PPPAM. Global Partnership for Professionalizing Protected Area Management

Transcription

1 Global Partnership for Professionalizing Protected Area Management PPPAM Overview Increasing human populations, the loss of natural capital, and the impacts of climate change have increased the value of protected areas in efforts to conserve biodiversity and make their effective management even more crucial.. Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have set important targets for the establishment and effective management of protected areas, extending their functions to serve as natural solutions, with a central role in climate change mitigation, adaptation and risk management. Currently, there are more than 200,000 protected areas worldwide. They encompass over 13% of the land surface, 6% of the coastal areas, but still only very little open ocean. To be innovative and effective in providing biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, and other benefits, both within and outside their boundaries, protected areas need to practice good organizational management and governance, be ecologically connected to adjacent land and water, and integrate their work across the wider landscapes and seascapes. To achieve this they require a skilled, motivated and adequately resourced workforce that has access to the most current ideas and best practices developed through decades of lesson-learning around the world. Today s protected areas are becoming increasingly complex institutions that require highly diverse skill sets to manage. However, many protected area directors, managers and staff lack the necessary range of skills to ensure the effective and equitable management of these areas, and they have limited capacity for sustained and adaptive organizational management. Despite being responsible for the complex management of a significant proportion of the world s natural capital, protected area management is still not recognized in many countries as a distinct profession with its own standards, qualifications and career structure.

2 The Global Partnership To address the global need to professionalize protected area management and build the competence of protected area staff, the World Commission on Protected Areas (IUCN WCPA) and the Global Protected Areas Program of IUCN Secretariat (GPAP) are leading an initiative called the Global Partnership for Professionalizing Protected Area Management (GPPPAM). This global initiative was launched with the support of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity at the World Conservation Congress in Jeju in The GPPPAM initiative will apply the tools commonly used by other professions to advance the protected area management profession. These tools include core competences, a body of knowledge that codifies how to achieve competence, including informal and formal education and training programs, and guidelines for the certification of competence (Figure 1). These components are explained in more detail below. 1. Core Competence Standards GPPPAM is identifying the full range of skills, knowledge and personal qualities potentially required for working in today s protected areas. Based on these it is developing a comprehensive set of competences for protected area work at four staff levels: Skilled Workers Middle Managers Senior PA Managers, and Higher level staff of PA Systems These competences can be used in many ways: to plan organizational structures, to define job descriptions, to measure and assess current skills and performance and as the basis for capacity development programmes and qualifications. 2. Body of Knowledge A profession must codify its best practices for achieving its required competences. An open source database will be curated by recognized PA professionals, to include the best existing materials in the field of PA management that will aid in developing staff and organizational performance. Materials will include a new e-book on PA Governance and Management, various methodologies, IUCN Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines, technical reports, resources for training and learning, presentations, videos, exercises etc. This material for developing staff competence can be used on the job, individually, in traditional short-courses or formal training programs and as resources for mentoring and learning support. 3. Formal curricula leading to certificates and degrees Based on the competences and the body of knowledge, detailed curricula will be developed and made available online to individuals or organizations willing to use them on an opensource basis in order to work towards common standards of skills and knowledge around the world, with the only obligation to provide feedback and facilitate any further development or adaptation. 4. Assessment and Certification A profession must recognize those who are competent. This can be achieved through performance assessments on the job and/or independent certifications. GPPPAM will create guidelines and criteria to develop or recognize national/regional certification programs, based around the competences, the body of knowledge and the curricula. Certification addresses the demand of PA professionals for recognition of their work, career guidance and growth, and networking. It provides incentives for career-long engagement and for innovative leadership. Certification following the successful MPA PRO ( wiocompas/) model provides clear milestones for PA professionals who have applied skills from training courses to their work as well as for those veterans who have performed on the job without formal training.

3 Figure 1. GPPPAM aims to strengthen the capacity of individuals and organizations for PA management effectiveness through professionalization tools: aligned competence standards, an organized Body of Knowledge for learning, and recognition of performance through certification. These aligned and synergistic components will be supported by scholarships for protected area staff, mentoring and exchange opportunities, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation. GPPPAM GPPPAM aims to support the full-life-cycle development of PA professionals and organizations. It innovates by moving beyond stand-alone training programs that are based on the assumption that knowledge alone, not competence, is the main basis of job performance. GPPPAM achieves this by building the foundations for a profession with its associated elements, serving the needs of both young and veteran PA professionals throughout their career. The ultimate goal of this initiative is to formalize and support protected area professional practice, professionalize protected areas as organizations, and lead to higher management effectiveness. While external factors can t be directly controlled, PAs must start with what they can influence - internal processes and staff competence. By starting with PA staff, their full spectrum of core competence will flow over to engage other stakeholders to fully participate.

4 The IUCN WCPA Protected Area Capacity Development Programme is pursuing the establishment of a formal partnership with organizations at global and national levels. The proposed structure for GPPPAM is as an independent agency to be governed by a board elected from the partner institutions, and with permanent seats at least for IUCN WCPA, representatives from academic institutions, the International Ranger Federation, and representatives from national PA agencies. The final structure will be defined by the Partners at the time of the formal constitution of the partnership. It will have at least an executive director with experience both in protected areas as well as capacity development and support staff to manage the Body of Knowledge, Core Competences, Certification Endorsements, databases, the learning platforms and constant updating of curricula and contents including case studies and best practices originating through partner institutions. GPPPAM business model GPPPAM will be registered as a new organization, having a governing board where WCPA and GPAP will have permanent seats. Additionally there will be representation of the academic sector, PA agencies and NGOs that support capacity development. It will rely heavily on networking and volunteer work, having minimum staff to guarantee permanent updates in all the materials. Long-term sustainability will be guaranteed by accreditation and certification fees, payments for institutional use of the curricula and other services.

5 GPPPAM Components Scholarship Fund Enable motivated PA staff to seek their own capacity development path and to attend formal training programs from accredited providers. GPPPAM courses will be supported by a trust fund that will provide scholarships to accredited institutions to allow staff especially from developing countries to have access to training. Funds will also provide for a small amount of seed funding to facilitate practical projects on site to reinforce training and enhance management applications. Mentoring and Exchanges A global mentorship and exchange program will allow for on-site training and learning through exchange programs within PA systems. Mentoring and exchange can significantly enhance the competencies of professionals that can share time and work with experienced and well-qualified staff that are willing to share their time at national level or across boundaries. Accredited Training Providers Competence-based training and qualifications will be promoted through accreditation of academic institutions and training centers. GPPPAM will foster a network of accredited Training Centers of Excellence to ensure best instruction practices using PA curricula developed and accredited by GPPPAM partners. An active network of accredited institutions will further enhance the partnership and allow for a permanent development of GPPPAM. GPPPAM

6 GPPPAM The 2014 World Parks Congress Capacity Development Legacy An IUCN WCPA Protected Area Capacity Development Programme was developed in 2012 that contains three broad components of protected area capacity development: (1) the education and training of protected area professionals and higher level government decision-makers; (2) the production of knowledge products such as books, best practice protected area guidelines, technical briefs, and electronic-learning modules; and (3) the creation of tools that help achieve high standards for protected area management effectiveness. This Programme will provide the framework that will guide and implement the World Parks Congress Capacity Development Legacy during the Congress and beyond. A major component of the Capacity Development Legacy of the Congress is the IUCN WCPA Global Partnership for Professionalizing Protected Area Management, described in this paper.

7 An objective of the World Parks Congress Capacity Development Cross-Cutting Theme is to ensure that all the World Parks Congress capacity development events that take place before, during and after the Congress are aligned to a unifying Strategic Framework for Capacity Development Programmes, developed by the IUCN WCPA PA CD Programme. The Framework aims to foster strategic reflection and action on the required competences at the system, organizational processes and staffing levels. Such an approach will also promote better goal-setting and evaluation of CD interventions and result in a more productive engagement of the CD community with donors. Relevant new and emerging issues arising from Congress discussions will be incorporated. Initially focusing on protected areas to show impact of this strategic approach, the WPC CD Legacy will subsequently be broadened to include the larger environmental/ecosystem governance, management and development issues. The WPC will feature new, cutting-edge IUCN WCPA publications. Five IUCN WCPA Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines, for example, will be launched at the Congress and five others will be presented as drafts to solicit feedback from Congress participants.

8 How to join the Global Partnership for Professionalizing Protected Area Management The Global Partnership for Professionalizing Protected Area Management is open to organizations and individuals involved with the practice of PA management, capacity development, training, and curriculum development, To learn more about joining the Partnership, please contact: or Partners GPPPAM is being developed through a collaborative effort by a team that includes several academic institutions, and other organizations. They include: GPPPAM