Story | 20 Oct, 2017

Governance of Protected Areas and Urban Protected Areas Best Practice Guidelines available in Portuguese

Two key publications from the IUCN WCPA Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series, Governance of Protected Areas, and Urban Protected Areas, have been translated into Portuguese, with the support of the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the German Society for International Cooperation.

Catarata dos Couros, Chapada dos Veadeiros NP

Photo: Pedro de Siracusa

GIZ supported the IUCN WCPA Best Practice Guidelines Nos. 20 and 22 on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of the Environment (BMUB), financed in the framework of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and in partnership with the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment (MMA). The translation of the Best Practice Guidelines No. 22, Urban Protected Areas, was developed in partnership with ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the world´s oldest and largest association of cities and local governments dedicated to sustainable development and IUCN.

“These guidelines provide elements to increase the standards for urban and conserved areas, in terrestrial, inland waters, coastal and marine environments in Brazil", says Márcio Dionísio de Souza from the IUCN office in Brazil. “These publications can become a landmark on governance towards effective and equitable conservation into protect areas agenda for governments, academia and civil society not only in Brazil but also in other Portuguese speaking countries”.

Governança de áreas protegidas - Da compreensão à ação

Photo: IUCN

Governance of Protected Areas - From understanding to action argues that governance that is both appropriate to the context and “good” is crucial for effective and equitable conservation. This applies to all kinds of protected areas and other conserved areas, in terrestrial, inland waters, coastal and marine environments. Governance of Protected Areas was translated in the context of the project “Consolidation of the National System of Conservation Units – SNUC-LifeWeb”.

"With this Portuguese publication, the project aims to facilitate the access and to promote the application of the governance guidelines in the Brazilian System of Protected Areas, one of the largest systems of nature conservation on the planet", says Sylvia Montag from GIZ. "The publication is a contribution to strengthen the protected area management in Brazil."

Photo: IUCN

Urban Protected Areas – Profiles and best practice guidelines explains the context and concept of urban protected areas, profiles urban protected areas in 15 metropolitan areas around the world, and offers best practice guidelines.

Urban Protected Areas was translated in the context of the project 'Protected Areas and other area-based conservation measures at the level of local governments'. "With the translation of this publication the project aims to strengthen local level capacities and governance as well as the role of local governments in the effective management of protected areas", adds Montag. "This is a contribution to strengthen local governments in Brazil to manage protected areas effectively and equitably."

The translation of these publications may also be of interest and use beyond the 200 million Brazilians in the Portuguese speaking world in Africa, Asia and Europe.