Do protected areas actually work? How and why we measure site-level performance
This session on protected areas on held on 7th September 2021 focused on how to measure the effectiveness or performance of protected and conserved areas, how we check whether they are delivering conservation outcomes, and how the information is used for global reporting towards the Aichi Targets and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Aichi Target 11 calls for effectively managed, connected, integrated and well-governed protected and conserved areas. While the world is on track to protect 17% of terrestrial areas and 10% of marine areas, little is known about whether protected areas are “effective”. The IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas aims to assess different elements of effectiveness and to build on and scale up use of the ever-growing suite of tools available to measure protected areas management effectiveness (PAME), guidance on measuring equity, and on monitoring biodiversity outcomes. However, capacity among protected area managers to choose and use available tools is often limited, especially in high biodiversity countries. With such a range of tools available, how do protected areas know the right tool to choose and what to measure?
Dr. Madhu Rao, Senior Advisor for WCS Asia, presented the link between Protected Areas effectiveness and the IUCN Green List Standard. Dr. Rao discussed the importance of linking METT assessment with tools such as SMART that and how METT and SMART can strengthen adaptive management. She also highlighted the elements of effectiveness of PAs- to include ecosystem representation, areas of biological importance, equitable governance, effective management, connectivity and integration to wider land and seascape.
Speakers
- Ms. Claire VINCENT, Programme Officer, UNEP-WCMC
- Dr. Mariagrazia GRAZIANO, Scientific Project Officer, European Commission - Joint Research Centre
- Mr. Harry JONAS, Co-Chair, IUCN WCPA
- Dr. Madhu Rao Senior Advisor, WCS Asia
- Mr. Jomha Djossi DONALD, Data Management Analyst, OFAC
