Protected areas

State of protected and conserved areas in Eastern and Southern Africa is the first report that brings together information on protected and conserved areas for the whole Eastern and Southern Africa region. The Eastern and Southern Africa region covers 24 countries from South Africa in the south to Sudan in the north and four of the six Western Indian Ocean island nations.

These Guidelines are intended to help improve the conservation and management of geoheritage and geodiversity in protected and conserved areas and recognition of the interrelationships and interactions with biological features and processes.

This manual is based on, and represents an expanded and updated edition of the first MEET manual. The purpose of this manual is to provide protected area managing bodies and the local ecotourism sector with a clear pathway to plan and enhance engaged conservation-focused ecotourism in their areas.

Building a razor-sharp critique of current conservation proposals and their contradictions, Büscher and Fletcher argue that the Anthropocene challenge demands something bigger, better and bolder. Something truly revolutionary. They propose convivial conservation as the way forward. This approach goes beyond protected areas and faith in markets to incorporate the needs of humans and nonhumans within integrated and just landscapes.

The Protected Areas Benefits Assessment Tool+ (PA-BAT+) aims to collate and assess information about the overall benefits from conservation and protection in protected areas. It can also be used in other area-based conservation sites. This technical guidance provides a quick overview of why understanding the benefits from protected areas is important, provides a detailed guide to using the PA-BAT+ and explains how to understand and use the results.

As the global coverage of protected areas increases, it is becoming more important to ensure that today's managers have the necessary qualifications and skills to effectively manage protected areas. This publication defines all the possible skills, knowledge and personal qualities required by people working in protected areas around the world.

Protected areas are a key component of any global conservation strategy. Tourism provides a crucial and unique way of fostering visitors’ connection with protected area values, making it a potentially positive force for  conservation. Protected area tourism’s economic benefits – which depend on beautiful natural areas, healthy wildlife and nature, and authentic cultures – can also be a powerful argument for conservation.

Ce rapport offre une synthèse des principales informations sur la mise en oeuvre de la Convention sur le patrimoine mondial en Afrique, ainsi que des orientations sur la façon dont la Convention peut contribuer aux efforts mondiaux en faveur de la conservation et au développement durable à l’avenir.

This report aims to provide an overview of the current status of protected area finance in the Southern and Eastern African region, covering 24 countries, to understand the extent of the challenge. The report also outlines the different innovative finance mechanisms that might be used to help decrease the funding gap.