Equitably managed

The ‘equitably managed’ element of Aichi Target 11 is often understood as ‘equitably governed’ (CBD, 2018) since it relates to the quality of governance (good governance) in protected and conserved areas. In this context, equity can be understood as encompassing recognition, procedure and distribution. It covers respect for stakeholders and their rights; decision-making processes, including transparency, accountability and dispute resolution; and the fair distribution of costs and benefits. When applied equitably, these elements of governance yield important benefits. Firstly, they ensure that the costs of conservation are not borne solely by local people (often those most directly reliant on natural resources within protected and conserved areas), while its benefits are enjoyed by others. Secondly, they enable the equitable participation of all stakeholders, including women and other marginalised groups, in decision making and in the sharing of benefits arising from the management of protected and conserved areas. Thirdly, they are necessary to building conservation networks that have the support of local people, a factor that is closely linked to positive biodiversity outcomes (Oldekop et al., 2016). These factors are of particular importance considering that the designation and governance of protected areas has sometimes been harmful to indigenous peoples and local communities, including by violating their rights, removing them from their lands, and revoking their access to culturally-important natural resources (Stevens et al., 2016).

There have been recent advances in our understanding of governance and equity (Zafra-Calvo et al., 2019; Zafra-Calvo et al., 2017; Borrini-Feyerabend et al., 2014), and methodologies have been designed to assess equity and governance in the protected area context. For example, the Site-level Assessment of Governance and Equity (SAGE) methodology (IIED, 2020) (developed through the joint efforts of conservation agencies, NGOs and research organisations led by IIED) enables local stakeholders to improve the governance and equity of their conservation work. Furthermore, it generates information for stakeholders at higher levels that can help inform management oversight, improving the governance of the protected and conserved area system as a whole, and informing national and global reporting.

SAGE takes the form of a multi-stakeholder self-assessment that distinguishes perspectives from different stakeholder groups, including by gender. The SAGE questionnaire is designed around 10 principles of equity and governance. It captures qualitative information including specific governance challenges identified by different stakeholders, reasons for differences in perspectives, and potential actions to address the challenges and promote convergence of perspectives. SAGE includes optional modules on improving governance, equity and monitoring. It is also being linked to various IUCN Green List assessments.

Among other things, an equitably governed conservation network is one where a diversity of governance types is recognised (Box 10). However, to date the conservation efforts of private actors, indigenous peoples and local communities remain undervalued and under-reported to the WDPA and WD-OECM, though their contributions to conservation are extensive. Notably, areas potentially fitting the description of territories and areas conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities (ICCAs) cover at least 21% of the world’s land (UNEP-WCMC and ICCA Consortium, 2021)

There is a need for greater recognition of the role of non-state actors in conservation, underpinned by (with their consent) improved reporting of non-state protected areas and OECMs to the WDPA and WD-OECM, and therefore availability of information on the extent of their contributions. There is also a need to roll out and refine methodologies like SAGE, establish and maintain a global reporting system for equity assessments of protected and conserved areas, and use the information reported to ensure that the world’s conservation network truly works for people as well as nature.