Nature Conservancy, US

This publication provides a much needed and timely tool to assist in the collective effort to find new and better solutions to address the various threats to the marine biological diversity and productivity. It provides evidence-based recommendations on improving and accelerating actions on delivering ocean protection and management through marine protected areas and facilitates the sharing of experiences and lessons learned.

The Global Study into management effectiveness evaluation was conducted between late 2005 and 2007. In cooperation with many people across the world, we aimed to strengthen the management of protected areas by compiling the existing work on management effectiveness evaluation, reviewing methodologies, finding patterns and common themes in evaluation results, and investigating the most important factors leading to effective management.

In this supplementary report, we summarise a selection of methodologies that have been used in different regions around the world for different purposes. References are given wherever possible for the reader to find more details where desired. However, some of the methodologies were not published and information on them is difficult to obtain.

In an era of climate change, deforestation and massive habitat loss, we can no longer rely on parks and protected areas as isolated 'islands of wilderness' to conserve and protect vital biodiversity. Increasing connections are being considered and made between protected areas and 'connectivity' thinking has started to expand to the regional and even the continental scale to match the challenges of conserving biodiversity in the face of global environmental change.

All people, regardless of where they live, depend upon the existence of healthy marine ecosystems. While the role that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can play in promoting the health of the oceans and seas has been widely acknowledged, progress on building a network of MPAs has been slow to date. This can be in part explained by the fact that MPAs involve a host of issues that go much further than conservation alone.

Protected areas play a major role in reducing climate changing carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. Fifteen percent of the world’s terrestrial carbon stock - 312 gigatonnes - are stored in protected areas around the world. Protected areas also serve as natural buffers against climate impacts and other disasters, providing space for floodwaters to disperse, stabilizing soil against landslides and blocking storm surges.

This Poverty Environment Partnership (PEP) report is dedicated to the increasingly popular topic of 'Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation' (REDD). Making REDD Work for the Poor outlines how the design of REDD could infuence its poverty implications and the key requirements for ensuring that REDD works for the poor.

All people, regardless of where they live, depend upon the existence of healthy marine ecosystems. While the role that Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can play in promoting the health of the oceans and seas has been widely acknowledged, progress on building a network of MPAs has been slow to date. This can be in part explained by the fact that MPAs involve a host of issues that go much further than conservation alone.