All Guides: Ecotourism Test Guide FY23: Protected Area Management

What are Protected Areas? A protected area is a clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.

Terrestrial vs. Marine Protected Areas

Terrestrial protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities as scientific reserves with limited public access, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves or wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, and areas managed mainly for sustainable use.
A Marine Protected Area is defined by the World Conservation Union (IUCN 1994) as ‘any area of intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its overlying water and associated flora, fauna, historical and cultural features, which has been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment.’

Protected areas and land use
Human activity, mostly for food production and forestry, is transforming landscapes. Today, one third of all land is degraded or degrading, which harms biodiversity and jeopardises essential ecosystem services such as carbon storage. Protected areas offer a solution. If effectively managed and fairly governed, such areas can safeguard nature and cultural resources, protect human health and well-being, provide sustainable livelihoods and so support sustainable development.
Protected Planet
Protected Planet is the most up to date and complete source of data on protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), updated monthly with submissions from governments, non-governmental organizations, landowners and communities.
Terrestrial and marine protected areas (% of total territorial area)
World Database on Protected Areas ( WDPA ) where the compilation and management is carried out by United Nations Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre ( UNEP-WCMC ) in collaboration with governments, non-governmental organizations, academia and industry. The data is available online through the Protected Planet website (protectedplanet.net ).
1st Edition of Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises
Cetaceanhabitat.org focuses on the habitat needs of whales, dolphins and porpoises and the creation and management of marine protected areas for cetaceans; it contains a directory of all MPAs and sanctuaries worldwide that feature or include cetacean habitat. The site also contains the latest news on campaigns, proposals and developments relating to marine habitat conservation.

MANUAL PARA LA CAPACITACION DEL PERSONAL DE AREAS PROTEGIDAS (MANUAL FOR THE TRAINING OF PROTECTED AREAS PERSONNEL)
El Servicio de Parques Nacionales de los Estados Unidos de América (USNPS) ha sido activo durante varias décadas en la capacitación de personal de áreas protegidas en todo el mundo, particularmente en el Caribe y América Latina. El Servicio cree firmemente que la capacitación constituye un componente esencial en los esfuerzos de fortalecimiento institucional necesarios para el desarrollo de parques nacionales y otras áreas protegidas en cualquier país que intente manejar su patrimonio natural.
Natural Solutions
At the IUCN Council Meeting held from 8-10 March 2008, climate change was acknowledged to be the greatest threat to biodiversity and the global system of protected areas was noted as one of the most powerful solutions. This was the genesis of PACT 2020: Protected Areas and Climate Turnaround, formally launched at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in 2008 and supported by IUCN’s Innovation Fund.

The National Parks: America's Best Idea -- A Film by Ken Burns
This 12-hour, six-part documentary series by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan tells the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved—not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone.
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From Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska, the series explores the stories of people, from every conceivable background, who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved. In doing so, they reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy. Distributed by PBS Distribution. 6-part series, 114–131 minutes each.

Sustainable tourism and natural World Heritage
The inscription of a property in the World Heritage List is not only the recognition of its outstanding universal value and integrity but also the recognition of the need to protect and manage it (Edroma, 2004). Together, these sites constitute the common heritage of humanity, contributing to the conservation of globally important cultural and natural areas as well as to the processes associated to these sites. In order for a site to be inscribed in the World Heritage List, it must meet at least one of the ten criteria of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) described by the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (UNESCO, 2008) (see the list of criteria in Appendix I). At present, the World Heritage List includes 911 properties of which 704 are cultural, 180 natural and 27 mixed sites.

Managing Tourism at World Heritage Sites: a Practical Manual for World Heritage Site Managers
The manual addresses the needs identified by site managers and training centers. It provides a set of management methodologies and practices intended to help managers to solve tourism problems. The manual also offers a set of tools applicable to designing surveys, monitoring policy and management implementation, promoting sites and communicating with stakeholders. Managers can select the procedures that are appropriate for different sites, and adapt them accordingly. The manual offers a set of tools applicable to designing surveys, monitoring policy and management implementation, promoting sites and communicating with stakeholders. Managers can select the procedures that are appropriate for different sites, and adapt them accordingly.
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Date of Publication: 2002
Contributor: World Heritage Centre
Publisher: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2002
Protected Area Governance and Management
Protected Area Governance and Management presents a compendium of original text, case studies and examples from across the world, by drawing on the literature, and on the knowledge and experience of those involved in protected areas. The book synthesises current knowledge and cutting-edge thinking from the diverse branches of practice and learning relevant to protected area governance and management. It is intended as an investment in the skills and competencies of people and consequently, the effective governance and management of protected areas for which they are responsible, now and into the future. The book has been compiled by 169 authors and deals with all aspects of protected area governance and management. It provides information to support capacity development training of protected area field officers, managers in charge and executive level managers.
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There are three free downloadable options for this textbook: PDF, PDF Chapters, or EPUB.
Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas: Guidelines for Planning and Management
The link between protected areas and tourism is as old as the history of protected areas. Protected areas need tourism, and tourism needs protected areas. Though the relationship is complex and sometimes adversarial, tourism is always a critical component to consider in the establishment and management of protected areas. These guidelines aim to build an understanding of protected area tourism, and its management. They provide a theoretical structure, but are also intended to help managers in practical ways. The underlying aim is to ensure that tourism contributes to the purposes of protected areas and does not undermine them.
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ISBN: 2-8317-0648-3
Copyright: © 2002 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources
Tourism and visitor management in protected areas
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. Tourism in protected areas is a major part of the global tourism industry—an industry whose scale and impacts are enormous. Such a high volume of visitors implies certain needs for fundamental infrastructure and requirements for employment and human services, all of which have ramifications for the economy, society, culture and the environment.
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Publication Year: 2018
ISBN: 978-2-8317-1898-9 978-2-8317-1899-6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.PAG.27.en