Protected areas are the cornerstone of virtually all national and international conservation policies. About 10% of the world's forests are to be found in protected areas, and Forest Protected Areas make a critical contribution to conservation. The purpose of this publication is to address two questions, both of which are strategic, complex and politically significant: What is, and what is not, a Forest Protected Area? What other forms of forest protection are there, and how do they relate to Forest Protected Areas?

Building on data that is more comprehensive and reliable than ever before, covering 234 countries and territories, the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015 shows encouraging signs of improved forest management and a global slowdown in deforestation. However these trends need to be strengthened, especially in countries that are lagging behind.

IUCN's Protected Areas Management Categories, which classify protected areas according to their management objectives, are today accepted as the benchmark for defining, recording, and classifying protected areas. They are recognized by international bodies such as the United Nations as well as many national governments. As a result, they are increasingly being incorporated into government legislation. These guidelines provide as much clarity as possible regarding the meaning and application of the Categories. They describe the definition of the Categories and discuss application in particular biomes and management approaches.

For decades, conservation and research initiatives in tropical forests have focused almost exclusively on old-growth forests because scientists believed that these “pristine” ecosystems housed superior levels of biodiversity. With Second Growth, Robin L. Chazdon reveals those assumptions to be largely false, bringing to the fore the previously overlooked counterpart to old-growth forest: second growth. Even as human activities result in extensive fragmentation and deforestation, tropical forests demonstrate a great capacity for natural and human-aided regeneration. Although these damaged landscapes can take centuries to regain the characteristics of old growth, Chazdon shows here that regenerating—or second-growth—forests are vital, dynamic reservoirs of biodiversity and environmental services. What is more, they always have been. With chapters on the roles these forests play in carbon and nutrient cycling, sustaining biodiversity, providing timber and non-timber products, and integrated agriculture, Second Growth not only offers a thorough and wide-ranging overview of successional and restoration pathways, but also underscores the need to conserve, and further study, regenerating tropical forests in an attempt to inspire a new age of local and global stewardship.

Protected areas (PAs) contain biodiversity and ecosystems of high conservation value. In addition, these areas provide a range of benefits, both direct and indirect, to our societies and economies, i.e. so called ecosystem services. These services include, for example, an ecosystem's ability to regulate floods and climate, purify water, secure the pollination of crops, and create opportunities for recreation, culture and tourism. This book offers a comprehensive introduction to the socio-economic benefits of PAs and PA networks and provides step-by-step practical guidance on identifying, assessing and valuing the various ecosystem services and related benefits provided by PAs. It also aims to improve the communication of PA benefits to different stakeholders and the general public. It is shown that identifying and valuing the socio-economic benefits of PAs can be beneficial for several reasons. Demonstrating socio-economic importance of a protected site can significantly increase political and stakeholder support for the site and resolve conflicts between different interest groups. This can lead to positive changes in policies and decision-making. Insights on PA benefits are also needed to identify a combination of actions and land use practices that best support the sustainable and equitable utilisation of these benefits, while retaining a site’s conservation goals. Finally, demonstrating different benefits can help to discover alternative and sustainable sources for financing the management of PAs.

Establishment of a protected area (PA) is a key global conservation strategy aimed to protect the Earths imperiled biodiversity and ecosystems. Globally, PA networks now cover nearly 15% of the terrestrial ecosystem. Despite the importance of PAs in protecting declining biodiversity and unique ecosystems, many of them are in critical condition due to poor governance, thus functioning below the expected level. Moreover, in many developing countries, the PA coverage is lower than the global standard. Recognising their contemporary role in conservation, governments have recently agreed to expand the global PA coverage to 17% by the year 2020 (Aichi Target 11). This book with case studies from around the world and provides an overview of PA governance, institutional mechanisms, conservation benefits, limitations and challenges associated with their respective policy discourse, integrated management, and functional attributes. Chapter One provides a general overview with an introduction to the chapters, while Chapters Two through Nine present various attributes of protected area management, from policy to governance, conservation to ecotourism, and land-use/cover change to impact on climate. Protected areas will continue to play an important role in conservation and protection of biodiversity and wild habitats, particularly in countries where population pressure and habitat loss are high. Regular intervention, political commitment, and effective governance are essential for the sustainability of PAs across the globe. In this book, we also attempted to shed some light on future developmental clues for the sustainable management and monitoring of PAs worldwide. This book will be useful to managers of protected areas, conservation scientists, policymakers, students and researchers working on biodiversity conservation, natural resources, and environmental management.

The central aim of this publication is to consider the key elements of a modern, comprehensive, and effective legal framework for successful management of protected areas. They provide practical guidance for all those involved in developing, improving, or reviewing national legislation on protected areas, be they legal drafters and practitioners, protected area managers, interested NGOs, or scholars. These guidelines include fifteen case studies, eight dealing with the protected area legislation of individual countries and six cases dealing with specific sites providing fundamental solutions that stand the test of time.

""This passionate, well-researched book makes a compelling case for a paradigm shift in conservation practice. It explores new policies and practices, which offer alternatives to exclusionary, uninhabited national parks and wilderness areas and make possible new kinds of protected areas that recognize Indigenous peoples' rights and benefit from their knowledge and conservation contributions"--Provided by publisher"--

This book aims to examine the context and practice of national parks regarding a countries obligations to safeguard biodiversity through the protection and management of forest-protected areas. The book examines the wider impacts of national parks within the scope of an integrated environmental hub at the global and regional level and eventually delves into the country case. Three areas are covered: theoretical underpinnings and concepts related to national parks, exploring their various modalities and integrated concerns for the environment; an empirical review in lieu of effective management of protected areas as defined by the World Conservation Union IUCN, addressing the efficient use of human and material resources, including national/agency-protected area regulations and legislation, policies, international conventions and designations, management plans, and/or agreements associated with those areas; and evaluation of challenges underlying a countrys intention to gauge the potential of a national park and pinpoint adequate attention on exploiting new strategies for national park management.

Protected Area Governance and Management presents a compendium of original text, case studies and examples from across the world, by drawing on the literature, and on the knowledge and experience of those involved in protected areas. The book synthesises current knowledge and cutting-edge thinking from the diverse branches of practice and learning relevant to protected area governance and management. It is intended as an investment in the skills and competencies of people and consequently, the effective governance and management of protected areas for which they are responsible, now and into the future. The global success of the protected area concept lies in its shared vision to protect natural and cultural heritage for the long term, and organisations such as International Union for the Conservation of Nature are a unifying force in this regard. Nonetheless, protected areas are a socio-political phenomenon and the ways that nations understand, govern and manage them is always open to contest and debate. The book aims to enlighten, educate and above all to challenge readers to think deeply about protected areas—their future and their past, as well as their present. The book has been compiled by 169 authors and deals with all aspects of protected area governance and management. It provides information to support capacity development training of protected area field officers, managers in charge and executive level managers.