Effectiveness of forest protected areas: A paper for the IFF international meeting on protected areas

When forests are placed in protected areas there is an expectation that this protection will be permanent and effective. However, there is growing recognition that many forest protected areas are not secure and that a significant proportion are being degraded and destroyed. The paper summarises information about the problem including the early results from a World Bank survey of protected areas without effective management (so-called “paper parks”) and protected areas under threat of degradation. It then discusses a range of options for assessing effectiveness of protected area management. Assessment would allow help identify the gaps in a protected area network and particular protected areas at risk; help prioritise conservation effort and funding; and facilitate advocacy to improve management. The work of a World Commission on Protected Areas’ Task Force on this issue is described. The paper then summarises existing experience in assessing protected area effectiveness, including assessment systems for protected areas and other related systems – such as forest certification and ecotourism standards – that could be used within particular protected areas. The need for global co-ordination of assessment systems is identified, and the World Commission on Protected Areas suggested as a possible vehicle