The Futures of Privately Protected Areas Sue Stolton, Kent H. Redford and Nigel Dudley, with the assistance of: William (Bill) M. Adams, Elisa Corcuera and Brent A. Mitchell Developing capacity for a protected planet Protected Area Technical Report Series No.1 IUCN WCPA Protected Area Technical Report Series IUCN WCPA Protected Area Technical Reports are intended to be timely, peer reviewed syntheses of issues of global importance to protected area managers, policy makers, and scientists. These reports define critical issues or problems facing protected areas now and into the future, place the issue or problem within the broader context of protected area management, and make recommendations for how the issue or problem may best be addressed in the future. The audience for these reports includes national and sub-national governments, protected area agencies, non- governmental organizations, communities, private-sector partners, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and other interested parties striving to reach goals and commitments related to advancing protected area establishment and management. A full set of technical reports are available at: http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/gpap_home/gpap_ capacity2/gpap_pub/ Complementary resources are available at: www.cbd.int/protected/tools/ Contribute to developing capacity for a Protected Planet at: www.protectedplanet.net/ IUCN PROTECTED AREA DEFINITION, MANAGEMENT CATEGORIES AND GOVERNANCE TYPES IUCN defines a protected area as: A clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values. The definition is expanded by six management categories (one with a sub-division), summarized below. Ia Strict nature reserve: Strictly protected for biodiversity and also possibly geological/ geomorphological features, where human visitation, use and impacts are controlled and limited to ensure protection of the conservation values Ib Wilderness area: Usually large unmodified or slightly modified areas, retaining their natural character and influence, without permanent or significant human habitation, protected and managed to preserve their natural condition II National park: Large natural or near-natural areas protecting large-scale ecological processes with characteristic species and ecosystems, which also have environmentally and culturally compatible spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational and visitor opportunities III Natural monument or feature: Areas set aside to protect a specific natural monument, which can be a landform, sea mount, marine cavern, geological feature such as a cave, or a living feature such as an ancient grove IV Habitat/species management area: Areas to protect particular species or habitats, where management reflects this priority. Many will need regular, active interventions to meet the needs of particular species or habitats, but this is not a requirement of the category V Protected landscape or seascape: Where the interaction of people and nature over time has produced a distinct character with significant ecological, biological, cultural and scenic value: and where safeguarding the integrity of this interaction is vital to protecting and sustaining the area and its associated nature conservation and other values VI Protected areas with sustainable use of natural resources: Areas which conserve ecosystems, together with associated cultural values and traditional natural resource management systems. Generally large, mainly in a natural condition, with a proportion under sustainable natural resource management and where low-level non-industrial natural resource use compatible with nature conservation is seen as one of the main aims The category should be based around the primary management objective(s), which should apply to at least three-quarters of the protected area – the 75 per cent rule. The management categories are applied with a typology of governance types – a description of who holds authority and responsibility for the protected area. IUCN defines four governance types. Governance by government: Federal or national ministry/agency in charge; sub-national ministry/agency in charge; government-delegated management (e.g. to NGO) Shared governance: Collaborative management (various degrees of influence); joint management (pluralist management board; transboundary management (various levels across international borders) Private governance: By individual owner; by non-profit organisations (NGOs, universities, cooperatives); by for-profit organsations (individuals or corporate) Governance by indigenous peoples and local communities: Indigenous peoples’ conserved areas and territories; community conserved areas – declared and run by local communities For more information on the IUCN definition, categories and governance type see the 2008 Guidelines for applying protected area management categories which can be downloaded at: www.iucn.org/pa_categories The Futures of Privately Protected Areas Sue Stolton, Kent H. Redford and Nigel Dudley With the assistance of: William (Bill) M. Adams, Elisa Corcuera and Brent A. Mitchell A project funded by the Linden Trust for Conservation published by IUCN WCPA with the CBD and UNEP-WCMC 2014 IUCN (International Union for Protected Planet Conservation of Nature) Protected Planet is a partnership between IUCN, IUCN-WCPA IUCN helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most and UNEP-WCMC that envisages a world that recognizes the pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN value of protected areas and is empowered to take positive works on biodiversity, climate change, energy, human action to maintain and improve their integrity in the face of livelihoods and greening the world economy by supporting global change. The partnership includes the development of scientific research, managing field projects all over the world, a global platform for the acquisition, analysis, exchange and and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN and companies communication of data and knowledge on the status and together to develop policy, laws and best practice. IUCN trends of protected areas that engages the full spectrum of is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental stakeholders, and is instrumental in the achievement of the organization, with more than 1,200 government and NGO Millennium Development Goals, the CBD Strategic Plan for members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 Biodiversity, informed decision-making and enhanced action. countries. IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 staff in 45 The Protected Planet report, IUCN WCPA’s Best Practice offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private Guidelines and PARKS journal are all part of empowering sectors around the world. this action. www.iucn.org www.protectedplanet.net IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Convention on Biological Diversity IUCN WCPA is the world’s premier network of protected area The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which entered expertise. It is administered by IUCN’s Global Programme into force in December 1993, is an international treaty for on Protected Areas and has over 1,400 members, spanning the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of the 140 countries. IUCN WCPA works by helping governments components of biodiversity and the equitable sharing of the and others plan protected areas and integrate them into all benefits derived from the use of genetic resources. With sectors; by providing strategic advice to policy makers; by 193 Parties, the Convention has near universal participation strengthening capacity and investment in protected areas; among countries. The Convention seeks to address all threats and by convening the diverse constituency of protected area to biodiversity and ecosystem services through scientific stakeholders to address challenging issues. For more than 50 assessments, the development of tools, incentives and years, IUCN and WCPA have been at the forefront of global processes, the transfer of technologies and good practices, action on protected areas. and the full and active involvement of relevant stakeholders www.iucn.org/wcpa including indigenous and local communities, youth, NGOs, women and the business community. The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD, held in 2010, adopted a revised and updated Strategic Plan for Biodiversity for 2011- 2020, comprising five strategic goals and 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The Plan is the overarching framework on biodiversity, not only for the biodiversity-related conventions, but for the entire United Nations system. www.cbd.int ii | The Futures of Privately Protected Areas Linden Trust Equilibrium Research Linden Trust’s mission is to help stabilize Earth’s Equilibrium Research promotes positive environmental and biodiversity and ecological processes for the benefit social change by linking targeted research to field application. of humanity, by raising the quantity and improving the Sue Stolton and Nigel Dudley established Equilibrium in 1991. effectiveness of financial resources - public and private Equilibrium works with groups ranging from local communities - brought to bear. Specifically, we seek to advance the to United Nations agencies. Major issues include protected use of conservation finance and environmental markets areas and broadscale approaches to conservation. Equilibrium in ways that address