Nature reserves on the rise but funds lacking: UN

Vast areas of land and sea have become environmental sanctuaries in recent years but the world is not funding them adequately, the United Nations warned Nov. 13.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said that countries were on track to meet targets to protect 17 percent of land and 10 percent of marine areas by 2020.

With more than a million square kilometres (386,000 square miles) made protected zones in the past two years, "the physical coverage aspect of the target is likely to be met," it said in a report.

But more needed to be done to ensure "protected areas are appropriately located in areas important for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are effectively and equitably managed and are well-connected."

The warning comes as thousands of delegates attend this week's World Parks Congress in Sydney to lay out a global agenda for protected areas over the next 10 years.

The UNEP, citing a 2012 estimate, said US$76.1 billion was needed each year to effectively establish and manage the world's protected areas.

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said taking care of sanctuaries was critical to tackling climate change and supporting biodiversity.

"This report shows that the will to do so is present," Steiner said in a statement.

The U.N. agency estimates that 15.4 percent of land and inland water areas and 3.4 percent of the world's oceans - a total of 32.6 million square kilometres - are now protected areas, an increase of 1.6 million square kilometres since 2012.

Some of the world's largest sanctuaries on land include Northeast Greenland National Park in Greenland and Rub'al-Khali in Saudi Arabia.

More sees need to be protected

But the report warned that...