Global - Catalyzing support for protected areas

Since 2004, when Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity ratified the Programme of Work on Protected Areas (POWPA), UNDP has supported nearly 150 protected area projects in more than 100 countries, with a budget of nearly US$ 400 million.

In direct response to the creation of POWPA, UNDP designed the Early Action Grant Project for Protected Areas to establish a fast-disbursing mechanism to assist eligible countries to undertake country-driven early actions in line with this Programme. The US$ 9.4 million project, which began in 2008, included 47 countries, the majority of which were Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States. The aim of the project was to enable countries to take early actions that were critical to implementing the POWPA, such as developing time-bound and measurable targets and indicators for protected areas; assessing the status of governance types and categories within the protected area network; completing an ecological gap assessment; and integrating protected areas (PAs) into the wider landscape, seascape and production sectors.

The project was unique in several ways. It provided streamlined access to funding; most countries received funds within one or two months after applying to the fund, and many noted that this streamlined access allowed them to keep momentum in undertaking complex and politically challenging steps in assessing and improving their PA systems. The project also provided not only administrative support, but also substantial technical support. Through a close collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the project provided 17 in-person trainings, reaching 42 out of 47 of the project managers. The project developed a series of 13 e-learning modules, available in multiple languages; these modules ensure that the process of implementing the individual country projects and the lessons learned during that process are captured and shared across all countries. To date, more than 2,500 PA practitioners have accessed the modules from 125 countries. Also critical to the success of the project was the collaboration of multiple NGOs, donors and governments in a partnership called the “Friends of PoWPA.” This consortium provided additional funding and technical support on key issues. One NGO, for example, contributed more than $3 million in order to jump start the project, and more than a dozen governments contributed to the e-learning project and to the workshop series.

The project has had impressive outcomes, including: 22 countries have completed a gap assessment; 18 countries have assessed and improved the diversity of governance types; 16 countries have assessed and improved the legal framework for protected areas; 20 countries have initiated capacity strengthening programs; and 8 countries have developed sustainable finance mechanisms. In addition to the 125 individual country projects, the project also resulted in less obvious but important outcomes. For example, the workshops and e-learning course rooms fostered regional dialogue among participants from neighboring countries, a dialogue that continues today in several of the regions. In short, this project has helped to catalyze a substantial number of early actions on the POWPA, with tangible and measurable benefits for biodiversity across 47 countries.