In the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), protected areas are stressed as places for in-situ biodiversity conservation. In order to achieve the goals for protected areas defined by the Program of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA) set at CBD COP7 and the Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 adopted at CBD COP11, the gap between the biodiversity in Asia in general and that currently included in protected areas will be analyzed, the priorities for the expansion and improvement of protected areas in future, and international cooperation in Asia necessary for these protected areas will be discussed in this working group.
The Aichi Biodiversity Target 11, which was adopted at CBD COP10, includes numerical target to ensure that at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, will be conserved through protected areas. In addition, the target includes equitable and effective management, connectivity of protected areas, and integration into the wider landscapes and seascapes. Based on the targets set out in the Aichi Biodiversity Target, this sub-theme will focus on the roles of terrestrial, coastal, and marine protected areas in Asia.
The Program of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA) established at the CBD COP7 set aspiring targets to create a representative and effective protected area network for terrestrial areas by 2010 and a representative and effective protected area network for marine and coastal areas by 2012, and to position protected areas within a large-scale biodiversity network by 2015. These goals have not been achieved in the target years, but the goals themselves have not been abandoned. In this sub-theme, based on a gap analysis of the goals of PoWPA in Asia and the current protected areas, the effective maintenance of protected areas and network creation for protected areas will be focused on.
Databases on protected areas have been developed by various bodies for the purpose of overviewing the state of establishment of protected areas, sharing information with relevant parties, etc. The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), which was developed jointly by IUCN and UNEP-WCMC and based on the United Nations list of protected areas, is a database of protected areas throughout the world as a foundation for biodiversity conservation. It also functions as a capacity building tool through “Protected Planet” web site. Moreover, based on this database, the creation of a green list of protected areas is in progress. In this sub-theme, the use of the WDPA database in Asia, the possibility of an Asian version of the Protected Planet Report, and cooperative relationships with databases owned by the partner groups of IUCN will be discussed.
Essential elements for the promotion of biodiversity conservation in protected areas are a gap analysis of protected areas, improvement of the management systems, monitoring systems and adaptive management, and international cooperation regarding wildlife moving across borders and countermeasures against invasive alien species. To ensure protected areas as in-situ biodiversity conservation areas, common issues in Asia will be discussed in this sub-theme
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