International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2014)

Multiple papers presented at the World Parks Congress 2014 highlighting innovative approaches to conservation.
Launch of the IUCN Green List of Protected Areas.
Commitments from several governments to expand marine protection.
Reduced deforestation in areas subject to aerial surveillance and patrols in Madagascar (e.g., Tsimanampesotse National Park, Ranobe PK32).

The World Parks Congress 2014 brought together over 6,000 participants from 160 countries.
Recognition of the increasing role of Indigenous Peoples’, community, and privately-conserved areas.
Renewed focus on the needs and aspirations of the new generation.
Improved dialogue between protected area managers and shifting cultivators in Madagascar through the use of oblique aerial photography.
Development of community-based conservation initiatives in Kenya, leading to the growth of conservancies and community scouts.

The Promise of Sydney, a major statement arising from the World Parks Congress 2014, was adopted.
Establishment of the Western Sydney Parklands Trust with management responsibility for a large urban park.
Devolution of wildlife management responsibilities to county governments, landowners associations, and their representative bodies in Kenya.
Implementation of a ‘both ways’ approach to coastal conservation management in the Dhimurru Indigenous Protected Area, Australia.

Long-term Goals:

Halt biodiversity loss, mitigate climate change, and improve food and water security (Promise of Sydney).

Medium-term Goals:

Scale up protection in landscapes, wetlands, and seascapes (Promise of Sydney).
Double the area of Cumberland Plain Woodland in Western Sydney Parklands by 2020.

Short-term Goals:

Enhance diversity, quality, and vitality in governance and management of protected areas (Promise of Sydney).

Threats to nature and protected areas are at the highest level in human history.
Many protected areas are at risk or poorly managed.
Human-wildlife conflict is increasing, especially in Africa.
Shifting cultivation is a major threat to biodiversity in Madagascar.
Balancing tourism infrastructure development with biodiversity conservation in the Zhangye National Wetland Park, China.
Limited funding and capacity for protected area management in many regions.
Balancing biodiversity conservation with the needs of local communities in and around protected areas.

The Promise of Sydney outlines commitments to invigorate, inspire, and invest in nature’s solutions.
Use of oblique aerial photography for surveillance and monitoring of deforestation in Madagascar.
Community-based conservation initiatives in Kenya to devolve rights and responsibilities for wildlife management.
Development of livestock depredation reduction techniques to mitigate jaguar-livestock conflict in Latin America.
Implementation of a ‘both ways’ approach to management in the Dhimurru IPA, Australia, to address concerns about recreational fishing and boating practices.

Frameworks Used: IUCN Protected Area Management Categories

Initiatives contribute to these goals through biodiversity conservation, protected area management, and sustainable development.