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Convention on Biological Diversity
7th Conference of the Parties
Protected Areas Program
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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
February, 2004
Protected areas are key to reducing the rate of loss of the Earth's biodiversity, and provide a range of important benefits to people, including the preservation of cultural and natural heritage, the provision of ecological services such as clean water and the direct support of many livelihoods.
By committing to a comprehensive system of protected areas and to specific targets and timetables at the Seventh Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-7) in February 2004, the world's governments committed to the most ambitious and specific conservation goals ever considered by the international community.
Over 180 countries adopted the goal of establishing comprehensive, ecologically-representative and effectively managed national and regional systems of protected terrestrial areas by 2010 and of protected marine areas by 2012.
The Nature Conservancy, along with BirdLife International, Conservation International, Fauna and Flora International, Greenpeace, Wildlife Conservation Society, WWF and the World Resources Institute, worked with governments to shape the Program of Work on Protected Areas, including:
- a set of specific targets, timetables and actions to be taken by the world's governments;
- specific instructions to the major donor agencies on providing financial support; and
- the establishment of an Open-Ended Working Group to support and monitor progress on these new commitments.
Concrete and ambitious targets and timetables are essential to establishing a comprehensive system of protected areas and achieving the protection of the Earth's biodiversity. Of particular importance are the targets for ecologically representation, effective management, equity and participation, adequate financing, and capacity building.
This consortium of conservation organizations also urged governments to significantly increase funding and resources to help protect the Earth's biodiversity. Lack of adequate funding and technical expertise prevents many governments from improving the lives of their citizens while protecting their natural heritage. To help address these challenges, the consortium issued their own commitment to provide:
- Support covering 25 areas, such as technical assistance with site-based conservation, and assistance with mobilizing significant funding from public donor agencies.
- Early action grant funds totalling $5 million (U.S.) to help governments with key actions during the first phase of implementation of the Program of Work on Protected Areas.
As part of this stated commitment, these eight conservation organizations issued a challenge to donor agencies to make similar commitments and to join these and other nongovernmental organizations in a co-operative partnership supporting implementation of the specific targets and timetables.
An example of the type of support which consortium members can provide is the Parks in Peril Program. Parks in Peril is the largest site-based conservation project in Latin America and the Caribbean. Managed by The Nature Conservancy, Parks in Peril focuses on building sustainable capacity to achieve enduring conservation results at 45 landscape-scale protected area sites in 16 countries. USAID is the major donor, with The Nature Conservancy and local governments and organizations providing additional funds. Parks in Peril has also helped to attract additional investment to protected areas conservation in these 16 countries, from private and public donors.
