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Convention on Biological Diversity COP 9, 19-30 May 2008, Bonn PROTECTED AREAS POSITION PAPER – AGENDA ITEM 4.7 Draft Policy Recommendations Review of implementation of the Programme of Work on Protected Areas In general IUCN: - Notes that the most essential commitment needed from Parties is to prepare and implement a “plan of action to strengthen capacity for national PoWPA implementation”. This should provide the framework for action and should include technical training activities at national and sub-national levels, and encourage the exchange of knowledge and experience, between and within countries. IUCN and its World Commission on Protected Areas stand ready to support Parties in the planning and delivery of capacity building and training activities. - Encourages the further development of regional workshops that catalyze action towards implementation of the PA PoW; - Notes the need to thoroughly, objectively and critically review the lessons learned up to date in relation to the PA PoW in order to inform future action; Furthermore, IUCN urges COP9 to: - Call for renewing a global commitment to strengthen protected areas as a critical tool for conserving global biodiversity and for supporting sustainable development. More specifically, Parties should strive to (a) include an adjustment to the timeline for targets, to reflect the realities of national implementation; (b) maintain the focus on a limited number of key themes, such as management effectiveness, governance, equity and impacts on livelihoods, and sustainable financing which need to be continuously addressed; (c) emphasize the importance of adaptive management of protected areas in the face of global climate; and (d) establish more explicit mechanisms to support national implementation, including an emphasis on strengthening national plans of action. Options for mobilizing, as a matter of urgency, through different mechanisms adequate and timely financial resources for the implementation of the Programme of Work With respect to the above mentioned issue, IUCN: - Notes the importance of showcasing social, cultural and economic benefits of protected areas and using this to justify increased financing for protected areas; - Calls for the Parties attention to the importance of better demonstrating how protected areas contribute to poverty reduction, climate change mitigation and adaptation, human health, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals1; - Suggests that biodiversity offset mechanisms be explored and used as an important financing mechanism for the long term effective management of protected areas; and - Highlights that national voluntary commitments and country-to-country regional challenges for the creation and effective management of protected areas have demonstrated significant potential for encouraging and mobilizing actions. 1
Report on protected areas: UNEP / WCMC 2007
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Draft for comments 20 March, 2008
More specifically, IUCN recommends COP9 to: - Encourage Parties to the Convention to: 1) Call for renewing a global commitment to strengthen protected areas as a critical tool for conserving global biodiversity and for supporting sustainable development2; 2) Consider the results of WCPA Global Management Effectiveness study3 and undertake system level management effectiveness evaluation and take action to implement recommendations arising; 3) Consider the potential for promoting new voluntary commitments and regional challenge initiatives to support the establishment and management of protected areas; 4) Promote protected areas as an important element of Climate Change strategies and ensure that the PA PoW is more forcefully linked to the climate change debate; 5) Encourage efforts to harness World Heritage sites as launching pads and pilot sites for the PA PoW; 6) Recognize the Global Islands Partnership (GLISPA) as an effective platform to accelerate the implementation both of the Programmes of Work on PAs and Islands; and 7) Recognize the benefits of protected areas to their national economies and well-being of local populations, and fund their protected area system accordingly as a contribution to sustainable development. - Equally encourage donors, including the Global Environment Facility (GEF), to: 1) Increase their funding for protected areas at national levels and give priority to support for sustainable financing initiatives; 2) Support a “plan of action to strengthen capacity for national PoWPA implementation�, by providing funding for the delivery of a strategic set of regional catalyzing workshops, technical clinics, and ongoing knowledge exchange; 3) Enhance their commitment to fund voluntary national commitments and regional challenge initiatives; and 4) Recognize the benefits of protected areas to climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as sustainable development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and fund protected areas accordingly.
1. IUCN participated in the second CBD Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group on Protected Areas (WGPA-2). This Working Group was a particularly important meeting for guiding the renewal of the Programme of Work on Protected Areas scheduled for COP10 in 2010. IUCN notes that this Working Group adopted two heavily bracketed recommendations covering: (a) the review of the implementation of the CBD Programme of Work on Protected Areas; and (b) options for mobilizing financial resources for its implementation. These will now be put forward for consideration by COP9. 2. At the outset IUCN notes its disappointment that WGPA-2 could not reach agreement on these relatively straight forward recommendations. IUCN considers this reflects fundamental process related flaws and urges that future Working Groups recognize and address these
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Including other elements noted in this paper. Outlined in a Side Event at the Second Meeting of the CBD PA Working Group held in Rome (11-15 February 2008)
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Draft for comments 20 March, 2008 flaws and, in particular, ensure that future Working Group meetings are more technically focused. 3. IUCN notes that a carefully planned and well managed system of protected areas is essential for achieving biodiversity conservation and sustainable development objectives. IUCN feels the adoption of the visionary Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA) by the CBD in 2004, which incorporated key recommendations from the IUCN 2003 World Parks Congress4, consolidates this role and places protected areas at the heart of efforts by national governments to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. 4. Protected areas are one of the world’s major land uses. Protected areas5 now cover over 11.63% of the earth’s terrestrial surface.6 Significantly, the majority of the growth of protected areas in the last decade has been in developing countries and within terrestrial ecosystems. IUCN is concerned that significant gaps remain in relation to the coverage of protected areas, particularly in the marine, freshwater and coastal ecosystems. The current coverage of Protected Areas in the marine environment is less than 1% of the waters under jurisdictions of coastal States and virtually non- existent in waters beyond national jurisdiction. Unless the rate of establishing Marine Protected Areas increases significantly, the CBD goal of establishing a network of Marine Protected Areas representing 10% of the world’s marine and coastal regions by 2012 would only be met around 2045 for areas within the jurisdiction of States and 2060 for areas beyond. IUCN further notes that protected areas face many challenges including impacts associated with climate change, fragmentation of natural habitats and the impact of invasive alien species. 5. IUCN notes there has been significant progress in relation to many targets within the PoWPA and that the Programme has been instrumental in stimulating partnerships and synergies in relation to the establishment and management of protected areas. However, significant challenges remain, including the lack of adequate and sustainable finance for protected areas, limited awareness and support among relevant stakeholders of the importance of protected areas, and the need for improved capacity of those involved in protected area management. There is also an important need to address the many dimensions of governance and equitable distribution of costs and benefits. Some, but not all, of these issues are being addressed through the work of the Ad Hoc Open Ended Working Group on Protected Areas. 6. IUCN also notes the need for a greater sense of urgency to respond to the current crisis of biodiversity loss. Life on Earth is disappearing fast and will continue to do so unless urgent action is taken. The 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species now includes 41,415 species of which 16,306 (39%) are threatened with extinction. Protected areas are essential in addressing this extinction crisis, and this vital role must be better recognized and supported within the CBD. 7. Protected areas have traditionally been seen as serving a primary role in the conservation of biological diversity. It is increasingly recognized that protected areas also play a critical role in enhancing the livelihoods of people including those living in poverty. The role of Indigenous Peoples in protected areas is critically important. The rights of Indigenous Peoples must be respected in the context of protected areas establishment and management. IUCN notes concerns expressed by Indigenous Peoples representatives at WGPA-2 and notes these concerns must be fairly and effectively addressed in the future. 8. Protected areas make a major contribution to achieving the Millennium Development Goals including those relating to the environment; poverty alleviation; water and health as well as contributing to the 2010 targets agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. 4
This was held in Durban, South Africa in September 2003. It was the largest protected areas event in history and involved 5,000 protected areas specialists 5 IUCN defines a protected area as: “An area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated resources, and managed through legal or other effective means” 6 World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) 2006 indicates that there are over 100,000 protected areas covering over 19.6 million sq km, over 11.63% of the worlds territorial area (terrestrial and marine).
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Draft for comments 20 March, 2008 However, achieving this will require enhanced and innovative approaches for protected areas which link with and support social, cultural and economic strategies, particularly those which address ecosystem services, equitable sharing of benefits and poverty reduction. 9. Climate change is a vitally important issue for the future of protected areas, in particular through dramatically influencing the future distribution of species and composition and dynamics of broader ecosystems. Climate change adaptation strategies must be developed as an integral element of protected area management and innovative models of protected area governance applied, particularly those which encourage landscape scale management and conservation corridors. Climate change is currently the most dynamic component of environmental concern, and biodiversity conservation must be more clearly and functionally linked to climate change discussions. Funding available for avoided deforestation and carbon sequestration provides real potential for the sustainable finance of protected areas. However, to realize this potential, protected areas need to be better promoted as an important element for avoiding deforestation and the PoWPA more forcefully linked to the climate change debate. 10. IUCN notes that international designations such as World Heritage (WH) sites, Ramsar sites and Biosphere Reserves have provided very useful and effective tools for enhancing the establishment and more effective management of protected areas. Better linkages between relevant Conventions and the CBD should be encouraged to ensure they are more mutually supportive than they are at present. In particular, the WH Convention could play a stronger role in developing PA systems by serving as "learning platforms" and "flagships" for innovation and capacity building. More effort needs to be made to harness World Heritage sites as launching pads and pilot sites for the PoWPA. 11. IUCN notes the special case of islands and the many threats facing biodiversity on small islands, including climate change and associated sea level rise as well invasive species and weak conservation management capacity. IUCN notes the Global Island Partnership and believes Parties should support measures to strengthen its mandate and programme. 12. These strategies are clearly set out in the CBD PoWPA. The challenge is now one of implementation and there is a major onus on national governments to act upon the elements of the PoWPA. This will first and foremost require strong political will from governments as well as accelerated and targeted support, particularly from donors and from developed countries. Such support should be seen as an investment in protecting and enhancing ecological services and, accordingly, contributing to sustainable development. 13. CBD COP 9 represents a crucial opportunity to lay the groundwork for protected areas policy through to 2010 when the Programme of Work on Protected Areas will be renewed, and beyond. It is important that CBD COP 9 support and accelerate implementation of the Programme of Work on Protected Areas. The strategic timing of Durban+57, where progress in implementation recommendations from the Vth IUCN World Parks Congress and for developing a future vision protected areas, also provides an important opportunity to develop synergies and strategies for implementing the PoWPA. 14. IUCN notes below a number of points in relation to the recommendations from WGPA-2, for the consideration of participants at the CBD COP 9. IUCN would also like to reaffirm its commitment to assist national governments, NGOs and other key stakeholders, in the implementation of the exciting and visionary CBD Programme of Work on Protected Areas.
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To be held in Cape Town, South Africa from 9 to 12 April, 2008
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