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Explore our global IPAs in depth, from the area they cover in each country to how they help contribute to global frameworks.
The total coverage area of IPAs (based on polygons available) is 1,544,956.68 km2, representing more than 1% of the total Earth’s Terrestrial land area coverage.
The Global IPAs Interactive Map is now publicly available on ArcGIS Online and accessible through this link. Users can easily navigate to countries using the bookmarks tab with the IPA polygons, IPA points and TIPA polygons.
Number of mapped spatial geometries (polygons and points): 2,510
The IPA approach provides evidence that countries can use in national reporting, including reports on progress towards the targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework and the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.
Identifying and protecting IPAs can definitively and specifically contribute to the “30×30” target of protecting and restoring 30% of the world’s land and sea by 2030 and can help countries identify the most plant-rich pieces of land.
Bolivia has identified Important Plant Areas (IPAs) across more than 30% of its territory, securing the conservation of 1,909 endemic plant species, representing 79% of the country’s total, and 3,255 useful native plant species, accounting for 90% of Bolivia’s flora of socioeconomic importance.
Over the past decade, Armenia has identified 32 Important Plant Areas (IPAs) covering more than 384,200 hectares, equivalent to 14% of the country’s land area. These sites support 198 priority plant species, representing approximately 5.5% of Armenia’s vascular plant flora. This includes 66 endemic and 74 near-endemic species, 63 globally threatened species, and 24 socio-economically important plants, including 12 species of ancient wild pears, highlighting the critical role of IPAs in conserving Armenia’s exceptional plant diversity.
While Mozambique’s 57 IPAs occupy less than 3% of the country and capture over 80% of threatened plant species, the country’s 25 KBAs cover approximately 17% of the terrestrial territory and identify priority sites for the conservation of biodiversity more broadly across other taxonomic groups.
Some other cases show the immense potential for synergies between IPAs and other area-based programmes to conserve most of the biodiversity.
For example, identified IPA sites in Sierra Leone cover only 13.71% of the country, but together they capture 78.8% of all threatened plant species, highlighting their critical role in conserving the nation’s botanical diversity.
Plantlife will be at CBD COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19–30 October 2026, championing wild plants and fungi and sharing practical solutions for delivering the Global Biodiversity Framework.
The missing piece of our global conservation work, fungal conservation.
IPAs can help to raise national awareness of and pride in the biodiversity of a country, acting as a means of stimulating local interest in plant species and habitats through education programmes.
The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), with its 22 Plant Actions, is a guide to ensuring a world rich in wild plants.
In Bolivia, 18 Tropical Important Plant Area (TIPAs) have been identified so far.
Number of IPAs: Currently being identified.
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