Message from the Chair
We have had a busy quarter since our last ABC Bulletin. Perhaps most significant is the final agreement of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. As you will read here, the Commission was very active in the long run-up to the Conference of the Parties, and in Biodiversity COP 15 itself. We now turn to implementation, establishing and reinforcing partnerships to provide technical guidance for effective implementation. While our natural focus on is Target 3, “30x30,” we will be engaged in many other targets, all of which are necessary to slowing and reversing the decline of nature.
More recently, we participated in a leadership meeting of all seven IUCN commissions, invited to Abu Dhabi by IUCN’s President, Razan Al Mubarak. This was the first such meeting in IUCN’s 75-year history, and bodes well for increased cooperation amongst our collective 15,000 experts. Our President announced that she has been named a Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP 28 to be hosted by the United Arab Emirates at the end of this year. We are committed to working with our sister commissions to focus even more on the intersection of the climate and biodiversity crises.
As we prepare for IMPAC5 next week, we are also striving to increase engagement with more than 2,500 experts in our Commission. This newsletter, launched last year, is a part of that effort, but we will also be coming back to you with suggestions about how you might engage further.
Nature faces many challenges in our changing world, but we celebrate the passage of the Global Biodiversity Framework as a map to how we might overcome them, if we work together.
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Dr. Madhu Rao, Chair
IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas
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WCPA at Biodiversity COP 15
From December 7 to 19, 2022, WCPA participated in and actively contributed to the Biodiversity COP 15 negotiations and global gathering in Montreal, Canada. WCPA attended COP 15 to provide technical, science-based guidance and to advocate for a strong Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) that will reverse the loss of biodiversity by 2030. WCPA leaders and members led and participated in dozens of side events, presentations, panels, and strategic meetings at COP 15, including co-hosting 9 official CBD side events. These events promoted science-based approaches to equitable biodiversity conservation, bringing expertise and resources to a suite of topics relevant to the GBF. Perhaps most notably, WCPA brought strong rationale for the adoption of a strong GBF Target 3 (30x30). The Kunming–Montreal GBF was successfully adopted in Montreal and you can read the landmark agreement here.
As a Commission, we are now turning our attention to the implementation of the Targets laid out in the GBF and will be offering support and producing resources for global decision-makers and the biodiversity community in the years ahead.
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WCPA's Upcoming Activities at IMPAC5 (February 3–9, Vancouver)
WCPA will be engaged at the world's largest marine conference, IMPAC5, by hosting a number of sessions, including ones on OECMs (other effective area-based conservation measures). We will also be presenting three awards: the Kenton R. Miller Award for Innovation in National Parks and Protected Area Sustainability and two Fred Packard Awards for life-time dedication to conservation. These awards will be presented live on Youtube on February 6 from 5–7 pm PST. The #NatureForAll event to celebrate our love for nature through storytelling will also be launched here. To attend in person, register now.
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Regional Working Group Established in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) for 30x30
A WCPA 30x30 Regional Working Group focused on Latin America and the Caribbean (WCPA 30X30 LAC) has been established. The region has more than 8.8 million km² of terrestrial and marine protected areas and a huge opportunity for potential OECMs. Last year, we started dialogues on OECMs pre- and post-Biodiversity COP 15 related to capacity building. In this sense, we are launching a learning platform around June and invite all interested persons to be part of three webinar series focussed on OECMs. Moreover, we have prepared an OECM self-managed course that will be available soon on the aforementioned platform.
With the guidance and vision of WCPA, this regional initiative will promote a holistic approach to CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) Target 3 and seek to articulate multiple ongoing projects in the region; it will be a space for dialogue and learning to strengthen the interdependence of people and nature in our region.
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U P D A T E S F R O M S P E C I A L I S T G R O U P S
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Geoheritage SG: New Working Group Launched
The Geoheritage Specialist Group launched the Geoconservation & Climate Change Working Group in October 2022. The Working Group aims to increase the knowledge base of protected area leaders for responding to climate change impacts by linking specific Earth science systems to ecological foundations, and to manage natural systems as a ‘whole’ for best practices in climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. There are many focus areas, including geohazards, terrestrial desertification, coastal erosion, carbon sequestration, and nature-based solutions. Please join our network (WCPA Geoheritage, Geoconservation Climate Change, Caves and Karst : Network 2021–2025/ Facebook page) and discussions on nature-based solutions.
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Geoheritage SG—Caves & Karst Working Group: New Guidelines for Cave & Karst Protection
In 1997, the IUCN published "Guidelines for Cave and Karst Protection" and a second edition has now been published. There are 76 individual guidelines grouped under the following 13 headings: "Some values of karst and caves"; "The special nature of karst environments and cave systems"; "Scales of management in karst areas"; "Recreational and adventure caving"; "Show caves"; "Adventure and tourism activities on surface karst"; "Scientific research"; "Agriculture and forestry"; "Extractive industries"; "Development and infrastructure"; "Water supply; "Developing effective monitoring and mitigation", and "Involvement of Indigenous peoples in karst management".
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Tourism and Protected Areas (TAPAS) SG: New MOOC Launching
A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on 'Economic and value chain analysis for protected area tourism', including a module based on the TAPAS Group's "Visitors Count!" (published by UNESCO and BfN) and the International Trade Centre's Opportunity Study Guidelines is almost ready to launch. The Joint Research Centre / BIOPAMA has supported development of the MOOC, which will be hosted on Mooc-conservation.org from January 2023. It will be available for free for people to access.
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Tourism and Protected Areas (TAPAS) SG: Tools and Resources for Nature-Based Tourism (2nd Edition)
The 2nd edition of Tools and Resources for Nature-Based Tourism was recently launched. Our speakers were Daniel Turner (ANIMONDIAL), Eliza Northrup (World Resources Institute), Chloe King (Solimar International), Carol Ritchie (EUROPARC Federation), and Anna Spenceley (TAPAS Chair and author of the new report). Access the event presentation slides here and a large online database of nature-based tourism resources here.
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Connectivity Conservation SG: Brief on Ecological Connectivity in the Kunming–Montreal GBF
This brief developed by the SG highlights the key goals, targets, and indicators for connectivity following the recent development of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. For more information on this, please contact Aaron at aaronlaur@largelandscapes.org.
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U P D A T E S F R O M R E G I O N S
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WCPA North Africa, West Asia, Middle East: Upcoming OECMs Webinar in Arabic
We invite you to join this webinar on OECMs on March 1st, 2023 from 4:30 to 6:00 (+2:00 GMT | Beirut time) to learn more about the work on OECMs in this region. The full invitation, which includes a useful list of OECMs resources, can be viewed here.
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WCPA North America: Panel Discussion of Experts in Mexico on CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) Target 3
Last December — just before Biodiversity COP 15 — WCPA organized a virtual panel of experts in Mexico (mostly WCPA members from the government, NGOs, and academia) to discuss Target 3. The experts discussed the benefits and challenges of implementing Target 3, along with the risks and opportunities for monitoring and evaluating the target's effectiveness, and priority actors and sectors to bring on board. Towards the end of the session, the experts raised the main challenges from a territorial perspective and some lessons learned in the implementation of the previous area-based conservation target, Aichi Target 11. The webinar recording can be viewed here.
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WCPA Oceania: Logging Threats Endanger a Biodiversity-Rich Forest in Papua New Guinea
A significant regional threat in Papua New Guinea is logging. Penelope Figgis, WCPA Advisor, recently represented WCPA in an article about this. Community conservation efforts are helping the tree kangaroos there recover from near extinction and discussions on further protection measures, such as establishing a protected area, are being held to conserve the unique species and rich biodiversity there.
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O P P O R T U N I T I E S
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Target 3 Guide—Invitation to Open Consultations
We want to hear from you! Those charged with implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework need guidance and support. Therefore, we are undertaking an inclusive process to identify a toolbox of approaches to implement Target 3, with the aim to summarize the results in a “how-to” technical guide.
Development of the Guide will be highly consultative. We are engaging with many sectoral groups, including WCPA Specialist Groups and Task Forces, but we have open consultations coming up. Register for Wednesday 8 February 2023 at 12:00 UTC or 23:00 UTC or complete our online form. More details on our project website. Also learn about a companion online toolkit now under development, https://30x30.solutions.
Questions? Contact T3Guide@oldtownhill.org
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Vacancy Announcement: #6277 Communications Assistant, Membership and Commission Supoprt Unit, IUCN
The Communications Assistant will be responsible for supporting the broad communication of the seven Commissions and for IUCN Members, which will include developing newsletters, updating webpages and content creation, producing the bi-weekly IUCN Digest and the bi-monthly leaders update, and developing communication and knowledge products (reports, presentations, publications, brochures, web stories) among other tasks. They will also provide logistical support for events. More information can be found here.
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A note to all members: Please keep your profiles updated on the IUCN Portal here. Your profile helps us all identify your interests and expertise. Thank you!
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About this Bulletin
The ABC Bulletin is by, for and about the members of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas. It is a vehicle for us to communicate major progress amongst ourselves, and for the Chair to provide important updates. The scope is limited to items specific to the activities of the Commission itself. Other conservation news should continue to be submitted to the IUCN Digest or other newsletters.
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Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim, India
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Image credits: First photo by Mitali Sharma; COP 15 photo by Erinn Drage; LAC photo by Maria Augusta Almeida Ferri; Goodfellows Tree Kangaroo photo by David Lochlin via Flickr (CC BY 2.0); last photo by Madhu Rao
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