A vision for forest protected areas
WWF aims to see another 75 million hectares of the world’s most outstanding forests brought under protection by 2010. We want to have all types of forests, from mangroves to dry forests, from Peru to Madagascar, represented within protected areas.
We are more than half way there: by 2004, with WWF's support, governments, local communities, indigenous peoples and the private sector have set aside an additional 42 million hectares of forest protected areas.
Following up on existing protected areas
Establishing forest protected areas alone is not enough.
Too many protected areas are not being well cared for and poorly managed.
Protecting these forests and the biodiversity they hold means much more than the creation of a national park. It requires ongoing assessment of their management and ensuring the recommendations are implemented.
To help in that effort, we have developed assessment methods like the
Rapid Assessment and Prioritisation Methodology (RAPPAM) and the
Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool.
Beyond 'simple' management
On the ground, WWF also helps with tourism initiatives, working closely with rangers, holding training workshops and stakeholder meetings, carrying out mapping, habitat management, working with local and religious communities to manage the area, and providing funding, equipment, expertise and advice.
Forest connectivity for resilience
We are also working to create networks of forests, ensure that they are well maintained and that fragmented protected areas are connected through
Forest Landscape Restoration projects.
This will improve the forest's resilience, allow animals and plant life to interchange, and a healthier ecosystem to thrive.
This problem of movement is a real threat to the
panda population in China, so we are developing forest 'corridors' so the pandas can move from one protected reserve to another.
Making self-sustaining protected areas a reality
All this takes funding. With organizations such as
CARE and IIED (
International Institute for Environment and Development), we are developing innovative financing schemes, one of which is
Payment for Environmental Services or PES, to help more protected areas pay for their own upkeep.
This might mean, for example, that downstream beneficiaries of water cleansed by the forest pay a user fee, or tourists and trekkers pay to enter the forest.
