Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Toolbox

Protected Areas

This module is intended for forest managers, practitioners, policymakers, and others who want to know more about the planning and management of protected areas and about their uses, benefits, governance, challenges and potential.
This module provides both basic and more detailed information on the planning and management of protected areas, with forest-specific considerations where appropriate. It also provides links to tools and case studies to showcase the various aspects of sustainable management of protected areas, including those where a significant portion of the area is natural forest.

This study provides a framework for evaluating protected area planning processes based on best practices criteria. The 35 criteria are divided into three categories: process (13 criteria), outcome (9 criteria), and implementation (13 criteria). The methodology is illustrated by a case study evaluation of the protected area planning process in...
Panama is home to five indigenous semi-autonomous indigenous territories (comarcas) and several protected areas, including the Darién National Park. However, the government has yet to recognize a number of the customary lands of the Bri Bri, Embera, Guna, Naso, and Wounaan peoples, because of their location in, or proximity to,...
In the Amazon rainforest, Brazil's rubber tappers were the first social group to challenge the predatory development model that is threatening ecological disaster in this country. Their strategy to set up “extractive reserves”—conservation areas where the local population can harvest non-timber forest products—is examined in this article.
This bulleting review a number of principles that have been adopted by different conservation organizations and can serve as a guide to achieve a full and effective participation of indigenous and local communities in the management of protected areas and the establishment of new areas in full compliance with their...
The relationship between protected areas and forest management has been one that has often been fraught with conflict. This paper provides a brief outline of the Canadian situation with respect to protected areas and forest management. It does so by first offering a brief history of the relationship between protected...
This study reviews the Chilean protected areas that have been created to date, with an emphasis on the existence and effectiveness of management plans for all terrestrial and marine protected areas. Effectiveness was individually evaluated using two filters: 1) the age of the management plan and 2) the first four...
The Manu National Park is considered one of the most biodiverse areas of Peru and the world. Its conservation and protection, is a priority for the Peruvian National Park System. Indigenous Peoples belonging to the Yora, Mashko-Piro, Matsiguenka, Harakmbut, Wachipaeri and Yine ethnic groups are present in the area at...
For the Kasepuhan, the forest is a way of life. Living in Java, Indonesia, the Kasepuhan rely on their lands for food, shelter, medicine, and income. Yet like the vast majority of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, the Kasepuhan—who have lived in the Lebak district since the 17th century—had no...
This study aims to investigate the socioeconomic issues of a protected area and determine the income as well as participation of the local stakeholders in conservation. It was conducted at seven villages in Hamedan province in the midwest part of Iran. The results may help the conservation and maintenance of...
This study adopts the WWF Rapid assessment and prioritization of protected areas management methodology (RAPPAM), the most popularly used method for present site-level evaluation and for possible system-level evaluation in the future, to evaluate the management effectiveness of five protected areas in Taiwan. In addition, the authors adjusted the RAPPAM...
1 2 3