Notification 2006-004

Dear Madam/Sir, I have the pleasure to inform you that, pursuant to recommendation 1/4, paragraph 8 (d) of the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group on Protected Areas, I plan to convene an expert workshop on protected areas on 17 and 18 March 2006 in Curitiba, Brazil, prior to the eighth meeting of the Conference of Parties, with financial support from the European Union. The main purpose of the workshop is to pre-view the possible elements of the programme of work on protected areas for review by COP 8. The workshop will also review the evaluation matrix contained in Annex II to recommendation 1/4, pursuant to para 8 (b) of the same recommendation. The provisional agenda for the workshop is annexed to this notification. Other meeting documents will be forwarded to the selected experts and posted on the CBD website in due course. The workshop will be conducted in English. The report of the workshop will be submitted to COP 8 as an information document. I invite you to nominate, at your earliest convenience but no later than 31 January 2006, an expert who can participate in the workshop on protected areas. The selection of experts will be based on expertise, taking into account gender balance and geographical distribution, and will be carried out using the following criteria: • Good knowledge of the activities in the CBD programme of work on protected areas; • Practical experience with protected area issues; • Experience with management and monitoring of protected areas. In view of this, nominations should be accompanied by a curriculum vitae that clearly indicates the areas of expertise of the nominee

Executive Secretary

To: National Focal Points and relevant organizations