18 October 2012: A new report, titled “Protected Planet Report 2012: Tracking progress towards global targets for protected areas,” was released on the sidelines of the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The report – the first in an annual series – reviews progress towards the achievement of CBD targets on protected areas, and includes a set of indicators for protected area coverage, representativeness, effectiveness, management and governance.

The report, the first in an annual series, was compiled by the UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It states that protected areas have increased in area by just under 50% since 1990. However, the study notes, poor management, under-funding and a lack of critical data on protected areas mean that progress towards the 2020 goals is insufficient. The study concludes that the existing global protected area network does not provide adequate coverage of the world’s terrestrial eco-regions.

The report recommends that existing protected areas develop alternative revenue streams, such as tourist fees, private sector funding, and payment for ecosystem services. Building on the Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP), it recommends the following priority actions to ensure achievement of the 2020 targets on protected areas: accelerate the strategic expansion of the protected area network, and increase coverage of eco-regions and other important biodiversity sites; improve understanding of the benefits of protected areas in supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services; expand management effective assessments of protected areas; strengthen involvement of local communities; secure sustainable funding for protected areas; and, to improve data on protected areas, enhance national reporting to existing datasets, such as the World Database on Protected Areas. [UNEP Press Release] [Publication: Protected Planet Report 2012] [Protected Planet Website]