What is the WCPA
What is a Protected Area

World Commission on Protected Areas

The World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) is the world's leading global network of protected area specialists. The IUCN Programme on Protected Areas (PPA) is the focal point within the IUCN Secretariat for Protected Areas and serves as the Secretariat for WCPA.

WCPA's international mission is to promote the establishment and effective management of a world-wide representative network of terrestrial and marine protected areas, as an integral contribution to the IUCN mission.

The organization has the following objectives:

• to help governments and others plan protected areas and integrate them into all sectors, through provision of strategic advice to policy makers;
• to strengthen capacity and effectiveness of protected areas managers, through provision of guidance, tools and information and a vehicle for networking;
• to increase investment in protected areas, by persuading public and corporate donors of their value; and
• to enhance WCPA's capacity to implement its programme, including through co-operation with IUCN members and partners.
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There is only one body working world wide for the protection of these vitally important areas. This is the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) - one of the six Commissions of the IUCN.

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What is a Protected Area

IUCN - the World Conservation Union, defines a protected area as:

"an area of land and/or sea especially dedicated
to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity,
and of natural and associated cultural resources,
and managed through legal or other effective means."

IUCN categorises protected areas by management objective and has identified six distinct categories of protected areas:

I. Strict Nature Reserve/Wilderness Area: protected area managed mainly for science of wilderness protection

II. National Park: protected area managed mainly for ecosystem protection and recreation

III. Natural Monument: protected area managed mainly for conservation of specific natural features

IV. Habitat/Species Management Area: protected area managed mainly for conservation through management intervention

V. Protected Landscape/Seascape: protected area managed mainly for landscape/seascape protection and recreation.

VI. Managed Resource Protected Area: protected area managed mainly for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems.

These are described in detail in the publication Guidelines for Protected Area Management Categories (click here to download, pdf 192K).

Protected areas perform many functions. They are essential for conserving biodiversity, and for delivering vital ecosystem services, such as protecting watersheds and soils and shielding human communities from natural disasters. Many protected areas are important to local communities, especially indigenous peoples who depend for their survival on a sustainable supply of resources from them. They are places for people to get a sense of peace in a busy world - places that invigorate human spirits and challenge the senses. Protected landscapes embody important cultural values; some of them reflect sustainable land use practices. They are important also for research and education, and contribute significantly to local and regional economies, most obviously from tourism. The importance of protected areas is recognized in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Article 8, for example, calls on contracting parties to develop systems of protected areas.

Protected areas face many challenges, such as external threats associated with pollution and climate change, irresponsible tourism, infrastructure development and ever increasing demands for land and water resources. Moreover, many protected areas lack political support and have inadequate financial and other resources.

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