Notification 2012-110

Dear Madam/Sir, As you know, Element 2 of the Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on Governance, Participation, Equity and Benefit Sharing was identified in decision X/31 as an issue in need of greater attention. In paragraph 7 (b) of decision X/31, the Executive Secretary was requested to provide additional technical support through the development of toolkits, best practices, and guidelines on themes of the PoWPA in collaboration with Parties, partners and international organizations. In paragraph 32 (f) of the same decision, Parties were requested to conduct assessments of governance of protected areas using toolkits prepared by the Secretariat and other organizations. Further, in paragraph 8 of the same decision, the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and other relevant organizations were invited to develop technical guidance on governance of protected areas. Accordingly, a draft toolkit on “Governance of Protected Areas - from understanding to action” has been developed by several partners including the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the IUCN Global Protected Areas Programme, the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy, the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and the Indigenous Peoples' and Community Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCA) Consortium, in collaboration with the CBD Secretariat. I am pleased to advise you that this toolkit is now open for review and can be downloaded at http://www.cbd.int/pa/doc/draft-governance-pa-2012-07-en.pdf. I would be grateful to receive your comments on the toolkit at your earliest convenience and no later than 20 August 2012. The finalized version will be published by IUCN under their Best Practice Guidelines series, in time for the IUCN World Conservation Congress and the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD, and may be used in future PoWPA capacity building and other outreach activities. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD and PoWPA Focal Points