Capacity development for protected areas management is a top priority for conservationists and a major component of the BIOPAMA (Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management) programme. In the Caribbean, BIOPAMA’s capacity development efforts aim to improve the region’s protected area management capacity through the professional development of personnel and expansion of the network of professionals involved in biodiversity conservation and management in the field of protected areas. A new training scheme has been designed for terrestrial protected area management for Spanish-speaking countries and is currently open for applications.

A call for participants for a new capacity development training has been issued by the BIOPAMA Caribbean and it targets the Caribbean ACP Spanish-speaking countries.

BIOPAMA will offer a one-week training course in Spanish for terrestrially focussed protected area professionals. The training, scheduled for 11-16 January in the Dominican Republic, will cover: (1) stakeholder engagement and developing partnerships for PA management; (2) PA design, management category, governance and management planning; (3) developing sustainable livelihoods; and (4) PA-relevant law (basic legislation and principles; regulation, compliance and enforcement and financing).

The training will be delivered by the IUCN, in collaboration with local partners. Full funding is available for Spanish-speaking applicants from the BIOPAMA Caribbean countries, and English-speaking colleagues with Spanish language capacities are encouraged to apply. Applicants from other Caribbean territories are invited to apply but are not eligible for funding assistance from BIOPAMA.

Interested candidates are invited to apply for this training before 27 November 2015. More details about the call and applications procedures are available at the following links in English and in Spanish.