Author Ervin, J., Mulongoy, K. J., Lawrence, K., Game, E., Sheppard, D., Bridgewater, P., Bennett, G., Gidda, S.B. & Bos, P.

Year of publication 2010

Protected area integration entails a two-fold process. The first involves linking protected areas within a broader network of protected and managed lands and waters in order to maintain ecological processes, functions and services. The second involves incorporating protected area design and management into a broader framework of national and regional land-use plans and natural resource laws and policies in order to maximize benefits from, and mitigate threats to, biodiversity. This document describes a set of practical steps needed for conservation professionals and policy makers to integrate protected areas into the surrounding landscapes, seascapes, and to integrate protected areas into sectoral plans and strategies. This guide provides conservation planners with a concrete set of steps they can take to improve protected area integration, including getting started, assessing the broader context, developing and implementing strategies and monitoring the results. This guide also aims to inform and support others involved in land use planning to help them better understand and integrate conservation principles into their work.