Global Standard

THE IUCN GREEN LIST OF PROTECTED AND CONSERVED AREAS:

GLOBAL STANDARD

DOCUMENT DETAILS

Title / THE IUCN GREEN LIST OF PROTECTED AND CONSERVED AREAS: GLOBAL STANDARD
Version / 0.4 April 2016 (draft of Version 1.0to be released in May 2016)
Source language / English. Official translations available.
Responsible Unit / IUCN GLOBAL PROTECTED AREAS PROGRAMME
Developed by / IUCN GREEN LIST OF PROTECTED AND CONSERVED AREAS: STANDARDS WORKING GROUP
Subject (Taxonomy) / Protected Areas; Conservation Outcomes; Voluntary Sustainability Standard; Protected Planet; Management Effectiveness; Assurance; Aichi Target 11.
Date approved / Draft
Approved by / Draft
Applicable to / IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas (GLPCA)
Objective / Tosetglobally consistent criteria that benchmark exemplary governance, design, planning and management in Protected and Conserved Areasanddefine successful conservation outcomes
Is part of / IUCN GREEN LIST OF PROTECTED AND CONSERVED AREAS (GLPCA) PROGRAMME
Conforms to / IUCN Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS)
Related Documents / IUCN GLPCA User Manual (Standards Development)
ISEAL Code of Best Practice for Sustainability Standards
Distribution / IUCN COMPASS; IUCN Union Portal and IUCN website
‘Protected Planet’ portal (UNEP-WCMC)
DOCUMENT HISTORY / CURRENT VERSION 0.4
Version / Release date / Summary of changes
Version 0.1 / Released in September 2012 / Presented for feedback at IUCN World Conservation Congress 2012, Jeju, Korea.
Version 0.2 / Released in June 2014 / Major adjustments to align with ISEAL Alliance Credibility Principles Expert Workshop (June 2014) to refine content. Version adopted for 2014 Pilot Phase.
Version 0.3 / Released in September 2015 / Global Consultation version, including minor adjustments based on feedback from evaluation of Pilot Phase (2014) and World Parks Congress feedback (Nov. 2014). Expert evaluation of comments received on this Version form basis for adjustments in current revision draft 0.4 and future Version 1.0

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INTRODUCTION

Protected areas are a universal approach to nature conservation onland and in the oceans. Conserving nature is essential for the future of humanity and for securing the persistence of natural diversity that supports human life.Well-governed, well-designed and well-managed protected areas are the most effective tool for conserving nature, and provide a wide range of ecological, socio-economic, cultural and spiritual benefits.

The IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas (GLPCA) Programme aims to encourage, achieve and promoteeffective, equitable and successful protected areas in all partner countries and jurisdictions. At the heart of the IUCN GLPCA Programme is a Global Standard. It describes a set of criteria for successful conservation in Protected Areas and thereby provides an international benchmark for qualitythat motivates improved performance and achievement of conservation objectives. By committing to meet this standard, site managers seek to demonstrate and maintain performance and deliver realnature conservation results.The objective of the Global Standardisto define success in Protected and Conserved Areas. It does so through globally consistent criteria that set the benchmark for exemplary PA governance, design, planning and management, which are the preconditions for strong conservation outcomes.

THE IUCN GLPCA DEVELOPMENT PHASE 2016 to 2018

IUCN began a concept for a Green List of Protected Areas in 2008. In 2012,IUCN Resolution WCC 2012-Res-041-EN called for the development of objective criteria for ‘Green Listing’. The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and IUCN’s Global Protected Areas Programmeaccordingly convened a global development and consultation process to create and test a new Standard for Protected Areas. A pilot phase in eight jurisdictions was undertaken with results presented at the IUCN World Parks Congress, Sydney, November 2014.A total of 25 Protected Areas received a ‘Green List’ certificate for their achievements.

In the current Development Phase,2016 to 2018, Protected Areas must demonstrate how they have maintained performance and meet the revised Standard. New protected areas from a partnership of at least 20 jurisdictions will engage in the GLPCA Programme.

INTERNATIONAL CODE OF BEST PRACTICE FOR SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS

IUCN is committed to align the development ofthe GLPCA Programmeto the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling Alliance (ISEAL Alliance) - Code of Best Practice in Standard Setting The IUCN GLPCA is seeking to comply with all relevant ISEAL requirements by 2018.

This Version 1.0 of the Standard (May 2016) is informed by the lessons learned from the evaluation of the pilot phase in 2014. Following ISEAL guidelines, a global public consultation opportunity provided valuable stakeholder feedback in 2015. The Standard is supported by anassurance procedure and regulations, as documented in the accompanying IUCN GLPCA User Manual. The GLPCA User Manual describes the vision, goals and objectives of the overall IUCN GLPCA Programme and its theory of change. It provides the framework for implementation of the Programme globally, and on a jurisdictional basis.

THE IUCN GLPCA GLOBAL STANDARD

The IUCN GLPCA Global Standard is organized into four components that contribute to successful nature conservation in Protected Areas, illustrated below (figure 1). The baseline components concern “Good Governance”, “Design and Planning”, and “Effective Management”. These support the component on “Successful Conservation Outcomes” attesting to the successful achievement of an area’s goals and objectives.

Figure 1: Components of the IUCN GLPCA Standard that guide a success in protected areas

Each component consists of a number of criteria. These are globally consistent requirements that collectively describe the efforts needed by a Protected Area to fully achieve the Global Standard. A ‘Green List’ Protected Area is one that is currently evaluated to achieve all criteria, across all four components.

GLOBALLY CONSISTENT; LOCALLY RELEVANT

TheGlobal Standard is implemented through a jurisdictional approach, tailored to each country or region where the GLPCA is adopted. The application of each criterionis through understanding the specific context of the area. The Programme allows for flexibility in each jurisdiction in the interpretation of the Global Standard.

For each criterion inthe Global Standard, a set of generic Indicators and associated Means of Verification is maintained by IUCN. These generic indicators may be adapted to the context of each participating jurisdiction, to allow for regional and local characteristics and circumstances in which Protected Areas operate. The guidance and rules for this process are detailed in the IUCN GLPCA User Manual.

ASSURANCE AND EVALUATION

The IUCN GLPCA Programme assures that ‘Green List’ Protected Areas areeffectively and equitably managed, and achieving their goals and objectives.A global partnership with Accreditation Services international (ASI) provides the GLPCA with assurance mechanisms and procedures that ensure independence and credibility of decision-making. Involvement on the part of individual protected areas, conserved areas, and their governing agencies is entirely voluntary, through commitment to the GLPCA to promote continuous improvement.

‘GREEN LIST’ STATUS FOR PROTECTED AREAS

Sites wishing to achieve ‘Green List’ status must demonstrate successful implementation of the IUCN GLPCA Global Standard. This is evaluated in three phases.

1. Commitment Phase:

The first step for a Protected Area is a voluntary commitment to the GLPCA Programme. This commitment places the area on a globalRegister afterthe site demonstrates the basic requirements for consideration.Sites then undergo an initial assessment against the Global Standard and adapted Indicators for their jurisdiction. Once the site has showed that it has the ingredients and potential for success, and that there is broad-based support for their achievement of the ‘Green List’, it is granted Candidate status. It is during this phase that site managers will learn of areas that may need to be strengthened before they can be considered to meet the Standard.

1. Candidate Phase:

Once admitted as a candidate, the site begins a second phase of assessment against the full set of GLPCA Standard criteria, providing evidence against all indicators and addressing any identified shortcomings over a period of time.This phaseof improvement may take several years depending on the issues that have been identified. Candidate sites can eventually be considered for Nomination to the Green List, once they deem all criteria to be achieved and all evidence and stakeholder support is secured and presented.

1. Nomination Phase:

The Nomination process involves the preparation and submission of a complete nomination dossier by a candidate site addressing all Global Standard criteria. It will be evaluated by an Expert Assessment Group for the local jurisdiction, with the process audited by an independent and accredited Reviewer. Based on this recommendation, the final decision will be approved, or referred, by the IUCN GLPCA independent global Panel of senior experts.

Figure 2: Achieving the Standard - from Commitment to Candidate to Green List nomination

THE ‘GREEN LIST’ OF PROTECTED AND CONSERVED AREAS

Once a Candidate site is awarded ‘Green List’ status, the management and representatives of the area will be provided a certificate of five-year duration. The area will be afforded the right to use the IUCN GLPCA mark and logo, and will be recognised and promoted by IUCN as a global exemplar in conservation achievement. Additionally, all Registered, Candidate and ‘Green List’ sites will be profiled on the Protected Planet portal of the UNEP- World Conservation Monitoring Centre’s (WCMC) World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA).Candidate-level Protected Areas can make limited use of the IUCN GLPCA brand in order to secure recognition and support for their efforts to improve performance.

During this period, however, the IUCN GLPCA Programme focuses on helping ‘Green List’ Protected Areas to maintain their status, as well as encourage new areas to join and improve. A 2-year ‘fitness check’ review of progress and performance is carried out for all ‘Green List’ sites. However, throughout the period, the IUCN GLPCA Programme factors and filters stakeholder views and public opinion into the area’s ongoing performance, through alerts that may trigger a performance review. The IUCN GLPCA User Manual also deals with procedures for complaints and grievances from any parties involved.

In the fifth-year of a Protected Area’s ‘Green List’ status, a process for renewal will ensure that a new evaluation focuses on those priority elements that have altered in the intervening period, either in the context and circumstance of the Protected Area, or to align with any updated procedures or updates in the Global Standard or GLPCA Programme requirements. If performance has been consistent or improved, then the area can expect to enjoy ‘Green List’ status for a further 5-year period. If for any reason new challenges impact the area’s achievement of the Standard, it may be considered again as a Candidate, and encouraged to develop a specific plan of action to regain Green List status through renewed nomination.

Consult the GLPCA User Manual or contact the IUCN Global Protected Areas Programme for more information on the process of achieving the GLPCA Standard ().

THE IUCN GREEN LIST OF PROTECTED AND CONSERVED AREAS:

GLOBAL STANDARD

Standard Element / Description
Component / A high level organizing principle of the GLPCA Standard. Each Component consists of a set of Criteria and their associated Indicators and suggested Means of Verification.
Criteria (singular: Criterion) / Each of the GLPA Standard’s four components is associated with a number of Criteria. Criteria are the globally consistent requirements that PAs must meet in order to be Green Listed. The Criteria are not designed for direct assessment in the field. Each Criterion is benchmarked with a number of generic Indicators that detail the specific requirements that must be met to demonstrate conformity with that Criterion.
Indicators / A quantitative or qualitative variable which can be measured or described, and which provides a means of judging whether a PA complies with the requirements of a Criterion. Indicators and the associated thresholds thereby define the requirements for successful PA management at the jurisdictional level and are the primary basis of assessment for the GLPCA.
Guidance notes / The guidance notes provide additional clarification to the intent of the Component or Criterion of the Standard. They should provide reference and offer steps toward general conformity, and describe how a PA may approach compliance with the relevant criteria they support. They explain the context for the Generic Indicators and help guide their Adaptation in each jurisdiction.
Means of Verification / A source of information that would allow an assessor to evaluate compliance with an Indicator. Means of Verification help provide clarity to PA managers and assessors, but are not normative

Component 1: GOOD GOVERNANCE

Green List areas demonstrate equitable and effective governance
Guidance notes:
Component 1 is about the quality of governance of the protected area, and its links to the performance against Criteria for Components 2 and 3, ultimately yielding successful conservation outcomes in Component 4.
As described in the IUCN Best Practice Guidelines on Governance of Protected Areas[1], governance is concerned with:
•who decides on the objectives of a PA, how to pursue them, and with what means;
•how those decisions are taken;
•who holds power, authority and responsibility; and
•who should be held accountable.
Practically, governance arrangements can vary greatly depending on the local context, but they can be defined as one of the four types as defined by IUCN1
•Type A: governance by government;
•Type B: shared governance;
•Type C: private governance; and
•Type D: governance by Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
IUCN has defined five broad principles for good governance of protected areas (elsewhere described as equitable management or equitable governance):
•Legitimacy and Voice;
•Direction;
•Performance;
•Accountability; and
•Fairness and Rights.
These principles should be applied flexibly according to context, although some relate to human rights for which international standards are progressively written into law.
Governance concerns the processes and institutions that guide how decisions are made. It sets the ‘rules of the game’ that determine the ability of different actors to participate in decision-making, what knowledge should be drawn on, how a protected area is integrated into the broader landscape and land-use and who has a legitimate voice in the management of a protected area. Not all stakeholders and rights-holders have equal opportunities and capacities within decision-making processes, so governance of a protected area should ensure that decision-making processes seek to balance inequitable distribution of power and resources[2].
IUCN’s Environmental and Social Management System (IUCN ESMS, April 2016) also provides further guidance.
1.1GUARANTEE LEGITIMACY AND VOICE
There are clearly defined, legitimate and functional governance arrangements, in which the interests of civil society, rights-holders and stakeholders are fairly represented and addressed, including those relating to the establishment or designation of the site.
Guidance Notes:
The area is legally established in compliance with relevant international agreements and national and applicable regional legislation, and the area’s legal status and boundaries are clearly defined and are not subject to major ongoing legal or social dispute.
Considerations of legitimacywill help determine how the voices of different actors, with different levels of power, are properly accounted for in decision-making.
1.2ENSURE PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Rights-holders and stakeholders are effectively and regularly involved in decision-making and the adaptive management of the site.
Guidance Notes:
Key stakeholdersand rights-holders are actively and effectively involved in the processes of decision making regarding the site’s management, over time (i.e. planning, implementation of management actions, monitoring and evaluation of site management),as it affects them. .
1.3ACHIEVE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Governance arrangements and decision-making processes are transparent and appropriately communicated, and responsibilities for implementation are clear, including an efficient process to identify, hear and resolve complaints, disputes, or grievances.
Guidance Notes:
Governance processes and decision-making are open to scrutiny by all stakeholders, with information presented in appropriate formats and the reasoning behind decisions evident.There is also an appropriate, accessible process to identify, hear and resolve complaints, disputes, or grievances related to the governance or management of the area.
1.4ENABLEGOVERNANCE VITALITY TO RESPOND ADAPTIVELY TO CHANGE
Governance arrangements enable management to draw upon the best available knowledge of the ecological and social context of the area, and effectively anticipate, learn from, and respond to change during planning and decision-making.
Guidance Notes:
Governance arrangements should be in place that enableadaptive capacity to respond to events, knowledge, monitoring and learning. Adaptive governance should enable action despite uncertainty about future environmental change, and should support iterative learning within protected area planning and management to foster a culture of experimentation and risk taking.
Governance determines whether, and how, evaluation and learning from protected area monitoring programmes are integrated into on-going planning and management efforts. A solid foundation of adaptive governance should ensure that an area is able to monitor, measure and demonstrate that nature conservation and social goals and objectivesare being achieved in the face of changing circumstances.
Adaptive governance instils a learning culture into all aspects of protected area management and draws on multiple types of knowledge (scientific, experiential, localand traditional) where relevant. Ecosystems and social systems change over time; a learning culture will enable management to adapt to changing circumstances.