Tool Kit for Protected Area Development and Management

Identification, designation, management and monitoring and evaluation of protected areas involves complex, multi-layered tasks. In decision VII/28, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted a programme of work which includes these activities for national and regional systems of protected areas, ecological networks, ecological corridors, and buffer zones. To date a tool kit comprising 118 tools has been developed to facilitate the systematic implementation of the programme of work. These tools offer voluntary guidance, they must be user-friendly, action-oriented, demand-driven, adaptable to the needs of different countries and specific situations, and relevant to users for their effective application.

The Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Project has tested the relevance, and applicability to the Cambodian situation, of some of the tools compiled by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. In addition, BPAMP has developed, tested and implemented tools tailor-made for the needs of Cambodia. These tools will contribute to the Convention on Biological Diversity toolkit, particularly in areas where gaps in existing tool kits have been identified during the 1st meeting of the working group on protected areas in June 2005. The gaps include management and financial planning, and social participation and co-management of protected areas.

Site-level tools developed and implemented by BPAMP:

• A manual for the participatory development of protected area management and financial plans.
• A model management plan including financial plan for Virachey National Park.
• Small grants guidelines, which detail how to select, fund, implement, monitor and evaluate community development activities which encourage the sustainable use and conservation of resources, and which are income generating and geared towards reducing poverty. These guidelines can be applied to all community development activities funded through donor grants.
• An annual operations and budget planning and monitoring and evaluation manual for use in protected areas and at the Department of Nature Conservation and Protection.
• Procedures for opportunistic collection of data on illegal activities and wildlife by rangers on park protection patrols - so call ranger-based data collection - with the aim to provide timely, reliable and up-to-date information to protected area management for their day to day management decision-making. A comprehensive A ranger-based data collection reference guide and training manual for protected area staff has been produced.
• An ecotourism strategy for Virachey National Park.
• Eco-trail construction and maintenance manual and Signage design and specifications manual

Site-level tool implemented by BPAMP:

• A management information system for use in protected areas.
• Graphic design and signage standards for all protected areas as well as the Department of Nature Conservation and Protection (national level).

Site-level tools tested by BPAMP:

• The World Bank and WWF site-level management effectiveness tracking tool. A printed Khmer version is available.

Site-level tools in preparation:

• National guidelines for the establishment and co-management of Community Protected Areas.
• Relevant initiatives piloted in Virachey National Park form a key contribution to the national guidelines.

National-level tools modified and implemented by BPAMP:

• Rapid assessment and prioritisation of protected area management. The assessment methodology developed by WWF was used for the Cambodian protected area system, complemented by a workshop which used satellite images to explore the spatial aspects of protected area management.
• A Protected Area and Biodiversity Gap Analysis and a Protected Area System Plan.

National-level tools in preparation:

• A management information system for use in protected areas.
• A national ranger training curriculum.
• A model agreement for transboundary cooperation.
• A comprehensive outreach programme at local and national level.