ITTO / IUCN International Workshop on Increasing the Effectiveness of Transboundary Conservation Areas in Tropical Forests 17-21 February 2003, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand

Draft Summaries of Presentations

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Transboundary Conservation Areas: Key Issues Pertaining to Benefits, Challenges and Establishment Processes

Mavuso Msimang - South African National Parks The Southern African experience to date in terms of the establishment of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TBCA's) with special reference to the key benefits and challenges is outlined from conception to finalisation of an International Treaty. Broad concepts have been used to avoid emphasis on case-specific issues. The political and institutional arrangements are illustrated by explaining the process followed from conception to the proclamation and implementation of a TBCA. Guidelines for political, managerial and technical strategies in transboundary management at the landscape level with a view to integrating TBCAs into the broader landscape issues will also be explicitly described. Suggestions and recommendations for improving the management of TBCAs will be outlined in the paper. These include, amongst others:

• Development of appropriate institutions for the management of the area. This should include building the capacity of the institutions of the weaker parties involved, and ensuring that there are opportunities for the transfer of skills in the development process;

• Adoption of an approach which embraces sustainable multiple land use;

• Consultation and involvement of all stakeholders in the TBCA planning and decision- making process, and the implementation of the project;

• Involvement of local communities and other key stakeholders in the monitoring and evaluation process of the TBCA goals and objectives;

• Creation of partnerships between the stakeholders involved in the process, and development of mechanisms to ensure that benefits accruing from the project are distributed in an equitable way between all parties involved;

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• Harmonisation of approach to natural resource management, which includes community based natural resource management;

• Harmonisation of procedures for private sector involvement in the project, and encouragement of local investors to actively participate in the project. This would include the reviewing and harmonisation of tenure policies to provide security for potential investors and protecting the rights of local communities;

• Development a common vision for disease control, which is based on the sharing of information, and development of contingency plans for when the levels of wildlife diseases get above acceptable levels;

• Development of mechanisms to resolve potential conflict between partners in the planning and management of the TBCAs. ______

World Bank support for Transboundary Protected Areas

Kathy MacKinnon - Environment Department, World Bank

Over the last twelve years, the World Bank has become a major funder of biodiversity conservation, with a total investment of more than $2.6 billion in biodiversity projects and activities since 1988 (World Bank, 2000). This portfolio continues to grow, both through grant financing under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Pilot Program to Conserve the Brazilian Rainforest (RTF), and through lending as client countries increasing their borrowing to finance biodiversity-related activities. A substantial number of the Bank’s biodiversity projects provide financing to transboundary protected area projects and international cooperation to support regional conservation efforts (MacKinnon et al. 2000; MacKinnon et al. 2002).

The 170 countries which have ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity have espoused the principle of an ecosystem approach to conservation. Around the world the Bank is supporting projects which foster a landscape approach to conservation, linking protected areas through wildlife corridors and sustainably managed forests and rangelands that promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, often across national boundaries. The Mozambique transfrontier conservation project is promoting development models that benefit local communities yet protect wildlife migration routes and link to conservation efforts in adjoining Zimbabwe and South Africa. In Central Asia the Bank is supporting protected areas, landscape planning and tri-national collaboration between Kyrgiz Republic, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the mountains of the West Tien Shan. Cooperation between Romania and Ukraine in the Danube Delta is leading to better protection of the delta’s wetlands while three countries (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) are working together to combat problems created by invasive water hyacinth in Lake Victoria. In Central America national projects in Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama contribute to protected area and forest management in the Meso-American Biological Corridor and the offshore barrier reef. A new project in southern Africa provides support for protected areas and adjacent community lands in the Maloti-Drakensberg mountains on the borders of South Africa and Lesotho, a designated Peace Park and new World Heritage site.

MacKinnon, K. et al. (2000). Transboundary reserves: World Bank implementation of the Ecosystem approach. World Bank, Washington, D.C. Draft 02/05/03 2

MacKinnon et al. (2002) Conservation of Biodiversity in Mountain Ecosystems – at a glance. World Bank, Washington, D.C.

World Bank (2000) Supporting the Web of Life: The World Bank and Biodiversity. A Portfolio Update. World Bank, Washington, D.C. ______

International Environmental Law as Support and Assistance for the Creation and Management of TBCA’s

Tomme Young - Environmental Law Centre, IUCN - The World Conservation Union

In General: This paper and presentation will address the legal “tools” available to assist in the development of Transboundary Conservation Areas, and the manner in which international legal provisions and principles can be most effective, in both the creation and management of such areas. Relationship of this paper to the objectives of the workshop: Often one of the difficulties in negotiating and managing TBCAs relates to misperceptions regarding how they are affected by international law. Often it is thought that international law provides answers or a template for resolving questions or confusions among the parties (this is rarely the case); by contrast, international law may sometimes be seen as a barrier (or at least an obstacle) to the creation of TBCA (also untrue). Often, however, international law will be the first source considered for the resolution of disagreements, and redress of grievances that may arise in the course of operation of TBPAs. For all of these reasons, it seems important for the Participants to gain some understanding of the role of international law in the TBCA context, and to consider how future development of international or regional law might help them in the creation or management of TBCAs. Summary/Outline of Key Points: The following is a general outline of the issues that will be raised in the paper International Law and the CREATION of TBCAs ▪ International Agreements relating to TBCAs - Convention on Biological Diversity - World Heritage Convention - Ramsar Convention - UN Convention on Law of the Sea ▪ International Programmes and Institutions - UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme - UNEP ▪ Regional Initiatives for Conservation Areas - In general - SPREP - Wider Caribbean ▪ Other Relevant Conventions providing potential support and justification - CITES

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- Convention on Migratory Species

International Law and the MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION of TBCAs ▪ The role of the TBCA Agreement ▪ Natural resources management, and PA operation issues under international law ▪ Addressing disagreements, concerns and disputes in management

Conclusions/questions raised: The conclusion of the paper will generally be that the TBCA negotiation process is critical to the success of the TBCA, and that it will be important both to utilise the experience of others, and to have a clear idea of the particular needs and mandates of the proposed area in this process. It will identify some of the various available approaches to TBCAs, and raise questions concerning the difficult balance between the need for flexibility and the need for clear, binding provisions. It will also point to the concept of Protected Area Management as a mechanism for resolving many of these issues, although possibly raising others. ______

The role of the World Heritage Convention in promoting Transboundary conservation initiatives

Natarajan Ishwaran - UNESCO World Heritage Centre Seema Paul - United Nations Foundation

In recent years, conservation efforts have begun to focus on ecosystem/landscape level approaches in order to achieve success in their mission. Since a large number of key conservation areas are shared across international borders, Transboundary conservation initiatives have acquired significance. The World Heritage Convention, adopted in 1972 and currently ratified by 175 countries, has kept pace with these conservation trends.

In nominating sites for World Heritage designation, member countries have proposed cross border sites, namely sites that are physically contiguous across an international border and several of them have been granted this status by the World Heritage Committee. This recognition includes the inscription of both cross border sites as a single entry (e.g. Kluane Wrangell/St. Elias of Canada and USA; La Amistad of Costa Rica and Panama; Mt. Nimba of Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea, Bialowiecza of Poland and Belarus and Victoria Falls/Mosi-oa- Tunya of Zimbabwe and Zambia) or as separate entries (Iguacu Falls of Brazil and Iguacu Falls of Argentina; Sundarbans of India and Sundarbans of Bangladesh). While the difference between single and separate entries may appear marginal, in fact, a joint inscription is more in line with the ideals of a common heritage for humankind as promoted under the World Heritage Convention. Additionally, a joint nomination can also be a reflection of the cooperation among the countries that agreed to apply for a joint inscription.

Trans-border conservation co-operation may involve sites that are interlinked across an international border whose common feature is a critical habitat for a selected species or a shared watershed or catchment. Sites involved in such trans-border conservation need not necessarily be physically contiguous. A good example is the case of Virunga National Park (DRC), Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Uganda) and the Volcans National Park (Rwanda). Virunga and Bwindi are World Heritage sites and Volcans is being considered for nomination by Rwanda. All three sites provide critical habitats for the Mountain Gorilla and while not Draft 02/05/03 4 physically contiguous, they are in close proximity to each other around the shared borders. An ideal trans-border conservation initiative would cluster these three well-known sites with other sites in the region to create a single trans-border World Heritage nomination which protects the maximum range of the Mountain Gorilla.

Given political sensitivities and multitudes of administrative authorities, establishing trans- border World Heritage sites in Asia has been more difficult than in other parts of the world. The Government of India expressed an interest in nominating the Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot shared among several of its states, as a World Heritage site some years ago. But that effort has floundered because of the difficulties involved in coordinating across these states. These difficulties magnify when coordination is across national borders as opposed to domestic state or provincial boundaries. When the two Sundarbans sites of India and Bangladesh were inscribed separately on the World Heritage List in 1987 and 1997, respectively, the World Heritage Committee reiterated that the two countries ought to consider nominating the cross-border site as a single entry on the World Heritage List, representing the Sundarbans ecosystem as a whole. Despite political sensitivities between the two countries, a UNF/UNDP Project is currently attempting to achieve this union. Even after building good momentum on both sides in favour of separate but parallel conservation work within a joint framework, UNDP officials have reported that a joint listing may only be achieved over the long term.

In recent years the application of the Convention has tended to move away from nomination of single protected areas as World Heritage sites, towards emphasizing clusters of protected areas as World Heritage Area nominations. This trend has increased the interest in applying the Convention to promote trans-border conservation. UNF-UNESCO- Projects are trying to develop trans-border sites for World Heritage nomination in areas shared by Indonesia (Kalimantan) and Malaysia (Sarawak) and the Central African Republic, Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo; other efforts to build trans-border co-operation to bring together Laos and Vietnam are under discussion. Opportunities for trans-border conservation under the World Heritage Convention’s framework are significantly higher in the tropical coastal and marine ecosystems.

If conservation NGO’s, donors and other stakeholders were to adopt a pro-active approach in promoting the innovative clustering approach to the applications of the Convention, the potential for Trans-border co-operation by State Parties to the World Heritage Convention could be expanded. Non Governmental Organizations and civil society in general, including groups that work on peace and security issues, have an even more important front-end role to play in creating the groundwork for collaboration among stakeholders across borders. Only when the Trans boundary nomination process builds upon cooperation among park officials, local NGOs and administrative structures will the clustered or joint World Heritage designations yield lasting results for conservation.

Preparing a trans-border World Heritage area nomination takes a longer period of time and the States Parties undertaking this demanding process, and the donors providing support to the preparation of these nominations, must have a reasonable assurance against the risk of failure in IUCN evaluations and World Heritage Committee decisions on such nominations. States Parties’ convictions in attempting trans-border World Heritage area nominations as an innovative application of the Convention have strong potential to link with the work of

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Draft 02/05/03 stakeholders aiming to build peace and harmony amongst nations with those promoting biodiversity conservation. ______

Cordillera del Condor Transboundary Protected Area Project, Peru & Ecuador: From Parks for Peace to Conservation Corridors

Carlos F. Ponce – Conservation International, Peru

The region of Cordillera del Condor in the mountain border between Peru and Ecuador has been disputed for decades. Thanks to biological assessments carried out in the early 1990s, the region was also recognized as an important habitat for several threatened and endemic species that found refuge in its highly diverse forests. Regardless of several attempts to avoid further confrontations and in spite of the interest shown by the conservation community in finding ways to preserve the region’s outstanding biodiversity, it was not until the signing of the Presidential Act in1998 that both countries reached an agreement that ended the hostilities and opened new venues for bilateral cooperation on conservation issues.

The 1998-agreement included measures to establish “Adjacent Zones of Ecological Protection” (the transboundary protected area) on both sides of the international border and to promote development schemes around the protection zones in order to foster further transboundary economic and social cooperation.

Following the signing of the agreement, the Government of Ecuador created in 1999 the El Condor Park over 25.4 square kilometres, while Peru established across the border a Zone of Ecological Protection of 54.4 square kilometres. Complementarily, Peru established the Santiago-Comaina Reserved Zone over 8,632.8 square kilometres; in July 2000 the reserve was expanded to its current 16,425.7 square kilometres.

Furthermore, both governments requested to the International Tropical Timber Organisation – ITTO for technical and financial support to undertake a scoping study to assess the feasibility of different conservation strategies for the Cordillera del Condor. As a result of this first study two new projects were endorsed by ITTO to consolidate the network of transboundary protected areas present in the region.

It is expected that the different conservation efforts carried out in Cordillera del Condor will lead to the establishment of a Conservation Corridor in this transboundary area.

Conservation Corridors are defined as a new planning and management strategy that integrates parts of natural ecosystems, including natural protected areas, and areas being managed for other forms of land use to foster sustainable development practices, while maintaining the biological diversity and ecological processes of a given territory.

In order to turn this concept into reality, a well coordinated empowerment and partnership strategy has to be implemented so that environmental authorities, land-development planners, governments, local communities, scientists, the private sector and NGOs can work on equal terms towards an agreed vision of sustainable development.

This approach is particularly important when dealing with non-adjacent protected areas in highly-sensitive territories such as Cordillera del Condor. The establishment of biodiversity

Draft 02/05/03 6 friendly land-use corridors is not only helping to link the protected areas in both sides of the border but also to create spaces where transboundary interaction around sustainable development practices can be implemented.

It is expected that the strategy of Conservation Corridors promoted in Cordillera del Condor will be extended to incorporate other important ecosystems shared by these two countries: mangroves and dry forest on the Pacific coast, lowland rain forests in the Amazon region, as well as Paramos and coastal and marine ecosystems.

Thanks to the development over recent years, the idea of establishing transboundary protected areas as a means for promoting peace between Peru and Ecuador that arose in the late 1980s in the civil society arena is evolving into a more ambitious concept: A Peru – Ecuador Conservation Agenda.

The conservation efforts in Cordillera del Condor are not only contributing to the conservation of the outstanding biological richness shared by Peru and Ecuador but they are also helping to create the environment of trust that is crucial for building lasting peace in the region.

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Transboundary conservation within the context of insecurity: The Case of the Great Lakes Region (Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi)

Cleto Ndikumagenge - IUCN Central Africa Office

Introduction Central Africa constitutes one of the world’s largest sites of biodiversity richness of which a major part is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. However, since 1993, the three countries have been the scenes of socio-political and armed conflicts which have negative effects on the environment and protected areas. This presentation highlights transboundary management of three protected areas: Kibira in Burundi, Virunga in DRC, and Volcanoes in Rwanda. It analyses the opportunities and the challenges of transboundary management of protected areas in the Great Lakes region while making linkages between lessons learnt and the objectives of the World Commission on Protected Area (WCPA).

Factors favouring transboundary management between the three protected areas The presentation emphasises the following factors favouring transboundary management: unique habitats for certain species of mountain gorilla and chimpanzee species, very high species endemism, regulation of the watershed between the Congo and Nile Basin. The three protected areas are subject to the same threats: rapid deforestation and loss of biodiversity, overexploitation of animal and plant species, reduction of natural regeneration because of the invasive species like lianas, soil erosion after deforestation.

Main challenges faced by these Parks • Human populations around these parks are subject to the following challenges: armed conflicts, growth of the poverty of populations, insufficient agricultural land

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• Parks are affected by surface reduction, and a weak legal dialogue. • The complexity of stakeholders and the lack of coordination are in part the origin of many different factors: armed bands, mining companies, rural populations, administrations, researchers, religious communities, customary authorities, local NGOs, logging companies, fishers, indigenous people…

Analysis of the main transboundary management issues • Political level: these parks constitute the battle field between rebels and regular army; • Institutional level: capacity building of rural populations, participation, collaboration with institutions at the national level; • Implementing international conventions and regional agreements: linkage between national strategies and plans of actions for the CBD, implementation strategies, lack of framework in the implementation of international conventions; • Managerial level: Protected areas are managed under the tutelage of technical and scientific state-controlled institutions: National Institute for Nature Conservation and Environment in Burundi (INECN), Congolese National Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN), Rwandan Office of Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN). However, they lack skilled management; • Technical level: Management plans, simple management plans, problem related to poaching; • Transboundary management: dialogue between stakeholders, transboundary control of illegal exploitation, sub-regional and international trade of species.

Conclusion: The problems reflect the necessity to take into account all aspects that do not necessarily directly depend on the situation in these Parks.

Contribution of the different conservation agencies and their partners To define all partners’ intervention strategies and link them with transboundary management: • IUCN (Parks for Peace Initiative): system of alert, code of conduct for management of forest concessions, co-ordination, support to war victims; • United Nations Agencies (FAO, WFP,UNRHC , UNESCO): emergencies, reforestation, agroforestry; • International Program for the conservation of gorilla: surveillance, monitoring of gorillas and their habitat; • Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund: surveillance, rehabilitation of infrastructures; • Support Project of Conference on Central African Moist Forest Ecosystem (CEFDHAC): domestication of indigenous trees; • CARE international : plantation, agroforestry; • INECN, ICCN, ORTPN : technical coordination.

When concluding activities, we will probably have evidence of a weak “transboundary” component and lack of coordination.

Some frameworks of dialogue favoring transboundary management • Great Lakes Countries Economic Community (CEPGL); • CEFDHAC: Code of conduct, Regional Strategic Action Plan (SAP) for environmental and biodiversity resources of the Congo Basin ecosystems; • UNESCO initiatives; • Dialogue between technical staff;

Draft 02/05/03 8 Lessons learnt and ties with the WCPA The lessons learnt correspond with the priorities of WCPA: • Influence of the political and socio-economic environment on protected area management. This ties with WCPA “benefit beyond boundaries”; • Aim at achieving a common vision on transboundary issues by all stakeholders; • Decreased incomes generated by tourism because of the war; • Redefine the policy of transboundary management of these protected areas, especially because the threats on these resources are enormous; • Protected areas should not only be integrated in the socio-economic context of the sub- region but also within the priorities of each country; • Experiments with certain tools: code of conduct, sustainable management of forest concessions; • Reinforce certain actions : insist on partnerships between stakeholders; • Divergence between international policies and the low amount of funds really brought in countries to support these policies. ______

Induced Population Movements and Transboundary Conservation: Dealing with the Issue Rather than the Problem

R. David Stone - Livelihood and Environmental Security (LIVES) Advisory Group

Management of natural resources at the transboundary level is increasingly being appreciated as a viable means of national and regional development – an important step towards reducing poverty levels and promoting sustainable livelihoods, as well as being a positive contributor towards biodiversity conservation and, in certain cases, conflict resolution and avoidance.

The planning, creation and management of transboundary conservation areas (TBCAs), however, is a fragile process fraught with challenges – political, social and economic. This paper addresses some of the main concerns arising from the induced movement of people into or within reach of existing or intended TBCAs, the potential impacts of such movements on the local environment, and some implications for future management.

Causes of population movement include natural disasters such as flooding, drought or earthquakes, and man-made causes, some of which are predictable (e.g. following reservoir construction or the continued abuse of land or forest resources). Others may be spontaneous, e.g. following the outbreak of war (which is sometimes induced by competition for natural resources) or as a result of perceived opportunities in a new development, such as a TBCA.

Reasons for settling within or close to transboundary conservation areas are many, ranging from a conscious decision on the part of rebel groups to establish bases within striking distance of another country's border, to a conscious decision by governments to establish refugee camps close to neighbouring frontiers. Advantage is also taken of developments (or opportunities) within the reserve or region – a form of magnet attraction. Whatever the reason, however, there are likely to be increased demands on natural resources, with obvious extensions to longer term ecosystem functioning.

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The root causes of some of the main population movements are examined, chiefly those relating to war and conflict, environmental degradation and natural disasters. Although there is unlikely to be a single blueprint for coping with these issues, it is becoming increasingly clear that there are many advantages for biodiversity conservation and peoples' livelihoods and security if their needs are considered from the outset and efforts made to address these. Opportunities for involving internally displaced persons or refugees should therefore be examined in a positive light – viewing this as an opportunity for development rather than as an unnecessary burden on a particular country or community.

Past experience highlights the vulnerability of transboundary complexes to induced population movements. Scenarios such as this should, however, become an integral part of transboundary conservation area conceptualisation and planning, rather than having to be addressed at a later stage when it may already be too late to take appropriate actions. All of the above is examined within the context of current guidance provided by the World Commission on Protected Areas, with specific advice on where improvements might be considered to prevent, mitigate and reverse environmental degradation. Given the unfortunate escalation in induced population movements in recent years and the continued pressure on remaining wilderness areas worldwide, it is timely for new approaches and tools to be developed and adopted by decision-makers and protected area planners and managers to deal with population movements as an issue before they becomes an unmanageable problem. ______

The integration of social issues in Transboundary Conservation Areas

Gonzalo T. Oviedo C. - IUCN Social Policy Advisor

IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) developed in 2001 Guidelines on Transboundary Protected Areas for Peace and Cooperation, based on workshops held in 1998 and 2000. At both preparatory events, as well in the resulting Guidelines, social aspects of transboundary conservation were considered of primary importance, and many participating experts warned that social aspects will become increasingly important for the success of transboundary conservation.

The paper will build on the ideas presented in the indicated Guidelines, and offers some additional considerations and recommendations on integrating social aspects in transboundary conservation areas.

There are several reasons why this is important. First of all, the majority of protected areas of the world are inhabited by human communities, either under traditional occupation or as a result of more recent movements of population. The conventional protected areas paradigm, still in vigour legally and politically in many countries of the world, wanted them free from human interference, but it has proved essentially wrong or impracticable, and there is growing consensus within the protected areas community that a more flexible and realistic concept of “parks with people” is universally required. Transboundary conservation areas do not escape from this reality.

Secondly, natural areas where transboundary conservation occurs are often areas with particular patterns of human occupation. In some cases they overlap with traditionally occupied territories or human migration corridors. One of the important ecological reasons for transboundary conservation, the establishment of international corridors for migrant animal populations, is in itself the basis of a particular type of human occupation of such areas, as Draft 02/05/03 10 traditional communities have usually moved following such animal migrations, or have used the same or similar corridors for seasonal grazing.

In other cases, border areas have been subject to displacement of human communities, either as a result of national policies of “living frontiers” or colonization of frontier lands to assert sovereignty, or as a result of forced displacement of people due to armed conflict and hostility between neighbours. Increasingly, the refugee problem affects transboundary conservation areas, and it is expected that the current course of armed and political conflicts in the world will generate more numerous and massive movements of refugees in environmentally sensitive areas, including frontier regions.

Human communities in transboundary areas usually have also particular relationships with national and local institutions, including the military, and thus conventional participatory approaches to nature conservation need to be adapted to this special institutional context. Further, peace and cooperation building among communities separated or affected by conflict is such a fundamental priority that cannot be separated from arrangements for ensuring conservation of nature and natural resources. ______

Transboundary Biosphere Reserves A tool for integrating conservation in a broader landscape

Mireille Jardin - Man and Biosphere(MAB), UNESCO

The paper will deal with transboundary biosphere reserves (TBR), which constitute a framework for co-operative management of natural resources. It will in particular address two of the identified fields in the workshop objectives, i.e.: • Evaluating international trends in the political and institutional arrangements, including bottlenecks to political support, and • Managerial and technical issues in transboundary management. The presentation will show how the experience gained by the MAB Programme (task force on transboundary biosphere reserves), the already six formally designated TBRs and the number of TBRs in process, can provide elements to answer the questions raised, in particular “how to integrate TBCA in the broader landscape to ensure they are planned and managed in context”.

The Biosphere Reserve concept The biosphere reserve concept is flexible; it can be and is applied in different socio-cultural contexts. Biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems promoting solutions to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. They are different from traditional protected areas, at least in three ways:

• They cover large territories of which only a part is legally protected;

• They combine three complementary functions, i.e. conservation, sustainable use and a logistic function (research, monitoring, education and training);

• They are subject to a zoning pattern which corresponds to a gradient of conservation and use.

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To manage such multi-objective territories, it is necessary to establish mechanisms involving all responsible authorities and the local population. In the case of transboundary biosphere reserves, these mechanisms are the key to the management of the entire area.

As biosphere reserves form a World Network (with a Statutory Framework formally adopted by UNESCO), they promote exchange of knowledge and experience. In the particular case of TBRs, an ad hoc task force was convened in 2000 to produce the Recommendations for the establishment and functioning of TBRs. The content of these recommendations will be presented in the paper.

Transboundary biosphere reserves (TBR)

The paper will address the following issues:

• Political aspects: how the official UNESCO designation is the result of a political process and political commitment

• Institutional arrangements: how TBRs are organized and what is recommended

• Joint Management: what does joint management entail? Definition of general objectives, joint activities, joint budget, etc?

• Zonation: its significance for each part of the TBR (common understanding)

• Management structures in each part: should they be harmonised? Is it feasible?

The presentation will also show how the three complementary functions of biosphere reserves are dealt with in the specific case of TBRs. The following questions will be addressed:

- Concerted strategy for conservation: what does this imply? Is a harmonisation of regulations desirable or possible?

- How can a TBR promote a concerted policy on approaches to sustainable development?

- What will a TBR add in the field of research, monitoring, education and training?

In conclusion, the paper will underline how TBRs can serve as models to develop transboundary cooperation, and contribute to the integration of TBCA in the broader landscape. ______

Dja Wildlife Reserve

Georges Mouncharou - National Elephant Coordinator Programme, Mengame - Minkebe tranfrontier sanctuary project, Ministry of the Environment and Forestry, Cameroon

Introduction

The Dja Wildlife reserve (DWR) was gazetted in 1950 by virtue of order N•319 signed by the then French High Commissioner. This reserve was internationally, both as a Biosphere Draft 02/05/03 12 Reserve in 1981 and a World Heritage site in 1987. It is known to be the largest protected area in Cameroon and it extends over an area of 625 000 ha.

Background and stakes relating to the Management of the Dja reserve

1. Except for its eastern part, the DWR is limited by the Dja river, which constitutes a natural barrier for several species (Ex. mandrillus sphinx), and this gives room for the assumption that lots of biological exchanges take place within the eastern part of the reserve. 2. Three majors types of plant formations prevail within the reserve, namely the semi- deciduous formations in the north, the Atlantic formations in the west and the Congolese formations in the south, thereby providing it with exceptional biological diversity especially as regards chimpanzees, gorillas, blue cephalopha as well as those with a dark dorsal strip. The population density of these species is known to be the highest in the Congo Basin. 3. It is surrounded by twelve forest management units that constitute the last virgin forest, which is currently being exposed to forest exploitation. 4. In its eastern part, the DWR will, in the months ahead, be the scene of an exclusive mining exploitation activity (Nickel, Cobalt) to be carried out by GEOVIC, an American consortium. 5. The DWR equally serves as the intersection site of all development initiatives undertaken within the South eastern area of Cameroon (construction of Lomie-Yokadouma highway, activities to open the Ngoila region, construction of the Sangmelima-Djoum-Mintom transnational highway aimed at opening up to the boundaries with the Congo and Gabon) 6. In addition the these points, the area is governed by thirteen administrative units and there is considerable linguistic diversity among the six communities, which inhabit the area of which four are sedentary (Badjoue, Nzime, Fang, Bulu) and two semi-nomadic (Baka and Kako) 7. All the development-related activities mentioned above (leading to poaching, loss of biodiversity, random migrations of the Baka-pygmies) may have serious impact on the biodiversity of DWR, unless the resources of the area are properly managed.

Assessment and lessons learnt

8. In order to better manage the biodiversity of the DWR, emphasis should be laid on the sustainable management of activities carried out around the reserve. 9. It is also important to define the statute and norms relating to the management of the corridors serving as lanes of migrations and biological exchange between conservation sites. 10. It is necessary as well, to develop synergies with other protected areas sharing the same multiple purposes and common biological and cultural attributes (Nki national Park, Mengame Gorilla sanctuary, Minkebe reserve) 11. The absence of norms and standards in the wildlife sector (management, inventories, impact, assessment etc.) impedes the establishment of a framework for collaboration and exchange between different stakeholders, aimed at a better management of the DWR. 12. The land tenure regime established by resources management legislation and relating to protected areas slightly contradicts with the land tenure and mining code, and both IUCN and UNESCO norms – for instance those concerning biosphere reserves. 13. The harmonization of both the legislations and statute regarding the staff in charge of management activities within states sharing the same forest block is very important 14. It is necessary to put in place a system to grant compensation/benefits likely to incite a conducive attitude amongst the population vis-à-vis conservation (notably as concerns

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Conclusion

An analysis of the different issues described above suggests the need for political support towards the review of the existing institutional and legal framework. This review should also be directed towards an ecoregional biodiversity vision, which where necessary should extend beyond national boundaries and should lead to the development of a regional conservation strategy. This strategy would require the existence of both a viable financing mechanism and a forum for dialogue and consultation between management structures of the different conservation sites involved and the local people, so that conservation eventually becomes a source of peace amongst these people. ______

Strategies for Transboundary Biodiversity Conservation: A Case of Pha Taem Protected Forests Complex Between Thailand, Cambodia and Laos

Yongyut Trisurat - Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University Chatuchak, THAILAND

Thailand has established more than 200 protected areas to safeguard the national biological diversity. Existing protected areas cover approximately 17% of the country’s total land area, exceeding the IUCN target of 10%, and many protected forest complexes linked with neighbouring countries. Currently, the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) has provided assistance to the Royal Thai Government to initiate strategy for cooperation in trans-boundary biodiversity conservation. The Pha Taem Protected Forests Complex (PPFC) in Ubon Ratchathani Province in Northeastern Thailand has been selected as a pilot project because there is an increasing pressure on biodiversity from trade in plant parts and animal poaching across the border with Cambodia and Laos. To the east of PPFC is Mekong River and Laos, and to the south is Cambodia. The PPFC covers an area nearly 173,000 ha which comprises four existing protected areas, namely Pha Taem, Kaeng Tana, and Phu Jong Na Yoi National Parks, and Yot Dom Wildlife Sanctuary, as well as the proposed Buntrik-Yot Mon Wildlife Sanctuary.

Specific objectives of the project’s Phase I or the preparation stage (2002-2003) are to start a management planning process for the PPFC in a framework of trans-boundary biodiversity conservation and to initiate cooperation between Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Key activities includes setting up an organization, collection of biodiversity and socio-economic data, development of Geographic Information System (GIS) database, initiating contacts with conservation authorities in Cambodia and Laos. These activities will be directed toward management planning.

The project is on-going and preliminary findings from data collection, remote sensing and GIS analysis reveal that PPFC contain 3 main vegetation types i.e., dry evergreen forest, mixed deciduous forest, and dry dipterocarp forest and more than 288 tree species are identified. At least 49 mammal species, 145 bird species, 30 reptile species and 13 amphibian species are found but large wildlife species such as wild elephant, banteng, and bear are observed only along the national borders. Recently, the Siamese freshwater crocodile, the most endangered crocodiles in the world, was caught by villager on Lam Dom Yai River in Yot Dom. Besides the trading of biological resources across the border, other important issues in Thailand include illegal logging, grazing, encroachment in buffer zone, the proposed

Draft 02/05/03 14 Emerald Triangle Development Project, landmine along the border and logging concession in Laos.

This paper also attempts to propose key strategies for trans-boundary biodiversity conservation at the landscape level beyond the boundaries of existing protected areas. Essential strategies are establishment of linkages between 5 protected areas, community- based management in buffer zone, protection of wildlife corridors among tri-national countries, and joint training and research programs. ______

Is it Worth the Effort and Expense? Challenges for Establishing and Maintaining Transboundary Conservation Initiatives Trevor Sandwith - Cape Action Plan for the Environment, Co-Chair: IUCN/WCPA Task Force on Transboundary Protected Areas

Transboundary conservation areas (TBCAs) encompass a range of situations including transboundary natural resource management areas and protected areas, in various combinations across international, sub-national and other boundaries, and in terrestrial and marine environments. Even within one sub-set, namely where there are adjacent protected areas in two or more countries, there has been an enormous growth in the numbers of these complexes over the past ten years. In 2001, it was estimated that there were 169 transboundary protected area complexes involving at least 666 individually proclaimed protected areas. Many multi-lateral donors have project portfolios involving transboundary conservation, international conservation organizations have been exploring their efficacy in achieving better landscape level conservation and there is high level support from many governments and regional organizations promoting co-ordinated regional economic development. In many parts of the world, transboundary conservation programmes are being regarded as a new opportunity to establish, expand and improve the sustainability of protected areas. On the other hand, there is some critical opinion which regards these programmes as the latest passing fashion. There is uncertainty whether the costs involved in these complex programmes really justify the biodiversity, social, institutional, political and economic benefits.

While recognizing that these areas serve many important conservation and development objectives, especially for large scale or eco-regional conservation, for regional economic and social development and for the establishment and maintenance of peaceful co-operation, it is surprising that the rationale and purpose for the establishment of individual TBCAs is seldom interrogated. Similarly, and even more importantly, there are very few examples where TBCAs have been evaluated in terms of whether they have contributed towards the achievement of their objectives, whether the latter are implicit or explicit.

These questions are fundamental to determining: • whether and how new TBCAs should be established; • how existing ones should be managed; • the obstacles to effective management;

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• the priorities for further investigation; • who should be involved and at what level; • whether governments, NGOs and the private sector should invest in these areas.

Transboundary conservation programmes are therefore an interesting and challenging topic to be considered by the global conservation community. In particular, the World Parks Congress in September 2003 offers an important opportunity to address the opportunities and constraints of these programmes and to determine strategic approaches for the next decade.

Drawing on the recently published guidance prepared by IUCN, the Biodiversity Support Programme and Europarc Federation, as well as the insights of the IUCN WCPA Transboundary Protected Areas Task Force, this paper will highlight the major issues relevant to the formulation and management of transboundary conservation area projects and programmes. In particular, it will focus on: • the decision-making process for undertaking a TBCA initiative; • the TBCA planning process; and • the challenges for monitoring, evaluation and adaptive management.

It will conclude by identifying and posing challenges for the future global agenda for TBCA initiatives, including: • the need for a co-ordinated programme; • the establishment of model TBPAs in various regions; • the need for and requirements of a manager/specialist TBCA exchange forum • the need to translate published guidance into effective action; and • the need to develop and apply and evaluation framework for TBCAs. ______

Improving the Formulation and Management of ITTO Transboundary Conservation Area Projects - A Case Study from Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary, Sarawak, Malaysia, and Betung Kerihun National Park, Kalimantan, Indonesia

Paul P.K. Chai - Lanjak Entimau Project, Sarawak Tonny Soehartono - WWF Sundaland Bioregion, Kalimantan Penguang Manggil - Forests/ITTO Projects, Forest Department, Sarawak

Through the initiatives of the Governments of Malaysia, Indonesia, and ITTO, the Transboundary Biodiversity Conservation Area (TBCA) of Betung Kerihun National Park (BKNP) and Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary (LEWS) was inaugurated on 7 October 1994. Batang Ai National Park (BANP) adjacent to LEWS in the south was later included in the TBCA, totalling one million hectares.

The TBCA shares many common values that include geography, biodiversity and culture. It will be the most important sanctuary for Borneo’s remaining orangutan populations.

In Sarawak, existing legislations ensure that the local communities benefit from LEWS and BANP as Totally Protected Areas (TPA). They enjoy priviledges in subsistence hunting and gathering of jungle produce, participate actively in co-management as Honorary Wildlife

Draft 02/05/03 16 Rangers and are appointed members of Special Wildlife Committee and Special Park Committee. The local communities in BKNP also enjoy similar priviledges in the park.

For future policy formulations of TPAs and TBCAs, it is useful to consider biodiversity conservation at the landscape level through integrated landuse, by including, where appropriate and necessary, biodiversity in permanent forest estates and forests under native customary rights. This will be especially beneficial for Sarawak.

The joint ITTO Borneo Biodiversity Expedition of 1997 marked the first successful co- operation between scientists of the two countries after the establishment of the TBCA. The Task Force formed in Year 2000 agreed on short-term and long-term actions to ensure effective protection, exchange of information and cross-visits.

Political and financial support for the TBCA must be sustained. Special effort is needed to strengthen institutional framework for implementation through a more permanent coordinating committee for increasing efficiency and effectiveness, and developing co- operative agreements for collaborative management and equal sharing of benefits.

By virtue of its status as a protected area, the TBCA will be subject to increasing threats from various forms of illegal activities. Promoting conservation awareness and education as well as community-based activities will help to reduce dependence of the local communities on the forests. Joint ecotourism is a good option for BNKP and BANP.

The host governments must ensure sustainability of funding from internal sources, and extend the level of co-operation between regional TBCAs and international organizations such as ITTO, IUCN and UNESCO for continued consultation and support in implementation of conservation projects and policies. ______

Transboundary Cooperation and Development in the Framework of the Costa Rica – Panama Agreement on the La Amistad Protected Area

Francisco Mora - Parque Nacional Tapanti, Costa Rica

1. Legal framework of global transboundary management in Costa Rica and Panama. - General Law of Agreement on cooperation between Costa Rica and Panama. - Called the "Arias-Calderon" agreement - 1941

2. Legal framework for the technical and operational management of the natural resource sector.

3. La Amistad Protected Area, Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site. Background - Geographical location of the international park - watersheds as a social planning unit - Socio-economic, biophysical characteristics and other buffer zones.

4. International Park La Amistad in the context of biological corridors.

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5. General management - Planning, monetary and evaluation. Technical studies and information systems for decision making. - Negotiations: formulation of proposals and projects - Coordination and organization framework of bi-national commissions for inter- institutional and inter-sectoral work.

6. Working areas at a local level - Cooperation at the local level: exchange of experiences - Organization and coordination for participatory management - Political, environmental, economic, and social evaluation and monitoring of protected areas.

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