Side Event

PROTECTED AREAS: THE CRITICAL ROLE OF LAW

Organizer
The International Union for Conservation of Nature Environmental Law Centre (IUCN ELC)

Date and Time
21 May 2008 18:15 - 19:45

Meeting
Ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 9)

There is a vast array of studies and guidelines available regarding the management of protected areas (PAs). However, little has been done to accompany them by analyses of and guidance for supportive legal frameworks. It is increasingly recognized that national legislation play a critical role in underpinning the infrastructure and management necessary for successful PAs and PA systems, as well as in implementing relevant international conventions. The IUCN Environmental Law Centre (IUCN ELC) has recently embarked on a three year project to prepare Guidelines for Protected Areas Legislation. The aim of the Guidelines is to provide guidance regarding the key elements of a modern and effective legal framework, attuned to the present roles and corresponding diversification of protected areas, as well as to the emergence of new scientific understanding about protected areas management and new governance approaches. The methodology is to anchor this work in practice, making the Guidelines the result of cooperation between PA legal and management experts. Various case studies will illustrate the Guidelines, covering government-managed, marine, community-conserved, private and transboundary areas. A small panel will present the work in progress at the side event. A discussion with the audience will follow, with a view to obtaining critical comments and benefiting from the experience of participants. Partner institutions: the IUCN Environmental Law Centre (lead), the Joint Task Force of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law (CEL) and the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), the Academy of Environmental Law together with the University of Ottawa.