Information

COP 11 Decision XI/24

XI/24.Protected areas

The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling paragraph 1 of part B of decision IX/18,
Welcoming the progress made by Parties in developing action plans for the implementation of the programme of work on protected areas, which contributes to the achievement of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 and, in a strategic manner, to the other Aichi Biodiversity Targets, in particular Targets 6, 10, 12, 13, 15 and 18, and noting that further concerted efforts and appropriate support are needed to achieve the marine component and other elements of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11,
Welcoming with appreciation the efforts of the Secretariat and partner organizations to enhance support for Parties in implementing the programme of work on protected areas and achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 11, inter alia by organizing capacity-building workshops, creating a comprehensive website, providing e-learning and training modules, and undertaking related initiatives, and expressing its appreciation to the European Union, other donor countries and host countries of workshops for supporting these capacity-development activities,
Welcoming the upcoming 2014 World Parks Congress to be organized in Sydney, Australia by the International Union for Conservation of Nature;
1.Invites Parties to:
(a)In line with paragraph 1(c) of decision X/31, integrate national action plans for the programme of work into updated national biodiversity strategies and action plans, which, in line with paragraphs 3 (c) and (d) of decision X/2, should be adopted as policy instruments and used as a primary framework for implementation and as the basis for securing the necessary financial support, including from national budgets and from bilateral, multilateral and other sources;
(b)Consistent with national circumstances, undertake major efforts, with appropriate support, to achieve all elements of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11, and, in particular, to improve marine protected areas in all areas within their jurisdiction and to ensure that networks comprising both such marine protected areas and terrestrial protected areas are: representative (by completing ecological assessments and implementing the results); inclusive of areas important for biodiversity; managed effectively and equitably; connected and integrated into wider land- and seascapes; and inclusive of diversified types of governance for protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures;
(c)Attain those goals of the programme of work on protected areas that are lagging behind and reach Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 and other related Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
(d) Improve inter-agency and intersectoral coordination, especially for mainstreaming protected areas and biodiversity and integrating protected areas into wider land- and seascapes, including using protected areas as natural solutions in ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation, and for filling policy gaps in this area;
(e)Strengthen recognition of and support for community-based approaches to conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in situ, including indigenous and local community conserved areas, other areas within IUCN governance types and initiatives led by indigenous and local communities that fulfil the objectives of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 and support the voluntary use of the Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas Registry managed by the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre ;
(f)Give due attention to the conservation of wild relatives of cultivated crops and wild edible plants in protected areas and in community conserved areas, in accordance with the Convention on Biological Diversity and national legislation, thereby contributing to achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 13 and food security;
(g)Align the protected area projects approved in the fourth, fifth and sixth replenishment periods of the Global Environment Facility, as well those supported by bilateral and other funding sources, with the actions identified in national action plans for the programme of work, so as to facilitate systematic monitoring and reporting on progress in achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 and related Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
(h)Establish subregional and regional networks of national focal points for the programme of work to exchange best practices, highlights of implementing action plans, experiences in implementing projects funded by the Global Environment Facility and other donors, lessons learned and tools, with a view to promoting technical cooperation, including South-South and North-South, so as to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 and contribute to achieving related Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
(i)Further to decision IX/18, renew efforts to establish multi-sectoral committees that include representatives of indigenous and local communities in support of the programme of work on protected areas, and continue to conduct assessments of the governance of protected areas, with a view to improving the management of protected area systems;
(j)Report on the implementation of national action plans for the programme of work on protected areas, including incorporation of the results of implementing projects funded by the Global Environment Facility and other donors, through the reporting framework for the programme of work, which is integrated into the fifth and sixth national reports, as called for in paragraphs 33 (a) and (e) of decision X/31, in order to track progress towards achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 and implementing the programme of work;
2.Invites the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Man and the Biosphere Programme of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the World Heritage Convention, along with other relevant partners, regional agencies, bilateral and multilateral funding agencies, private foundations, the private sector and conservation organizations, to create synergies and partnerships, including with indigenous and local communities, and to consider aligning their activities towards supporting implementation of national action plans for the programme of work on protected areas;
3.Invites the Global Environment Facility and its implementing agencies to facilitate the alignment of the development and implementation of protected area projects with the actions identified in national action plans for the programme of work, for example by clearly articulating the linkages with elements of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 in project documents, with a view to facilitating the systematic monitoring and reporting of the results of those projects as they contribute to achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 and other related targets by Parties, and to maximize the contribution of such projects to the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020;
4.Encourages Parties to make use of the CBD LifeWeb Initiative as a platform to communicate funding needs for the implementation of national action plans for the programme of work and encourages public and private donors to match these needs with targeted support;
5.Requests the Executive Secretary, through the CBD LifeWeb Initiative, and encourages bilateral and multilateral donors, Parties and countries in a position to do so, subject to availability of funding, to support mobilization of funding to implement national action plans for the programme of work through national, subregional and regional donor round table meetings, taking into account funding needs assessments, financial planning and funding strategies contained in national action plans for the programme of work;
6.Invites the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre and its partners, including the World Commission on Protected Areas of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), to continue to report progress towards achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 and related targets through the Protected Planet Report, including information on the size of the protected area estate, its representativeness and its effectiveness, and on other elements relevant to Aichi Biodiversity Target 11;
7.Invites regional initiatives, organizations and agencies, the IUCN Global Protected Areas Programme, the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme, the World Heritage Convention, and organizations of indigenous and local communities, to coordinate their activities and to foster regional cooperation partnerships and implementation strategies, so as to support the implementation of national action plans for the programme of work by working with national focal points for the programme of work and the regional technical support networks, developing professional capacity, making available tools and best practices, providing advice, and promoting the development of better enabling environments;
8.Invites the IUCN Global Protected Areas Programme, the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, IUCN regional offices, the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme, the World Heritage Convention, and the IUCN"s Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Project (BIOPAMA) supported by the European Union, along with the partners involved in developing analytical tools for the Digital Observatory for Protected Areas, including the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, BirdLife International, the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention, the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, and others, to align their initiatives on capacity-building so as to further support implementation of national action plans for the programme of work on protected areas, and to continue to develop technical guidance to achieve the full scope of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11, in conjunction with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and other contributing organizations;
9.Encourages Parties, when implementing Article 9 of the Nagoya Protocol on Access Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, to encourage users and providers to direct benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources towards the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of its components, inter alia to enhance the management and establishment of protected areas important for biodiversity conservation, while ensuring the fair and equitable sharing of benefits with indigenous and local communities;
10.Requests the Executive Secretary, in partnership with relevant organizations, subject to the availability of funding, to continue supporting implementation of national action plans for the programme of work and progress towards achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 and other related targets at the national, subregional and regional levels. These activities include the organization of subregional and regional workshops on common priority actions identified in national action plans for the programme of work; e-learning; workshops for the training of trainers; organization of online course rooms in different languages and on different themes, using trainers as mentors; making available tools and technical guidance on those areas where progress is lacking, such as mainstreaming protected areas and defining area-based conservation measures; fostering relevant capacity-building for indigenous and local communities; and supporting the further development of local registries of indigenous and community conserved areas and the Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas Registry maintained by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre;
11.Urges Parties, and invites other Governments, organizations and donors in a position to do so, to provide adequate financial technical and other support to the Executive Secretary for the activities referred to in paragraph 10.
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