Decision COP IX/18

(a) Develop new transparent mechanisms including verification and review to improve the quality of data in the World Database on Protected Areas;

(b) Develop additional datasets associated with the World Database on Protected Areas on protected-area management effectiveness, local livelihoods, and relevance for carbon storage, among others,

(a) Promote the application of appropriate tools and policy measures including, as appropriate, integrated spatial planning in order to better integrate protected areas into broader land and seascapes and relevant sectors and plans, including aiming at poverty eradication;

(b) Give special attention to improving, in collaboration with partners and donors, the management-effectiveness of protected areas by enhancing human technical and financial resources, inter alia, through capacity-building measures, particularly for developing countries, small island developing States and countries with economies in transition, including for monitoring and evaluation of biodiversity at site- and system-level; and

(c) Give special attention to the implementation of programme element 2 of the programme of work on protected areas;

(a) Transmit to the Executive Secretary, as appropriate, information on those sites identified on the basis of the gap analysis and the overall national biodiversity strategies that they may wish to designate as protected areas, with the purpose of facilitating access to the information by Parties and organizations interested in supporting these efforts; with a view to mobilize enhanced financial support for these efforts;

(b) Establish, as appropriate, multisectoral advisory committees which may consist of representatives from, inter alia, relevant government agencies and departments, indigenous and local communities, land and resource managers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, experts, academia and research institutions in support of the implementation of the programme of work on protected areas at national and subnational levels by providing advice on how to:

(c) Develop and facilitate the exchange and use of appropriate tools adapted, where appropriate and necessary, to local conditions including traditional natural resource management practices of indigenous and local communities and translate them into required languages, as appropriate, and identify the need for additional tools, including for assessing the status of biodiversity in protected areas;

(a) Improve and, where necessary, diversify and strengthen protected-area governance types, leading to or in accordance with appropriate national legislation including recognizing and taking into account, where appropriate, indigenous, local and other community-based organizations;

(b) Recognize the contribution of, where appropriate, co-managed protected areas, private protected areas and indigenous and local community conserved areas within the national protected area system through acknowledgement in national legislation or other effective means;

(c) Promote the development and importance of ecological networks for both terrestrial and marine areas, at national, regional and subregional levels, where appropriate; 

(d)  Establish effective processes for the full and effective participation of indigenous and local communities, in full respect of their rights and recognition of their responsibilities, in the governance of protected areas, consistent with national law and applicable international obligations;

(e) Further develop and implement measures for the equitable sharing of both costs and benefits arising from the establishment and management of protected areas and make protected areas an important component of local  and global sustainable development consistent with national legislations and applicable international obligations;

(f) Support the establishment or strengthening of regional or subregional forums that contribute to the effective implementation of the programme of work on protected areas at the regional and subregional level inter alia for undertaking cooperation in the establishment, in accordance with national legislation, of transboundary protected areas and as appropriate ecological networks, in both terrestrial and marine environments; exchanging regional lessons on implementation of the programme of work on protected areas; coordinating the implementation of regional capacity-building plans; establishing regional networks of  marine- and terrestrial-protected area specialists for various thematic areas of the programme of work on protected areas; and convening regional donor roundtables in collaboration with various donors and multilateral agencies;

(a) Making available tools for example through innovative systems such as e‑learning programmes;

(b) Facilitating the sharing of public information and knowledge;

(c) Supporting and/or coordinating subregional workshops; 

(d) Convening regional/subregional technical training on key themes of the programme of work on protected areas;

(e) Enhancing partnerships and exchange programmes between agencies and protected areas of various countries; and

(f) Strengthening national and regional training institutions;

(a) Reiterating the need to provide financial support  to developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, as well as countries with economies in transition to undertake the reporting required, urges Parties to undertake a review of their national implementation of the programme of work on protected areas using mechanisms of effective consultation and participation; and

(b) Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare an in-depth review of the programme of work on protected areas using inter alia the information contained in the fourth national reports, relevant global and regional data bases and the results of the regional and subregional workshops as mentioned in paragraph 15 of the present decision and propose ways and means for strengthening the implementation of the programme of work; for consideration by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice prior to the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

(a) Undertake completion of, as a matter of priority, country–level financial needs assessments, and develop sustainable financing plans including, as appropriate, a diversified financial portfolio, including innovative mechanisms, in accordance with Agenda 21, Article 20 of the Convention and relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties, further exploring with full and effective participation of indigenous and local communities, and other relevant stakeholders and strengthened cross-sectoral linkages, as appropriate, the concept of payments for ecosystem services in accordance with applicable  international law, taking into account the fair and equitable sharing of both costs and benefits of management of protected areas with indigenous and local communities, and other relevant stakeholders consistent with national legislations and applicable international obligations; and exploring the potential of biodiversity offsets as a financing mechanism;

(b) Develop, in accordance with their specific circumstances, necessary measures to administer and implement the sustainable financing plan including by creating protected area management environments that encourage innovation in the development and use of financial mechanisms, including inter alia, public-private partnerships; and identifying and, as appropriate, removing barriers that may  hinder the diversification of sources of income for protected areas;

(c) Enhance the effectiveness of financial-resource utilization by further improving the quality of protected‑area project proposals;

(d) Promote the valuation of ecosystem goods and services provided by protected areas, especially the socio-economic costs and benefits to indigenous and local communities and other relevant stakeholders, to achieve a better integration of conservation and development processes and to facilitate the contribution of protected areas to the eradication of poverty and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, to mobilize increased funding for protected areas;

(e) Mainstream and integrate protected-area planning and management within the development agendas of both donors and developing countries by exploring the full potential of both public‑ and private‑sector financing mechanisms which could achieve the Millennium Development Goals;

(f) Consider, as appropriate, a national fund-raising target from national and international sources for implementing the programme of work;

(g) Consider allocation of resources to strengthen capacity for analysis of threats and pressures on  protected areas and explore the possibility of exchanging experiences and harmonizing methodologies and mechanisms for this analysis;

(h) Explore funding opportunities for protected area design, establishment and effective management in the context of efforts to address climate change recalling that effective actions to reduce deforestation could constitute a unique opportunity for biodiversity protection, as noted by the Conference of Parties in decision VIII/30;

(a) Enhance financial support for implementation of new and additional protected areas and report on measures taken to carry out activities in subparagraphs (b), (c) and (d) of paragraph 24 of decision VIII/24;

(b) Support the reporting process of developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States as well as countries with economies in transition, with regard to protected areas;

(c) Take further actions by collaborating with developing countries in the development of comprehensive and targeted programs for capacity development and cooperation to meet the targets and timelines of the programme of work in support of the implementation of the programme of work by developing countries based on priorities identified in national biodiversity strategies and action plans and other strategies and action plans;

(d) Take reasonable steps to enhance availability of financial resources and technical support for the implementation of the programme of work on protected areas based on priorities identified in national biodiversity strategies and action plans and other relevant strategies and action plans taking into account the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and including identification of suitable mechanisms for ensuring that protected areas financing is better aligned with the aid delivery mechanisms in the Declaration;

(e) Support a strong next replenishment for the Global Environment Facility, taking into account the goals and targets of the programme of work and the need for new and additional funding to support this work in developing countries, particularly the least developed and small island developing States among them, as well as countries with economies in transition;

(a) Making adequate, timely, and predictable funding available for developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States among them, as well as countries with economies in transition, including new and additional funding to allow for the designation and effective management of new protected areas and where applicable  the establishment of ecological networks, that are necessary in order to complete comprehensive and ecologically representative national and regional systems of protected areas, and for improving management of existing protected areas, including, as appropriate, co‑managed protected areas, private protected areas and indigenous and local community conserved areas;

(b) Providing enhanced financial and technical support to endowment funds, national environmental funds and other long-term protected area financing mechanisms aimed at conservation and sustainable development;

(c) Supporting proposals for undertaking financial needs assessments, sustainable financial plans for protected area systems, and valuation of ecosystem goods and services provided by protected areas;

(d) Providing financial and technical cooperation for the development and implementation of financial strategies and plans for national protected area systems;

(e) Supporting projects that demonstrate the role that protected areas  play in addressing climate change

(f) Supporting proposals on public-private partnerships in the developing countries;

(g) Supporting capacity-building for indigenous and local communities to participate in the establishment and management of protected areas to improve their standard of living;

(h) Supporting the preservation and maintenance of traditional knowledge for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the management of protected areas;

(a) Promote the importance of financing for protected areas;

(b) Prepare a progress report as part of the in-depth review of the programme of work on protected areas by the tenth  meeting of the Conference of the Parties, drawing on the information provided by Parties in their fourth national reports;

(c) Compile information assessing the socio-economic values of protected areas, focusing in particular on the contribution to poverty eradication and achievement of the MDGs, based on the submission from Parties and other Governments as well as from indigenous and local communities and other relevant stakeholders;

(a) Continue to provide, and facilitate easier access to financial resources for protected areas in the biodiversity focal area of the Global Environment Facility including projects such as the UNDP/GEF project “Supporting Country Action on the CBD programme of work on protected areas”, so as to extend support to developing countries, small island developing States, least developed countries, and countries with economies in transition, taking into account the goals and targets set in the programme of work;

(b) To consider support for proposals that demonstrate the role-protected areas play in addressing climate change;

(c) To ensure that protected areas remain a priority of the Global Environment Facility for the foreseeable future;