Side Event

Protected Areas Values: livelihoods, poverty reduction and Millennium Development Goals

Organizer
The Nature Conservancy

Date and Time
13 February 2008 13:15 - 14:45

Meeting
Second meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Protected Areas (WGPA 2)

Although protected areas provide a vast amount of goods and services to the people, specially to the poor; they are greatly undervalued by markets, politicians, and the by general public. As a result, they are extremely under-funded, overlooked and face constant threats. Based on recommendations from the Program of Work on Protected Areas and from the last CBD COPs where Governments, as a matter of urgency, agreed to assess the socio-economic and cultural benefits and costs of protected areas; countries with the support of some organizations, have started to gather evidence that protected areas generate significant contributions to local and national economies and that their economic value for the livelihoods of the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of the society is very high indeed. During this side event, representatives from four countries governments will present case studies and methodologies about the assessments that are being conducted at national and local levels and will showcase different benefits provided by protected areas. At this event, the Secretariat of the CBD will present a brochure about protected area values. TNC will support the organization of the side event (contact person: Luis Pabon)