1.Front section - IUCN

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Friends for Life: New partners in support of protected areas
International connections between people and agencies help with financial and political support in Siberian tiger country. Russian Federation
Department of Protected Areas, United States Forest Service and Northern Arizona University collaborate.
© D. Ostergren
official or community can clearly see a benefit such as
international recognition, the cooperation of funding
institutions, clean water, tourism or other values, then
subsequent actions will likely favour protected natural
areas.
Building support within a local or regional
community requires the insight that communities will
act in their own best interest. Those actions may or
may not be consistent with national or international
interests. PA advocates need to employ a wide range
of communication strategies to present a convincing
case that a community’s best interests may be served
though PA values and benefits. Discussed elsewhere
in this volume are constituencies such as indigenous
and mobile people; the mining, oil and gas industries;
advocates for protecting biodiverse ecosystems or
wilderness; those who benefit as consumers or
providers of ecotourism experiences; groups where
the priority is to restore war-torn ecosystems or
communities; and urban populations seeking avenues
to connect to the natural world. Each constituency
provides a unique set of challenges for PA advocates
and a potential area of PA support.
International support
International institutions such as agreements,
conventions and/or organizations have tremendous
potential to contribute to the establishment or
expansion of protected areas. Most often international
institutions serve as sources of financial cooperation,
administrative advice or information clearinghouses.
The international community provides legitimacy to
an advocate’s position that protected natural areas
benefit the entire society well beyond the PA
boundaries. And, by definition, international
institutions work across a range of political conditions
and cultural perspectives to build the political support
that often puts a protected area on the map.
International organizations and institutions offer
support as a higher authority that can be harnessed to
effect change. An important institution is the World
Heritage Convention (WHC). As part of identifying
and prioritizing sites for assistance, the WHC employs
a “danger listing” for those sites most threatened by
human activity. The danger listing launches several
actions and mechanisms into play for existing and
potential World Heritage Sites. The listing identifies
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