Protected Areas and Sustainable Development

Protected areas are the largest deliberate land use in the world; they are found in virtually every country and on every continent. Although protected areas focus on nature conservation, most also supply a range of ecosystem services with social, cultural, and economic benefits that are essential to sustainable development. This module discusses how ecosystem services can best be incorporated into protected area management, and in so doing contribute to sustainable development. The lessons will improve your knowledge of the links between managing protected areas for biodiversity conservation and for ecosystem services. The module is designed for protected area managers, conservation practitioners, and conservation policymakers.

Learner Objectives

This module aims to provide you with an introduction to the different types of protected areas and ecosystem services, and discusses ways of maximizing the value of these ecosystem services at national level and site level. The module also provides an overview of specific issues related to protected area management: food and water security, disaster risk reduction, health, climate change, jobs, livelihoods and poverty reduction.