La baie du Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin est un espace remarquable qui concentre divers enjeux socio économiques, culturels, biogéographiques et écologiques. C’est l’un des sites les plus suivis de Guadeloupe (site Ramsar en 1993, réserve de Biosphère en 1994, une partie classée en réserve naturelle nationale en 1987 puis intégrée dans le coeur marin du parc national de la Guadeloupe en 2009). Malgré ces dispositions, il subit des conflits d’usages, un manque de rigueur dans l’application des règles et une valorisation désordonnée. La charte du territoire du Parc national de la Guadeloupe propose une gouvernance partagée des territoires du parc. C’est pourquoi, les 2 principaux gestionnaires, le Conservatoire du littoral et le Parc national de la Guadeloupe ont élaboré une stratégie de gestion durable de la fréquentation, accompagnée de propositions concrètes d’actions, permettant de mieux répartir les activités en fonction de la sensibilité des milieux et de la potentialité des sites. 

La surveillance du parc par les comités locaux du parc fait partie des stratégies de cogestion du réseau d’Aires Protégées gérées par Madagascar National Parks. Il s’agit d’une approche de cogestion collaborative en intégrant les comités villageois à la place des agents du Parc  pour la surveillance de ce parc.Un contrat de surveillance est à établir avec chaque comité local de parc. La surface de l’Aire protégée surveillée annuellement par le Comité local du Parc(CLP)  est comptabilisée sur la base de nombre de carreaux objets de patrouilles.

Pour ce faire, le comité local du parc :

• est doté de matériels et équipements convenables et à temps (GPS, uniforme,….)
• assure la sensibilisation et la collecte des informations indispensables
• assure le relai d’information lié aux pressions et le rapport auprès de la Direction du parc
• contribue à la sécurité des visiteurs du parc

Different waves of Ebola killed gorillas in many important areas in Central Africa, including Odzala National park, Congo. Even worse, 2 habituated gorilla groups disappeared and left the park without this important source of potential income. The idea arose to habituate gorillas in a nearby community zone. GRASP provided matching funds to a community conservation project, and since 2012 tourists can see western lowland gorillas in the Lossi Interzone.

In Paraguay we have managed to combine the vision of biodiversity conservation with the restitution of ancestral lands of the Mbyaguarani indigenous people. What we have called “socioenvironmental condominium” is a sample of what can be achieved between environmental organizations and indigenous peoples. Our goals are common and can be achieve by working with those who better understand conservation in situ: native peoples.

 Ajloun Reserve covers 12 sq km from the remaining fragile and fragmented forest patches northern Jordan. The most important component of RSCN’s solution to integrate the local communities in its conservation programs was nature-based low impact ecotourism. We developed eco-tourism infrastructure and facilities (cabins, restaurants, trails) to attract nature lovers to stay overnights in the area, which only received limited numbers of day visitors before the establishment of the reserve. We linked the reserve with the surrounding historical and cultural attractions creating benefits and alternative income to the local communities, and assisted in the rehabilitation of local houses located along the hiking trails as stop points for food and beverage.  Our ecotourism product depends on natural and cultural resources, low level of technology with low negative impact on nature respecting the sites carrying capacity. 

In the face of climate-related challenges, and various socioeconomic pressures in Sian Ka’an, CONANP has created an innovative multi-actor alliance to increase local adaptive capacity through an EbA strategy based on mangrove rehabilitation & income diversification. A key step was to engage farmers using targeted public financial mechanisms. CONANP has supported the fishing sector to diversify its productive activities. The academia has also played a prominent role in planning, and regulation.

Lack of data on artisanal fisheries landings is a common element in tropical countries. The Participatory Monitoring Program includes the gathering and synthesis of biological information by organized groups of artisanal fishers. Multi-year data gathered by the fishers is presented and discussed with the community to highlight information on species, minimum sizes, volumes, trends and seasonality in the captures.  This process has resulted in significant changes in fishing practices and management.

Reforestamos México developed a solution that allows Natural Protected Areas (NPAs) located near big cities to become a center point that brings alliances, hands and financial resources together in order to plant trees in degraded forests, improve the livelihood of local communities and increase forest awareness among urban people, which derives in better private and public political will to develop initiatives for the benefit of protected and unprotected forests.

IUCN in Jordan and the global power company AES Levant are working together to engage stakeholders in seeking solutions to environmental issues affecting the area to the east of the capital Amman, such as to biodiversity degradation and environmental pollution in an area that are witnessing rapid land use changes towards a more industrialized uses . The project brings together private sector, governmental institutions, environmental experts and local communities in a unique initiative, creating a model that can encourage other private companies to help communities with environmental planning on a local level.

An endnote bibliographic database was created to synthesise Australian Indigenous Biocultural Knowledge (IBK) from existing publicly available documents. This is now available in one place at www.aibk.info for people to search what IBK exists and in what areas (spatially) via an interactive map. Case studies of IBK are also showcased on this website.

Over 300 small hydropower plants (SHPP) have been planned for construction in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Even though there is a legal framework in BiH obliging the authorities and the investors to include the local community in the planning and decision-making processes, those regulations are consistently ignored. In Kruščica village, the consent of the locals, for building 4 SHPP planned on their river, was plagiarised. Those 4 SHPP were subsequently added into the spatial plan of the Vitez municipality, in which the Kruščica Mountain had been listed as a PA. Around 40 people signed their consent for the projects. The others didn’t have a clue what was going on (including 2,000 people is living in the village). A spontaneous gathering of citizens on the only bridge that leads to the construction site of SHPP has grown in the successful initiative. WWF Adria, together with partners, is supporting work of Eko-Bistro, organization established by Kruščica village inhabitants.

WWF Adria provides a model on how national parks can generate environmentally responsible economic development by encouraging entrepreneurs to start or grow businesses in the tourism sector. Activities include establishment and support to Una Tourism Cluster and work with its 27 members, (private sector hotels, B&B facilities, women associations, organic food farms), establishing an eco-market; providing a grants program to fund new tourism facilities and integrate local products into tourism offers; branding and standardization; and strengthening the capacity of TC Una members. 300 families are directly benefiting being cluster members or employees of hotels/restaurants which are cluster members while more than 1000 people are indirectly benefiting. The idea is that all products and services marked as UNASANA are recognizable as high quality and unique in the region, while simultaneously meeting criteria for being sustainable businesses within protected areas.