram-Manipur-Kachin rain forestsCardamom Mountains moist forestsIM0106 Cardamom Mountains rain forestsWestern Java montane forestsIM0167 Western Java montane rain forestsMaldives-Lakshadweep-Chagos Archipelago tropical moist forestsIM0125 Maldives-Lakshadweep-Chagos Archipelago tropical moist forestsGreater Antillean moist forestsNT0120 Cuban moist forestsNT0127 Hispaniolan moist forestsNT0131 Jamaican moist forestsNT0155 Puerto Rican moist forestsTalamancan-Isthmian Pacific forestsNT0167 Talamancan montane forestsChoco - Darien moist forestsNT0115 Choco-Darien moist forestsNorthern Andean montane forestsNT0145 Northwestern Andean montane forestsCoastal Venezuela montane forestsNT0147 Orinoco Delta swamp forestsNT0169 TepuisNT0171 Trinidad and Tobago moist forestsGuianan moist forestsNT0125 Guianan moist forestsNapo moist forestsNT0142 Napo moist forestsRio Negro - Jurua moist forestsNT0132 Japura-Solimoes-Negro moist forestsNT0133 Jurua-Purus moist forestsNT0158 Rio Negro campinaranaGuayana Highlands moist forestsNT0124 Guayanan Highlands moist forestsCentral Andean yungasNT0105 Bolivian YungasNT0153 Peruvian YungasSouthwestern Amazonian moist forestsNT0166 Southwest Amazon moist forestsAtlantic forestsNT0103 Bahia coastal forestsNT0151 Pernambuco coastal forestsNT0160 Serra do Mar coastal forestsSouth Pacific Islands forests (American Samoa - United States, Cook Islands - New Zealand, Fiji, French Polynesia - France, Niue - New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Wallis and Futuna Islands - France)OC0102 Central Polynesian tropical moist forestsOC0103 Cook Islands tropical moist forestsOC0104 Eastern Micronesia tropical moist forestsOC0105 Fiji tropical moist forestsOC0112 Samoan tropical moist forestsOC0114 Tongan tropical moist forestsOC0117 Western Polynesian tropical moist forestsHawaii moist forestsOC0106 Hawaiian tropical rainforestsMadagascar dry deciduous forestsAT0202 Madagascar dry deciduous forestsNusu Tenggara Dry Forests (Indonesia)AA0201 Lesser Sundas deciduous forestsAA0203 Sumba deciduous forestsAA0204 Timor and Wetar deciduous forestsNew Caledonia dry forestsAA0202 New Caledonia dry forestsIndochina dry forestsIM0202 Central Indochina dry forestsChhota - Nagpur dry forestsIM0203 Chota Nagpur dry deciduous forestsMexican dry forestsNT0201 Apure-Villavicencio dry forestsNT0204 Bajio dry forestsNT0205 Balsas dry forestsNT0227 Sierra de la Laguna dry forestsTumbesian - Andean valleys dry forests (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru)NT0214 Ecuadorian dry forestsNT0221 Magdalena Valley dry forestsNT0223 Marañón dry forestsNT0232 Tumbes-Piura dry forestsChiquitano dry forestsNT0212 Chiquitano dry forestsAtlantic dry forestsNT0202 Atlantic dry forestsHawaii dry forestsOC0202 Hawaiian tropical dry forestsSierra Madre Oriental and Occidental pine-oak forestsNA0302 Sierra Madre Occidental pine-oak forestsNA0303 Sierra Madre Oriental pine-oak forestsGreater Antillean pine forestsNT304 Cuban pine forestsNT305 Hispaniolan pine forestsMesoamerican pine-oak forests (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua)NT0308 Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine-oak forestsNT0309 Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forestsNT0310 Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forestsEastern Australia temperate forestsAA0402 Eastern Australian temperate forestsTasmanian temperate rain forestsAA0413 Tasmanian temperate rain forestsNew Zealand temperate forestsAA0403 Fiordland temperate forestsAA0404 Nelson Coast temperate forestsAA0405 Northland temperate forestsAA0406 Northland temperate kauri forestsAA0407 Rakiura Island temperate forestsAA0410 Southland temperate forestsAA0414 Westland temperate forestsEastern Himalayan broadleaf and conifer forestsIM0401 Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forestsWestern Himalayan temperate forestsIM0403 Western Himalayan broadleaf forestsAppalachian and mixed mesophytic forestsNA0402 Appalachian mixed mesophytic forestsSouthwest China temperate forestsPA0417 Daba Mountains evergreen forestsPA0434 Qin Ling Mountains deciduous forestsPA0437 Sichuan Basin evergreen broadleaf forestsRussian Far East temperate forestsPA0426 Manchurian mixed forestsPA0443 Ussuri broadleaf and mixed forestsPacific temperate rain forestsNA0510 Central Pacific coastal forestsNA0512 Eastern Cascades forestsNA0520 Northern Pacific coastal forestsKlamath - Siskiyou forestsNA0516 Klamath-Siskiyou forestsSierra Nevada forestsNA0527 Sierra Nevada forestsSoutheastern coniferous and broadleaf forestsNA0529 Southeastern conifer forestsValdivian temperate rain forests - Juan Fernández IslandsNT0401 Juan Fernández Islands temperate forestsNT0404 Valdivian temperate forestsEuropean - Mediterranean montane mixed forestsPA0501 Alps conifer and mixed forestsPA0513 Mediterranean conifer and mixed forestsCaucasus - Anatolian - Hyrcanian temperate forests (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Turkmenistan)PA0407 Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forestsPA0408 Caucasus mixed forestsPA0507 Elburz Range forest steppePA0515 Northern Anatolian conifer and deciduous forestsAltai - Sayan montane forestsPA0502 Altai montane forest and forest steppePA0519 Sayan montane conifer forestsHengduan Shan coniferous forestsPA0509 Hengduan Mountains subalpine conifer forestsMuskwa / Slave Lake boreal forestsNA0610 Muskwa-Slave Lake forestsCanadian Boreal ForestsNA0606 Eastern Canadian Shield taigaUral Mountains taigaPA0610 Urals montane tundra and taigaEast Siberian taigaPA0601 East Siberian taigaKamchatka taiga and grasslandsPA0603 Kamchatka-Kurile meadows and sparse forestsPA0604 Kamchatka-Kurile taigapainga mountains taigaHorn of Africa acacia savannasAT0715 Somali Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thicketsEast African acacia savannasAT0711 Northern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thicketsCentral and Eastern miombo woodlandsAT0704 Central Zambezian Miombo woodlandsAT0706 Eastern Miombo woodlandsSudanian savannasAT0705 East Sudanian savannaAT0722 West Sudanian savannaNorthern Australia and Trans-Fly savannasAA0701 Arnhem Land tropical savannaAA0702 Brigalow tropical savannaAA0703 Cape York tropical savannaAA0704 Carpentaria tropical savannaAA0705 Einasleigh upland savannaAA0706 Kimberly tropical savannaAA0708 Trans Fly savanna and grasslandsTerai-Duar savannas and grasslandsIM0701 Terai-Duar savanna and grasslandsLlanos savannasNT0709 LlanosCerrado woodlands and savannasNT0704 CerradoCentral Range subalpine grasslandsAA0802 Central Range sub-alpine grasslandsNorthern prairieNA0810 Northern mixed grasslandsNA0811 Northern short grasslandsNA0812 Northern tall grasslandsPatagonian steppeNT0805 Patagonian steppeDaurian steppePA0804 Daurian forest steppeSudd - Sahelian flooded grasslands and savannas (Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda)AT0903 Inner Niger Delta flooded savannaAT0904 Lake Chad flooded savannaAT0905 Saharan flooded grasslandsZambezian flooded savannasAT0906 Zambezian flooded grasslandsRann of Kutch flooded grasslandsIM0901 Rann of Kutch seasonal salt marshEverglades flooded grasslandsNT0904 EvergladesPantanal flooded savannasNT0907 PantanalEthiopian HighlandsAT1007 Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlandsAT1008 Ethiopian montane moorlandsSouthern Rift montane woodlandsAT1015 Southern Rift montane forest-grassland mosaicEast African moorlandsAT1005 East African montane moorlandsDrakensberg montane shrublands and woodlandsAT1003 Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlandsAT1004 Drakensberg montane grasslands, woodlands and forestsNew Guinea Central Range subalpine grasslandsKinabalu montane shrublandsIM1001 Kinabalu montane alpine meadowsNorthern Andean páramoNT1006 Northern Andean páramoCentral Andean dry punaNT1001 Central Andean dry punaTibetan Plateau steppePA1020 Tibetan Plateau alpine shrub and meadowsMiddle Asian montane steppe and woodlands (Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan)PA1011 North Tibetan Plateau-Kunlun Mountains alpine desertPA1015 Qilian Mountains subalpine meadowsPA1013 Ordos Plateau steppeEastern Himalayan alpine meadowsPA1003 Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadowsAlaskan North Slope coastal tundra (Canada, United States)NA1103 Arctic coastal tundraNA1104 Arctic foothills tundraNA1108 Brooks-British Range tundraCanadian low arctic tundra (Canada)NA1114 Low Arctic tundraNA1116 Ogilvie-MacKenzie alpine tundraNA1118 Torngat Mountain tundraFenno - Scandia alpine tundra and taiga (Finland, Norway, Russia, Sweden)PA0608 Scandinavian and Russian taigaPA1106 Kola Peninsula tundraPA1110 Scandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslandsTaimyr and Siberian coastal tundraPA1107 Northeast Siberian coastal tundraPA1111 Taimyr-Central Siberian tundraChukote coastal tundra (Russia)PA1104 Chukchi Peninsula tundraFynbosAT1202 Lowland fynbos and renosterveldAT1203 Montane fynbos and renosterveldSouthwestern Australia forests and scrubAA1201 Coolgardie woodlandsAA1202 Esperance malleeAA1209 Southwest Australia savannaAA1210 Southwest Australia woodlandsSouthern Australia mallee and woodlandsAA1203 Eyre and York malleeAA1206 Mount Lofty woodlandsAA1208 Naracoorte woodlandsCalifornia chaparral and woodlandsNA1201 California coastal sage and chaparralNA1202 California interior chaparral and woodlandsNA1203 California montane chaparral and woodlandsChilean MatorralNT1201 Chilean MatorralMediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrubPA1214 Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrubNamib - Karoo - Kaokoveld deserts (Angola, Namibia, South Africa)AT1310 Kaokoveld desertAT1314 Nama KarooAT1315 Namib desertAT1322 Succulent KarooMadagascar spiny thicketAT1311 Madagascar spiny thicketsSocotra Island desert (Yemen)AT1318 Socotra Island xeric shrublandsArabian Highland woodlands and shrublands (Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen)AT1320 Southwestern Arabian foothills savannaAT1321 Southwestern Arabian montane woodlandsCarnavon xeric scrubAA1301 Carnarvon xeric shrublandsGreat Sandy - Tanami desertsAA1304 Great Sandy-Tanami desertSonoran - Baja desertsNA1301 Baja California desertNA1310 Sonoran desertChihuahuan - Tehuacan desertsNA1303 Chihuahuan desertGalápagos Islands scrubNT1307 Galápagos Islands xeric scrubAtacama - Sechura desertsNT1303 Atacama desertNT1315 Sechura desertCentral Asian deserts (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan)PA1310 Central Asian northern desertPA1312 Central Asian southern desertEast African mangrovesAT1402 East African mangrovesGulf of Guinea mangrovesAT1403 Guinean mangrovesMadagascar mangrovesAT1404 Madagascar mangrovesNew Guinea mangrovesAA1401 New Guinea mangrovesGreater Sundas mangrovesIM1405 Sunda Shelf mangrovesSundarbans mangrovesIM1406 Sundarbans mangrovesNorthwest Mexican coast mangrovesNA1401 Northwest Mexican coast mangrovesGuianan - Amazon mangrovesNT1401 Alvarado mangrovesNT1402 Amapa mangrovesNT1406 Belizean reef mangrovesNT1411 Guianan mangrovesNT1427 Pará mangrovesPanama Bight mangrovesNT1405 Belizean Coast mangrovesNT1414 Gulf of Panama mangrovesCongo River and flooded forests (Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo)Mekong River (Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam)Colorado River (Mexico, United States)Lower Mississippi River (United States)Amazon River and flooded forests (Brazil, Colombia, Peru)Orinoco River and flooded forests (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela)Yangtze River and lakes (China)Congo basin piedmont rivers and streams (Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Sudan)Mississippi piedmont rivers and streams (United States)Upper Amazon rivers and streams (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana (France), Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela)Upper Paraná rivers and streams (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay)Brazilian Shield Amazonian rivers and streams (Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay)Niger River delta (Nigeria)Indus River Delta (India, Pakistan)Volga River Delta (Kazakhstan, Russia)Mesopotamian delta and marshes (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait)Danube River delta (Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, Yugoslavia)Lena River delta (Russia)Upper Guinea rivers and streams (Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone)Madagascar freshwater (Madagascar)Gulf of Guinea rivers and streams (Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Republic of Congo)Cape rivers and streams (South Africa)New Guinea rivers and streams (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea)New Caledonia rivers and streams (New Caledonia)Kimberley rivers and streams (Australia)Southwest Australia rivers and streams (Australia)Eastern Australia rivers and streams (Australia)Xi Jiang rivers and streams (China, Vietnam)Western Ghats Rivers and Streams (India)Southwestern Sri Lanka rivers and streams (Sri Lanka)Salween River (China, Myanmar, Thailand)Sundaland rivers and swamps (Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore)Southeastern rivers and streams (United States)Pacific Northwest coastal rivers and streams (United States)Gulf of Alaska coastal rivers and streams (Canada, United States)Guianan freshwater (Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela)Greater Antillean freshwater (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico)Balkan rivers and streams (Albania, Bosnia and Herzogovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Turkey, Yugoslavia)Russian Far East rivers and wetlands (China, Mongolia, Russia)Rift Valley lakes (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia)High Andean lakes (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru)Lake Baikal (Russia)Lake Biwa (Japan)Cameroon crater lakes (Cameroon)Lakes Kutubu and Sentani (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea)Central Sulawesi lakes (Indonesia)Philippines freshwater (Philippines)Inle Lake (Myanmar)Yunnan lakes and streams (China)Mexican highland lakes (Mexico)Central Australian freshwater (Australia)Chihuahuan freshwater (Mexico, United States)Anatolian freshwater (Syria, Turkey)Antarctic Peninsula & Weddell SeaBering Sea (Canada, Russia, United States)Barents-Kara Sea (Norway, Russia)Mediterranean (Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Serbia & Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey)Northeast Atlantic Shelf Marine (Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, United Kingdom)Grand Banks (Canada, St. Pierre and Miquelon (France), United States)Chesapeake Bay (United States)Yellow Sea (China, North Korea, South Korea)Sea of Okhotsk (Japan, Russia)Patagonian Southwest Atlantic (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay)Southern Australian Marine (Australia)New Zealand Marine (New Zealand)California Current (Canada, Mexico, United States)Benguela Current (Namibia, South Africa)Humboldt Current (Chile, Ecuador, Peru)Agulhas Current (Mozambique, South Africa)Western Australian Marine (Australia)Panama Bight (Colombia, Ecuador, Panama)Gulf of California (Mexico)Galápagos Marine (Ecuador)Canary Current (Canary Islands, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, Western Sahara)Nansei Shoto (Ryukyu Islands) (Japan)Sulu-Sulawesi Seas (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines)Bismarck-Solomon Seas (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands)Banda-Flores Sea (Indonesia)New Caledonia Barrier Reef (New Caledonia)Great Barrier Reef (Australia)Lord Howe-Norfolk Islands Marine (Australia)Palau Marine (Palau)Andaman Sea (Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India), Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand)Tahitian Marine (Cook Islands, French Polynesia)Hawaiian Marine (Hawaii)Rapa Nui (Easter Island)Fiji Barrier Reef (Fiji)Maldives, Chagos, and Lakshadweep atolls (Chagos Archipelago (United Kingdom), India, Maldives, Sri Lanka)Red Sea (Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen)Arabian Sea (Djibouti, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen)East African Marine (Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania)West Madagascar Marine (Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte and Iles Glorieuses (France), Seychelles)Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico)Greater Antillean Marine (Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States)Southern Caribbean Sea (Aruba, Colombia, Netherlands Antilles, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela)Northeast Brazil Shelf Marine (Brazil)WWF WWF has identified 35 global priority places around the world (terrestrial, freshwater and marine) as either being home to irreplaceable and threatened biodiversity, or representing an opportunity to conserve the largest and most intact representative of their ecosystem.
- African Rift Lakes Region - Include the 3 largest lakes in Africa: Victoria, Tanganyika and Malawi, as well as lakes Turkana, Albert, Edward, Kivu and others.
- Altai-Sayan Montane Forests - One of the last remaining untouched areas of the world
- Amazon Guianas - World's largest tropical rain forest and river basin with a mosaic of mountains, coniferous forests, steppe and alpine meadows.
- Amur-Heilong - Refuge for Amur leopard and tiger.
- Artic Seas & Associated Boreal/Tundra - Protecting Arctic Environments
- Atlantic Forests - Forest stretches from the Atlantic coast of Brazil, south along the Brazilian Atlantic coastline and inland into northeast Argentina and eastern Paraguay.
- Borneo and Sumatra - Priceless forests harbor untold species
- Cerrado-Pantanal
- Chihuahuan Desert - Protecting the balance of a desert
- Choco-Darien
- Coastal East Africa - Improving livelihoods by conserving nature
- Congo Basin - Protecting Africa's tropical forests
- Coral Triangle - Home to the world's most abundant variety of corals and sea life
- Eastern Himalayas - Empowering communities to protect sacred lands
- Fynbos
- The Galápagos - The world's most treasured islands
- Greater Black Sea Basin
- Lake Baikal
- Madagascar - Safeguarding one of Earth's most captivating islands
- Mediterranean
- Mekong Complex - Protecting the river of life from source to sea
- Miombo Woodlands
- Namib-Karoo-Kaokoveld
- New Guinea & Offshore Islands
- Northern Great Plains
- Orinoco River & Flooded Forests
- Southeastern Rivers and Streams
- Southern Chile - A land of ancient forests and abundant oceans
- Southern Ocean
- Southwest Australia
- Southwest Pacific
- Sumatra
- West Africa Marine
- Western Ghats
- Yangtze Basin - Sustaining a valley of life