Management Planning for Protected Areas�

Jim Barborak, Senior Adviser

Center for Protected Area Management

Colorado State University

Types of Plans

• National Development Plans and Strategies
• Sector, Regional, Watershed and Municipal Plans
• Land Use Plans from national to local level
• National and provincial PA system plans and biodiversity conservation strategies
• Tourism strategies at national and regional level
• Plans for individual PAs:

long term management or master plans (5-20 yrs.)

operational plans (one or two years)

program plans (tourism, research, protection, etc.)

financial strategies

site and construction plans

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�Not having a management plan is a major impediment to good management of PAs��

However, the limited implementation of protected areas that have a plan is also considered a big problem in many PAs

To have a management plan and not use it is a bigger sin than not having one!

• Preparing a management plan requires time, effort, and commitment.
• Participatory planning can help gain support from local stakeholders and obtain additional financial and technical support for a protected area.
• The resource inventories can generate important information about the resources of an area.
• However, to prepare a plan and not implement it can demoralize staff and reduce interest by stakeholders and donors

��Benefits of good planning and plan implementation���

If plans are prepared through participatory processes involved key stakeholders, this can create an enabling environment that will help the protected area survive and thrive.

Benefits of establishing planning committees and working in an interdisciplinary and interinstitutional fashion

• Plans should be prepared by teams, not individuals or only by outside consultants

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• Key stakeholders should be identified and involved in preparing plans

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• Many planning teams and process evolve over time and become NGOs or advisory councils

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Why should we worry about involving local actors in planning?

When interested local stakeholders, government agencies at all levels, NGOs, universities, and even donors are involved in planning processes, it is more likely that the PA will obtain needed inputs to implement the plan:

• Funding
• Laws and decrees
• Personnel
• Technical assistance
• Information
• Needed community support
• Alliances

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Having a good plan help in many ways to improve PA management!

• Having a plan facilitates obtaining needed new legislation, regulations and policies
• It can help clarify limits, zoning, and management categories
• It can recommend creation of funding strategies and mechanisms
• It can identify needed institutional arrangements, regulations, policies
• It can lay out personnel and capacity building needs
• Management programs can define priorities for outreach, environmental education, research and monitoring, public use, and protection

Information generated can be very useful

Inventories, data bases and baseline information can help define the point of departure for monitoring resources, the socioeconomic situation in the surrounding area and management effectiveness, if monitoring is institutionalized

Information can contribute to interpretation and research programs

• Information can help develop exhibits, interpretive materials, trails, etc. and ecotourism opportunities

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• The resource inventory can help interest universities, museums, etc. particularly if they are involved in the process

Plans help us use scarce resources effectively

How can we make sure plans are accepted by local actors?

• Involve local actors throughout planning process
• Distribute plan using appropriate media and meetings
• Support some community priorities in initial phases of implementation
• Create permanent mechanisms for PA management committees with active local involvement

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Tools to help implement plans

• Distribute in user friendly formats for different audiences
• Use plans to guide management effectiveness evaluations and evaluations of individual and staff wide performance.
• Link planning and budget processes
• Use plans to support fundraising
• Link PA plans to other plans at a local, regional and national level
• Focus on key threats and issues

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�How to implement plans�

• Create plans in an easily updated format and prepare a communications and marketing strategy for the plan
• Make sure that plans are officialized at least at the policy level without making this a straight jacket
• Be realistic in phasing in activities in 3 or 4 phases
• Link operational plans and master or long-term plans, budgets and management effectiveness studies
• Make sure that plans include business plans or financial strategies and budgets

Example of a communications and marketing strategy for a management plan

There are many good publications on specific methodologies for producting management plans on line!

• Many countries have official guidelines

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IUCN has helpful publications online

THANK �YOU