13 November 2014: On the occasion of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Parks Congress, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) released a publication highlighting the links between people and protected areas. The paper, titled ‘Protected Areas, People and Food Security – An FAO contribution to the World Parks Congress,’ focuses on meeting the dual challenges of protecting biodiversity through in situ conservation while fulfilling basic needs for food and nutrition security.

The publication is framed within the context of FAO’s 2013 International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition, and expounds on the Conference’s outcomes to bring food and nutrition security into the realm of protected areas. It highlights the many benefits of protected areas, which can provide food, clean water, medicine and fodder, as well as employment and livelihood opportunities.

The publication contains chapters on: protected areas and agriculture; sustainable use and conservation of genetic resources; people’s participation in protected areas; water and watershed management; tenure, food security and protected areas; the finance of protected areas for improved livelihoods; and restoration and landscape approaches in protected areas. In addressing these topics, the report concludes that the benefits of the ecosystem services provided by protected areas extend beyond park boundaries, and that improved financing for protected areas can enhance livelihoods.

The World Parks Congress is being held in Sydney, Australia, the 12-19 November 2014. [IUCN Press Release] [Publication: Protected Areas, People and Food Security: An FAO Contribution to the World Parks Congress] [ENB Coverage – World Parks Congress] [IISD story on International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition]