Sub-regional workshops for the Protected Areas Programme of work

Implementation of the programme of work for the period 2004-2006 was assessed at the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD (COP-8), held in Curitiba, Brazil from 20 to 31 March 2006. The outcome of COP-8 on protected areas is included in decision VIII/24. Regarding review of implementation, the COP recognized that limited availability of relevant information, including the insufficient number of reports submitted, was a major shortcoming in the review of the programme of work on protected areas for the period 2004-2006.

In addition, the COP, recognizing the need for the systematic collection of relevant information for evaluating progress in the implementation of the programme of work on protected areas, encouraged Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to provide timely and quality information on the implementation of the programme of work. In paragraph 5 of this decision, the COP agreed that reporting should concentrate mostly on outputs as well as processes, using tools such as the matrix in annex II of recommendation 1/4 of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Protected Areas (document UNEP/CBD/COP/8/8) and other relevant information, to provide for a strategic assessment of progress made, challenges/obstacles, and capacity-building needs.

Further, recognizing lack of implementation and capacity-building constraints for developing countries, especially in the areas of conducting gap analysis, country-level sustainable financing strategies, and protected area management effectiveness, the COP urged Parties to address these constraints as a priority and encouraged Parties and relevant organizations to support and implement capacity-building activities.

(i) Caribbean workshop, Miami, Florida, 20-22 June 2006

The first of such regional workshops was held in the Caribbean region, in Miami, Florida, from 20 to 22 June 2006, organized by The Nature Conservancy in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, IUCN-World Commission on Protected Areas, USAID, and Parks in Peril. Representatives from 13 countries of the Caribbean region participated and presented case studies.

The workshop focused on practical hands-on-tools and training on the following priority activities, which the COP recognized for capacity-building: (i) ecological gap assessments (ii) sustainable finance plans (iii) capacity plans for implementing the programme of work as a whole, and (iv) management effectiveness.

Each item was structured into three sessions: (i) critical steps, (ii) tools, and (iii) policy and institutional changes needed for implementation, with lectures, case studies and interactive sessions for understanding country-specific progress and identification of country-specific challenges, opportunities and ways and means to address these challenges. One important achievement of this workshop, besides capacity-building, was encouraging and inspiring the Caribbean countries to come out with an initiative similar to the Micronesia Challenge.

(ii) Workshop for Latin American countries, Quito, Ecuador, 24-26 June 2006

Together with The Nature Conservancy, IUCN-WCPA, USAID and Parks-in-Peril, the Secretariat co-sponsored a workshop on "Strategic Plans for Protected Area Systems" in Quito, Ecuador, South America from 24 to 26 July 2006. The purpose was to provide participants from South and Central American countries with practical hands-on-tools and training for capacity-building in (i) ecological gap assessments (ii) sustainable finance plans, and (iii) management effectiveness.

(iv) Workshop for East Caribbean States, St Lucia, 5-7 December 2006

The Workshop on “Implementing the CBD Programme of Work on Protected Areas in the East Caribbean States” was held in St Lucia from 5 to 7, December 2006. The Nature Conservancy, in collaboration with SCBD, USAID, Parks in Peril and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) organized this workshop. A total of 36 participants representatives of 7 countries of the Eastern Caribbean region, viz., Antigua& Barbuda, British Virgin Island, Dominican Republic, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines attended the workshop. Experts from Costa Rica participated to present case studies, besides experts from TNC.

(v) South and West Asia sub-regional workshop, Dehradun, India, 2-4 April 2007

The SCBD with generous financial support from the European Union and the Government of India, and in collaboration with the World Commission on Protected Areas of the IUCN-World Conservation Union, The Nature Conservancy, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the World Wide Fund fore Nature- International convened a South and West Asia sub regional workshop on the review of, and capacity-building for, the implementation of the programme of work on protected areas, from 2 to 4 April 2007, at the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, India.

The objectives of the Workshop are to:

1. overview of the progress in country level implementation of the programme of work on protected areas and identification of constraints and opportunities to promote implementation;
2. strengthening of capacity for (a) conducting ecological gap analysis (b) developing sustainable financing (c) using guidelines for improving / assessing management effectiveness through exchange of country experiences, case studies, available tools and resources; and
   
3. inputs to the second meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Protected Areas, to be held in February 2008 at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome.

The workshop was attended by Government nominated experts from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, and Yemen, and representatives of three indigenous and local communities and two non governmental organizations from South and West Asia. The IUCN-World Commission on Protected Areas, The Nature Conservancy, the World Wide Fund International, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Wildlife Institute provided a resource person each.

(vi) 2nd ASEAN Heritage Parks Conference & 4th Regional Conference on Protected Areas in South East Asia

ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, BirdLife International, IUCN-WCPA South East Asia and Sabah Parks organized this workshop, where review of implementation of the CBD Programe of work in ASEAN countries was also undertaken besides capacity building activities.