Events

The Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Programme (BIOPAMA) aims to address threats to biodiversity in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, while reducing poverty in communities in and around protected areas.

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  • Promoting Local Solutions to GBF Target 3 – Exploring the impact of BIOPAMA funding on data collection, resilience and biodiversity conservation at SIDS4 on May 28, 2024 @8am(UTC-4)

    In over 12 years of implementation, the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) programme has assisted some 36 SIDS members of the Organisation of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) to address their priorities for improved management and governance of biodiversity and natural resources, through a variety of tools, services and funding to conservation actors across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. The proposed side event will utilise presentations, panels, and conversations to showcase BIOPAMA’s achievements and demonstrate how local actions and partnerships are enhancing SIDS’ economic diversification, building resilience and disaster recovery, and propelling sustainable development. It will also explore the strategies and actions used to bridge data gaps and enhance technological and institutional capacities to empower evidence-based policymaking. Interventions will be made by the OACPS, EU, IUCN, European Commissions Joint Research Centre, OECS Commission, Pacific Ministers, and local BIOPAMA Grantees. Join us also for other two discussions on: -Enhancing Caribbean Development Using Data, Geospatial Information, and Environmental Monitoring: Building a Regional Environmental Information ecoSystem (REIS) -Srengthening the Resilience of SIDS through the BBNJ Agreement: Prioritising Capacity Building and Technology Transfer for Ocean Health

    2024

  • IMPAC 5, 3-9 February 2023, Vancouver, Canada

    Join us at the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC 5), a global forum that brings together ocean conservation professionals and high-level officials to inform, inspire and act on marine protected areas. It takes place in Vancouver, Canada, from 3 to 9 February 2023. Publications launches:   Etat des Aires Marines Protégées d’Afrique de l’Ouest Register here to receive the publication! Conserving our sea of islands Download it here   Check our events at IMPAC5 All times below are in PST (Vancouver time) 4 FEBRUARY From Local To Global Data For Biodiversity Monitoring And Conservation: Marine Protected Areas Experiences In The BIOPAMA Programme, 16 -17:30; room 223 -224 From knowledge to action for marine protected areas, 17-19 (poster), Ballroom Foyer The State Of Protected And Conserved Areas In The Wider Caribbean (September 2019), 17 – 19 (poster), Ballroom Foyer 5 FEBRUARY From Knowledge To Action: A Case Study Of Protected Area Management Effectiveness In Belize, 11:30-13:00, room 205 Innovative governance: locally driven conservation ensures equity and effectiveness, 16 – 16:15, room 220 – 222 6 FEBRUARY Launch Of The Publication “State Of Marine Protected Areas Of West Africa”, 16-17:30; room 205 Conserving Our Sea Of Islands – Status Of And Opportunities For MPAs In The Pacific, 16 -17:30; room 202 BIOPAMA is sponsoring delegates from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, from a variety of stakeholders, organisations and target groups, including young professionals. Read more: Pacific youths geared up for IMPAC5, with BIOPAMA support List of IUCN-led events at IMPAC5 News from BIOPAMA at IMPAC5 – newsletter Get in touch with us at biopama@iucn.org.

    2023

  • CBD COP15 Side Event – Regional centres in support of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework in Africa, Caribbean, Europe and the Pacific for monitoring Targets 1,2 and 3

    This official side event at COP15 will showcase the role of regional observatories in Africa, Caribbean, Europe, and Pacific in support of the CBD Parties in the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework, serving as regional nodes for monitoring Target 3 (and 1 and 2). Speakers: Welcome: Trevor Sandwith (IUCN) Opening remarks: Carla Montesi (European Commission) Abhinav Prakash (CBD Secretariat) Panel discussion:  (25 min) Melesse Maryo (Ethiopia) Afele Faiilagi (Samoa) Aboubacar Samoura (Guinée) Hannah St Luce Martinez (Belize) Chouaibou Nchoutpouen (COMIFAC) Conclusions: Trevor Sandwith (IUCN) Objective: Showcase the role existing regional observatories in Africa, Caribbean, Europe, and Pacific play in support of the CBD Parties in the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. Showcase the experience of long-established (EEA) and newly established regional centres (Africa, Pacific) serving as regional nodes for monitoring Target 3 (and 1 and 2). Demonstrate complementarity with other global reporting and monitoring tools, such as DART and with the Global Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity proposed by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the European Commission and which will be discussed at this COP15 with the Parties. Expected output of this side event: Raise awareness about existing operational structures that can act as “regional cooperation support centres” in support of the implementation of the new targets adopted in the post 2020 Framework. Background/key messages about the EEA and BIOPAMA-established Regional Observatories: The Regional Observatories catalyse and facilitate technical cooperation and technology transfer. They facilitate liaison between Parties and stakeholders and they provide tailored support to Parties’ needs and requirements. The BIOPAMA regional observatories support collation of data on protected and conserved areas and biodiversity, which can make a direct contribution to the monitoring of the Global Biodiversity Framework. For Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, these regional observatories are ideally placed to be advanced options for establishing the proposed “regional cooperation support centers”. Register here: https://www.cbd.int/side-events/4867    

    2022

  • The contribution of the Regional Resource Hub to biodiversity monitoring in Africa

    As the world focuses on the new global biodiversity framework, which will be adopted at the upcoming fifteenth meeting of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), BIOPAMA invites you to an online event to present the added value of the Regional Resource Hub (RRH) and its contribution for the collection, the production and the dissemination of information for decision-making at local, national and global levels, enabling the effective monitoring of the Convention’s post 2020 biodiversity framework of Biodiversity (CBD) in Eastern and Southern Africa. Watch the recording here: Read the documents discussed in the webinar here: Full set of presentations from the webinar on RRH contribution to GBF monitoring CBD Policy Brief – Regional Resource Hub

  • BIOPAMA at the IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress 2022, Kigali

    The IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) is the first ever continent-wide gathering of African leaders, citizens, and interest groups to discuss the role of protected areas in conserving nature, safeguarding Africa’s iconic wildlife, delivering vital life-supporting ecosystem services, promoting sustainable development while conserving Africa’s cultural heritage and traditions. Join us in Kigali, Rwanda, as we highlight BIOPAMA’s work through three dedicated pavilions around our Regional Observatories. Regional Resource Hub Pavilion The RRH serves 24 countries in the Eastern and Southern African (ESA) region and is hosted by the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), based in Nairobi, Kenya. The Hub compiles and analyses relevant data and provides information to support field interventions, policy dialogues and decision-making processes at local, national and regional levels. The ESA RRH offers information management systems and tools, capacity building, knowledge sharing products and communication activities aiming to reinforce the management effectiveness and governance of protected areas and surrounding communities in Eastern and Southern Africa region. The ESA RRH includes a Regional Reference Information System (RRIS) that is free, secure and built using open source technologies. It hosts a broad range of data that can be stored and used, such as field data, indicators, satellite imagery, maps, photos, surveys and documents. Download the RRH Pavilion Overview and Brochure here. OBAPAO Pavilion OBAPAO is a repository of data and information on biodiversity and protected areas in West Africa. The BIOPAMA Program, an initiative funded by the European Union, aims to build a solid information base for decision-making on protected areas and biodiversity in 79 countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States. Thus, at this West Africa Regional Reference Information System (RRIS), you will find maps, reports, data and other relevant information on the status of biodiversity and protected areas that you can download and use as needed. A wide range of environmental themes associated with related topics in biodiversity conservation and natural resource management are covered. Download the OBAPAO Pavilion Overview and Brochure here. COMIFAC Pavilion The Central Africa Forest Observatory (OFAC) was created in 2007 as a specialised unit of the Central African Forests Commission (Commission des forêts d’Afrique centrale COMIFAC) to provide the up-to-date, relevant data on the region’s forests and ecosystems that is needed for policy-making and to promote better governance and sustainable management of natural resources. Download the COMIFAC Pavilion Overview and Brochure here.

  • BIOPAMA at the IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress 2022, Kigali

    The IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) is the first ever continent-wide gathering of African leaders, citizens, and interest groups to discuss the role of protected areas in conserving nature, safeguarding Africa’s iconic wildlife, delivering vital life-supporting ecosystem services, promoting sustainable development while conserving Africa’s cultural heritage and traditions. Join us in Kigali, Rwanda, as we highlight BIOPAMA’s work through three dedicated pavilions around our Regional Observatories. Regional Resource Hub Pavilion The RRH serves 24 countries in the Eastern and Southern African (ESA) region and is hosted by the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), based in Nairobi, Kenya. The Hub compiles and analyses relevant data and provides information to support field interventions, policy dialogues and decision-making processes at local, national and regional levels. The ESA RRH offers information management systems and tools, capacity building, knowledge sharing products and communication activities aiming to reinforce the management effectiveness and governance of protected areas and surrounding communities in Eastern and Southern Africa region. The ESA RRH includes a Regional Reference Information System (RRIS) that is free, secure and built using open source technologies. It hosts a broad range of data that can be stored and used, such as field data, indicators, satellite imagery, maps, photos, surveys and documents. Download the RRH Pavilion Overview and Brochure here. OBAPAO Pavilion OBAPAO is a repository of data and information on biodiversity and protected areas in West Africa. The BIOPAMA Program, an initiative funded by the European Union, aims to build a solid information base for decision-making on protected areas and biodiversity in 79 countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States. Thus, at this West Africa Regional Reference Information System (RRIS), you will find maps, reports, data and other relevant information on the status of biodiversity and protected areas that you can download and use as needed. A wide range of environmental themes associated with related topics in biodiversity conservation and natural resource management are covered. Download the OBAPAO Pavilion Overview and Brochure here. COMIFAC Pavilion The Central Africa Forest Observatory (OFAC) was created in 2007 as a specialised unit of the Central African Forests Commission (Commission des forêts d’Afrique centrale COMIFAC) to provide the up-to-date, relevant data on the region’s forests and ecosystems that is needed for policy-making and to promote better governance and sustainable management of natural resources. Download the COMIFAC Pavilion Overview and Brochure here.

  • International Biodiversity Day 2022 – BIOPAMA Webinar / Journée internationale de la biodiversité 2022 – Webinaire de BIOPAMA

    Le Secrétariat de la Convention sur la diversité biologique (CDB) a annoncé le slogan de la Journée de la biodiversité 2022 : ” Construire un avenir partagé pour toute forme de vie ” (Building a shared future for all life). Ce slogan a été choisi pour continuer à créer un élan et un soutien en faveur du cadre mondial pour la biodiversité post-2020 qui sera adopté lors de la prochaine Conférence des Nations Unies sur la biodiversité. Le programme BIOPAMA dont l’objectif est d’améliorer la conservation à long terme et l’utilisation durable des ressources naturelles dans les aires protégées et les communautés avoisinantes, souhaite saisir cette occasion pour partager les résultats clés obtenus après 5 ans d’implémentation. Il s’agira de présenter un résultat spécifique qui est la mise en place en Afrique de l’Ouest et le renforcement en Afrique Centrale d’observatoires régionaux pour la biodiversité. Ces observatoires sont des outils qui renseignent sur l’état de la biodiversité dans les aires protégées et conservées, mais aussi en dehors de ces espaces afin que des données fiables et pertinentes soient au coeur des prises de décision aux niveaux local, national et régional. Ils aident également à renseigner sur la portée des stratégies et politiques de gestion de la conservation tout en facilitant la rencontre entre les différents acteurs. Le programme BIOPAMA organise un événement public en ligne dans le but de présenter les principales fonctionalités de cet outil aux décideurs, journalistes, bailleurs actuels et futurs, universitaires, organisations de la société civile et d’autres acteurs des secteurs de la conservation et du développement. Pour en savoir plus sur l’Observatoire des forêts d’Afrique Centrale et l’l’Observatoire pour la Biodiversité et les Aires Protégées en Afrique de l’Ouest , cliquez ici : https://www.observatoire-comifac.net/ https://www.obapao.org/ En savoir plus sur les observatoires régionaux BIOPAMA dans le contexte des discussions sur le cadre mondial de la biodiversité post-2020 de la CDB : https://www.iucn.org/sites/dev/files/biopama_information_document_sbi3_agenda_item_7_fr_-_140521.pdf The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has announced the slogan for Biodiversity Day 2022: “Building a shared future for all life”. The slogan was chosen to continue to build momentum and support for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework to be adopted at the upcoming UN Conference on Biodiversity. The BIOPAMA programme, which aims to improve the long-term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in protected areas and surrounding communities, would like to take this opportunity to share key results achieved after 5 years of implementation. One specific result will be the establishment in West Africa and the strengthening in Central Africa of regional observatories for biodiversity. These observatories are tools that provide information on the state of biodiversity in protected and conserved areas, but also outside these areas so that reliable and relevant data are at the heart of decision-making at local, national and regional levels. They also help to inform the scope of conservation management strategies and policies and facilitate the meeting of different stakeholders. The BIOPAMA programme is organising a public online event to present the main features of …

  • Inaugural meeting of the BIOPAMA Latin America and Caribbean METT Support Network

    The Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) is used widely throughout the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region for assessing Protected Area Management Effectiveness (PAME); and representatives of protected area agencies from Antigua and Barbuda, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Saint Lucia, Guyana, Belize, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines confirmed interest in connecting in order to share experiences and learn from each other. To that extent on April 20th 2022, the BIOPAMA Caribbean team organised an inaugural event to establish the LAC METT implementation support network aimed at supporting colleagues in biodiversity conservation in implementing and applying the METT Tool and recommendations from assessments. Forty-two (42) individuals from over thirty (30) government and non-governmental organisations attended the session. Hyacinth Armstrong Vaughn, Regional Coordinator for the BIOPAMA Caribbean programme at IUCN indicated that the initiative emerged from conversations around METT tool implementation and the METT exchange hosted by the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SERNANP) in January 2022. This meeting built on momentum from regional discussions on the post 2020 global biodiversity framework and negotiations of the 2030 targets as countries work towards improved management effectiveness. Jose Courrau, Thematic Expert at IUCN presented on the history of the METT Tool, explaining that based on the Global Database on Protected Area Management Effectiveness (GD-PAME) over 500 METT assessments have been conducted in the LAC region. Justin Springer, Technical Assistant at IUCN shared the Terms of Reference for the network stating that the network aims to provide a forum for METT users and practitioners to share experiences on the METT, provide access to technical support on METT implementation, and offer capacity development on best practices for successful METT implementation. Next steps include the establishment of a Facebook group that will facilitate peer-to-peer engagement and information sharing. The proposed group activities will include but are not limited to capacity building and training opportunities. Persons interested in joining the network that did not register for or participate in the information session can contact the BIOPAMA Programme personnel at Hyacinth.ARMSTRONGVAUGHN@iucn.org, Jose.COURRAU@iucn.org, and Justin.Springer@iucn.org for more details. Video Recording of Meeting:

  • BIOPAMA at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, Marseille

    The IUCN World Conservation Congress took place from 3 to 11 September 2021 in Marseille, France in a hybrid format, allowing a large number of participants to join both physically and online. Read the full report on BIOPAMA, European Union, and OACPS activities and visibility at the IUCN World Conservation Congress here: IUCN Congress 2021 – BIOPAMA Report You can also watch the highlight video here:  Overview of BIOPAMA Events and activities in the World Conservation Congress 2021   Regional highlights: BIOPAMA Eastern and Southern Africa BIOPAMA Western and Central Africa Visit the Congress website to learn more: IUCN World Conservation Congress

    2021

  • Regional Resource Hub Showcase series, 16 June – 7 July 2021

    THE SHOWCASE OF THE REGIONAL RESOURCE CENTER (RRH) The four RRH showcase sessions will be held virtually on the following dates: June 16  – Key updates from the regional resource center June 23  – Input data in the HRR and analysis tools for the management of protected areas and the conservation of biodiversity June 30  – The results of the RRH which act as engines of knowledge to action July 7  – What to watch out for Each session will take place mid-morning from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern African Time. Register here.

  • European Development Days 2021

    The future of life on Earth depends on the choices made today and their implementation up to 2030 and beyond. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, through the BIOPAMA, BEST and Save our Species programmes and their partners are working with the local and national actors towards a sustainable future. Conserving nature is a non- negotiable prerequisite for achieving a more prosperous, just and equitable world. This stand will also present our solutions and success stories to tackle the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on nature, people and their livelihoods. The IUCN Stand is presented at this link. Watch our stand video.

  • Aires protégées d’Afrique centrale: Etat 2020 – launch event (EN-FR)

    Inscrivez-vous à ce lien. Register here. [English below] L’Observatoire des forêts d’Afrique centrale (OFAC) présente un bilan actualisé de l’état des aires protégées dans les dix pays membres de la Commission des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale (COMIFAC). Rédigé par un groupe d’experts spécialisés dans la conservation en Afrique centrale, avec l’appui financier de l’Organisation des États d’Afrique, Caraïbes et Pacifique (OEACP) et de l’Union européenne (UE) à travers les programmes BIOPAMA et RIOFAC, et la GIZ, l’ouvrage « Aires protégées d’Afrique centrale : État 2020 » fait suite à une première édition publiée en 2015, devenue aujourd’hui la publication phare sur les aires protégées de la sous-région. Rejoignez-nous le 29 juin 2021 pour le lancement de cette publication. L’interprétation simultanée en anglais et en français sera disponible. L’inscription est obligatoire. [EN] The Central African Forests Observatory (OFAC) presents an updated assessment of the state of protected areas in the ten member countries of the Central African Forests Commission (COMIFAC). Drafted by a group of experts specializing in conservation in Central Africa, with the financial support of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union (EU) through BIOPAMA and RIOFAC programmes, and GIZ, the publication “Protected Areas of Central Africa: State 2020” follows a first edition published in 2015, which has now become the flagship publication on protected areas in the sub-region. Join us on 29 June 2021 for the launch of this publication. Interpretation English-French will be available. Registration is compulsory.

  • Atelier de renforcement des capacités des points focaux nationaux de l’Observatoire pour la Biodiversité et les Aires Protégées d’Afrique de l’Ouest (OBAPAO)

    24-28 mai 2021, Accra, Ghana Atelier de renforcement des capacités des points focaux nationaux de l’Observatoire pour la Biodiversité et les Aires Protégées d’Afrique de l’Ouest (OBAPAO) L’objectif général de cet atelier est de présenter le WDPA et le WD-OECM aux points focaux16 États membres de l’OBAPAO. Il renforcera également les capacités du consortium et de toutes les parties prenantes sur les principes, procédures, techniques et normes de maintenance des données au niveau de la WDPA. Il cherchera en outre à mettre en valeur le Système régional d’information de référence (RRIS) développé par l’Observatoire de la biodiversité et des aires protégées en Afrique de l’Ouest tout en introduisant des outils utiles comme IMET (Integrated Management Efficiency Tool). Les informations et ressources de cet atelier sont disponibles à ce lien.

  • Online event: Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECM) in the Caribbean

    Full agenda 18 MAY 2021 This BIOPAMA webinar provided an overview of OECMs from Harry Jonas who is the co-chair of the IUCN WCPA specialist group on OECMs. He described what OECMs are, where the definition came from, and what they mean for conservation. Then the international expert Imen Meliane, who is the IUCN WCPA Vice Chair for North Africa, Middle East and West Asia, presented on the marine aspects of OECMs and gave us an overview on progress in identifying marine OECMs. We also heard from Colombian expert Clara L. Matallana Tobón, who is a member of the IUCN WCPA specialist group on OECMs, giving first-hand experience on how Colombia undertook the process of identifying OECMs in the country, and what were the lessons learned during this process. 55 participants from multiple countries across  the Caribbean, North, Central and South America and Europe attended this session. Through the BIOPAMA programme, UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) will be hosting a follow up online workshop in 2021, to help other interested countries identify and report OECMs. Please do reach out to UNEP-WCMC if you are interested at cristina.lazaro@unep-wcmc.org Link to the recording: https://zoom.us/rec/play/xgZA5M18yVOL0YRj3pqfJcV950_oVE52TCdUG2dQf5e6CL7smYSsVErejUBBxu-NfCCMWGO5feoXJ3rg.o7P1n4fHcJC2lhy7 Link to the short survey: https://forms.office.com/r/94mTgRZKjw Presentations: you can download 2 of the 3 presentations here: 1_OECMs Presentation – Caribbean BIOPAMA – May 2021 3_Biopama_OECM_Colombiancase Suggested useful resources: IUCN WCPA OECM Task Force webpage: https://www.iucn.org/commissions/world-commission-protected-areas/our-work/oecms The World Database on OECMs managed by UNEP-WCMC: https://www.protectedplanet.net/en/thematic-areas/oecms?tab=OECMs

  • CAPLAC III Results and Leaders Dialogue

    Join conservation leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean as they look forward to the next 10 years of sustainability in the region. About this Event JOIN HERE on ZOOM Leadership Dialogue: Outputs of the III Latin American and Caribbean Protected Areas Congress Theme: Protected Areas for Well-being and Sustainable Development in 2030 This Leadership Dialogue, as part of Vital Sites 2021, will bring attention to the collaborative team work led by the WCPA’s Latin American and Caribbean region after the Third Latin American and Caribbean Protected Areas Congress in 2019. This initiative will recognise the voluntary work of many key stakeholders across the region, enabling and empowering their participatory vision, recommendations, and actions for the next 10 years in terms of improvements for welfare and sustainable development in Protected and Conserved Areas. Learn more: https://www.areasprotegidas-latinoamerica.org/ Diálogo de Líderes: Productos del III Congreso de Áreas Protegidas de Latinoamérica y el Caribe Tema: Áreas Protegidas para el Bienestar y el Desarrollo Sostenible en 2030 Este Diálogo de Líderes, como parte de Sitios Vitales 2021, llamará la atención sobre el trabajo en equipo colaborativo liderado por la región de América Latina y el Caribe de la Comisión Mundial de Áreas Protegidas después del III Congreso de Áreas Protegidas de América Latina y el Caribe en 2019. Esta iniciativa reconocerá el trabajo voluntario de muchos actores clave en la región, permitiendo y potenciando su visión participativa, recomendaciones y acciones para los próximos 10 años en términos de mejoras de Áreas Protegidas y Conservadas para el bienestar y el desarrollo sostenible. Para saber más: https://www.areasprotegidas-latinoamerica.org/

  • BIOPAMA Action component: information sessions for the Small Technical Grants for Assessments

    The BIOPAMA grant-making facility, the “Action Component” has launched a call for proposals for Small Technical Grants for Assessments. A series of information sessions are being held in December 2020 to inform stakeholders about the details of this call for proposals. Find on this page all the information of previous and upcoming information sessions! 17 December 2020, 12 PM AST Information session for Caribbean stakeholders in English Presentation: Technical and financial overview of the STGA call Presentation: Assessment tools for protected area management and governance 11 December 2020, 10 AM GMT Information session for African stakeholders in French: all details available here 9 December 2020 Information session for African stakeholders in English Presentation of Small Technical Grants for Assessments Presentation of assessment tools Video of the session (below)  

    2020

  • Closing the gap: Conservation Trust Funds

    Following the successful launch of the report Closing the gap – Financing and resourcing of protected and conserved areas, BIOPAMA and Conservation Capital hosted an online event on Conservation Trust Fund as a means to increase revenue and improve management efficiency. Watch the recording, in case you missed the live event Resources for the event Agenda of the event Event presentations Survey (please fill it in by 18 December 2020) Protected areas need better and more diversified funding Closing the gap: introduction to financing and resourcing of protected and conserved areas In depth: Collaborative management In depth: payment for ecosystem services

  • Official launch of the Regional Resource Hub for Eastern and Southern Africa

    The launch of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Resource Hub took take place on 24 November 2020 in the presence of Heads of Protected Area agencies, ministries responsible for protected areas and wildlife, high-level technical institutions, Regional Economic Communities and BIOPAMA donors and partners. The Regional Resource Hub is a knowledge hub that compiles and analyses relevant data and provides information to support field interventions and policy dialogues, for fair and effective management and governance of protected and conserved areas in Eastern and Southern Africa. The Regional Resource Hub acts as one of the regional observatories implemented by the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme, and is hosted by the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) in Eastern and Southern Africa. The Hub includes an information system, co-developed with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, which helps decision makers to track progress on conservation targets, and to manage and assess the protected and conserved areas in the region. Other similar hubs have been established with BIOPAMA’s support in Western and Central Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. “Effective conservation, management and governance of protected and conserved areas in Eastern and Southern Africa is crucial to our long-term economic growth and development. The establishment of this Regional Resource Hub is a great milestone as it will facilitate the provision of relevant information and data to support policies and effective decision-making on protected and conserved areas which are our invaluable natural heritage”, said Luther Bois Anukur, Regional Director, IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office. way in delivering useful information to make informed decisions, as the various stakeholders in conservation address the challenges that threaten our biodiversity“, said Dr. Emmanuel Nkurunziza, Director General, Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development. The knowledge generated by the Regional Resource Hub aims to support national governments, regional organisations, NGOs, communities and other organisations, in achieving their biodiversity conservation objectives and to report their progress on multilateral environmental agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, more accurately. The “State of Protected and Conserved Areas in Eastern and Southern Africa” report is a flagship knowledge product of the Regional Resource Hub. Launched on the same occasion, this report makes a significant contribution to assessing the current status of the protected and conserved areas in Eastern and Southern Africa and understanding their relevance to the societal needs. “This report demonstrates how systems of protected and conserved areas are an essential conservation strategy for the region, without which the loss of biodiversity would have been much more significant. It also highlights the many gaps in understanding and implementation, and shows us just how challenging it is to achieve effective outcomes for nature conservation”, said Trevor Sandwith, Director, IUCN Global Protected and Conserved Areas Programme. Event resources: Presentations of the panelists Download the event invitation Check the video-invitation to the event “State of Protected and Conserved Areas” Report: teaser “State of Protected and Conserved Areas” Report: full publication Press release: A …

  • Introduction to OECMs

    UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), through the BIOPAMA Programme, hosted an online event designed to provide an overview of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measure (OECMs) – what they are, how to identify and recognise them, and how to report these important sites to the World Database on OECMs. The case studies focused on examples from Eastern and Southern Africa. This BIOPAMA webinar provided an overview of OECMs from Harry Jonas who is the co-chair of the IUCN’s specialist group on OECMs. He described what OECMs are, where the definition came from, and what they mean for conservation. We also heard from experts in Eswatini (Wisdom Dlamini from The University of Eswatini) and South Africa (Daniel Marnewick, from BirdLife South Africa) giving first-hand experience on how they undertook the process of identifying OECMs in their countries, and what lessons they learned during this process. 33 participants from multiple countries across Eastern and Southern Africa and Europe attended this session. Through the BIOPAMA programme, UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) will be hosting a follow up online workshop in 2021, to help other interested countries identify and report OECMs. Please do reach out to UNEP-WCMC if you are interested at Jessica.stewart@unep-wcmc.org Resources of the event: watch the recording short survey Presentations

  • National training on the use of the PIPAP, Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal

    Solomon Islands is a stronghold of biodiversity in the Pacific islands region and there are many sites throughout the country that have high conservation value owing to their role as key habitats for vulnerable and endemic species. Solomon Islands is part of the East Melanesian Islands biodiversity hotspot, a bioregion in Melanesia notable for its unique flora and fauna and species richness.  The sustainable use of biodiversity and improving protected area management are key priorities for the government of Solomon Islands. A virtually-delivered national training for protected area stakeholders was successfully completed for the Solomon Islands in October 2020. The training was co-organised and implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Solomon Islands’ Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM). The training provided participants with the basic competences and knowledge to navigate and use the tools and features of the Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal (PIPAP). The participants gained practical skills in utilising free, open-source GIS software to improve mapping of protected and conserved areas. “The training will assist us to make better use of the PIPAP – the information and resource platform and tool for Pacific protected areas and conservation areas. Furthermore, the skills acquired will enable improved mapping of the boundaries and other important features of our protected and conserved areas, which would inform better planning and management of these areas in the long term” Said Ms. Agnetha Vave-Karamui, Chief Conservation Officer, Environment and Conservation Division, MECDM. “One gap we realised during the training was the need to conduct a thorough review of our protected area data available at the global level through the World Database on Protected Areas. As the next step from this training, we welcome further assistance from SPREP through the BIOPAMA programme to undertake and complete this timely review. It is quite important that this information accurately reflects the efforts of our communities, partners and Government in resource management and conservation.” A real-time demonstration of the tools and features of the PIPAP was complemented by hands-on exercises where participants learned how to access and view their country data, conduct basic and advanced searches for information, create and submit initial boundaries and supporting descriptive information for proposed protected and conserved areas and how to locate tools and technical guidance on different aspects of protected and conserved area management available through the portal. The session’s main goal was to promote the PIPAP and encourage the interest of participants in using the portal as a preferred information source to assist various facets of their daily work. The GIS component of the training covered the basic concepts and best practice of GIS and provided participants’ with practical skills in the use of the QGIS software, capturing spatial data out in the field using handheld global positioning system (GPS) units and importing field data back into QGIS to produce basic site maps with a title, scale, descriptive labels and clear boundaries. Furthermore, participants were introduced to the OpenStreetMap project. This …

  • Atelier de recyclage IMET en Afrique Centrale

    La formation en ligne s’est déroulée les 22 et 23 Octobre 2020 avec plus de 25 participants de 09 pays. La formation était adressée aux coaches d’Afrique Central afin de mettre à jour leurs connaissances en matière d’IMET, mais aussi pour appuyer leurs États et organisations dans la mise en œuvre des évaluations de l’efficacité de gestion des aires protégées à travers l’outil IMET. La formation a eu comme objectif de revoir, renforcer et mettre à niveau les connaissances et les compétences des gestionnaires et était basé essentiellement sur le partage des expériences et des leçons apprises des coaches. Les participants ont réitéré leur appréciation pour ce type d’activité, qui contribue à l’amélioration de l’efficacité de gestion des aires protégées par le renforcement des capacités des professionnels du secteur de la conservation à produire, générer et collecter les données sur les aires protégées en utilisant l’outil intégré sur l’efficacité de gestion (IMET). L’initiative était aussi une opportunité pour appuyer la consolidation du réseau des coaches. L’outil IMET a été conçu pour soutenir directement les gestionnaires, sur le terrain et au niveau central, améliorer l’efficacité de la gestion des aires protégées et, plus généralement, la conservation de la biodiversité. L’IMET donne du support à la planification, au suivi et à l’évaluation des aires protégées à partir de l’organisation des informations disponibles et la définition des niveaux de référence. Les analyses qui en découlent peuvent être exploitées à différentes échelles : site, nationale ou régionale. Ainsi, l’outil favorise l’adoption d’une approche proactive axée sur les résultats qui facilite la planification, l’analyse de l’état de conservation et la visualisation des paramètres pour évaluer l’efficacité de la gestion sur les objectifs de conservation. A la suite de ces formations, l’OFAC continuera à offrir un service d’accompagnement pour répondre aux besoins des pays et des partenaires dans la sous-région, et à orienter la mise en œuvre de 20 campagnes IMET.

  • Closing the gap: Payment for Ecosystem Services

    BIOPAMA is organizing a series of virtual learning events and trainings on specific financing mechanisms outlined in the report Closing the gap – Financing and resourcing of protected and conserved areas in Eastern and Southern Africa. These events aim to provide tangible solutions for how to increase revenue and diversify income in order to help protected area authorities develop more resilient financial models for conservation. The events build on live case studies and real world examples to illustrate best (and worst) practice, and to foster deeper engagement and connection with participants. The latest event took place on 21 October 2020 and focused on payment for ecosystem services. Watch the event here: Event’s resources: Invitation and agenda Please fill in this survey by 30 October 2020. Presentations Check the previous online trainings on financing and resourcing of protected and conserved areas: Closing the gap: collaborative management Closing the gap: introduction to financing and resourcing of protected and conserved areas  

  • Capacity development workshop for the Barbados Marine Reserve

    The Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway along with the National Conservation Commission (NCC) engaged in a series of capacity development workshops on Protected Area Management Effectiveness Assessment for the Barbados — alias Folkestone — Marine Reserve. The Barbados Marine Reserve (BMR) is a 2.2 km² protected area occupying one of the most impacted and intensely used stretches along the west coast of Barbados. It was designated in 1981 to maintain coastal and marine ecosystems in their natural state, provide an area where marine species could breed undisturbed, offer recreational areas for residents and tourists and provide a protected area where scientist and students could engage in research. The Reserve consists of four zones: Scientific Zone Designated for marine research: No motor power craft access unless permitted for research or enforcement, and then speeds are limited to 5 knots. Northern and Southern Designated Water Sports Zones for fast speed watercraft use: All motorised watercraft must operate at speeds less than 5 knots/no wake within 75m from shore, and speed boats can operate at higher speeds within 75 – 200m from shore. Jet skis must maintain speeds of less than 5 knots within 200m of shore and can operate at higher speeds beyond 200m from shore. Recreational Zone Designated for recreation, including swimming, snorkelling and fishing: There are no restrictions on watercraft entry, however, speed restrictions apply. The workshops, the first of its kind in Barbados, were intended to comprehensively review the operations, challenges and issues of the Barbados Marine Reserve (BMR) and to assess the current state of management at the BMR. Ultimately, the outputs of these activities are to improve the management of the reserve to provide a well-managed marine protected area with services for both locals and tourists alike to enjoy. Participants ranging from key government ministries, stakeholders of the Barbados Marine Reserve, educational institutions, and non-governmental organisations actively participated in the assessment of the management of the reserve. The process was led by the NCC, with the assessment itself being facilitated by the Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway, the regional resource hub for biodiversity and protected area data, information, tools and services, which is hosted by the UWI, through the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) programme. The effective management of the BMR is crucial to ensure that established purposes are met and ultimately that ecological, cultural, historical and economic values are preserved and sustained. Currently, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Blue Economy (MMABE) manages the BMR, however, this was previous undertaken by the National Conservation Commission (NCC) through the Ministry of Environment and National Beautification (MENB) from 1981-2020. The protected area management effectiveness assessment workshops are extremely valuable as they aid in the identification of the extent to which it is protecting values and achieving its goals and objectives. This helps to detect crucial areas where attention is needed and allows for limited human and financial resources to be directed to key areas. The results and recommendations of the assessment will be utilised by the management agency to identify next steps …

  • Celebration of the Latin American and the Caribbean Protected Areas Day

    This October is celebrating the inaugural the Day of the Protected Areas of Latin America and the Caribbean, as we recognise the importance of protected areas for the well-being of people and sustainable development in the region. The Third Latin America and the Caribbean Protected Area Congress (CAPLAC III) was held between 14 and 17 October 2019 in Lima, Peru. Following up from the Lima Declaration, the week of 12-18 October 2020 was dedicated to celebrating protected areas and the role they play across the region. On this occasion, the BIOPAMA Caribbean has released this video message: One year ago, BIOPAMA participated in the Third Latin America and the Caribbean Protected Area Congress and brought the Caribbean perspectives in the discussions and decisions of the event. Learn more about our participation at CAPLAC III here.

  • Formation sur l’outil IMET des conservateurs de 13 aires protégées en Guinée

    Le programme BIOPAMA et le Bureau des Nations Unies pour les services d’appui aux projets (UNOPS) ont joint leurs efforts pour appuyer les autorités environnementales de la Guinée, dans leur mission de mise en œuvre et d’assure le suivi de la politique du gouvernement en matière de conservation et de valorisation de la diversité biologique dans les aires protégées nationales et transfrontalières, y compris les zones d’intérêt cynégétique. L‘objectif spécifique du partenariat est d’appuyer l’Office Guinéen des Parcs et Réserves (OGPR) ainsi que le Centre Forestier de N’zérékoré (CFZ) dans l’amélioration de la planification, le suivi et l’évaluation de l’efficacité de gestion des aires protégées de la Guinée. Cette initiative novatrice consiste à procéder à la formation sur l’outil IMET des conservateurs de 13 aires protégées ciblées et ensuite de déployer une campagne de collecte de données sur ces sites afin d’aboutir à une meilleure efficacité de leur gestion. Les formations ont déjà été réalisées et parmi les premiers résultats envisagés, il faut signaler le renforcement des capacités des conservateurs de la Guinée et l’évaluation de l’efficacité de gestion des aires protégées identifiées, notamment à travers l’analyse des informations et la restitution des résultats en présence des différentes parties prenantes, y compris le représentant du Ministre de l’Environnement, des Eaux et Forêts. Aires protégées évaluées avec IMET en Guinée: Avec l’appui de l’UNOPS : La Réserve de Biosphère du Parc National du Hat Niger La Réserve de Biosphère du Parc National du Badiar La Réserve de Faune de Kankan La Réserve de Biosphère de Ziama La forêt classée de Bero La forêt classée de Diécké Avec l’appui de l’IUCN à travers le programme BIOPAMA : Forêt classée de Pic de Fonds Forêt classée de Bonama Réserve de biosphère du Mont Nimba Réserve Naturelle de Forokonia (Source du Niger) Réserve Naturelle de Kounounkan Sanctuaire de Faune des Iles de Loos De plus, les recommandations qui émergeront contribueront certainement à la consolidation du système des aires protégées de la Guinée. Ainsi, le directeur général envisage trois activités subséquentes importantes qui sont : L’exercice de révision des Plans d’Aménagement et de Gestion (PAG) ; La préparation de l’atelier national de restitution des résultats, qui permettra d’avoir un aperçu de la situation du système des aires protégées du pays ; L’engagement dans le processus d’inscription de certaines aires protégées de la Guinée sur la liste verte de l’UICN.  Il compte sur la possibilité des futures mesures visant à l’extension de l’exercice sur l’ensemble du réseau des aires protégées de l´OGPR. Selon Tanya Merceron, coordinatrice du programme BIOPAMA pour l’Afrique Central et Occidentale, « les résultats et leçons apprises de cette initiative pourront servir également à d’autres pays dans la région, qui auront l’opportunité de découvrir l’expérience à partir des activités de partage de connaissance à travers l’Observatoire pour la biodiversité et les aires protégées en Afrique de l’Ouest  ». La notion de continuité est présente aussi dans l’opinion du coordinateur de l’UNOPS en Guinée, Adama Daou. Il encourage l’idée de former les gestionnaires des aires protégées avec l’outil IMET et …

  • Learning series on communities combating Illegal Wildlife Trade

    A learning series titled ‘Communities Combatting Illegal Wildlife Trade’ has been launched in East Africa. The series is designed to support wildlife conservation and management authorities, relevant non-governmental and community-based organisations in East Africa to effectively engage local communities in the fight against illegal wildlife trade. The learning series, kicked off on 15th September and will be conducted in phases until December 2020, followed by a second phase of physical trainings and practical learning activities in 2021. The learning series follows the successful development and piloting of the  Local Communities: First Line of Defence against Illegal Wildlife Trade (FLoD) methodology, which was developed and tested by IUCN ESARO in partnership with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and the IUCN’s Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULi). Why the training? Poaching has been a major threat in the region. One of the key pillars of the regional EAC strategy to combat poaching and illegal wildlife trade is to increase the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihoods. As mentioned by the Director Productive Sectors at the East African Community Secretariat, these learning events are directly linked to this pillar as seen from the focus on equipping the communities with the required skills to enable them to provide the first line of defence against Illegal Wildlife trade. Speaking at the launch of the learning series, Aurelia Micko, Environment Office Director USAID Kenya and East Africa said: “The journey to self-reliance begins with locally led development. The FLoD methodology will help us understand the motivations and assumptions that underpin local community interaction with wildlife and this understanding will help us to better engage communities in the efforts towards ending poaching and illegal wildlife trade.” The learning series which aims at training participants on the FLoD methodology is supported by USAID Kenya and East Africa through the Conserving Natural Capital and Enhancing Collaborative Management of Transboundary Resources (CONNECT)  project. The series will supplement the comprehensive training course on FLoD, which is currently under development with support from the Biodiversity and Protected Area Management Programme (BIOPAMA) supported by the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States. Communities as guardians of protected areas “Wildlife crime threatens the security, economy and biodiversity of East Africa. When we conserve biodiversity, it is in the interest of the communities. It is critical that we involve communities in defining and implementing their biodiversity conservation activities and allow them to participate in the management of protected areas,” highlighted Dr Philippe Mayaux, Team leader for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, European Commission, International Cooperation for Development (DEVCO). “Strengthening the capacity of the local communities will go a long way in ensuring that wildlife crime in the region is reduced. We need a coordinated regional approach that can be adapted and adopted for local contexts. The FLoD methodology is a resource that can help the East Africa region to implement relevant regional and national strategies to combat wildlife crime,” said Charles Oluchina, Regional Programme Coordinator for …

  • Closing the gap: collaborative management of protected areas

    Organised as part of the “Vital Sites: the Journey to Marseille”, the BIOPAMA programme hosted an online event on collaborative management of protected areas as a means to increase revenue and improve management efficiency. The event took place on 2 September 2020 and the video recording is available to watch. This event is part of BIOPAMA’s capacity development for protected and conserved areas strategy, where financing and resourcing has been identified as a key area to improve the performance and conservation outcomes. NEW: Watch the online event! Relevant resources on financing and resourcing of protected and conserved areas: Webinar presentations SURVEY: What do you need to know about financing and resourcing of protected areas? Answer this survey by 11 September 2020. Event booklet: Collaborative management of protected areas Publication: Closing the gap : financing and resourcing of protected and conserved areas in Eastern and Southern Africa Online event launching the publication ” Closing the gap” (June 2020) Knowledge brief “Closing the gap” Initial message and invitation: BIOPAMA Eastern and Southern Africa invites you to the online event “Collaborative management of protected areas as a means to increase revenue and improve management efficiency”. The event will take place on Wednesday, 2 September 2020, 15:30 – 17:00 EAT. The participation is free, but registration is required.

  • National training on the use of the PIPAP, Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal

    Protected area practitioners and stakeholders of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) are now equipped with the skills to produce basic maps of protected and conserved areas following an online, virtually delivered training on the upgraded tools and features of the Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal (PIPAP) and the application of related geographic information systems (GIS). The virtual training utilised free, open-source GIS software and involved hands-on capture of spatial data in the field. The training was co-organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Climate Change Directorate of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI-CCD) to build and refresh basic GIS capacity of participants. The training engaged a wide range of stakeholders across different agencies including the Marshall Islands Environmental Protection Authority, Ministry of Natural Resources and Commerce (NRC), Marshall Islands Conservation Society, Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority and the Marshall Islands Ridge to Reef Project, among others. “The training has been very productive, especially for the various stakeholders who have been able to participate this week.  This training addresses a key priority of our stakeholders, and we are very thankful to SPREP and the BIOPAMA Programme for the timely assistance provided,” said Deputy Director of the RMI Climate Change Directorate, Mr. Warwick Harris. “The skills gained through this training will enable our stakeholders to make full use of the Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal to fulfil specific informational tasks and will assist with planned initiatives for mapping and ground-truthing of boundaries for our conservation areas.” During the training, practical demonstrations of the upgraded tools and features of the portal, followed by hands-on exercises increased the interest of participants in using the portal as a preferred information source for assisting various aspects of their daily work. Participants learnt how to access and view their country data, conduct basic and advanced searches for information resources, create and submit information and basic boundaries for proposed protected and conserved areas and to locate technical guidance and tools on different aspects of protected and conserved area management available through the portal. The GIS component of the training covered the basic concepts and best practice of GIS and provided hands-on, practical skills in the use of the software, capturing spatial data out in the field using handheld global positioning system (GPS) units and utilising this field data to produce basic site maps with boundaries. Participants were introduced to the OpenStreetMap project. This free and open-source spatial data is now available to Pacific users on the Pacific Environment Portal. ‘’The virtual training went very well this week and I am happy that internet connectivity worked in our favour. Despite the current restrictions with COVID19, we have been able to address this priority capacity need for the Marshall Islands. We’ll also be providing follow up technical support to the RMI-CCD and stakeholders as required in the coming months,” said Mr Vainuupo Jungblut Protected Areas Officer, SPREP. “Follow up assistance on the use of the PIPAP will also be provided with the overall goal …

  • Closing the gap: financing and resourcing of protected and conserved areas in Eastern and Southern Africa

    BIOPAMA, Conservation Capital and partners hosted an online discussion about financing and resourcing of protected and conserved areas, with a focus on case studies from Eastern and Southern Africa. This event is part of the IUCN and WCPA “Vital Sites: The Journey to Marseille”, a series of online events in the run-up to the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille, France.   Watch the online discussion here: Resources of the online discussion: Presentation: Introduction and overview of “Closing the gap” publication Case study presentation by Angelique Pouponneau, SeyCCAT Survey: We need your feedback to identify your needs and interests related to financing and resourcing of protected areas. Your answers will help us define and tailor training activities on this topic in Eastern and Southern Africa. You are invited to fill in this survey by 15 July 2020. “Closing the gap: financing and resourcing of protected and conserved areas in Eastern and Southern Africa” The publication The knowledge brief News release: launch of “Closing the gap” publication

  • The importance of sustainable financing and funding of protected areas

    In this rapidly changing world, protected area managers must act speedily towards generating new and creative ways of doing conservation and sustainable use of financial resources. However, how can protected areas utilize existing financial resources optimally, and where can their management tap into new sources of funding? A webinar hosted by the Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway of the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Programme (BIOPAMA) aimed to help protected area practitioners and environmental managers answer these questions. Under the 1993 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), countries pledged to generate and allocate resources towards biodiversity conservation and protected areas (PAs). The CBD often shapes donor agendas and national biodiversity strategies and plans. Despite these pledges and plans, the majority of PAs are still facing enormous challenges, from the insufficiency of vital financial resources to new worldwide threats such as the novel Covid-19 pandemic. In this context, the Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway of the BIOPAMA Programme hosted on 25 May 2020 an online discussion on sustainable financing and resourcing of protected areas. The guest speaker, Mr. Guillermo Chan V, a sustainable finance expert, addressed three main topics: The value of protected areas, The importance of financial sustainability in protected areas. Funding protected areas during challenging times. Watch the online discussion Presentation takeaways: •    Protected areas (PAs) provide multiple benefits for local people, communities and the environment. In many Caribbean countries, PAs contributes significantly to national economies. •    Many governments have recognized the importance of preserving protected areas, especially as issues such as the Covid-19 pandemic expose the need for safe spaces amongst cities and countries around the globe. However, there is a need for a balance between the primary role of protected areas and the sustainable use of protected areas for tourism and recreational services. •    Now more than ever, as PAs experience the repercussions from the global pandemic, agencies and practitioners need to continuously search for stable financing mechanisms to minimize the impact of visitation declines, reduced revenue from tourism and possible cuts to park operational budgets. •    The impact of protected areas on local society and the economy has variable but growing recognition. Often PAs are considered burdens to the state budget and not as a generator of wealth. PAs are estimated to require USD $1.1-2.5 billion to meet basic needs. In order to gain the necessary capital for Protected Area financing, agencies need to work along with the private and public sectors, local communities, social groups, decision-makers and other key players. •    Tourism business expenditure plays a significant role in sustaining many protected areas. In 2019 the travel and tourism sector created 1 in 4 new jobs globally. It accounted for 10.3% of the global GDP, making the sector larger than agriculture. The economic contribution of wildlife tourism is equally impressive. In 2019, it contributed USD $400 billion and supported 22 million jobs across the world. •    The global pandemic has had immediate and may possibly have long-term effects on protected areas. The coronavirus resulted in the closure of parks and protected …

  • BIOPAMA facilitated a PAME Framework and Tools National Workshop

    The BIOPAMA programme continues to strengthen the capacity of protected area stakeholders across the Caribbean by creating tools to assess Protected Area Management Effectiveness (PAME). The programme has been working with the Department of Sustainable Development (DSD) in Saint Lucia to enhance the country’s management of its national protected area system through a series of workshops between 2019 – 2020. BIOPAMA facilitated a PAME Framework and Tools National Workshop in Saint Lucia from 9 – 12 April 2019. Twenty-five (25) persons from various government and nongovernmental organisations were  introduced to the PAME framework and assessment tools including the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) and the Enhancing our Heritage (EoH) Toolkit. The overall objective was to expose persons to the various PAME tools available that can be considered for use in the development of a national tool and for conducting future site level assessments. Additionally Jose Courrau, Thematic expert at The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reviewed the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pitons Management Area (PMA) Management Plan (2003) and provided technical guidance to the PMA Office for the improvement of the management plan. After a series of in-country meetings coordinated by the DSD, a follow-up national workshop was held from 26 -29 November 2019, where nineteen (19) persons collaborated to develop the Saint Lucia PAME Tool. Through a participatory process participants merged elements of the Advanced Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) with the Enhancing our Heritage (EoH) Tool used for World Heritage Sites. Questions from both tools were compared, analysed and chosen based on the level of detail required and how effective they would be in capturing the required information during assessments. The tool design process is detailed in the video below. Saint Lucia PAME Tool Development process briefly explained: The third national workshop was facilitated from 24 -27 February 2020 to assess The North East Coast – Iyanola Region (NEC-IR). Collectively the BIOPAMA team used The Saint Lucia PAME Tool to conduct three (3) PAME Assessments for the following sites: The Pitons Management Area (PMA), UNESCO World Heritage Site; The Pointe Sable Environmental Protection Area (PSEPA); and The North East Coast – Iyanola Region (NEC-IR). The PAME Assessments highlighted the following: Protected Areas often have multiple agencies with different institutional mandates working in the same spaces; this creates challenges for coordinated management strategies. Therefore, a solid governance structure is important to define mandates and identify organisational roles. Staff enforcement powers are usually written in policy but are not actualised on the ground limiting effective enforcement of PA regulations; therefore, management agencies need to empower staff to execute enforcement duties. Management agencies often have limited resources to implement activities and must explore methods to mobilize resources and obtain sustainable finance. Protected Area agencies should incorporate the results of PAME assessments into their work plans using assessments to forecast budgets and as evidence for funding mechanisms. Developing a national tool was important for Saint Lucia as it allowed Protected Area agencies to cater specifically to stakeholder requirements and the …

  • National training on the use of the PIPAP, Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal

    Environment officers in Vanuatu now have the skills to produce basic maps of protected and conserved areas of Vanuatu following training on the upgraded tools and features of the Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal (PIPAP) as well as geographic information systems (GIS). The training utilised free, open-source GIS software and capturing of spatial data out in the field. It was co-organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation (DEPC) of the Vanuatu Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards, Environment, Energy and Disaster Management to build GIS capacity within the DEPC. “The training has been very productive, especially for our new officers, many of which have never been exposed to GIS before.  This training addresses a key need and priority for our Department, and we are very thankful to SPREP and the EU-ACP BIOPAMA Programme for the great assistance provided,” said Ms. Rolenas Baereleo, Senior Conservation Officer, Vanuatu DEPC. “The skills gained through this training will enable our officers to make full use of the Pacific protected area portal regarding specific informational tasks and will assist with upcoming initiatives for mapping and ground truthing of boundaries for our conservation areas.” During the training, practical demonstrations of the upgraded tools and features of the Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal (PIPAP), followed by hands-on exercises increased the interest of participants in using the portal as a preferred information source for assisting various aspects of their daily work. Participants learnt how to access and view their country data, conduct both basic and advanced searches for information resources, create and submit information and rudimentary boundaries for proposed protected and conserved areas and to locate technical guidance on different aspects of protected and conserved area management available through the portal. The GIS component of the training covered the basic concepts and best practice of GIS and provided hands-on, practical skills in the use of the software, capturing spatial data out in the field using handheld global positioning system (GPS) units and utilising this field data to produce basic site maps with boundaries. ‘’I am delighted that through this training, we have been able to address this priority capacity need for the Vanuatu Environment Department.   We’ll also provide follow up technical support to the DEPC as needed to enhance understanding of the theoretical aspects and practice of GIS, including the use of more advanced functions of the software,” said Mr Vainuupo Jungblut Protected Areas Officer, SPREP. “Follow up assistance on the use of the PIPAP will also be provided with the overall goal of supporting protected and conserved areas planning, management and governance across the region.” The training served as a refresher for environment officers who participated in an earlier SPREP-facilitated GIS training in 2017 and a first time for new officers who participated, including those from the Vanuatu Ministry of Lands. The PIPAP and GIS training for Vanuatu, held from 26-28 February was funded through the BIOPAMA programme, an initiative of the African, Caribbean …

  • National training on the use of the PIPAP, Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal

    The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Samoa Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) completed a national training for Samoa’s government officers across environment and fisheries sectors. The training was organized in the frame of the BIOPAMA regional resource and data hub for the Pacific, fulfilling its role to deliver capacity building training in the use of BIOPAMA tools and services for improved protected and conserved areas management and governance. The objective of the training was twofold – to train targeted personnel in the use of upgraded tools and features of the Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal (PIPAP) and to train personnel in geographic information systems (GIS) utilising free, open-source GIS software and recording spatial data in the field to produce basic maps of protected and conserved areas. The training served as a refresher for others who participated in an earlier SPREP-facilitated GIS training in 2017 and a first time for new government staff who participated. The training was held in conjunction with the second meeting of the Samoa Protected Area Advisory Committee (PAAC), a multi-stakeholder committee comprising both government and NGO representatives charged with ensuring that Samoa’s protected area targets and priorities are met through a coordinated and inclusive manner, among others. One of the items on the agenda for the PAAC meeting was Samoa’s contribution to the development and finalisation of the protected area goal and target of the Post 2020 biodiversity framework. ‘’It is with great pleasure that I speak on behalf of the government of Samoa to acknowledge the great support and assistance from the EU-ACP Biodiversity and Protected Area Management Programme (BIOPAMA) through the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). Today, we will be conducting two correlated programs that are both significant to improving protected area management and sustainable development in Samoa’’ mentioned the Chief Executive Officer of the MNRE, Mr. Ulu Bismarck Crawley in his opening remarks. ‘’This week, MNRE and SPREP are happy to host this second meeting of the Protected Area Advisory Committee and the PIPAP-GIS training for technical and field staff from our ministry and key stakeholders who are important to the field data collection effort and for working closely with our local communities.’’ A live demonstration of the tools and features of the Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal (PIPAP), followed by practical exercises stimulated the interest of participants in using the portal as a preferred information source for assisting various aspects of their daily work. The GIS component of the training covered the fundamentals and best practice of GIS and provided hands-on, practical skills in capturing data out in the field using handheld global positioning system (GPS) units and uploading this data to software to produce site maps. ‘’We are pleased to be able to provide this technical training on the PIPAP and GIS for the government of Samoa, the PIPAP exists to assist Pacific island countries in various ways, the main goal of which is to improve outcomes of work on protected and …

  • Ethiopia: pilot visit for the development of the Regional Resource Hub

    A pilot visit for the development of the Regional Resource Hub (RRH) took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 18 to 21 February 2020. It was the last of three pilot country visits carried out by BIOPAMA team in Eastern and Southern Africa with the objective to enhance the country engagements on the Regional Resource Hub. The Regional Resource Hub is a regional centre that compiles and analyzes relevant protected area data and provides information to support field interventions, policies dialogues and decision-making processes at local, national and regional levels. It is hosted by the Regional Centre for Mapping Resources for Development (RCMRD) and covers the 24 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. The main purpose of the pilot visit was an information gathering and networking exercise to (i) understand the priorities of Ethiopia in terms of protected areas management, governance and equity, (ii) inform the conservation partners about the Regional Resource Hub mission, function and activities and (iii) identify opportunities for partnership in order to support informed decision making in favor of the country sustainable development. During the visit, members of the BIOPAMA team from IUCN, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and RCMRD engaged with Ethiopian conservation actors, including: Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI) Ethiopian Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission (EEFCCC) Rift Valley Lakes Basin Authority Ethiopian Remote Sensing Agency Southern Nations, Nationalities and the People Regional State (SNNPRS) Culture, Sport and Tourism Bureau Senkele Swayne’s Hartebeest Sanctuary Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) Population, Health and Environment Ethiopia (PHE)  Enhance Management Effectiveness of Protected Areas (GEF6/EMEPA) The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) The Delegation of the European Union in Addis Ababa Biotope Endowment Fund Wildlife Society of Ethiopia Nech-Sar National Park management and surrounding community-based organizations. Visit outcomes The visits were very useful to understand the challenges and priorities of Ethiopian conservation partners. Like many countries in the region, Ethiopia has important ongoing initiatives that could benefit from the Regional Resource Hub to promote more coordinated knowledge sharing and communication activities at intra-national and regional levels, which in turn will support better learning, management efficacy and advocacy campaigns. A list of priorities in terms of capacity building was identified and is mainly related to the development of integrated park management plans and engagement of surrounding communities, fire protection strategies and support to human-wildlife conflict. The national actors have also demonstrated interest in engaging with the Regional Resource Hub to promote management effectiveness and social assessments, biodiversity mapping and development of data and information sharing protocols. The update of forest information and review of the protected area demarcation are some of the specific activities mentioned as relevant for the coming months. Way forward The follow-up steps for the pilot visit are: The Regional Resource Hub will share data management guidelines and data sharing framework to assist with the development of a data-sharing protocol. A collective effort will be made to update information from Ethiopia in the World Database of Protected Areas (WDPA). The RRH team …

  • Online event: introduction to the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA)

    BIOPAMA Eastern and Southern Africa hosted a webinar on the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) on Wednesday 12 February 2020. Maintaining up-to-date data on the protected areas globally is essential for supporting better planning and decision-making at all levels, from local to international. Reliable protected area data also informs the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity decisions, including actions associated with national strategies and protected area targets. Furthermore, accurate data supports national state of the environment reporting and contributes to tracking progress against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the most comprehensive global spatial dataset on terrestrial and marine protected areas. BIOPAMA, in collaboration with UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC) and regional partners aim at updating the protected area data from the 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, and build the capacity of stakeholders to update their data in WDPA. Watch this webinar organised by BIOPAMA Eastern and Southern Africa on how to do country updates and the importance of ensuring all data is up-to-date. More BIOPAMA webinars and video resources are available on BIOPAMA’s Youtube channel.

  • The Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool (IMET) training workshop

    The Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme is hosting the Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool (IMET) training workshop for the anglophone stakeholders in Africa from 4 to 6 February 2020 in Kigali, Rwanda. In order to support protected area planning and decision making, BIOPAMA is providing and assessing tools that respond to the specific requests in data collection, information management, protected area management effectiveness, governance and social assessments and others. At the end of this training, participants will have sufficient knowledge and skills to present IMET to their organization to decide whether or not they would like further IMET coach training in order to institutionalize IMET and roll out IMET assessments across their protected and conserved area network. The objectives of the training workshop are to: Demonstrate what IMET is, how it works and how it is different from other tools; Provide an understanding of the six elements of the framework for assessing the management effectiveness of protected areas namely: context, planning, inputs, processes, outputs, outcomes and impacts; and how these are incorporated into the IMET; Provide information on assessment, monitoring and planning and decision making in the management of protected areas; Discuss the capacity, skills and funding required to implement IMET at an institutional and site level; Provide an understanding of the use of IMET at the protected area level but also at the landscape and/or national level. Training resources: The workshop report Agenda (IMET training syllabus) Logistic Note IMET brochure Leonidas success story Bertille success story The  management effectiveness evaluation framework (IUCN) Results of the evaluation test (beginning of the training) Results of the evaluation test (end of the training) Responses: the next steps survey; The next steps survey: the automatic report Photo album: the workshop in images Presentations: Introduction to BIOPAMA, day 1 Session 1: Protected Areas Management Effectiveness Session 2: Exploring IMET Session 3: Context of intervention Session 4: Evaluating the management effectiveness Session 5: Analysis of IMET results Session 6: Use of IMET results – the case of Burundi Session 7: IMET and other tools and standards Session 8: Organization of an IMET assessment – general information Session 8: Organization of an IMET assessment – West Africa experience Session 9 –Regional Resource Hub and its Reference Information System  Session 10: BIOPAMA Action Component

  • Online training: the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas

    The BIOPAMA Programme hosted a webinar on introducing the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas, as a response to the high interest from stakeholders in Eastern and Southern Africa. The information provided is relevant globally. The IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas is the first global standard of best practice for area-based conservation. It is a programme of certification for protected and conserved areas – national parks, natural World Heritage sites, community conserved areas, nature reserves and so on – that are effectively managed and fairly governed. The Green List Standard describes successful site-based conservation through a number of criteria nestled within four major elements of success: good governance, sound design and planning, effective management, and conservation outcomes.

    2019

  • Formations sur les outils et services de collecte, consolidation, analyse et diffusion de l’information pour la décision sur les aires protégées et la biodiversité.

    Le programme BIOPAMA Afrique Centrale et de l’Ouest a organisé deux webinars sur les outils et services de collecte, consolidation, analyse et diffusion de l’information pour la décision sur les aires protégées et la biodiversité. Ces webinars sont maintenant disponibles. Le programme pour la biodiversité et la gestion des aires protégées (BIOPAMA) vise à améliorer la conservation à long terme et l’utilisation durable des ressources naturelles dans les pays d’Afrique, Caraïbes et Pacifique  (ACP), dans les aires protégées et les communautés avoisinantes. À cet effet, un certain nombre d’outils technologiques et services ont été développés autour du système d’information de référence (RIS) permettant aux parties prenantes de la région de disposer d’informations pertinentes et de produits de connaissance permettant de mener des actions concrètes pour la gestion des aires protégées et de la biodiversité (consultez https://rris.biopama.org/ pour plus d’informations). Webinaire 1: Introduction des outils BIOPAMA disponibles sur le RIS global et introduction de l’IMET (outil intégré pour l’évaluation de l’efficacité de gestion)   Webinaire 2: Utilisation et insertion des contenus sur le RIS (Système d’information de référence) BIOPAMA

  • SMART field training in the proposed Torricelli Mountains Range Conservation Area

    Collaboration with the Papua New Guinea Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) recently kicked-off with two-weeks of field training in the proposed Torricelli Mountains Range Conservation Area. This area is home to the Critically Endangered Tenkile and Weimang Tree Kangaroos, as well as 40% of Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s mammal species and over 50% of its avifauna. The Tenkile Conservation Alliance (TCA) has been supporting Indigenous landowners for nearly 20 years to conserve these extraordinary species and enhance livelihoods. The organisation works with 50 villages and employs a considerable number of local people. “Our goal is to empower landholders to manage their own lands and resources, and we pride ourselves on integrating conservation, community and culture. The people of Torricelli are at the forefront of conservation in PNG, committing to conserve these species for future generations,” said Jean Thomas from TCA. The Government is expected to gazette this area in the coming months. The training was led by Paul van Nimwegen, BIOPAMA coordinator for the Pacific. “BIOPAMA is supporting partners in the region through providing training on a range of protected area practices that improve management effectiveness. One of these is the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool or SMART. This system assists conservation areas to easily collect, store and retrieve field data, which then can be used to support evidence based decision-making,” Mr van Nimwegen noted. Nicholas Wari from the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) PNG was also present, sharing his experiences and knowledge of using the tool in the YUS Conservation Area. “It has been really helpful for empowering communities of YUS to monitor biodiversity and highlight compliance issues’, said Mr Wari. As a result of the training, thirty-five TCA staff learnt how to collect field observations with GPS enabled devices, upload data and use SMART to support adaptive management. Mr van Nimwegen emphasised, “we focused on creating a practical and participatory learning environment, which involved going on practice patrols”. The participants also worked together to adapt the SMART system to the local context, ensuring its application to local communities (including translating it into Tok Pisin). “I can foresee that this tool will not only help communities to monitor biodiversity but will also improve TCA’s institutional reporting and accountability”, Jean Thomas continued. The field staff will soon return to their villages and commence collecting field data. As Nelson Taingol from Wilbeite Village noted, “we will give it a try, and then we will become SMART”. Feedback from the participants at the training: The SMART-PNG Collaboration is an initiative of the PNG Conservation and Environmental Protection Agency, TCA, TKCP-PNG, BIOPAMA, UNDP and BirdLife International, which aims to strengthen management effectiveness and governance of conservation and forest areas through adopting the SMART system across the country. This collaboration is funded by GEF, European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States.

  • Workshop for the launch of the BIOPAMA Observatory for biodiversity and protected areas in Western Africa

    The purpose of this workshop is to promote stakeholder engagement in the regional reference information systems for biodiversity and protected area management in the WAEMU countries. It will take place in Dakar, Senegal, from 25 to 27 November 2019.   This workshop will allow the exchange between conservation stakeholders on existing structures in the region to enhance data and information on protected areas and biodiversity in order to improve regional policies and strategies concerning the environment and biodiversity conservation. The workshop materials are available below: THE WORKSHOP REPORT (added after the completion of the workshop) The intervention logic for the workshop and the Regional Observatory UNEP WCMC: The World Database on Protected Areas and Protected Planet The Regional Reference Information System in Western Africa: first steps The invitation to the workshop:

  • Regional workshop on assessment tools for management effectiveness, governance and equity in protected and conserved areas in the Western Indian Ocean islands

    Following on from the BIOPAMA Regional Assessment Tool Workshop recently hosted in Zambia and hosting 15 Eastern and Southern Africa countries, BIOPAMA hosted the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) Island Assessment Tool workshop in Madagascar.  The workshop was co-sponsored, co-organised and co-hosted by IUCN, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Madagascar National Parks (MNP) and the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD) in Madagascar. The event hosted 43 participants, including from 22 national parks in Madagascar, Ministry staff, IUCN NGO members from Seychelles, Comoros, and Mauritius, Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), Madagascar National Parks HQ staff (including the CEO), WCS and other Malagasy NGOs. The workshop included site visits to Ranomafana and Isalo National Parks. The goal of the workshop was to present and promote an integrated set of standards, tools and approaches that will help measure and improve the quality of protected and conserved area sites and systems. The highlights of the workshop include: Introducing the IUCN Green List of Protected Areas Standard and its implementation (e.g. criteria and indicators, Expert Assessment Group (EAGL), adaptation of indicators, etc.) and present options for using the results from management, social and governance assessments for Green List applications. Providing an overview the key standards, tools and approaches for management, social and governance assessments that are in use in, or relevant to, the region. Presenting a proposed common reporting system and format for collecting, maintaining and assessing data and information resulting from the application of management, social and governance assessments for the BIOPAMA Regional Resource Hub (RRH), RRIS, and global datasets linked to the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) such as the Global Database on Protected Area Management Effectiveness (GD-PAME). Discussing opportunities and challenges to promoting the implementation of management effectiveness, social and governance assessments in the Western Indian Ocean island countries. Discussing potential pilot cases for the implementation of management, governance and social assessments, the Green List and ecotourism promotion in the Eastern and Southern African region. The opening session set the scene and highlighted the importance of management, social and governance assessments.  There were a combination of plenary and breakaway sessions as well as clinic sessions to learn about the tools/concepts in more detail.  The combination of workshop sessions and site visits allowed for a large amount of interaction and sharing of learnings across the parks in Madagascar, as well as between the WIO islands.  A session was also held on ecotourism with reflections from the site visits and advice on how to improve/grow ecotourism on the islands. The workshop report is available at this link.

  • Regional workshop on assessment tools for management effectiveness, governance and equity in protected and conserved areas

    BIOPAMA Eastern and Southern Africa recently hosted a Regional Assessment Tool Workshop in partnership with the Government of Zambia in Livingstone, Zambia. The BIOPAMA programme is providing and assessing tools that respond to the specific requests in data collection, information management, protected area management effectiveness, governance and social assessments and others. A global workshop organised by BIOPAMA earlier this year in the Gran Paradiso National Park in Italy set the scene for sharing the experience from all over the world of existing methodologies, gaining an understanding of the global trends in the application of such tools and ultimately providing the guidance protected and conserved areas need to enhance their performance. Tailored for Eastern and Southern Africa, the recently concluded BIOPAMA workshop in Zambia presented and promoted an integrated set of standards, tools and approaches that will help measure and improve the quality of protected and conserved area sites and systems. “There are many tools out there, and stakeholders want an understanding of what tools to use when, information on new tools and how to use the information from the assessments”, emphasised Dr Sue Snyman, BIOPAMA coordinator for Eastern and Southern Africa. The workshop included presentations on the various governance, social and management effectiveness frameworks, tools and their implementation. They were supported by selected case studies, key lessons learned from the application of different tools to identify best practice for management, social and governance assessments. The IUCN Green List Standard, the Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool (IMET) were among the tools presented, which raised a large amount of interest from the participants at the workshop. A new BIOPAMA report on “Management Effectiveness, Governance, and Social Assessments of Protected and Conserved Areas in Eastern and Southern Africa”, provided a baseline and background information on the assessments used in this region to-date. The findings of this assessment report include an overview of the key standards, tools and approaches for management, social and governance assessments that are in use in, or relevant to, the Eastern and Southern Africa region. The report also reveals that there are important gaps in terms of countries doing assessments, and there is a need to encourage them to do them more consistently and regularly.  As such, this workshop allowed stakeholders to discuss potential pilot cases for the implementation of management, governance and social assessments, and the IUCN Green List in this region. In the future, BIOPAMA will support trainings on the use of the assessment tools for governance, social impact and management effectiveness, as required. The participants were proposed a common reporting system and format for collecting, maintaining and assessing data and information resulting from the application of management, social and governance assessments for the BIOPAMA Regional Resource Hub (RRH), RRIS, and global datasets linked to the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) such as the Global Database on Protected Area Management Effectiveness (GD-PAME). In this regard, the UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) has shared with the countries templates for reporting to make that process more efficient. The …

  • Third Latin American and the Caribbean Protected Area Congress

    Thirteen professionals voiced the Caribbean perspectives, knowledge and actions for a protected planet in the Caribbean, at the third Congress on Protected Areas for Latin America and the Caribbean (CAPLAC III), held in Lima, Peru, 14-17 October 2019. The BIOPAMA Programme is a joint undertaking between the IUCN and Joint Research Centre (JRC), currently working in Africa, the Caribbean (15 countries) and the Pacific – ACP regions. Thirteen Caribbean countries were represented at the Congress, with the support from the BIOPAMA programme. They participated in a variety of activities and engaged in debates showcasing the biodiversity and protected areas situation, challenges and solutions in the Caribbean. Watch the video: BIOPAMA’s participation at CAPLAC III In his opening remarks Sebastian Chaletus, representative of the European Union, stated the role of the BIOPAMA programme, which mobilizes 60 million euros across the ACP region, as a powerful tool helping standardize monitoring and quality management. “Today what makes the difference for biodiversity, climate change and gender is knowledge”, as Chaletus said. “Programmes like BIOPAMA which have a regional scope allow Caribbean countries to interact engage and learn from each other and add values to stakeholders”, highlighted Hyacinth Armstrong Vaughn, BIOPAMA regional coordinator for the Caribbean region, who moderated the panel discussion. The BIOPAMA programme focuses on biodiversity conservation and protected areas management through capacity building for regional and national institutions and improving access to and availability of relevant data. Tricia Greaux, Marine Management Area and Habitat Monitoring Officer, Department of Marine Resources, St Kitts and Nevis, highlighted the impact of the training BIOPAMA stating, “What was impactful for me was that in the training there was a balance between classroom interactions and field exercises”. Andrew Lockhart, Superintendent – Marine and Terrestrial Parks, National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority, St Vincent and the Grenadines, said that originally, biodiversity conservation was focused on white paper and paper parks but recently -since St Vincent is signatory to the CBD and the implementation of the Aichi targets- it has transitioned towards more sustainable development. Andrew said that working with BIOPAMA and conducting management effectiveness training has caused the department to assess how effective they are in meeting conservation objectives. He stated that the assessment has helped them to plan in a more streamlined manner especially regarding budgets. BIOPAMA has also contributed by providing the Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway (Caribbean Gateway), a free and open access data management tool, which serves to integrate a diverse range of relevant protected areas and biodiversity data and information across the region. It is an important virtual resource for facilitating and promoting viable decisions and policies by decision-makers and resource managers for more effective and sustainable management of protected areas and biodiversity.

  • Tanzania pilot visit for the development of the Regional Resource Hub (RRH) in Eastern and Southern Africa

    The second pilot visit for the development of the Regional Resource Hub (RRH) in Eastern and Southern Africa, after our visit to Madagascar in May, took place in Tanzania from the 19th to 24th of August 2019. The BIOPAMA representatives from IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, JRC, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, and RCMRD, the Regional Centre for Mapping Resources for Development, met with eleven key protected and conserved area stakeholders. The main facets of BIOPAMA were discussed including the Regional Resource Hub (RRH), the Reference Information system (RIS), the Action Component – BIOPAMA’s grant-making facility, management effectiveness tools, capacity building and other services. The role of the different implementing partners was also highlighted and the hosting institutions explained their mandate and role in conservation within their countries. The main objective of the BIOPAMA visit to Tanzania’s protected area stakeholders was to investigate the needs of the country to be able to demonstrate the role of BIOPAMA and particularly the RRH to support the identified needs at a local, national and regional level. Out of the needs identified, the emerging priorities and needs in the country included capacity building on data management and database development, GIS and remote sensing and management effectiveness of protected and conserved areas. These highlighted opportunities where the RRH could be of use in filling the gaps identified and showcasing what the RRH will offer to the Eastern and Southern Africa region, in line with objectives of the BIOPAMA programme. In particular, the RRH will provide capacity building in these areas and there is the possibility of hosting an institutional database where infrastructure and proper systems to manage data are lacking while allowing the institutions to retain control and ownership of their data. If country support is given to the services that BIOPAMA is able to offer in the region, the RRH will be an example to be emulated as a means to move from knowledge to action. The list of stakeholders that were consulted during this visit include: the East African Community (EAC), the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA), the Ministry of Natural Resources of Tourism, the Tanzania Forestry Research Institute, the Tanzania Wildlife Authority, the EU Delegation to Tanzania, the Marine and Reserves Unit, the Tanzania Forest Service, the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association and the Community Wildlife Management Areas Consortium.

  • Achieving fair and effective protected areas: international workshop

    A global workshop on how to enable and measure improved performance in protected areas, taking place in Gran Paradiso National Park, Cogne, Aosta, Italy, from 24 to 28 June 2019. The global workshop on how to enable and measure improved performance in protected and conserved areas is generously supported by the EU-ACP funded BIOPAMA Programme and it will be convened by IUCN with technical support from IUCN and the Joint Research Centre JRC. Participants will develop guidance and recommended actions to support fairer and more effective protected and conserved areas. Workshop objectives, themes and expected outputs: The goal of the workshop is: to provide guidance on how to help measure and enhance the performance of protected and conserved area sites and systems through the available standards, evaluation methodologies, and assessment toolkits. Specific objectives: Standards and principles: to understand success in protected and conserved areas and to discuss a common approach and principles for assessments relating to: Good Governance Design, priority-setting and planning for key values Management Effectiveness Successful Conservation Outcomes Practice: to develop recommendations for structuring, collecting and maintaining the data from specific protected and conserved area assessment toolkits, and from other relevant sources Management Effectiveness Assessment Governance Assessment. Monitoring and metrics: to recommend how to incentivize and improve monitoring of status, trends and conservation outcomes in protected and conserved areas and to discuss how to present and track their status for effective decision-making at protected area level and for upscaling to higher levels (e.g. national, regional, global). Data management: to better be able to promote reference information systems and improved data management and integration to aid adaptive decision-making. Incentives: how to motivate uptake of standards and assessment methodologies, and use the results to secure political will and unlock transformational change. All the workshop resources will be available on this page. Workshop materials: Workshop report (with “The View from Gran Paradiso” annexed) The View from Gran Paradiso Concept and agenda of the workshop Logistics note for the participants NEWS article: Global experts set the path for fair and effective protected areas in Gran Paradiso PHOTO ALBUM Day 1, 24 June 2019: Achieving Fair and Effective Protected Areas – introduction by Grand Paradis Foundation The Gran Paradiso National Park – a brief overview Keynote address by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission Keynote address by IUCN Keynote address: the contribution of BIOPAMA to regional and global biodiversity and protected area targets PANORAMA introduction Day 2, 25 June 2019 The IUCN Green List IMET: overview and case study Case Study from Jordan: Ajloun Forest Reserve Governance and equity assessment in the context of Protected and Conserved Areas Protected areas governance assessment experience in Colombia: Key learnings from a territory approach Principles and best practices in PAME assessments Conditions for protected area effectiveness Day 3, 26 June 2019 Draft IUCN Congress resolution Day 4, 27 June 2019 L’Observatoire des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale BIOPAMA data management Protected areas framework analysis: IMET Day 5, 18 June 2019 The BIOPAMA action component Results: governance and equity …

  • Regional training for the Caribbean CREWs

    Twenty-six representatives from government and non-governmental agencies in the Caribbean have become CREW (Credible, Reliable, Energetic and Willing) supporters of the Caribbean Gateway, the regional observatory for the BIOPAMA Programme in the Caribbean.The CREWs, drawn from 14 of the 15 ACP group of countries in the Caribbean, participated in a regional training workshop between May 20 and 23, 2019 hosted at CERMES at The UWI Cave Hill Campus in Barbados. Natural resource managers across the Caribbean have been brought together to collectively improve how data on protected areas in their territories is validated, monitored, and used by policy makers regionally and internationally to make decisions about managing their natural resources. Twenty-six representatives from government agencies and non-governmental organisations in the Caribbean have become CREW (Credible, Reliable, Energetic and Willing) supporters of the Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway (the Caribbean Gateway), the regional observatory for biodiversity and conservation management for the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme in the Caribbean. The BIOPAMA Programme aims to improve the long-term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries, in protected areas and surrounding communities. It is an initiative of the ACP Group of States financed by the European Union’s 11th European Development Fund, jointly implemented in the Caribbean by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) and The University of the West Indies (UWI). The CREWs drawn from 14 of the 15 ACP countries in the Caribbean participated in a regional training workshop between May 20 and 23, 2019, hosted at the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) in The UWI Cave Hill Campus in Barbados, which houses the Caribbean Gateway. The workshop facilitated a detailed review and update to the design and functionality of the Caribbean Gateway and improved the understanding by participants of the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) data management process. The WDPA is the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas (PAs) and provides the information that the Caribbean Gateway draws on to populate its datasets on PAs in the region. Participants got an opportunity to review and validate the information held in this public database about their countries in the presence of a team from the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), which compiles and manages the data that is in the WDPA. UNEP-WCMC has partnered with the BIOPAMA Programme through its regional observatories to work with countries to improve the quality of the PA information represented in the WDPA. The establishment of the CREWs in-country teams is part of the strategy being implemented by the Caribbean Gateway to engage countries and facilitate the uptake, sharing and usage of this data and information. This is in keeping with the mission of the Caribbean Gateway to be a resource hub for facilitating and promoting viable decision and policymaking for the effective and sustainable management of protected areas and biodiversity.

  • Madagascar pilot visit for the development of the Regional Resource Hub (RRH) in Eastern and Southern Africa

    The Regional Resource Hub (RRH) is the regionally tailored name for the BIOPAMA regional observatory for Eastern and Southern Africa hosted by RCMRD, the Regional Centre for Mapping Resources for Development.  The Regional Resource Hub covers the 24 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa and its work starts with piloting the activities in three countries, one from each of the sub-regions: the Indian Ocean, Southern Africa and Eastern Africa.  A pilot visit for the development of the Regional Resource Hub RRH took place in Antananarivo, Madagascar from 19 to 24 May 2019, one among three pilot country visits to be carried out for the RRH.   The BIOPAMA Regional Observatories for Protected Areas and Biodiversity are the central pillar of BIOPAMA’s work. They support data collection, analysis, monitoring and reporting, develop the capacities of staff and organisations to manage this information and provide policy guidance for better decision making on biodiversity conservation. Members of the BIOPAMA team from IUCN, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and RCMRD, engaged with Malagasy conservation actors, including: protected and conserved area managers: Andasibe National Park, Association Fanamby,  Madagascar National Parks (MNP), Madagasikara Voakajy, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the EU delegation in Madagascar,  agencies and NGOs: The Peregrine Fund, The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Hay Tao programme, Vondrona Ivon’ny Fampandrosoana, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The main purpose of the pilot visit was a data and information gathering and networking exercise to understand the priorities of Madagascar in terms of protected areas management, governance and equity. These will support the development of the Eastern and Southern Africa State of Protected and Conserved Areas report, the RRH and the BIOPAMA Reference Information System (RIS). The main follow-up step for the pilot visit is to initiate the process of dialogue with the IUCN Green List focal point from Madagascar National Parks on the support that BIOPAMA could potentially offer in the process of Green-listing the national parks. The support offered by BIOPAMA and the Regional Resource Hub to improve and strengthen management and governance in the protected and conserved areas in Madagascar can be implemented through capacity development activities, the Action Component – the BIOPAMA grant-making facility, the application of protected area management effectiveness tools such as IMET (Integrated Managemenet Effectivenss Tool), etc. BIOPAMA Eastern and Southern Africa is also looking to follow up on conversations with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development on how to support the development of the National Protected Areas portal that will aggregate the currently dispersed portals in Madagascar, which will in due course link to the BIOPAMA RRH and the RIS.

  • The regional workshop to launch the second phase of the BIOPAMA Programme for Western Africa

    The regional workshop to launch the second phase of the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme for Western Africa was held from 24 to 25 April 2019 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, under the aegis of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Ivory Coast and with the support of the WAEMU, the Western African Economic and Monetary Union. The workshop informed on the BIOPAMA intervention strategy and involved conservation stakeholders in its implementation in order to enhance the management of data on protected areas and biodiversity to improve regional strategies, public policies and practices in the sites. The very active and constructive participation of over sixty representatives of administrations in charge of thirteen  countries of the region (Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo), plus technical-financial partners (based in five European countries) has ensured the achievement of the expected results. During two days of group work, roundtable discussions and exchange of experiences, participants were informed about the objectives of BIOPAMA programme, and through constructive dialogue, they shared their suggestions and identified priority joint actions for the countries and the region. The participants expressed their achievements and motivation to the creation of the regional observatory and the promotion of the information system proposed by BIOPAMA as well as to share data and to participate in the capacity building process to support the use of information management systems and tools in order to enhance protected areas management and governance.  BIOPAMA offers the following workshop outputs: a roadmap for the establishment of the Observatory as well as indications of partnerships to enhance data and information available in the region; a list of opportunities of national investment based on key reference documents at  national and regional levels; an inventory of themes and potential authors to consider in the preparation of the report “Status of the marine protected areas”. The main follow-up steps for BIOPAMA implementation were presented during the workshop final communication, including: the designation of a technical host of the Observatory of West Africa; the definition of regional indicators connected to biodiversity and protected areas effective management in partnership with  the countries and institutions concerned;  continuous capacity building of regional organizations, platforms and conservation professionals; organization of a workshop on IMET for Central and Western Africa (IMET 1.0 – 2.0) and facilitation of access to data analysis collected during the first phase of BIOPAMA. These efforts will be effective in influencing public policies and in decision-making processes at different levels for biodiversity conservation and better governance of protected areas in Western Africa.  

  • Niue technical workshop on protected areas

    Niue ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1996 signalling its commitment to conserve and sustainably use its biodiversity. The necessity to conserve biodiversity is a genuine obligation shared by all Niueans, reflected in the establishment of the Huvalu Forest Conservation Area, which protects the largest area of remaining primary forest in Niue, covering 23% of the island’s area, and is an important bird area (IBA).  Niue is also working to declare 40 percent of its Exclusive Economic Zone as a marine sanctuary by 2020. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), as part of the EU ACP Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Programme (BIOPAMA), was pleased to assist Niue, convening a technical workshop on protected areas this month. The assistance from BIOPAMA is part of its support for Pacific regional activities to improve the long-term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries in protected areas and surrounding communities. The technical workshop engaged key stakeholders from across the government and communities, including Niue Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), Niue Ocean Wide (NOW) project, Niue Ridge to Reef (2R2) project, Niue Crown Law, Niue Justice, Lands and Survey Department, landowners. The workshop provided them with the opportunity to take stock of Niue’s protected areas and the need to update the data for these areas. Stakeholders were also able to share experiences and explore opportunities for moving protected areas management forward within their country.   Commenting on the workshop, Mr. Haden Talagi, Director, Department of Environment for Niue noted that “The workshop today represents the start of greater coordination at the national level on our protected area commitments and priorities. It has taken some time to coordinate ourselves in-country to identify our gaps so that we can enhance the important role protected areas have with our communities.” “Specifically, increasing understanding of stakeholders of the value of having good data to support informed decision making. To this end, I would like to thank SPREP and the EU ACP BIOPAMA programme for this timely assistance provided to Niue. The Department of Environment on behalf of the Government of Niue is keen to progress the work undertaken and would like to also extend our appreciation to the different Village Councils, NGOs and Government Agencies involved in this initiative.” . The Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal (PIPAP), a ‘one stop online portal’ for all Pacific protected areas information, was also a key feature of the workshop.  A quick review of the current data on Niue’s protected areas was carried out during the workshop, which also included basic training on the features and use of the portal. Participants were taught how to visualise country protected areas and search for information resources and guidance on different aspects of protected area management.  The next step will be to prepare and upload this verified data to the PIPAP and the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). “Having accurate protected areas data for Niue is important and will assist the …

  • National workshop on protected area management tools

    Palau, 23 February, 2018 – Palau has been a regional leader in the Pacific through its investment in its rich biodiversity by establishing the Palau Protected Areas Network (PAN) in 2003 and creating the world’s first shark sanctuary in 2009, banning all commercial shark fishing in its waters. These milestones together with related initiatives such as the Palau Green Fee and the Palau Pledge have further strengthened the country’s environmental commitments.  Palau’s initiatives are aligned with the Micronesia Challenge, a commitment to conserve at least 30% of the near-shore marine resources and 20% of the terrestrial resources across Micronesia. In the frame of the BIOPAMA programme, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), was pleased to provide support to Palau by convening a technical workshop on protected areas management on 20 February 2019. The support from BIOPAMA is part of its Pacific regional activities, with the aim to improve the long-term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries in protected areas and surrounding communities. The technical workshop brought together key stakeholders: state-based protected area managers, the Palau Conservation Society, Palau PAN Office, The Nature Conservancy Palau and Palau National Marine Sanctuary and enabled them to share and discuss common protected area issues and challenges faced at the national level. “The workshop today was a great opportunity to bring key national players together and heralds the beginning of closer collaboration and commitment to continuously review and validate our data in support of reporting on our protected area related national, regional and international commitments,” said Ms. Joyce K Beouch of the Palau PAN Office. “Thank you again to SPREP and BIOPAMA for the assistance to move this important undertaking forward.”   The Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal (PIPAP), a ‘one stop online portal’ for all Pacific protected areas information, was also a key feature of the workshop which involved basic training on its features and use. Furthermore, a review of the current data on protected areas in Palau was carried out during the workshop. The next step will be to upload this verified data to the PIPAP and the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). The workshop also brought together the BIOPAMA Programme and the Inform project in Palau, which have complementary objectives on information and data backup and management to strengthen successful outcomes for both nature conservation and State of the Environment reporting in Palau. “We are pleased to be able to combine our key information and data projects in our work with our Member countries to help them in their conservation endeavours for which information and data plays a key role,” said Ms Amanda Wheatley, Biodiversity Adviser at SPREP. “While this training was catalysed by the regional inception meeting of the BIOPAMA programme that was held in June last year in which we were requested to expand our country visits to include support provided for protected area information improvement, it also enabled us to link this and our PIPAP work with …

  • Protected Area Working Group (PAWG) of the Pacific Island Roundtable for Nature Conservation (PIRT)

    IUCN Oceania Regional Office (ORO) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) have convened the latest gathering of the Protected Area Working Group (PAWG) of the Pacific Island Roundtable for Nature Conservation (PIRT) in Suva, Fiji on 16 October. This group encourages collaboration and coordination on protected area issues across the region. Members are made-up of NGOs, academics, donors and government representatives. In welcoming the participants, Andrew Foran, IUCN Oceania Regional Programme Coordinator representing the PIRT, noted that “it’s an exciting time for protected areas in the region with several significant events approaching, including the Pacific Nature Conservation Conference to be held in New Caledonia in April 2020.”  The proceedings started with each organisation sharing an update on their work and highlighting opportunities for collaboration. This was then followed by a discussion on the PAWG action plan, which tracks activities supporting government partners to achieve the objectives of the Framework for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas in the Pacific Islands Region (2014-2020) and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (associated with the Convention on Biological Diversity). The working group also discussed how it could better contribute to these objectives and targets. The participants expressed a strong commitment to maintain the current momentum, with the next meeting planned for February. The PAWG continues to be an important forum for advising the Biodiversity and Protected Area Management Programme (BIOPAMA) on activities such as enhancing the programme’s regional resource-hub (SPREP Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal or PIPAP), preparing the state of protected areas report and implementing capacity building. BIOPAMA is an initiative of the ACP Group of States financed by the European Union’s 11th European Development Fund (EDF). In the Pacific, it is implemented through IUCN ORO in partnership with the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and SPREP. Funding from BIOPAMA supported IUCN ORO’s involvement in the working group. SPREP, in its capacity as Chair of PAWG, plays a key role in assisting to guide regional coordination for progressing national, regional and global priorities, including country commitments to achieve the global biodiversity targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

    2018

  • BIOPAMA II Regional inception workshop for Central Africa

    L’atelier régional de lancement de la seconde phase du programme pour la gestion des aires protégées et la biodiversité (BIOPAMA) pour l’Afrique centrale a eu lieu du 26 au 28 septembre 2018 à Douala, en République du Cameroun sous l’égide de la Commission des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale (COMIFAC). La participation très active et constructive de plus de 70 représentants des administrations en charge de l’environnent des plusieurs pays de la région, ONGs, partenaires du développement et membres des organisations multi-pays a garanti la réussite des résultats attendus. Les objectifs atteints sont manifestés par les participants ayant marqué leur implication dans la promotion du système d’information proposé par la COMIFAC ainsi que dans le partage des données et le renforcement des capacités en matière d’utilisation des outils de l’information dans la gestion des aires protégées. Pendant trois jours de travaux de groupes, panels de discussion et échanges d’expériences, les participants ont été informés sur les objectifs du programme BIOPAMA, et par un dialogue constructif ils ont partagé leurs suggestions et défini des actions conjointes prioritaires pour les pays et la région. Parmi les produits de l’atelier, BIOPAMA compte une liste de domaines prioritaires pour la production et partage des connaissances,  des demandes et des offres de capacitation basée sur les compétences, pour la gestion efficace des aires protégées. Les différents outils du système de référence d’information sur les aires protégées ont été présentés à travers des expériences concrètes de succès au Burundi, Cameroun/Tchad et Gabon qui ont bénéficié de l’outil intégré pour le suivi et la planification de l’efficacité de gestion des aires protégés (IMET). Selon M. Philippe Mayaux, de la Commission Européenne, « Les gouvernements des pays ACP ont réalisé que la protection de la nature garantit le bien-être de leur population. Ceci explique le fait qu’à la suite la 1ère phase de BIOPAMA, une seconde phase ait été lancée avec une contribution de 60 millions d’Euros mobilisés par le 11ème Fonds Européen de Développement ». Il a d’ailleurs réitéré l’importance du programme BIOPAMA en affirmant « qu’une information de grande qualité permet de mieux gérer les aires protégées qui sont des pôles de développement pour les populations riveraines et de stabilité pour les territoires ruraux. BIOPAMA est très complémentaire des autres actions entreprises par les pays d’Afrique Centrale pour la protection de leur environnement avec le soutien financier de l’Union Européenne ». Une nouvelle composante inclue pour cette deuxième phase de BIOPAMA est le financement des projets dirigés par des communautés locales, des ONGs et d´autres acteurs essentiels, qui leur permettra d’accroître leurs moyens d’existence par le biais de l’utilisation durable des ressources dans les aires protégées. BIOPAMA vise à améliorer la conservation à long terme et l’emploi durable des ressources naturelles dans les aires protégées et les communautés avoisinantes à partir des outils pour la gestion des données et de l’information, des services pour l’amélioration des connaissances et des capacités en faveur de la planification et de la prise de décision des aires protégées.  Le Programme BIOPAMA est une initiative …

  • PIPAP national engagement in the Cook Islands

    The Cook Islands has a long history of caring for its natural environment and resources through cultural and traditional customs.  This has been transformed over the years, becoming ingrained in the Cook Islands national frameworks through the development of Protected Areas and commitments to global agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. Collecting and collating all information  on the range of protected areas across Rarotonga was the focus of a one day gathering of over 20 stakeholders in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), on 6 September 2018. This information will then be consolidated and subsequently shared on the Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal, a one stop resource  for all information on protected areas in the Cook Islands and the region. “Today is about creating an opportunity for all to sit down together and share knowledge on Protected Areas. We now have the Marae Moana in place, our whole EEZ now declared a marine park, the key principal of which is integrated participatory engagement,” said Mr Joseph Brider, the Secretary of the Cook Islands National Environment Service. “We want this workshop to engage that principal of integrated participatory environment, and come to the table to use the tools we have now. We are grateful to SPREP for their support for this.” The Protected Islands Protected Area Portal (PIPAP), the Pacific regional version of the BIOPAMA Observatory, is hosted by SPREP and is the premier source of information and resources on Pacific protected areas. It contains information on protected areas from across the Pacific region. This includes national parks, other areas meeting international standards for protected areas, but also community conservation efforts, traditional area-based management measures, managed fishing zones and other locally managed areas. The information collated over the one day workshop will help guide missing or conflicting content on protected areas in the Cook Islands currently stored in the PIPAP. Backing up and sharing  this information allows national services, partners and stakeholders to freely contribute, view and utilise information to make informed decisions about the management of national protected areas, biodiversity values, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, species and habitats, pressures and threats, management and governance. “I am pleased to be able to work closely with and assist the Cook Islands to organise and consolidate their protected area information this week,” said Mr Vainuupo Jungblut, Protected Areas Officer of SPREP. “Well organised and managed information will assist the Cook Islands to make better informed decisions for protected area planning and management and will assist with national reporting on protected area commitments at the national, regional and global level. ” The workshop is a partnership between the Cook Islands National Environment Service and SPREP through the BIOPAMA programme an initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States financed by the European Union’s 11th European Development Fund.  BIOPAMA is jointly implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (EC-JRC). In the Pacific region, …

  • Regional workshop on protected area management effectiveness (PAME)

    As a result of the highly engaged regional workshop on protected area management effectiveness (PAME) held in Saint Lucia in June 2018, the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme facilitated follow-up workshops on the topic in Antigua and Barbuda and St. Vincent and the Grenadines in November 2018. From November 6 to 9, BIOPAMA Caribbean Coordinator Hyacinth Armstrong-Vaughn and Jose Courrau, Senior Protected Areas Officer of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) regional office in Costa Rica, facilitated a national workshop in Antigua and Barbuda. The participants reviewed the PAME framework and tools they could use to more effectively manage their protected areas (PAs). Management effectiveness assessments were also conducted for two sites and technical guidance was provided in the development of a draft management plan for a proposed protected area. The technical support was well received and will help guide a more coordinated effort for PA management in the country. The two, accompanied by Julian Walcott, Technical Officer with responsibility for the Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway, then visited St. Vincent and the Grenadines between November 19 and 23 to facilitate PAME training of the PA professionals within responsible management agencies, including the National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority, Forestry Services, Fisheries Division, and non-governmental organisations. An in-depth introduction to the PAME framework and associated tools was provided, in particular on the Enhancing Our Heritage Toolkit and Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT). The Caribbean Gateway goals and aims were also introduced, including the need for national engagement via CREWs (Credible Reliable Energetic Willing persons) and an appeal for additional participation in the CREWs was made to those present. This workshop was very important for the development of an effective PA performance management and evaluation system for the country.

  • BIOPAMA II Regional inception workshop for the Pacific

    The workshop, taking place in Apia, Samoa, from 11-15 June 2018, relaunches the BIOPAMA programme in the Pacific Islands region. It aims to help the Pacific islands improve the effectiveness of their protected areas through enhanced capacity, information and data. It will also be showcasing the achievements and lessons learnt from protected areas in the Cook Islands, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Kiribati. The workshop materials, documents and links are available on this page. Workshop materials: WORKSHOP REPORT – BIOPAMA Pacific inception 2018 Wokshop Programme 11-15 June 2018 BIOPAMA Info Fiche Pictures album News article 11 June: Pacific convenes protected area workshop News article 14 June: Celebrating conservation milestones News article 19 June: Protecting our oceans: now and for future generations Feature: The Journey of Cook Islands Marae Moana Samoa Observer, 18 June: Celebrating conservation milestones Samoa Observer, 25 June: Pacific plan for protected areas discussed in Apia Cook Islands News, 27 June: Protected areas vital for our future PACNEWS June 2018 Presentations Day 1, 11 June 2018: Session 1, BIOPAMA presentation Session 2, Workshop overview Session 3, Protected Areas in the Pacific Session 4, Conversation by the regional implementing partners Session 5, Country case study: the Cook Islands Session 7, International support: CBD Secretariat Session 7, International support: IUCN WCPA Session 7, International support: UN Environment WCMC Presentations Day 2, 12 June 2018: Session 1, Palau’s Protected Area Network Session 3, PIPAP Introduction Session 3, PIPAP Walkthrough Session 4, BIOPAMA Action Component Presentation Day 3, 13 June 2018 Session 1, Samoan protected areas case study Presentations Day 4, 14 June 2018 Session 1, Field trip observations: Interactive session Session 2, Country case study: Solomon Islands Session 4, Regional Conservation Planning Tools Session 4, Information Systems for Protected and Conserved Areas Session 5, WDPA Working Session Session 6, Protected Area Management Effectiveness (PAME) Introduction Session 6, Country case study: PNG – PAME Overview Session 6, Country case study: PNG – Protected Areas Status Session 6, Country case study: PNG – Tree Kangaroos of the Torricelli’s Presentations Day 5, 15 June 2018: Side-event Session, Country case study: Fiji Session 1, Country case study: Kiribati Concluding Session 

  • BIOPAMA II Regional inception workshop for Eastern Africa

    From May 22nd to 25th, nearly 70 government and non-governmental stakeholders from six Eastern Africa countries convened in Nairobi, Kenya for an inception workshop to launch the second phase of the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) programme. A global partnership and an initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, BIOPAMA combines the protected areas and biodiversity conservation expertise of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the scientific know-how of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre of the (JRC). Principal Secretary for Kenya’s State Department of Wildlife, Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife Dr. Margaret Mwakima officiated the event during which EU Delegation to Kenya, represented by Ms Myra Bernardi, and IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Director Luther Anukur also gave opening remarks. The four-day meeting drew active participation from government delegates from Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Republic of Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. The Secretariat’s of the East African Community and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development were also well-represented as were various national and regional wildlife conservation partners, research institutes and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The workshop was successful in identifying a number of key regional priorities and areas of collaboration to strengthen protected area management effectiveness, governance and equity. This will feed into a detailed work plan for the implementation of BIOPAMA in the Eastern Africa region. The forum also provided an invaluable platform for government and non-governmental partners to meaningfully network through a number of facilitated group discussions. “The BIOPAMA initiative personifies the spirit of collaboration towards common environmental and biodiversity,” said EU Delegation to Kenya Environmental Management Officer Thomas Yatich. “This second phase aims to enhance the policy and decision-making capacities of institutions responsible for biodiversity conservation and protected area management by making available the best possible scientific information and knowledge,” he added. The six-year initiative will continue to build on successes from the first phase of the programme by reinforcing the management and governance of protected and conserved areas through better use and monitoring of information and capacity development on management and governance. In partnership with stakeholders and regional partners, BIOPAMA is establishing and consolidating regional observatories for protected areas in Eastern and Southern Africa, Central and Western Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Key features of the regional observatories, the Reference Information Systems (RIS) are tools that gather in one place all the available protected area and related information. Under the tag line From Knowledge to Action for a Protected Planet, the programme is set to run until 2023 and includes an innovative Action Component – new in this phase, which will provide funding opportunities for specific site-based actions. The Eastern Africa forum follows the Caribbean region inception workshop held in New Kingston, Jamaica in March, 2018, and the Southern Africa inception workshop held in Johannesburg 17th to 20th April, 2018. The workshop report is available here. The BIOPAMA Eastern and Southern Africa info fiche is available here.

  • BIOPAMA II Regional inception workshop for Southern Africa

    From 17th – 20th April 2018, nearly 70 government and non-governmental stakeholders from 14 countries in Southern Africa convened in Johannesburg for an inception workshop of the second phase of the BIOPAMA programme. H.E EU Ambassador to South Africa Dr. Marcus Cornaro and ACP Secretariat Environment and Climate Change Programme Officer Edmund Jackson officiated the event, which drew active participation from representatives from protected area and wildlife authorities as well as regional inter-governmental organisations Southern African Development Community (SADC) and  the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC). A global partnership and an initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, BIOPAMA combines the protected areas and biodiversity conservation expertise of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the scientific know-how of the European Commission’s Joint Research Center of the (JRC). With EUR 60 million funding from the European Union’s 11th European Development Fund, the six-year initiative will continue to build on successes from the first phase of the programme by reinforcing the management and governance of protected and conserved areas through better use and monitoring of information and capacity development on management and governance. “This initiative underlines the European Union’s longstanding commitment to push for science-based policy-making and tracking progress in collaboration with strong implementing partners,” said H.E EU Ambassador to South Africa Dr. Marcus Cornaro. Organised with the aim of affirming key regional priorities and expectations, the four-day inception meeting served to secure buy-in and commitments from partners in the sector towards advancing programme implementation. The forum also provided a worthwhile opportunity to interrogate key issues in protected area governance, equity and management and identify focal points in the relevant institutions for different aspects of implementation. With a second phase of implementation resumed in 2017, BIOPAMA continues to work in the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries – home to more than 3 billion people whose livelihoods depend on natural resources. Nearly half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and over 9,000 protected areas, terrestrial and marine are located in these countries. “As a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis for the past 70 years, IUCN recognizes that protected areas are an important tool for the conservation of biodiversity and landscapes,” said IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Director Luther Anukur. “With Southern Africa as home to some of the greatest biodiversity on the planet, BIOPAMA is an especially important programme for the region,” he added. In partnership with stakeholders and regional partners, BIOPAMA is establishing and consolidating regional observatories for protected areas in Eastern and Southern Africa, Central and Western Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Key features of the regional observatories, the Reference Information Systems (RIS) are tools that gather in one place all the available protected area and related information. “Data and information are key, but only if they are used properly. The tools we build through the BIOPAMA programme are for all of us, to use protected area data and information for better decisions, and then make the step from knowledge to …

  • BIOPAMA II Regional inception workshop for the Caribbean

    The BIOPAMA Caribbean regional inception workshop took place in New Kingston, Jamaica, on 6-7 March 2018. The workshop’s documents and report are now available on this page. Workshop resources: Workshop report Pictures album Workshop agenda (English) Workshop agenda (Spanish) Workshop agenda (French) BIOPAMA Caribbean info fiche (English) BIOPAMA Caribbean info fiche (Spanish) Presentations Day 1, 6 March 2018 BIOPAMA Programme Overview BIOPAMA Action Component Introduction to Protected Area Management Effectiveness The IUCN Green List Communications and visibility Presentations Day 2, 7 March 2018 The World Database on Protected Areas – Protected Planet (EN) The World Database on Protected Areas – Protected Planet (ES) The World Database on Protected Areas – Protected Planet (FR) The Caribbean Reference Information System The Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway SocMon Overview GCRMN Overview CaMPAM Database CaribNode EBM-DSS The Atlas of Living Caribbean PANORAMA – Solutions for a Healthy Planet Linkages with International and Regional Policies Processes The State of Protected Areas Report

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