‘Good governance’ is now firmly entrenched on the international agenda. This is evident from the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, with the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation stating that “good governance within each country and at the international level is essential for sustainable development”. This link was further reinforced in the context of protected areas at the Vth IUCN World Parks Congress (WPC) which included ‘Governance’ as one of the seven WPC Workshop Streams.
This publication analyses the trends affecting protected area governance at the international level, and goes on to explore emerging issues concerning certification, standards, partnerships and funding mechanisms. It does not seek to prescribe the answers, rather it seeks to clearly articulate the issues, the competing arguments, and the challenges that all need to be addressed as we strive for the optimal protected area governance arrangements. In doing so the IUCN ELP has provided an excellent platform for critical thinking and debate.
This body of work on governance in the lead up to the Vth IUCN World Parks Congress was commissioned by Parks Canada and was undertaken by the IUCN Environmental Law Programme as a collaborative effort of the IUCN Environmental Law Centre, Bonn and the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law.
The results of this work are divided into four sections:
- Executive Summary. John Scanlon and Françoise Burhenne-Guilmin draw upon the contributions from the authors, and related publications, to reflect on the international trends affecting governance of protected areas at the international level, including the possible impact of emerging issues such as certification.
- An International Legal Regime for Protected Areas. Professor Michael Jeffery QC carries out a comprehensive review and analysis of the relevant global instruments, and a select few regional instruments, together with key global initiatives, to identify any discernible trends in protected area governance at the international level.
- Protected Areas and Certification. Nigel Dudley provides a substantive examination of the emerging issue of certification, with an analysis of the current range of possible mechanisms and the potential issues of concern relative to the development of such a system for protected areas.
- International Funds, ‘Partnerships’ and other Mechanisms for Protected Areas. Tomme Young undertakes a critical review of the governance framework for ongoing
- financing for protected areas and possible options for future mechanisms. Various options for advancing action through partnerships, and related governance implications, are also reviewed.
