Protected Area Management Effectiveness Research Articles

Can existing assessment tools be used to track equity in protected area management under Aichi Target 11?

Aichi Target 11 (AT11) includes the commitment of 194 governments to equitably manage protected areas (PAs) by 2020. Here we evaluate whether existing PA Management Effectiveness (PAME) and social and governance assessment tools can be used to determine if AT11 meets equity goals. We find that PAME assessment conditions are insufficiently inclusive of relevant actors and do not satisfactorily allow for a diversity of perspectives to be expressed and accounted for, both of which are essential for equitable PA management. Furthermore, none of the analysed PAME tools fully cover multidimensional equity and thus they are inadequate for assessing progress towards equitable management in PAs. The available social and governance PA assessment tools stipulate more inclusive and participatory conditions within their guidelines, and the IUCN Governance Guidelines comprehensively capture equity dimensions in PA management, but results are not comparable across sites. We conclude that available assessment tools do not provide a reliable way to track equity in PAs at global scale. The IUCN Governance Guidelines could be adjusted to achieve this goal, providing that the information collected is made globally comparable, while ensuring transparency, accountability and room for contestation, including by communities whose livelihoods are directly implicated. Ultimately, developing and deploying globally comparable measures to evaluate equity is problematic, as the process of gathering comparable data inevitably obscures information that is highly relevant to resolving equity issues at local scales. This challenge must be met, however, if nations are to achieve and report on their success at meeting AT11 by 2020.

Protected areas in Chile: are we managing them?

BackgroundHuman population growth since the mid-1900s has been accompanied by an unsustainable use of natural resources and a corresponding impact on terrestrial and marine biota. In response, most states have established protected areas as tools to decrease biodiversity loss, being Chile one of the signatories of international conservation agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the 2010 Aichi Targets. This study reviews the Chilean protected areas that have been created to date, with an emphasis on the existence and effectiveness of management plans for all terrestrial and marine protected areas.Effectiveness was individually evaluated using two filters: 1) the age of the management plan and 2) the first four steps of the Protected Areas Management Effectiveness (PAME) methodology recommended by the IUCN.ResultsWe show that 84 out of a total of 145 protected areas (PAs), and only five out of a total of 20 marine protected areas (MPAs), have management plans. Only 12% (N = 16) of PAs are effectively managed; while in the marine realm, no MPA has an effective plan.ConclusionsOur results show the lack of both the effectiveness of and updates to the management plans for the vast majority of the national territory and raise the following question: is it sustainable to continue adding protected areas to the national system even though it is clear that the existing support is insufficient to meet the minimum requirements for full implementation?

Community Evaluation of Protected Areas Governance and Management Effectiveness: A Case Study of Manyara Region, Tanzania

Protected areas (PAs) governance is increasingly seen as a critical determinant for PA management effectiveness. This paper aims to explore the actors involved in PA governance and management and their roles, and the factors influencing the PA management success as perceived by local communities in Manyara region, Tanzania. This study further explores the community perceptions of PAs governance using good governance principles including legitimacy and voice, accountability, performance, and fairness and rights. A mixed methods approach was used in this research which comprised structured household interviews, key informant interviews and document review. Respondents ranked local community involvement (12.6%) and environmental education and awareness (13.8%) as the top most important or relevant factors for PA management success in the region. Overall perceptions of respondents indicate that legitimacy and voice (83%), fairness and rights (75%) and performance (68%) were the good principles of PA governance while transparency was the weak governance criteria which may undermine effective community participation in PAs management in the region. This study suggests the need for full involvement and coordination of many stakeholders including the local communities, integration of multilateral governance principles and improving environmental education and awareness for effective governance and management of PAs in the region.

Effects of anti-poaching patrols on the distribution of large mammals in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire

AbstractThe effectiveness of protected area management is a major concern. In Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire, recurrent human pressure challenges the ability of law enforcement authorities to protect wildlife. During 2010–2015 we studied the implementation of law enforcement in the Park to determine (1) the potential for improvement of the protection of large mammals and (2) the minimum patrolling effort needed to obtain increases in their populations. We recorded presence of large mammals and illegal activities in two areas within the Park, the research area (210 km2) and the rest of the Park (5,150 km2), and compiled data about patrolling efforts from the Park authorities. Using a generalized linear mixed model we identified a relationship between increased patrolling effort and the relative abundance of large mammals, especially for monkey groups, pygmy hippopotamusesChoeropsis liberiensisand duikers. At low patrolling efforts duiker encounter rates remained stable, whereas rates of encounter with monkey groups and pygmy hippopotamuses decreased. ChimpanzeePan troglodytes verusencounter rates were slower to respond and remained stable at higher patrolling effort, but decreased at low patrolling effort. Our findings suggest that a minimum of 1.32 patrol days per km2over 2 years is required for chimpanzee and monkey populations to increase, whereas a patrolling effort of 0.48 days per km2over 2 years would lead to an increase in duiker and pygmy hippopotamus populations. We maintain that the patrolling effort required to ensure an increase in wildlife can be estimated relatively precisely from multi-year biomonitoring programmes.

Understanding non-compliance: Local people’s perceptions of natural resource exploitation inside two national parks in northeast Brazil

Non-compliance with conservation regulations is a key issue for protected area management effectiveness in most parts of the world. Effectively managing such behaviours requires a clear understanding of who is non-compliant, what is driving their non-compliance, and what the likely conservation consequences of compliant and non-compliant behaviours are. However, such information is notoriously difficult to obtain due to the (understandable) reluctance of transgressors to discuss illegal activities. Here, we adopt the Kiping social survey method to assess the drivers of non-compliance with resource use rules in two national parks (Catimbau and Chapada Diamantina) in Northeast Brazil. The method is therefore used to support the exploration of suitable solutions for coping with non-compliance on the ground. We found high levels of social acceptability for illegal behaviours in both Parks, though hunting and cutting trees inside the park were viewed more negatively by local residents. Respondents from both areas generally supported the collection of plants and firewood, especially by poor people and local residents. Acceptance of illegal activities was statistically correlated with awareness of park regulations in both parks and, in Catimbau NP, it was also prevalent among older, poorer and less educated residents. To deter non-compliance, a mix of interventions from more coercive measures to softer instruments are recommended, especially in Catimbau NP where the area is not patrolled and the close proximity of indigenous lands gives rise to land- and resource-use conflicts.

The contemporary conservation reserve visitor phenomenon!

Visitors place a complex array of demands on conservation reserves, including provisions for recreation. Rising recreation demand includes a new suite of activities ranging from adventure racing, music events, and motorised activities to extreme sports. Policy implications raise questions anew: what is the fundamental purpose of conservation reserves—nature conservation or recreation or both, and where should the emphasis lie? There is a risk that the current and future emphasis appears to be on increased commercialisation, marketing of conservation reserves as music and/or sporting event venues, places where personal physical challenges can be undertaken alongside a mentality that celebrates human achievement rather than the appreciation of nature! Such a trend may de-emphasise visitor perceptions of conservation reserves as tools for nature conservation. The reported trend in recreational activity requires debate, policy direction and target areas need protected area management effectiveness evaluation to assess conservation implications.

Global Review of Social Indicators used in Protected Area Management Evaluation

AbstractSocial considerations in conservation are increasingly recognized as important for successful environmental outcomes. However, social measures lack consistency and may underreport key issues. This article analyzes social indicators and well‐being dimensions used in protected area effectiveness tools, with specific attention to local communities and Indigenous peoples’ contexts. Using the Global Protected Area Management Effectiveness database, we reviewed 2,736 indicators from 38 methodologies applied in over 180 countries. We analyzed: (1) representation of human well‐being dimensions, (2) direction of impacts, and (3) level of neutrality in indicators. We found limited diversity and representation of important well‐being dimensions such as health and governance. While impacts on communities and nature are similarly measured, positive wording is used three times more often than negative, which may unintentionally bias evaluations. We recommend using and developing indicators with greater diversity, increased clarity, and reduced bias to enhance management and policy responses for biodiversity and human well‐being.

Development stressors are stronger than protected area management: A case of the Pantanos de Centla Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Evaluation of the management effectiveness of protected areas has become a global priority, especially in coastal zones, where essential services are threatened by land use pressures. To assess the effectiveness of a coastal protected area, we estimated the land-use change (LUC) within and outside of the Pantanos de Centla Biosphere Reserve (PCBR) and interviewed key stakeholders to identify the main stressors causing LUC. The native vegetation cover under the PCBR protection decreased by 65% over 24 years; whereas agriculture and livestock lands doubled, even within the core conservation areas of the PCBR. The greatest loss was in the flooded forest (48%), where the reduction was similar in and around the reserve. The effectiveness of reserve management was affected by drivers of land use change, which include agricultural and livestock enterprises that are run by government programs. Effective management of the PCBR has been undermined by poor management practices, limited capacity and resources, and inadequate zoning design. Protected areas and its surrounding landscapes could be considered to be natural experiments for future research, where high value land uses and conservation objectives coincide within coastal areas that will face a predicted sea level rise, more intense floods and higher temperatures.

Measuring the effectiveness of protected area management by comparing habitat utilization and threat dynamics

The conservation outcomes of a protected area depend on management actions. The effectiveness of protected area management remains a concern for donors and policy-makers. However, very few feasible methods assessing the ability and performance of management teams have been developed. Behavioral shifts in habitat usage, direct and sensitive wildlife responses to threats, have been ignored in the evaluation of protected area management. To address the technical limitations, we developed a method that uses the behavioral dynamics of target species as indicators of the efficacy of threat reduction, control, and overall management effort. By comparing wildlife behavior with threat avoidance distances and patterns we can examine threat mitigation efficacy as a proxy for overall reserve management effectiveness. Using evidence of giant panda habitat utilization in eleven reserves across Qinling Mountains from 2000 to 2012, we built a model of behavior based on the avoidance of four types of anthropogenic threat. We stratified the eleven reserves into five efficacies, of which Changqing reserve was deemed to have the highest management effectiveness. Our approach was validated and supported by changes in suitable habitat and population size across reserves. Focusing on the end result of all threats and management effort means that our framework is straightforward for reserve staff to implement, produces easily interpreted results, and is worthy of application. This study highlights the value of behavioral dynamics when making a full and scientific assessment of the effectiveness of protected area management, and helps investors and policy-makers realize the efficacy of conservation inputs.

Towards quantitative condition assessment of biodiversity outcomes: Insights from Australian marine protected areas

Protected area management effectiveness (PAME) evaluation is increasingly undertaken to evaluate governance, assess conservation outcomes and inform evidence-based management of protected areas (PAs). Within PAME, quantitative approaches to assess biodiversity outcomes are now emerging, where biological monitoring data are directly assessed against quantitative (numerically defined) condition categories (termed quantitative condition assessments). However, more commonly qualitative condition assessments are employed in PAME, which use descriptive condition categories and are evaluated largely with expert judgement that can be subject to a range of biases, such as linguistic uncertainty and overconfidence. Despite the benefits of increased transparency and repeatability of evaluations, quantitative condition assessments are rarely used in PAME. To understand why, we interviewed practitioners from all Australian marine protected area (MPA) networks, which have access to long-term biological monitoring data and are developing or conducting PAME evaluations. Our research revealed that there is a desire within management agencies to implement quantitative condition assessment of biodiversity outcomes in Australian MPAs. However, practitioners report many challenges in transitioning from undertaking qualitative to quantitative condition assessments of biodiversity outcomes, which are hampering progress. Challenges include a lack of agency capacity (staff numbers and money), knowledge gaps, and diminishing public and political support for PAs. We point to opportunities to target strategies that will assist agencies overcome these challenges, including new decision support tools, approaches to better finance conservation efforts, and to promote more management relevant science. While a single solution is unlikely to achieve full evidence-based conservation, we suggest ways for agencies to target strategies and advance PAME evaluations toward best practice.

Eating and conserving bushmeat in Africa

AbstractIn Africa, overhunting of tropical wildlife for food remains an intractable issue. Donors and governments remain committed to invest in efforts to both conserve and allow the sustainable use of wildlife. Four principal barriers need to be overcome: (i) communities are not motivated to conserve wildlife long‐term because they have no formal rights to benefit from wildlife, or to exclude others from taking it on their land; (ii) multispecies harvests, typical of bushmeat hunting scenarios, place large‐bodied species at risk of extinction; (iii) wildlife production cannot expand, in the same way that livestock farming can, to meet the expected growth in consumer demand; and (iv) wildlife habitat is lost through conversion to agriculture, housing, transportation networks and extractive industries. In this review, we examine the actors involved in the use of wildlife as food and discuss the possible solutions required to address urban and rural bushmeat consumption. Interventions must tackle use and conservation of wildlife through the application of context‐relevant interventions in a variety of geographies across Africa. That said, for any bushmeat solution to work, there needs to be concurrent and comparable investment in strengthening the effectiveness of protected area management and enforcement of wildlife conservation laws.

EVALUATION OF PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS – AN OVERVIEW OF METHODOLOGIES

Literature contains numerous methods for assessing the effectiveness of protected area management, which are classified in seven categories. The methods differ primarily in the manner of data collection and the manner of implementing protection. This paper analyzes three methods (Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool, Rapid Assessment and Prioritization of Protected Area Management, and Protected Areas Benefit Assessment Tool), which we consider to practically applicable in the evaluation and assessment of protected area management in Serbia. Key words: evaluation, effectiveness, protected natural area, methods, management.

Environmental education indicators system for protected areas management

A new perspective for the management effectiveness of protected areas needs the inclusion of social data for decision-making. In this process, environmental education (EE) plays a key role in catalyzing biological and social issues in the management process, but there are scarce data about this relationship. The objective of this paper is to develop, from an institutional bottom-up perspective, a proposal for a set of EE indicators that is easy to use by practitioners to measure the response of the EE program in relation to the conservation objectives of protected areas management plans. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques, a case study at the National Parks System of Colombia is presented, which is divided in five stages: 1. An EE evaluation survey on a national scale. 2. An interview phase with EE practitioners and NGOs. 3. EE objectives categorization. 4. Systematization process and 5. Focus group to evaluate the proposed set of indicators. A set of 5 EE indicators was developed to fulfill the identified needs: appropriation of information, articulation, participation quality, program implementation and continuity of EE process. We expect that this new approach for EE evaluation will hopefully be adopted in the update of management plans, as an innovative tool that contributes to the effectiveness assessment of protected areas, integrating a more social and participative focus.

中国实施2020年全球生物多样性目标的进展

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 中国实施2020年全球生物多样性目标的进展 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201411142254 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家科技支撑计划项目（2012BAC01B01）；环保公益性行业科研专项（201409061） Assessing China's progress toward the 2020 Global Biodiversity Targets Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:针对日益严峻的生物多样性丧失形势，国际社会于2010年通过了《生物多样性战略计划》（2011-2020年）。该战略计划确定了2020年全球生物多样性目标。采用“压力-状态-惠益-响应”模型，建立了评估2020年目标进展的指标体系。该指标体系包括生物多样性现状、生态系统服务、压力和响应4个方面，涉及17个一级指标、42个二级指标。研究表明，除目标2、16和18因缺乏相应指标无法评估外，目标1、3、4、5、7、10、11、14、15、17、19、20的相关评估指标均有不同程度的改善，表明这些目标的实施正沿着正确的轨道推进，特别是目标3（鼓励措施）、目标5（减少生境退化和丧失）、目标11（强化保护区系统和有效管理）、目标14（恢复和保障重要生态系统服务）、目标15（增强生态系统的复原力和碳储量）进展较大；但目标5中的草原生态系统保护，目标6（可持续渔业）、目标8（控制环境污染）、目标9（防治外来入侵物种）、目标12（保护受威胁物种）、目标13（保护遗传资源）的相关评估指标大多呈现恶化的趋势，表明虽然已开展了大量工作，但尚需采取更加有效的策略和措施才能实现这些目标。今后应进一步开发生物多样性价值、可持续消费、生态退化、农林渔业对生物多样性的影响、气候变化对生物多样性的影响、保护区的生态代表性和管理有效性、遗传资源和相关传统知识的获取与惠益分享等方面的指标，更加重视生态功能和生物多样性的恢复，重视濒危物种和遗传资源的保护以及外来入侵物种的防控。 Abstract:In 2002, the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) committed to achieving a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. After failing to meet this goal, the international communities renewed their commitments and, in 2010, adopted the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including the 2020 global biodiversity targets (Aichi Biodiversity Targets). As a Party to the CBD, it is important for China to assess progress toward the 2020 targets, and identify gaps and future priorities for biodiversity conservation. We created an indicator system for assessing the 2020 targets based on a pressure-state-benefit-response framework. The indicator system contains 17 Class A indicators and 42 Class B indicators. It covers four major aspects: (1) the status of biodiversity (the extent of forests, grasslands, wetlands, and deserts; total standing stock volume; stock volume of natural forests; total output of fresh grass in natural grasslands; the Marine Trophic Index; the Red List Index; and traditional varieties and breeds used in production); (2) ecosystem services (supply of goods; water regulation; windbreaks; sand control; soil conservation; per capita annual net income of rural households; and the number of people in poverty in regions where natural forest conservation projects were implemented); (3) pressure (annual waste water emissions; COD from industrial wastewater; SO2 from exhaust gas; soot from exhaust gas and industrial solid wastes; annual application of pesticides and fertilizers; climate change; the number of new invasive alien species found every two decades; and the number and batch of harmful species intercepted by customs and port authorities); and (4) response (the number and area of protected areas; forest growing stock in counties where natural forest conservation projects were implemented; capacity of flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) units; treatment rate of municipal wastewater; comprehensive utilization rate of solid waste; area of solar water heaters; the number of solar stoves; annual output of agricultural waste disposal projects; websites about China's biodiversity found using a Google search; the number of academic papers on biodiversity identified through a search of the VIP literature database; and investments into projects on natural forest resource protection, wildlife conservation in nature reserves, and wetland conservation). We assessed progress toward the 2020 Biodiversity Targets using these biodiversity indicators. For Targets 2, 16, and 18, no assessments were made because of a lack of relevant national indicators. The indicators identified various levels of improvement in Targets 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 19, and 20; China is on track toward meeting these targets. In particular, considerable progress has been made toward Target 3 (incentive measures), Target 5 (reduction in habitat degradation and loss for ecosystems other than grasslands), Target 11 (increasing protected areas and strengthening management effectiveness), Target 14 (restoring important ecosystem services), and Target 15 (reinforcing ecosystem resilience and carbon sequestration). However, decreasing trends were noted for Target 5 (primarily for indicators of grassland conservation), Target 6 (sustainable fisheries), Target 8 (controlling environmental pollution), Target 12 (protecting endangered species), and Target 13 (protecting genetic resources). This suggests that, although we have already done tremendous work, we should develop more effective strategies and take practical measures toward achieving these targets. In general, biodiversity continues to decline in China. There are many challenges for biodiversity conservation because of wildlife habitat loss or degradation, severe pollution of key river basins and marine areas, the spread of invasive alien species, large-scale monoculture plantations, and climate change. Thus, more effective indicators need to be developed for the values of biodiversity, sustainable consumption, ecosystem degradation, representativeness and management effectiveness of protected areas, access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing from their use, and the effects of agriculture, aquaculture, forestry, and climate change on biodiversity. In addition, more attention should be given to the restoration of ecosystem functions and biodiversity, conservation of endangered species and genetic resources, and prevention and control of invasive alien species. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA: A REVIEW

Nigeria like other countries has experienced rapid increase in number and sizes of protected areas in the last century. As a result, a number of policies, agencies and departments were established to ensure proper protection and management of these areas. To ensure management effectiveness, frequent evaluation is necessary. This paper is a review of relevant literatures on protected area management effectiveness and collaboration in management. The findings of the review indicated that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) framework is the most widely used for assessing management effectiveness of protected areas. However, a limitation of the framework is its deficiency to integrate collaboration and motivation. These factors play vital roles in effective management of protected areas through promoting wildlife conservation particularly in developing world. Therefore, this paper proposes a hybrid framework for evaluating protected area management effectiveness, consisting of the IUCN framework, collaboration and motivation to be used in subsequent assessment of protected areas.

Measuring impact of protected area management interventions: current and future use of the Global Database of Protected Area Management Effectiveness.

Protected areas (PAs) are at the forefront of conservation efforts, and yet despite considerable progress towards the global target of having 17% of the world's land area within protected areas by 2020, biodiversity continues to decline. The discrepancy between increasing PA coverage and negative biodiversity trends has resulted in renewed efforts to enhance PA effectiveness. The global conservation community has conducted thousands of assessments of protected area management effectiveness (PAME), and interest in the use of these data to help measure the conservation impact of PA management interventions is high. Here, we summarize the status of PAME assessment, review the published evidence for a link between PAME assessment results and the conservation impacts of PAs, and discuss the limitations and future use of PAME data in measuring the impact of PA management interventions on conservation outcomes. We conclude that PAME data, while designed as a tool for local adaptive management, may also help to provide insights into the impact of PA management interventions from the local-to-global scale. However, the subjective and ordinal characteristics of the data present significant limitations for their application in rigorous scientific impact evaluations, a problem that should be recognized and mitigated where possible.

Changes in protected area management effectiveness over time: A global analysis

Protected area coverage has reached over 15% of the global land area. However, the quality of management of the vast majority of reserves remains unknown, and many are suspected to be “paper parks”. Moreover, the degree to which management can be enhanced through targeted conservation projects remains broadly speculative. Proven links between improved reserve management and the delivery of conservation outcomes are even more elusive. In this paper we present results on how management effectiveness scores change in protected areas receiving conservation investment, using a globally expanded database of protected area management effectiveness, focusing on the “management effectiveness tracking tool” (METT). Of 1934 protected areas with METT data, 722 sites have at least two assessments. Mean METT scores increased in 69.5% of sites while 25.1% experienced decreases and 5.4% experienced no change over project periods (median 4years). Low initial METT scores and longer implementation time were both found to positively correlate with larger increases in management effectiveness. Performance metrics related to planning and context as well as monitoring and enforcement systems increased the most while protected area outcomes showed least improvement. Using a general linear mixed model we tested the correlation between change in METT scores and matrices of 1) landscape and protected area properties (i.e. topography and size), 2) human threats (i.e. road and human population density), and 3) socio-economics (i.e. infant mortality rate). Protected areas under greater threat and larger protected areas showed greatest improvements in METT. Our results suggest that when funding and resources are targeted at protected areas under greater threat they have a greater impact, potentially including slowing the loss of biodiversity.

Overcoming the challenges to conservation monitoring: integrating data from in-situ reporting and global data sets to measure impact and performance

If parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and their partners are to report effectively on progress against national, regional and global biodiversity conservation goals, data will need to be collected at multiple levels. Global data sets, many gathered using remote sensing, offer partial solutions but need to be complemented by field-level observations to provide the resolution necessary to track conservation measures in a meaningful way. This paper summarises efforts made by the conservation organisation WWF, working with partners, to integrate 10 indicators of relevance to CBD parties into its global monitoring system and to use global data sets and data from field programmes to determine progress against multi-level goals and to assess programme performance and impacts. Integration of in-situ and ex-situ data into reporting dashboards tailored to WWF’s needs allowed some degree of assessment of progress and adaptive management of the programme portfolio. Indicator trends were most favourable (on track) for protected area (PA) coverage and market share of sustainable commodities, and least favourable (worsening) for species offtake, species populations, wildlife trade, habitat fragmentation and Ecological Footprint. The most useful indicators – which could be disaggregated to provide trends at local levels relevant to WWF field programmes – were species populations, habitat cover and fragmentation, PA coverage and PA management effectiveness. However challenges remain if local and global monitoring objectives are to be aligned, including the need for increased collection of data by field projects, improved harmonisation of indicators, and greater sharing of data in formats of use to practitioners. We advocate wider adoption by governments and civil society organisations of indicators with the dual function of tracking delivery of CBD Aichi Targets as well as monitoring national, regional and ecoregional level conservation programmes, and urge more NGOs and academic bodies to support capacity building and data collection.

Do global indicators of protected area management effectiveness make sense? A case study from Siberia.

Driven by the underperformance of many protected areas (PAs), protected area management effectiveness (PAME) evaluations are increasingly being conducted to assess PAs in meeting specified objectives. A number of PAME tools have been developed, many of which are based on the IUCN-WCPA framework constituting six evaluative elements (context, planning, input, process, output, and outcomes). In a quest for a more universal tool and using this framework, Leverington et al. (Environ Manag 46(5):685-698, 2010) developed a common scale and list of 33 headline indicators, purported to be representative across a wide range of management effectiveness evaluation tools. The usefulness of such composite tools and the relative weighting of indicators are still being debated. Here, we utilize these headline indicators as a benchmark to assess PAME in 37 PAs of four types in Krasnoyarsk Kray, Russia, and compare these with global results. Moreover, we review the usefulness of these indicators in the Krasnoyarsk context based on the opinions of local PA management teams. Overall, uncorrected management scores for studied PAs were slightly better (mean = 5.66 ± 0.875) than the global average, with output and outcome elements being strongest, and planning and process scores lower. Score variability is influenced by PA size, location, and type. When scores were corrected based on indicator importance, the mean score significantly increased to 5.75 ± 0.858. We emphasize idiosyncrasies of Russian PA management, including the relative absence of formal management plans and limited efforts toward local community beneficiation, and how such contextual differences may confound PAME scores when indicator weights are treated equal.

Evaluating the management effectiveness of marine protected areas at seven selected sites in the Philippines

Fisheries is a vital sector in the Philippine economy, providing a significant source of both domestic and export earnings while meeting essential food security and nutritional requirements. However, marine resources in the Philippines are facing increasing pressure from overfishing, destructive fishing practices, habitat destruction, declining water quality and limited management capacity. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are part of the management strategy to address these issues but the majority of MPAs around the world do not meet their management objectives. This paper discusses the identification and testing of management effectiveness indicators to evaluate MPA management for seven sites in the Philippines. The selection of 14 indicators was a participatory process that involved representatives from the academe, civil society groups, fishing associations, local government units (LGUs), national government agencies and research institutions. Overall, the majority of the indicators are rated positive but there is significant room for improvement, particularly in areas of resource use conflict, availability and allocation of resources and interaction between MPA managers and stakeholders. It is imperative that MPAs across the Philippines be managed and implemented as a network to maximize conservation and fisheries management. Moreover, given that the Philippines lies in the Coral Triangle area of the highest marine biodiversity in the world, increased political will and support for MPAs is urgently needed to meet global marine biodiversity targets and allow the Philippines to be an example of effective marine biodiversity conservation.