Programme Element 3: Enabling Activities
Goal 3.1: To provide an enabling policy, institutional and socio-economic environment for protected areas
Target: By 2008 review and revise policies as appropriate, including use of social and economic valuation and incentives, to provide a supportive enabling environment for more effective establishment and management of protected areas and protected areas systems.
Suggested activities of the Parties
3.1.1 By 2006, identify legislative and institutional gaps and barriers that impede the effective establishment and management of protected areas, and by 2009, effectively address these gaps and barriers.
3.1.2 Conduct national-level assessments of the contributions of protected areas, considering as appropriate environmental services, to the country's economy and culture, and to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals at the national level; and integrate the use of economic valuation and natural resource accounting tools into national planning processes in order to identify the hidden and non-hidden economic benefits provided by protected areas and who appropriates these benefits.
3.1.3 Harmonize sectoral policies and laws to ensure that they support the conservation and effective management of the protected area system.
3.1.4 Consider governance principles, such as the rule of law, decentralization, participatory decision-making mechanisms for accountability and equitable dispute resolution institutions and procedures.
3.1.5 Identify and remove perverse incentives and inconsistencies in sectoral policies that increase pressure on protected areas, or take action to mitigate their perverse effects. Whenever feasible, redirect these to positive incentives for conservation.
3.1.6 Identify and establish positive incentives that support the integrity and maintenance of protected areas and the involvement of indigenous and local communities and stakeholders in conservation.
3.1.7 Adopt legal frameworks to national, regional and sub-national protected areas systems of countries where appropriate.
3.1.8 Develop national incentive mechanisms and institutions and legislative frameworks to support the establishment of the full range of protected areas that achieve biodiversity conservation objectives including on private lands and private reserves where appropriate.
3.1.9 Identify and foster economic opportunities and markets at local, national and international levels for goods and services produced by protected areas and/or reliant on the ecosystem services that protected areas provide, consistent with protected area objectives and promote the equitable sharing of the benefits.
3.1.10 Develop necessary mechanisms for institutions with responsibilities for conservation of biological diversity at the regional, national and local level to achieve institutional and financial sustainability.
3.1.11 Cooperate with neighbouring countries to establish an enabling environment for transboundary protected areas and for neighbouring protected areas across national boundaries and other similar approaches including regional networks.
Suggested supporting activities of the Executive Secretary
3.1.12 In collaboration with key partners such as OECD, IUCN, WWF and the secretariats of other conventions compile information on relevant guidance, resource kits and other information on incentive measures including those relating to the development of incentive options.
3.1.13 Compile and disseminate, through the CHM and other media, case-studies on best practices on the use of incentive measures for the management of protected areas.
3.1.14 Compile and disseminate through the CHM and other media best practices on ways and means to integrate the use of incentive measures into protected area management plans, programmes and policies including opportunities for the removal or mitigation of perverse incentives.
Goal 3.2: To build capacity for the planning, establishment and management of protected areas
Target: By 2010, comprehensive capacity building programmes and initiatives are implemented to develop knowledge and skills at individual, community and institutional levels, and raise professional standards.
Suggested activities of the Parties
3.2.1 By 2006 complete national protected-area capacity needs assessments, and establish capacity building programmes on the basis of these assessments including the creation of curricula, resources and programs for the sustained delivery of protected areas management training.
3.2.2 Establish effective mechanisms to document existing knowledge and experiences on protected area management, including traditional knowledge in accordance with Article 8 (j) and Related Provisions, and identify knowledge and skills gaps.
3.2.3 Exchange lessons learnt, information and capacity-building experiences among countries and relevant organizations, through the Clearing-house Mechanisms and other means.
3.2.4 Strengthen the capacities of institutions to establish cross-sectoral collaboration for protected area management at the regional, national and local levels.
3.2.5 Improve the capacity of protected areas institutions to develop sustainable financing through fiscal incentives, environmental services, and other instruments.
Suggested supporting activities of the Executive Secretary
3.2.6 Cooperate with IUCN and other relevant organizations to compile and disseminate available information.
3.2.7 Cooperate with initiatives such as the Protected Areas Learning Network (PALNet-IUCN) and explore lessons learned from those experiences, in collaboration with relevant organizations.
Goal 3.3: To develop, apply and transfer appropriate technologies for protected areas
Target: By 2010 the development, validation, and transfer of appropriate technologies and innovative approaches for the effective management of protected areas is substantially improved, taking into account decisions of the Conference of the Parties on technology transfer and cooperation.
Suggested activities of the Parties
3.3.1 Document and make available to the Executive Secretary appropriate technologies for conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity of protected areas and management of protected areas.
3.3.2 Assess needs for relevant technologies for protected area management involving indigenous and local communities and stakeholders such as the, research institutions, non-Governmental organizations and the private sector.
3.3.3 Encourage development and use of appropriate technology, including technologies of indigenous and local communities with their participation, approval and involvement in accordance with Article 8(j) and Related Provisions, for habitat rehabilitation and restoration, resource mapping, biological inventory, and rapid assessment of biodiversity, monitoring,
in situ and
ex situ conservation, sustainable use, etc.
3.3.4 Promote an enabling environment for the transfer of technology in accordance with decision VII/29 of the Conference of Parties on technology transfer and cooperation to improve protected area management.
3.3.5 Increase technology transfer and cooperation to improve protected area management.
Suggested supporting activities of the Executive Secretary
3.3.6 Compile and disseminate information provided by Parties and relevant international organizations on appropriate technologies and approaches for efficient management of protected areas and conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity of protected areas.
Goal 3.4: To ensure financial sustainability of protected areas and national and regional systems of protected areas
Target: By 2008, sufficient financial, technical and other resources to meet the costs to effectively implement and manage national and regional systems of protected areas are secured, including both from national and international sources, particularly to support the needs of developing countries and countries with economies in transition and small island developing States.
Suggested activities of the Parties
3.4.1 Conduct a national-level study by 2005 of the effectiveness in using existing financial resources and of financial needs related to the national system of protected areas and identify options for meeting these needs through a mixture of national and international resources and taking into account the whole range of possible funding instruments, such as public funding, debt for nature swaps, elimination of perverse incentives and subsidies, private funding, taxes and fees for ecological services .
3.4.2 By 2008, establish and begin to implement country-level sustainable financing plans that support national systems of protected areas, including necessary regulatory, legislative, policy, institutional and other measures.
3.4.3 Support and further develop international funding programmes to support implementation of national and regional systems of protected areas in developing countries and countries with economies in transition and small island developing States.
3.4.4 Collaborate with other countries to develop and implement sustainable financing programmes for national and regional systems of protected areas.
3.4.5 Provide regular information on protected areas financing to relevant institutions and mechanisms, including through future national reports under the Convention on Biological Diversity, and to the World Database on Protected Areas.
3.4.6 Encourage integration of protected areas needs into national and, where applicable, regional development and financing strategies and development cooperation programmes.
Suggested supporting activities of the Executive Secretary
3.4.7 Convene as soon as possible, but not later than 2005, a meeting of the donor agencies and other relevant organizations to discuss options for mobilizing new and additional funding to developing countries and countries with economies in transition and small island developing States for implementation of the programme of work.
3.4.8 Compile and disseminate case-studies and best practices concerning protected area financing through the clearing-house mechanism and other media.
3.4.9 Review and disseminate by 2006 studies on the value of ecosystem services provided by protected areas.
Goal 3.5: To strengthen communication, education and public awareness
Target: By 2008 public awareness, understanding and appreciation of the importance and benefits of protected areas is significantly increased.
Suggested activities of the Parties
3.5.1 Establish or strengthen strategies and programmes of education and public awareness on the importance of protected areas in terms of their role in biodiversity conservation and sustainable socio-economic development, in close collaboration with the Communication, Education and Public Awareness Initiative (CEPA) under the Convention on Biological Diversity and targeted towards all stakeholders.
3.5.2 Identify core themes for education, awareness and communication programmes relevant to protected areas, including <i>inter alia</i> their contribution to economy and culture to achieve specific end results such as compliance by resource users and other stakeholders or an increased understanding of science-based knowledge by indigenous and local communities and policy makers and an increased understanding of the needs, priorities and value of indigenous and local communities' knowledge, innovations and practices by Governments, non-Governmental organizations and other relevant stakeholders.
3.5.3 Strengthen, and where necessary, establish information mechanisms directed at target groups such as the private sector, policy makers, development institutions, community-based organizations, the youth, the media, and the general public.
3.5.4 Develop mechanisms for constructive dialogue and exchange of information and experiences among protected-area managers, and between protected area managers and indigenous and local communities and their organizations and other environment educators and actors.
3.5.5 Incorporate the subject of protected areas as an integral component of the school curricula as well as in informal education.
3.5.6 Establish mechanism and evaluate the impacts of communication, education and public awareness programmes on biodiversity conservation to ensure that they improve public awareness, change behaviour and support the achievement of protected area objectives.
Suggested supporting activities of the Executive Secretary
3.5.7 Collaborate with IUCN and other relevant organizations to collect and disseminate educational tools and materials for adaptation and use in the promotion of protected areas as an important means of achieving the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
3.5.8 Establish, in collaboration with the IUCN and other relevant partners, an initiative to engage the global news and entertainment industry (television, film, popular music, internet, etc.) in a global campaign to raise awareness of the consequences of biological diversity loss and the important role of protected areas in biodiversity conservation.
