NATIONAL RESERVE SYSTEM

Plan of Management Guidelines The National Reserve System (NRS) is Australia's network of protected areas, conserving examples of our natural landscapes and native plants and animals for future generations.

This information is for successful applicants who have obtained financial assistance from the Australian Government to establish and/or purchase land as a protected area to be managed as part of the NRS.

Funding for the establishment of new protected areas is provided on the basis that the natural and associated cultural values on the land will be protected in perpetuity. The funding is provided under the NRS component of Caring for our Country.

The development of a Plan of Management for a new protected area is fundamental to meeting funding requirements.

The following guidelines for NRS Plans of Management include information on some of the main elements of protected area management, including adaptive management, management effectiveness, and monitoring and evaluation.

What is a Plan of Management?

The primary purpose of a Plan of Management for an NRS property is to express the goals and management approach needed to achieve the primary management objective, nature conservation.

The Plans provide publicly available information on the values of the protected area. They should explain in detail the actions which will be followed for the area’s conservation.

The Plans should include relevant monitoring and evaluation strategies and include performance indicators. Keep in mind that Plans are subjected to independent and public scrutiny and reporting.

The nature, scope and legal status of Plans of Management for protected areas vary across jurisdictions and governance (for example, crown, local government, NGO).

The preparation of formal government-endorsed Plans for individual protected areas can be a long and complex process.

For NRS properties funded under Caring for our Country, there is a fundamental set of requirements that need to be met in developing a Plan of Management. Our intention is for conservation management agencies and organisations to adapt pre-existing processes and procedures in order to meet these requirements.

Plans must be endorsed by the relevant management agency (Minister, Board or Steering Committee) and meet the contractual arrangements of the financial agreement.

Principles of Protected Area Management

The following principles have been recognised as fundamental to the management of protected areas across Australia. They were developed by the NRS Task Group, a collective of State, Territory and Australian Government conservation agencies.

Interconnectedness of values and places

Protected area management aims to incorporate and integrate natural values, Indigenous cultural values and broader community and historic heritage values.

Protected areas are also part of broader bioregional, social, cultural and economic landscapes and they should be managed in this context.

Good neighbour

Protected area managers are economically and socially part of local and regional communities and recognise the need to be valued, responsible and active local and regional community participants and members.

Community participation and collaboration

Protected areas are conserved for the benefit of and with the support of the community and this is best achieved through awareness, understanding and involvement.

Environmental stewardship

Responsibility for protecting and conserving protected area values extends beyond the management body to include lessees, licensees, relevant public and private authorities, visitors, neighbours and the wider community.

Transparent decision making

The framework and processes for decision-making should be open and transparent. The reasons for making decisions should be publicly available, except to the extent that information, including information that is culturally sensitive or commercial-in-confidence, needs to be treated as confidential.

Effective and adaptive management

Protected area management should apply an adaptive management approach to support continuous improvement in management. This includes monitoring the outcomes of management and taking account of the findings of monitoring and other research to improve management effectiveness. Management decisions should have a firm scientific basis or be supported by relevant experience. Management bodies need to maintain and improve their capacity to learn from experience, to value and build staff expertise and draw on input from other stakeholders,

Appropriate use

Access to and use of protected areas must be consistent with the long term protection of their values, the maintenance of physical and ecological processes and agreed management objectives.

Indigenous people's knowledge and role

Protected areas are part of landscapes that have supported and continue to give identity to Indigenous people who have traditional and historical connections to and knowledge of the land. Indigenous people are recognised and respected as the original custodians of the lands, waters, animals and plants within protected areas. Their living and spiritual connections with the land through traditional laws, customs and beliefs passed on from their ancestors are also recognised. The role of Indigenous organisations in the protection and management of country is acknowledged.

Applying the "precautionary principle"

Protection of the natural and cultural heritage of the NRS should include identifying and taking appropriate actions to avert and actively manage emerging threats and risks. Effective management must be based on the best available information. However, where there are threats or potential threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation or harmful disturbance to natural and cultural places.

Inter-generational and intra-generational equity

Management seeks to ensure that the health, diversity and productivity of the environment and the integrity and significance of cultural places are maintained or enhanced for the benefit of future generations and that decisions affecting current generations are socially equitable.

Governance

International Standards When providing financial assistance to successful applicants for new additions to the NRS, the Australian Government applies international conservation standards. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has worked with environment agencies around the world to develop an agreed framework for the governance of protected areas. The framework classifies management regimes and provides guidance for appropriate management objectives under each regime.

Each NRS property must be managed in accordance with one or more IUCN protected area categories. The categories provide a global benchmark to assess the appropriateness of management objectives in any given protected area. The IUCN protected area management category is nominated in the application process and will be confirmed in the Financial Agreement.

The IUCN defines a protected area as:

‘A clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.’

The IUCN has recently revised Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories. Appendix 1 briefly lists and describes the IUCN protected area management categories. Appendix 2 provides a more detailed summary of the management objectives for each IUCN protected area management category. This information is useful in developing the management objectives for a protected area.

IUCN Protected Area Management Categories (IUCN 2008)

IUCN category Primary Objective

Ia Strict Nature Reserve To conserve regionally, nationally or globally outstanding ecosystems, species (occurrences or aggregations) and/or geodiversity features: these attributes will have been formed mostly or entirely by non-human forces and will be degraded or destroyed when subjected to all but very light human impact

Ib Wilderness Area To protect the long-term ecological integrity of natural areas that are undisturbed by significant human activity, free of modern infrastructure and where natural forces and processes predominate, so that current and future generations have the opportunity to experience such areas

II National Park To protect natural biodiversity along with its underlying ecological structure and supporting environmental processes, and to promote education and recreation

III Natural Monument or feature To protect specific outstanding natural features and their associated biodiversity and habitats

IV Habitat/species management area To maintain, conserve and restore species and habitats

V Protected landscape/seascape To protect and sustain important landscapes/seascapes and the associated nature conservation and other values created by interactions with humans through traditional management practices

VI Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources

To protect natural ecosystems and use natural resources sustainably, when conservation and sustainable use can be mutually beneficial

Objectives common to all six protected area categories The following objectives may apply to all protected area categories.

All protected areas should aim to: • conserve the composition, structure, function and evolutionary potential of

biodiversity • contribute to regional conservation strategies (as core reserves, buffer zones,

corridors, stepping stones for migratory species etc) • maintain diversity of landscape or habitat and of associated species and

ecosystems • be of sufficient size to ensure the integrity and long term maintenance of the

specified conservation targets or be capable of being increased to achieve this end • maintain the values for which it was assigned in perpetuity

• be operating under the guidance of a management plan and monitoring and evaluation program that supports adaptive management, and

• possess a clear and equitable governance system. All protected areas should also aim where appropriate to:

• conserve significant landscape features, geomorphology and geology • provide regulatory ecosystem services, including buffering against the impacts of

climate change • conserve natural and scenic areas of national and international significance for

cultural, spiritual and scientific purposes • deliver benefits to resident and local communities consistent with the other

objectives of management • deliver recreational benefits consistent with the other objectives of management • facilitate low impact scientific research activities and ecological monitoring related to

and consistent with the values of the protected area • use adaptive management strategies to improve management effectiveness and

governance quality over time • help to provide educational opportunities (including about management

approaches), and

• help to develop public support for protection.

Public consultation Where the land has been acquired with the assistance of Australian Government funds, public contribution and consultation is required in developing the Plan of Management. It is important to involve the people affected by management of the property and to give the public an opportunity to understand what is being proposed, and to provide meaningful comment. The extent of consultation should be appropriate to the particular circumstances of each protected area.

For private protected areas, the extent of the Plan and degree of consultation required is negotiated in the contract establishing the protected area.

Allowable uses in a protected area The primary use of a protected area is managing the land for the conservation of nature. There may be other uses of the land, but in general, the land manager must not undertake land management practices that will be harmful to the objectives of the designation of the protected area. Where there is a conflict between the main objective of nature conservation and other uses, nature conservation will take priority. All uses of the NRS property must be in keeping with the primary objective of your specific IUCN protected area management category (see Appendix 2). The protected area management categories allow a wide range of uses depending on the designated category. The Plan of Management must provide for a monitoring and evaluation program that supports adaptive management. Monitoring should demonstrate that there is a direct benefit to the conservation of nature on the property and that there is no loss of biodiversity values. Protected areas should aim to maintain - or ideally, increase - the degree of naturalness of the ecosystem being protected. In the IUCN protected area management categories I to IV, the primary objective is nature conservation with an additional objective of conserving cultural values. In category V, there may be a primary objective to maintain a balanced interaction of nature and culture through the maintenance of traditional management practices. Category VI allows for the protection of natural ecosystems and the traditional low impact sustainable use of natural resources. Large scale industrial harvest of natural resources is not allowed and the majority of the protected area must be retained in its natural condition. Undertaking commercial enterprises like eco-tourism or nature based tourism are allowed, as long as they provide educational, recreational and visitor opportunities. However, they must be in keeping with the IUCN protected area management objectives. The NRS recognises that when protected areas are established, some cannot be precluded from the protected area because of pre-existing rights like mining, grazing, beekeeping and traditional use. Every effort should be made to reduce and remove uses that are counter to the nature conservation objective. There are also a number of specific uses for which the management plan may establish specialised zones. In some cases, it may be appropriate to establish zones for visitor facilities, tourist lodges, protected area management infrastructure, indigenous communities and permitted use areas (such as rock climbing). The IUCN has provided guidance on this issue and suggests that these non-nature conservation uses do not occupy more than 25 percent of the protected area. The primary objective should apply to 75 per cent of the protected area – ‘the 75 per cent rule’.

The Plan must specifically describe allowable uses, including access for the public and those associated with use or exploitation of natural and cultural resources. Allowable uses must support the primary nature conservation objective. All management should take into account the national, state and local government planning and legislative frameworks. This will ensure compliance with laws and regulations that apply to the property.

Managing the implications of climate change Climate change will affect Australia’s biodiversity in many different ways. Protected areas should be managed to maintain high species diversity, healthy and functioning ecosystems and to reduce the likelihood of species extinction and genetic loss. Plans of Management should give due consideration to:

• understanding key values for protection and their requirements

• protecting key habitat (for example, refugia)

• maintaining ecological processes and ecological patterning in all native ecosystems and ecological communities

• managing threats in the landscape

• dealing with landscape-scale issues. Managers will need to play a critical role in observing and monitoring changes in species, ecosystems and threats across the landscape.

Water management Our growing economy and climate change is putting extreme pressure on water availability. Protected areas in agricultural regions will need to effectively manage their water use. Managers need to be conscious of water flows and the impact of on-ground management actions on the hydrology of the area. Possible management interventions may include protecting wetlands or accessing groundwater for drought refuges and staging posts for mobile native species. Depending on the location of your protected area, managing water availability for freshwater ecosystems could be an area of emphasis in your plan.

Subsidiary plans As Plans provide the broad, overarching management goals of a protected area, they should be supported by subsidiary documentation focusing on implementation. For example, fire management or weed strategies will outline the practical, detailed actions required to achieve the management goals of your Plan.

Publication of Plan of Management For protected areas established or purchased with Australian Government funding, once a Plan of Management is adopted, it should be made available for public access, preferably by publishing on the internet. This will allow for transparency and accountability in the use of public funds and the management of the protected area.

Management effectiveness Under Caring for our Country, a primary target of the National Reserve System is to ensure that new protected areas are managed effectively to maintain key biodiversity values in a changing environment. This target reflects nation-wide efforts to improve the management of protected areas and the development of management, evaluation and reporting frameworks to support protected area managers. The Strategy for Australia's National Reserve System 2009-2030 (NRMMC 2009) outlines agreed national goals for improving protected area management in Australia. Various studies by the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) provide the international context.

Management effectiveness frameworks The WCPA is currently working with Parks Australia, Parks Victoria and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to develop new state of the parks reporting processes based on the WCPA framework for evaluating the management effectiveness of protected areas. Meanwhile, the Strategy for Australia's National Reserve System 2009-2030 (NRMMC 2009) addresses protected area management effectiveness. Management effectiveness is further developed in the current revision of this national policy document. Some draft principles for the effective management of Australia’s National Reserve System have been developed to provide some insight into what we are seeking to achieve (Figure 1). Management effectiveness evaluation can enable and support an adaptive approach to management of protected areas by:

• assisting in effective resource allocation between and within sites

• promoting accountability and transparency by reporting on effectiveness of management to interested stakeholders and the public

• involving the community, building constituency and promoting protected area values (Hockings et al 2006).

Draft principles for the effective management of protected areas - themes and key components

Appropriate Informed Adaptive Accountable

Values driven (Natural and Cultural)

Information-based decision making that

incorporates science and local and traditional

knowledge

Outcome focussed and consistent with WCPA

framework

Meets corporate reporting requirements

Links with whole of landscape approaches to

natural resource management and

bioregional/strategic planning

Objectives and outputs clearly defined

Baseline monitoring framework in place

Reports publicly available in simple terms

and language

Protection mechanism suitable to context

Risks assessment process in place

Ongoing investment in research into values and management outcomes

Facilitates State of the Parks Reporting

Precautionary Principle applied to on-ground management actions

Supported by appropriate data

systems

Supported by suitable and repeatable analytical

techniques

Supports State of the Environment Reporting

Meets legal requirements Stakeholders contacted and engaged in decision

making

Transparent evaluation processes with peer

review

Meets or exceeds industry standards

Equitable and builds capacity of staff and

management partners

Adaptive Management To ensure that appropriate use is made of NRS properties, the Australian Government requires that all management is undertaken within an adaptive management framework. Adaptive management allows information from the past to support and improve the way properties are managed in the future. Management actions and the condition of biodiversity are monitored and evaluated so that actions can be either adopted or changed to most efficiently meet management objectives (Figure 1).

Protected Area Management Planning System (Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania, 2000)

Monitoring and evaluation Monitoring protected areas is undertaken for three main reasons:

• to assess the impact of various uses and activities on the natural and cultural values

• to assess the condition and health of natural and cultural values

• to assess the effectiveness of management activities. Evaluation of information gathered in the monitoring program can:

• enable and support an adaptive approach to management

• assist effective resource allocation

• promote accountability and transparency

• involve the community and build support for protected areas. The key is developing a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) program which cost- effectively captures meaningful information to inform future management and report on progress against management objectives and targets. This approach needs to be based on clearly defined and measurable indicators that can provide meaningful feedback. When designing your M&E program, it is important to consider the purpose of the evaluation. For some properties, the M&E program will be fairly straightforward. However others will have specific reporting requirements to

governments or financial contributors for example, so tailoring your monitoring and evaluation to their needs is important. Managers also must carefully decide what to monitor and the appropriate resources and time that this requires. It is impossible to monitor every change that occurs on a property, so the M&E program must be balanced with the daily demands of protected area management.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) Under the Caring for our Country ‘Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement’ (MERI) program, the management of individual NRS properties will be assessed against nationally consistent standards. This is to ensure that management actions effectively protect significant values and improve resilience to climate change and other pressures. Through this program, protected area managers will be required to report broadly to the Australian Government on the state of their protected area. It is also anticipated that more rigorous scientific monitoring will be undertaken on NRS properties, at a period of every five years. This MERI project is currently in development and more details will be supplied to NRS managers in the future. The following elements should be included in your M&E program:

• the health of regional ecosystems with emphasis on under-represented and threatened regional ecosystems and regional ecosystems vulnerable to the impacts of climate change

• the health of threatened species populations and species populations vulnerable to the impact of climate change

• the health of key natural and cultural asset especially those vulnerable to the impacts of climate change

• an assessment of management effectiveness, and

• a statement of measures to improve delivery of Caring for our Country outcomes.

Structure of the Plan Management planning documents should be appropriate and suit the nature of the protected area. Once prepared, Plans should be subject to regular review and updating. The structure of your Plan should focus on:

• identifying the values of the protected area

• assessing the condition or integrity of the values

• outlining the management approach required to conserve the integrity of the area’s values.

The key content for the Plan of Management is provided below. This is only a guide: the content of your Plan needs to be relevant to your property. If you already have current management planning processes in place, please ensure you have covered the following key content. If you are writing a plan for an Indigenous Protected Area, please use the guidance provided by the IPA section of Parks Australia.

Key Content for the Plan of Management

Summary

Acknowledgements Funding contributors to establish and manage the protected area Contributors to the preparation of the plan of management

Table of Contents

Description of the protected area (include relevant maps and pictures) Location Natural values

• Climate including climate change projections

• Geology, landform and soils – geo-diversity and heritage

• Hydrology – surface and subsurface

• Species – flora and fauna – regional, state and national conservation status

• Ecosystems – IBRA (Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia) regions through to local ecosystems – regional to national conservation status

• Significant biodiversity - endemism, refuges, wetlands, migration, assemblages

Environmental values

• Ecosystem services

• Carbon sequestration Cultural values

• Indigenous – archaeology and social

• Non-indigenous – archaeology, recreation

Integrity of the values Previous management

• Assets

• Threats

• Risks Condition

• Present condition

• Past and future trends Bioregional and landscape context

• IBRA

• Catchment

• Local Planning context – any known complementary protected areas in the region

CAR contribution - How does the property contribute to the CAR system?

• Comprehensiveness at an IBRA level

• Representativeness at an IBRA Sub region level Threats and threatening processes

• Invasive Species (animals and plants)

• Over-abundant species

• Fire

• Erosion

• Salinity/Acidity

• Mining

• Timber extraction

• Visitor use and impact

• Total grazing pressure Vulnerability to change

• Climate change

• Water availability

• Land use

• Species distribution/new species

• Fire

Management Framework Purpose of the protected area Protection mechanism (e.g. details of any covenant, legislation, management agreement or caveat, and legislative requirement in respect to endangered species) IUCN management category and management objectives Joint Management Management Issues

• Address the specific needs and management requirements of the significant natural and cultural values of the protected area.

• Consider the implications of climate change on the protected area and outline strategies to address the impact of climate change on the protected area.

Objectives

• Outline the objectives of the Plan and what you, the manager, intend to achieve by implementing the Plan.

• Allowable uses and rules around these Zoning (if any)

• The protected area may be zoned to reflect different management objectives for the varying use of the protected area. An IUCN protected area management category can be assigned to each type of zone within the protected area.

• Allowable uses by Zone and rules around these Actions

• Include a series of management issue-based actions which will be carried out to achieve each of your management objectives, with planned dates for implementation.

• Include details of the resources required to carry out the work in the form of a realistic budget.

Monitoring

• Describe how you will measure that you have achieved the objectives. Research Management infrastructure Plan of management review schedule

• Include details of when and how the Plan will be revised. Supplementary plans and programs

• Visitor Management Plan

• Monitoring and evaluation program

• Fire Management Plan

• Threatened Species and Ecosystems Recovery Plan(s)

References

Appendices Species list Ecosystems list

Annual Work program

Examples of Plans of Management To see an example of a management plan developed by a state or territory agency, please follow one of the links below.

• Queensland http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/parks_and_forests/managing_parks_and_forests/management_plans_and_strategies/

• New South Wales http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/parkmanagement/ParkAndFireManagementPlansByCategory.htm

• South Australia http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/management/plans.html

• Victoria http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1process.cfm?publication=7

• Tasmania http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=5957

• Northern Territory http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/manage/plans/index.html

• Western Australia http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/management-and-protection/land-management-planning/approved-management-plans.html

• Australian Capital Territory http://www.tams.act.gov.au/play/parks_forests_and_reserves/policies_and_publications/strategies,plans_and_reviews

References Hockings, M. Stolton, S. Dudley, N. Leverington, F. and Courrau, J. (2006) 'Evaluating

effectiveness: a framework for assessing the management of protected areas’, IUCN: Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

International Union for the Conservation of Nature. (2008). ‘Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories’, Nigel Dudley (Ed.), Gland, Switzerland.

Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania. (2000) ‘Best Practice in Protected Area Management Planning’. A Report to the ANZECC Working Group on National Park and Protected Area Management. http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/best-practice/reports/management-planning/pubs/protected-area-management.pdf

NRMMC (2009) ‘Strategy for Australia's National Reserve System 2009-2030’ Prepared by the National Reserve System Task Group convened under the Natural Resource Policies and Program Committee 2009

Glossary and Abbreviations

CAR system • Comprehensive: examples of all types of regional-scale ecosystems in each IBRA

region should be included in the National Reserve System • Adequate: sufficient levels of each ecosystem should be included within the

protected area network to provide ecological viability and to maintain the integrity of populations, species and communities

• Representative: the inclusion of areas at a finer scale, to encompass the variability of habitat within ecosystems.

IBRA – Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/nrs/science/ibra.html

IUCN – International Union for the Conservation of Nature http://www.iucn.org/

IUCN Protected Area Management Categories http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/PAPS-016.pdf

M&E – Monitoring and Evaluation

MERI – Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement

NRS – National Reserve System

Appendix 1: Revised IUCN Protected Area Management Categories (2008)

Category Description Primary objective

Category Ia:

Strict nature reserve

Strictly protected areas set aside to protect biodiversity and also possibly geological/ geomorphological features, where human visitation, use and impacts are strictly controlled and limited to ensure protection of the conservation values. Such protected areas can serve as indispensable reference areas for scientific research and monitoring

To conserve regionally, nationally or globally outstanding ecosystems, species (occurrences or aggregations) and/or geodiversity features: these attributes will have been formed mostly or entirely by non-human forces and will be degraded or destroyed when subjected to all but very light human impact

Category Ib:

Wilderness area

Protected areas are usually large unmodified or slightly modified areas, retaining their natural character and influence, without permanent or significant human habitation, which are protected and managed so as to preserve their natural condition

To protect the long-term ecological integrity of natural areas that are undisturbed by significant human activity, free of modern infrastructure and where natural forces and processes predominate, so that current and future generations have the opportunity to experience such areas

Category II:

National park

Protected areas are large natural or near natural areas set aside to protect large-scale ecological processes, along with the complement of species and ecosystems characteristic of the area, which also provide a foundation for environmentally and culturally compatible spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational and visitor opportunities

To protect natural biodiversity along with its underlying ecological structure and supporting environmental processes, and to promote education and recreation

Category III:

Natural monument or feature

Protected areas are set aside to protect a specific natural monument, which can be a landform, sea mount, submarine cavern, geological feature such as a cave or even a living feature such as an ancient grove. They are generally quite small protected areas and often have high visitor value

To protect specific outstanding natural features and their associated biodiversity and habitats

Category IV:

Habitat/species management area

Protected areas aim to protect particular species or habitats and management reflects this priority. Many category IV protected areas will need regular, active interventions to address the requirements of particular species or to maintain habitats, but this is not a requirement of the category

To maintain, conserve and restore species and habitats

Category V:

Protected landscape/seascape

A protected area where the interaction of people and nature over time has produced an area of distinct character with significant ecological, biological, cultural and scenic value: and where

To protect and sustain important landscapes/seascapes and the associated nature conservation and other values created by interactions with humans through

safeguarding the integrity of this interaction is vital to protecting and sustaining the area and its associated nature conservation and other values

traditional management practices

Category VI:

Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources

Protected areas are generally large, with much of the area in a more-or-less natural condition and where a proportion is under sustainable natural resource management and where low-level use of natural resources compatible with nature conservation is seen as one of the main aims of the area

To protect natural ecosystems and use natural resources sustainably, when conservation and sustainable use can be mutually beneficial

Appendix 2: Detailed description of the IUCN Protected Area Management Categories

Category 1a: Strict nature reserve

Primary objective To conserve regionally, nationally or globally outstanding ecosystems, species

(occurrences or aggregations) and/or geodiversity features: these attributes will have been formed mostly or entirely by non-human forces and will be degraded or destroyed when subjected to all but very light human impact.

Other objectives To preserve ecosystems, species and geodiversity features in a state as undisturbed

by recent human activity as possible; To secure examples of the natural environment for scientific studies, environmental

monitoring and education, including baseline areas from which all avoidable access is excluded;

To minimize disturbance through careful planning and implementation of research and other approved activities;

To conserve cultural and spiritual values associated with nature.

Category Ib: Wilderness area

Primary objective To protect the long-term ecological integrity of natural areas that are undisturbed by

significant human activity, free of modern infrastructure and where natural forces and processes predominate, so that current and future generations have the opportunity to experience such areas.

Other objectives To provide for public access at levels and of a type which will maintain the wilderness

qualities of the area for present and future generations; To enable indigenous communities to maintain their traditional wilderness-based

lifestyle and customs, living at low density and using the available resources in ways compatible with the conservation objectives;

Category Ia are strictly protected areas set aside to protect biodiversity and also possibly geological/ geomorphological features, where human visitation, use and impacts are strictly controlled and limited to ensure protection of the conservation values. Such protected areas can serve as indispensable reference areas for scientific research and monitoring.

Category Ib protected areas are usually large unmodified or slightly modified areas, retaining their natural character and influence, without permanent or significant human habitation, which are protected and managed so as to preserve their natural condition.

To protect the relevant cultural and spiritual values and non-material benefits to indigenous or non-indigenous populations, such as solitude, respect for sacred-sites, respect for ancestors etc;

To allow for low-impact minimally invasive educational and scientific research activities, when such activities cannot be conducted outside the wilderness area.

Category II: National park

Primary objective To protect natural biodiversity along with its underlying ecological structure and

supporting environmental processes, and to promote education and recreation1. Other objectives:

To manage the area in order to perpetuate, in as natural a state as possible, representative examples of physiographic regions, biotic communities, genetic resources and unimpaired natural processes;

To maintain viable and ecologically functional populations and assemblages of native species at densities sufficient to conserve ecosystem integrity and resilience in the long term;

To contribute in particular to conservation of wide-ranging species, regional ecological processes and migration routes;

To manage visitor use for inspirational, educational, cultural, and recreational purposes at a level which will not cause significant biological or ecological degradation to the natural resources;

To take into account the needs of indigenous people and local communities, including subsistence resource use, in so far as these will not adversely affect the primary management objective;

To contribute to local economies through tourism.

Category III: Natural monument or feature

1 Note that the name “national park” is not exclusively linked to Category II. Places called national parks exist in all the categories (and there are even some national parks that are not protected areas at all). The name is used here because it is descriptive of Category II protected areas in many countries. The fact that an area is called a “national park is independent of its management approach. In particular, the term “national park” should never be used as a way of dispossessing people of their land.

Category II protected areas are large natural or near natural areas set aside to protect large-scale ecological processes, along with the complement of species and ecosystems characteristic of the area, which also provide a foundation for environmentally and culturally compatible spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational and visitor opportunities.

Category III protected areas are set aside to protect a specific natural monument, which can be a landform, sea mount, submarine cavern, geological feature such as a cave or even a living feature such as an ancient grove. They are generally quite small protected areas and often have high visitor value.

Primary objective To protect specific outstanding natural features and their associated biodiversity and

habitats. Other objectives:

To provide biodiversity protection in landscape or seascapes that have otherwise undergone major changes2;

To protect specific natural sites with spiritual and/or cultural values where these also have biodiversity values;

To conserve traditional spiritual and cultural values of the site.

Category IV: Habitat/species management area

Primary objective To maintain, conserve and restore species and habitats3.

Other objectives: To protect vegetation patterns or other biological features through traditional

management approaches; To protect fragments of habitats as components of landscape or seascape scale

conservation strategies; To develop public education and appreciation of the species and/or habitats

concerned; To provide a means by which the urban residents may obtain regular contact with

nature.

Category V: Protected landscape/seascape

2 Noting that protection of specific cultural sites can often provide havens of natural or semi-natural habitat in areas that have otherwise undergone substantial modification – e.g. ancient trees around temples 3 This is a change from the 1994 guidelines, which defined category IV as protected areas that need regular management interventions. The change has been made because this was the only category to be defined by the process of management rather than the final objective and because in doing so it meant that small reserves aimed to protect habitats or individual species tended to fall outside the category system.

Category IV protected areas aim to protect particular species or habitats and management reflects this priority. Many category IV protected areas will need regular, active interventions to address the requirements of particular species or to maintain habitats, but this is not a requirement of the category.

A protected area where the interaction of people and nature over time has produced an area of distinct character with significant ecological, biological, cultural and scenic value: and where safeguarding the integrity of this interaction is vital to protecting and sustaining the area and its associated nature conservation and other values.

Primary objective To protect and sustain important landscapes/seascapes and the associated nature

conservation and other values created by interactions with humans through traditional management practices.

Other objectives To maintain a balanced interaction of nature and culture through the protection of

landscape and/or seascape and associated traditional management approaches, societies, cultures and spiritual values;

To contribute to broadscale conservation by maintaining species associated with cultural landscapes and/or by providing conservation opportunities in heavily used landscapes;

To provide opportunities for enjoyment, well-being and socio-economic activity through recreation and tourism;

To provide natural products and environmental services; To provide a framework to underpin active involvement by the community in the

management of valued landscapes or seascapes and the natural and cultural heritage that they contain;

To encourage the conservation of agrobiodiversity and aquatic biodiversity; To act as models of sustainability so that lessons can be learnt for wider application.

Category VI: Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources

Primary objective To protect natural ecosystems and use natural resources sustainably, when

conservation and sustainable use can be mutually beneficial. Other objectives

To promote sustainable use of natural resources, considering ecological, economic and social dimensions;

To promote social and economic benefits to local communities where relevant; To facilitate inter-generational security for local communities’ livelihoods – therefore

ensuring that such livelihoods are sustainable; To integrate other cultural approaches, belief systems and world-views within a range

of social and economic approaches to nature conservation; To develop and/or maintain a more balanced relationship between humans and the

rest of nature; To contribute to sustainable development at national, regional and local level (in the

last case mainly to local communities and/or indigenous peoples depending on the protected natural resources);

Category VI protected areas are generally large, with much of the area in a more-or-less natural condition and where a proportion is under sustainable natural resource management and where low-level use of natural resources compatible with nature conservation is seen as one of the main aims of the area.

To facilitate scientific research and environmental monitoring, mainly related to the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources;

To collaborate in the delivery of benefits to people, mostly local communities, living in or near to the designated protected area;

To facilitate recreation and appropriate small-scale tourism.