WCC 2016 Res 087 - Activity Report

In addition to the aforementioned consultations in Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Romania, and Tanzania, CCSG Members were active at the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in November in Egypt. In cooperation with The Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC), the Chinese Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), a side event was held on 19 November 2018 titled “Areas of Connectivity Conservation - A New Conservation Designation for Ecological Networks”. This event amplified the key role that consistently recognizing areas of connectivity conservation can play in better protecting terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments in response to continuing habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. This was further emphasized in two additional side events: 17 November, “Sustainable Infrastructure Day”; and 21 November, “Likeminded Megadiverse Countries as Leaders for the Ecological Belt and Road Initiative”.

Fulfillment of IUCN World Conservation Congress Resolution 2016-087 “Awareness of connectivity conservation definition and guidelines” has continued towards establishing consistent global approaches for the development, designation, planning, and management of areas of connectivity conservation as essential to ecological networks. In addition to written comments received following adoption of the resolution, a series of consultations was held around the world in 2018 in Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Romania, and Tanzania.

Subsequently, a leadership group produced a second advanced draft of the guidance document in 2018 intended to be published in IUCN WCPA’s “Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series”. Currently titled “Safeguarding Areas of Connectivity Conservation in the Context of Ecological Networks”, the document is now being prepared for a global consultation among approximately 1,000 experts and institutions around the world. Consultations are anticipated to run throughout 2019 with the goal of producing a document that supports communities, protected area agencies, NGOs, private sector partners, and others to elevate the protected status of areas of connectivity conservation for robust ecological networks, and to fulfill existing and future international commitments and national goals.

Ongoing development of the guidance document will further inform preparations and contributions of the growing number of partners in the context of IUCN Regional Conservation Fora in 2019, the 14th Meeting of the Convention on Migratory Species (Gandhinagar, February 2020), the 7th IUCN World Conservation Congress (Marseille, June 2020), and the Convention on Biological Diversity’s 15th Conference of the Parties (Beijing, November 2020).

International developments since adoption of the resolution offer opportunities to fulfill the resolution, including strategic collaboration for implementing:
- The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Strategic Plan 2016-2024 with the aim in Target 6 to achieve “[…] a significant increase in area, numbers and ecological connectivity in the Ramsar site network […]”;
- The Convention on Migratory Species beginning implementation of the 2017 resolution 12.26 “Improving Ways of Addressing Connectivity in the Conservation of Migratory Species”; and
- Decision 14/8 “Protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures” adopted by the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2018.