Our Work

WCPA works by helping stakeholders plan protected areas and integrate them into all sectors by:

• Providing strategic advice to policy makers
• Strengthening capacity and investment in protected areas
• Convening the diverse constituency of protected area stakeholders to address challenging issues

For more than 60 years, IUCN and WCPA have been at the forefront of global action on protected areas.

WCPA Members engage in a variety of projects taken on by WCPA, including working in our Regions, Specialist Groups, Task Forces, or our ongoing WCPA Publications. We have also built a Young Professionals network and have Youth forums that aim to support future leaders in this field.

Click here to see the list of all the Specialist Groups and Task Forces

Learn more about our Publications here

Objectives:

The World Commission on Protected Areas mandate for 2026–2029, aligned with the IUCN Programme 2026–2029 and the 20-year Strategic Vision, catalyses and supports global efforts to expand, recognise and improve systems of PCAs to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 by:

1. Providing a clear vision and common set of definitions for area-based conservation, anticipating threats and recognising emerging priorities, to influence the development and implementation of global biodiversity and climate policy, in recognition of the significant value of PCAs for nature conservation and human well-being;

2. Promoting and helping guide the design, management, governance and monitoring of well connected PCAs to support the conservation of nature and deliver Nature-based Solutions to global challenges such as climate change, land degradation, food and water security, One Health and well-being;

3. Advocating for people who constitute the workforce directly supporting protected and conserved area systems, including and especially rangers, Indigenous stewards, protected area staff and other front-line workers;

4. Making the case for institutional, public and private investment to enable well-functioning, ecologically connected, and effectively and equitably managed PCA systems, supported by public policy, incentives, capacity development and a mainstreamed role;

5. Recognising and acknowledging the diversity of stakeholders and of governance types that contribute to the success of PCAs and their systems and promoting robust collaboration among the diverse interests, as well as the valuing of benefits of PCAs by larger parts of societies.