The Vth IUCN World Parks Congress (WPC) convened in Durban, South Africa, from 8-17 September 2003 under the overarching theme of “Benefits beyond Boundaries.” More than 2,700 participants attended the Congress, organized by IUCN – the World Conservation Union every ten years.

Participants addressed gaps within protected area (PA) systems by identifying under-represented ecosystems, defined tools to improve management effectiveness, sought new legal arrangements, and identified partnerships.
The Congress produced several outcomes. The three main Congress Outputs are: the Durban Accord and Action Plan, consisting of a high-level vision statement for PAs, and an outline of implementation mechanisms; 32 recommendations, approved by workshops during the Congress; and the Message to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Other outcomes include: the UN List and State of the World’s Protected Areas, a global report on the world’s PAs; a Protected Areas Learning Network (PALNet), a web-based knowledge management tool for PA managers and stake-holders; and specific outputs on Africa’s PAs, including a recommendation on Africa’s PAs and the Durban Consensus on African Protected Areas for the New Millennium. During the Congress, new PAs were announced in countries such as Madagascar, Senegal and Brazil, covering 200,000 sq km, and a total amount of US$ 35 million was pledged for conservation both on land and sea.
WPC highlights included heated debates between representatives of the extractive industries, conservationists and indigenous peoples, as well as discussions on, inter alia, linkages in the landscape and seascape, PA governance, PA financial future and evaluation of PA management. WPC discussions reflected: the importance of addressing the needs of people residing in and around PAs, and the need for those people’s participation in PA management; the recognition that PAs provide valuable ecosystem services; and the need for providing tools, guidelines, training and resources for PA managers. For Sustainable Developments’ summary report and web coverage on this meeting, visit: http://enb.iisd.org/linkages/sd/worldparksV/