IUCN WCPA Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Schedule and Related Documents/Items
IUCN WCPA Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Schedule and Related Documents/Items
IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and the Global Protected Areas Programme (GPAP) maintain the IUCN WCPA Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines. In October 2010, the Best Practice Protected Area Series took on even greater relevance when the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP10 in Nagoya mandated IUCN to advise parties on how best to implement the CBD Strategic Plan and the Programme of Work on Protected Areas. We regard an updated series of Best Practice Guidelines endorsed by both IUCN and the CBD to be an important contribution to this task.
The IUCN WCPA Publications Policy, endorsed by the IUCN WCPA Steering Committee, 6th April 2011, requires the IUCN WCPA Executive Committee (EXCO) to approve each publication and to appoint a Publication Manager for each publication. These decisions are reflected in the Table below. See theWCPA Publications policy here: and the Best Practice Protected Areas Guidelines Series Editorial Policy and Guidance for Authors here:
Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines -Completed Products / Publication date / Editor / Translations*/NotesBP1: National Systems Planning for Protected Areas / 1998 / Adrian Phillips / A, C, E, R
BP2: Economic Values of Protected Areas / 1998 / Adrian Phillips / E, R
BP3: Guidelines for Marine Protected Areas / 1999 / Adrian Phillips / E
BP4: Indigenous Peoples and Protected Areas / 2000 / Adrian Phillips / E, S
BP5: Financing Protected Areas / 2000 / Adrian Phillips / E
BP6: Evaluating Effectiveness: A Framework for Assessing the Management of Protected Areas: 1st edition / 2000 / Adrian Phillips / C, E,R-1st Edition
E,F- 2nd Edition
BP7: Transboundary Protected Areas for Peace and Cooperation / 2001 / Adrian Phillips / C, E
BP8: Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas / 2002 / Adrian Phillips / C, E, R
BP9: Management Guidelines for IUCN Category V Protected Areas Protected Landscapes/Seascapes / 2002 / Adrian Phillips / C, E, F, S
BP10: Guidelines for Management Planning of Protected Areas / 2003 / Adrian Phillips / A, C, E, F, J
BP11: Indigenous and Local Communities and Protected Areas: Towards Equity and Enhanced Conservation / 2004 / Adrian Phillips / E
BP12: Forests and Protected Areas: Guidance on the use of the IUCN Protected Area Management Categories / 2006 / Adrian Phillips / E
BP13: Sustainable Financing of Protected Areas / 2006 / Peter Valentine / E
BP14 Evaluating Effectiveness: A Framework for Assessing the Management of Protected Areas: 2nd edition / 2006 / Peter Valentine / E, F
BP15: Identification and Gap Analysis of Key Biodiversity Areas: Targets for Comprehensive Protected Area Systems / 2006 / Peter Valentine / E, F
BP16: Sacred Natural Sites: Guidelines for Protected Area Managers / 2008 / Peter Valentine / E, ES, F, K, R, S
BP17: Protected Area Staff Training: Guidelines for Planning and Management / 2011 / Peter Valentine / E
BP18: Ecological Restoration for Protected Areas: Principles, Guidelines and Best Practices / 2012 / Peter Valentine / E, F, K
BP19: Guidelines for applying the IUCN Protected Area Management Categories to Marine Protected Areas: Supplement to the 2008 IUCN Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories / 2012 / Peter Valentine / E, F, S
WCPA Publications not in PA Best Practice Guidance Series- Completed / Publication date / Editor / Translations*/Notes
Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories (not in BP PA Guideline Series but closely related) / 2008 / Nigel Dudley / A, E, F, J, K, S
Related Items Approved or Agreed by the WCPA EXCO / Date Approved / Lead / Notes
EXCO agreed to establish a new Publications Sub Committee to be responsible for the approving the schedule of publications, ensure regional input and testing takes place, and ensure adequate standards for the production and editing of the BP Guidelines. / 29 January 2013 / GPAP/WCPA
Agreed on the need to find a new BPG Series Editor / 29 January 2013 / GPAP/WCPA
Agreed that principles regarding IUCN WCPA Publication policy budget and payment for services would established, including alignment with the WCPA PA Capacity Development Programme. / 29 January 2013 / GPAP/WCPA
Approved Editorial Policy for the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Best Practice Guidelines Series and Guidelines for Lead Authors (A revision of the 2011 WCPA document with the same title). / 10 May 2012 / GPAP/WCPA / Approved 10 May 2012 by WCPA EXCO.
Approved the concept of a “Branded” Guideline Series between IUCN/WCPA and the Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat. / 10 May 2012 / GPAP/WCPA / Concept approved 10 May 2012 by WCPA EXCO.
Recent Publication Project Proposals not approved by the WCPA EXCO / Date of Action / Proposal author / Notes
Guidelines for the Planning and Management of Concessions, Leases, Licenses, and Permits in Parks and Protected Areas / 29 January 2013 / Paul Eagles, WCPA/University of Waterloo / Proposal not approved. EXCO suggested instead that the proposed relevant material be incorporated into the BPG on Sustainable Tourism, under revision by the TAPAS Group.
WCPA Publications that are not in Best Practice Protected Area Guidance Series – Approved by EXCO and in development / Lead
Author (LA) or Publications Manager (PM) / Editor / Notes
Protected Areas: Governance and Management: An E-Book / November 2014 (projected) / Graeme Worboys (PM), G. Worboys, M. Lockwood and A. Kothari-editors / Approved 10 May 2012 by WCPA EXCO.
Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines in Production - Approved by the WCPA Executive Committee / Lead Author (LA) or Publications Manager (PM) / Editor / Notes
Designs for Nature: Regional Conservation Planning, Implementation and Management / Stephen Woodley (LA) / Samantha Weber / Approved by WCPA Chair in 2008. Draft completed 2013.
Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas (BP8 under revision) / Anna Spenceley (PM)
Yu-Fai Leung (LA) / TAPAS Group target completion date is 2014
Urban Protected Areas / Ted Trzyna (PM and LA) / Approval by WCPA EXCO via mail March 2012. Korean NPS funding support.
Completion date projected June 2013.
Climate Change and Protected Areas / Stephen Woodley (PM) / Approved by EXCO 7 April 2011. In planning stage. Draft completion anticipated in 2014.
Managing Alien Invasive Species in Protected Areas / PieroGenovesi (PM) / Approved by EXCO 10 May 2012. SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group Task Force will be formed in 2012.
Wilderness Protected Areas: Management Guidelines for IUCN Category 1b / Cyril Kormos and Vance Martin (PM) / Approved by EXCO 10 May 2012. Funding is being sought.
Governance of Protected Areas: From Understanding to Action / GraziaBorrini-Feyerabend (PM) / Adrian Phillips / Approved by EXCO via email August 2012. On 29 January 2013 EXCO authorized the preparation and publication of this BPG.
SocialAssessment of Protected Areas / Colleen Corrigan (PM);Dilys Roe and Colleen Corrigan(LA) / Proposal approved by WCPA EXCO on 22 March 2013
Publication Project Proposals pending review by the WCPA Executive Committee / Lead Author (LA) or Publications Manager (PM) / Editor / Notes
Private Protected Areas Futures: Assessing and advancing the role of Private Protected Areas (Publication not proposed to be included in the PA BPG Series) / Sue Stolton
(PM); Nigel Dudley, Kent Redford, Sue Stolton, (LA) / April 2013– Proposal submitted to EXCO for review. (Brent Mitchell submitted a similar proposal 10 May 2012 that was not approved by EXCO pending submittal of further information)
Healthy Parks Healthy People Best Practice PA Guideline / Ian Walker (PM) / This BPG will be part of a global HPHP initiative launched by Parks Victoria. A launch of the BPG at the 2014 WPC is planned.
Management Guidelines for Large-Scale Marine Protected Areas / Dan Laffoley (PM) / A Big Ocean and IUCN/WCPA-Marine collaboration
Publication Project Proposals discussed but not yet submitted to the WCPA EXCO / Point of contact / Notes
IUCN WCPA Standards on the Process for Recognising Protected Areas and Assigning Management Categories and Governance Types / Sue Stolton and Nigel Dudley / Publication in draft form sent via email 6 February 2013 to WCPA/GPAP for review.
Managing Protected Areas with Sustainable Use of Natural Resources (Category VI) / Claudio Maretti / In planning stage.
Trans-boundary Conservation / MajaVasilijevic / The WCPA Trans boundary Conservation Specialist Group will submit a proposal for a Best Practice PA Guideline
Cultural and Spiritual Significance on Protected Areas / Bas Verschuuren / Specialist Group on Cultural and Spiritual Values will submit a BPG Proposal
Economic Evaluation Methodologies for Protected Areas
Islands and Protected Areas / Claudio Maretti / Claudio Maretti and Maria Olatz Cases interested in being involved
*Translations Key: A=Arabic, B=Bulgarian, C=Chinese, E=English, ES=Estonian, F=French, G=German, H=Hungarian, I=Indonesian, IT=Italian, J=Japanese, K=Korean, P=Portuguese, R=Russian, S=Spanish, T=Thai, TU=Turkish, U=Ukrainian
Suggestions/updates may be directed to: David Reynolds, Senior Advisor, Protected Areas Capacity Development, Global Protected Areas Programme, IUCN, at
19 April 2013