21 October 2010: A publication on “Protected Areas for the 21st Century: Lessons from UNDP/GEF’s Portfolio” was presented during CBD COP 10 in Nagoya, Japan, looking at the changing expectations for the roles and functions, and key issues regarding, protected areas in the present century.

The report is based on case studies drawn largely from the portfolio of projects financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the UN Development Programme (UNDP). An introductory section presents background on historical and evolving concepts of protected areas and their roles. The following sections of the report address eight key themes that are shaping protected areas management in the 21st Century, namely: enabling policy environments; management planning; protected area assessment and restoration; governance and participation; capacity and sustainable finance; protected area networks and ecological gap assessments; and connectivity corridors and transboundary protected areas. For each of the eight themes, the report presents a snapshot of the current status of implementation, a set of emerging best practices, and one or more case studies that illustrate innovative and successful approaches. [CBD Protected Areas Tools] [IISD RS ENBOTS coverage of the launch at COP 10]