Protected areas

This publication provides guidance for terrestrial, marine, and freshwater protected area managers at both system and site levels on the restoration of natural and associated values of protected areas.

The purpose of these guidelines is to update and expand the original guidelines on protected areas legislation published in 1980 and to reflect new developments and emerging issues. These developments include significant advances in international environmental law, and an improved scientific understanding of the role of protected areas in nature conservation, including conserving biodiversity, maintaining ecosystem functions and supporting sustainable development.

Toutefois, le nombre d'aires marines protégées (AMPs) étant bien inférieur à celui des aires protégées terrestres, le manque d'expérience complexifie le processus d'application des catégories aux AMP. L'application des catégories aux AMP a souvent été inexacte et contradictoire.

Sin embargo, con el menor número de áreas protegidas marinas (AMPs) en comparación con las áreas protegidas terrestres, hay menos experiencia y comprensión de la aplicación de las categorías a las AMPs. La aplicación de las categorías a las AMPs ha sido a menudo imprecisa e inconsistente.

With the smaller number of marine protected areas (MPAs) compared with terrestrial protected areas, there is less experience and understanding of applying the categories to MPAs. Application of the categories to MPAs has often been inaccurate and inconsistent.

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 publication is dedicated to the topic of natural World Heritage. It explores how these outstanding sites can function as the flagships of protected areas and thereby support biodiversity conservation as well as human well-being. Statements of young people from around the world who participated in the International Youth Forum Go4BioDiv, held in parallel to the CBD-COP 10 in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010, illustrate the threats to the treasures of our planet.

Ces lignes directrices ont pour but de mettre à jour et d’étendre les lignes directrices publiées en 1980 et de refléter les évolutions et les nouveaux enjeux intervenus depuis.

Protected Landscapes are a strong option for biodiversity conservation in human-influenced landscapes and seascapes. They often contain threatened or endemic species. There is now also a growing interest in the nature conservation benefits of protected landscapes. But do protected landscapes really protect wild biodiversity? The case studies collected here launch an investigation into wild biodiversity.