This year, nations of the world are expected to set ambitious new targets for protecting biodiversity. In much of the world, achieving spatial targets will require conservation of areas under private ownership. Throughout June IUCN will devote its Vital Sites webinar series to exploring the potential for privately protected areas (PPAs) for a sustainable future.

Bringing to life IUCN’s publication, Guidelines on Privately Protected Areas, this session will give PPA managers and supporters skills to enhance effectiveness and conservation outcomes. It will begin with brief presentations by PPA experts, the Guidelines authors, followed by a panel discussion with respondents on regional differences and subtopics of interest to participants, and take questions from the audience. This session is part of a year-long program initiated by BfN, the German Agency for Nature Conservation, and the WCPA specialist group on PPAs.

Session two will lead off with the following topics:

• Ensuring PPA permanence - Juan Bezaury Creel, Fundación Biodiversidad, Mexico
• Issues related to specific subtypes - Nigel Dudley, Equilibrium Research, UK
• Coordination with national protected area networks - James Fitzsimons, The Nature Conservancy, Australia
• Moderator - Brent Mitchell

Session one dealt with Establishing a PPA, Managing a PPA, and Incentives for PPAs. Session three will cover Recording of PPAs in the World Database of Protected Areas, the Role of PPA networks, and PPAs in post-2020 targets.

These three Vital Sites webinars are presented by IUCN in partnership with the WCPA Specialist Group on Privately Protected Areas and Nature Stewardship and Budesamt für Naturschutz (BfN) as part of a year long learning program. It will add to and be complemented by online curricula available free of charge on BfN’s training website.

Guidelines for Privately Protected Areas may be freely downloaded in English, Spanish and French.

Vital Sites - the journey to Marseilles Photo: IUCN