IUCN WCPA Governance, Equity and Rights Specialist Group
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Overview and description
- Description:
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The Governance, Equity & Rights Specialist Group elevates equity and rights in protected area governance. The Group fosters, coordinates and actively engages its members in initiatives that take to ...
Group leadership
Mr Philip FRANKS
Dr Heidi KRETSER
Governance of protected and conserved areas is now clearly understood as a main element in the legal, policy, institutional and practical framework of conservation around the world. Governance that embodies equity, human rights and approaches that elevate shared governance practices are needed to navigate the growing complexities of protected and conserved area management. Whilst the critical importance of governance was included in the Promise of Sydney resulting from the last World Parks Congress held in 2014, these concepts and their application remain a challenge for many countries and agencies.
The World Commission on Protected Areas has a unique leadership role in providing guidance related to the governance of protected and conserved areas by fostering, coordinating, and actively engaging in a set of initiatives to bring governance practices that reflect equity and human rights to the centre of protected and conserved area management discourse and concrete recommendations for practice. The WCPA Specialist Group on Governance Equity and Rights will elevate this dialogue and provide practical tools that will enable countries, agencies, and their counterparts to integrate such practices into protected and conserved area management.
The IUCN WCPA Specialist Group on governance of protected and conserved areas builds upon the expertise and contributions of WCPA members and other relevant experts and practitioners. The Group fosters, coordinates and actively engages its members in initiatives that take to practice the strategic directions and recommendations that emerge from the Resolutions and outcomes of IUCN World Conservation Congresses and World Parks Congresses. Priorities include ensuring the effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities in major IUCN WCPA sponsored events, developing collaborative guidance on equitable governance through a range of practical tools and widening the engagement of Specialist Group members in the work of IUCN WCPA.
Click below to see the Terms of Reference for the IUCN WCPA Governance, Equity and Rights Specialist Group - September 2022