Top-Down vs. Bottom Up: Working Towards Consensus ... - CASIOPA

SUMMARY OF THE PARKS RESEARCH FORUM OF ONTARIO (PRFO)STATE OF THE ART PROTECTED AREAS DESIGN WORKSHOP, 2006Software such as C-PLAN facilitates identification and involvement of stakeholders, data requirements(both coverage and quality), and conservation targets. The key purposes, however, relate to assessmentof existing reserves, selection of new areas, and implementation and monitoring of the overall network.Questions have been raised regarding different techniques required in public versus private lands, andbetween different types of stakeholder groups (aboriginal groups, industry and forestry landowners,private residential developers, stewardship councils, and recreation/tourism companies). While thesequestions are by no means resolved, it has been suggested that involving stakeholders as early aspossible in the decision process can lead to more effective and agreeable goals and targets, as well asalleviate the „black box‟ problem, whereby stakeholders are presented with (and subsequently reject) aconservation management plan without an understanding of the data and methods that went into itscreation. This early involvement may also preclude later stakeholder „pullout‟, although realistically thismay require pre-existing legal commitment to the planning process.Further comments have raised the possibility of „deferral areas‟, which while not officially designated asa protected area, may be identified and monitored pending further conservation effort. Furtherdevelopment of „matrix-management‟ strategies is warranted to mitigate threatening behaviour in areassurrounding defined protected areas. However, from a systematic viewpoint, the data, tools andprocedures for the identification of these areas are identical, only differing in the policy andimplementation of these designations.Finally, commentators have stressed the concern that not enough money and effort is directed towardsthe maintenance and monitoring of protected areas, resulting in a decrease in intensive management overtime, and an increase in „benign neglect‟, which may reduce the effectiveness of extant protected areas.There exists a necessary feedback loop between maintenance/monitoring and the assessment andselection of conservation areas. Without effective monitoring, the benefits of quantitative targets cannotbe realized, and the effectiveness of those targets at realizing stated conservation effort goals cannot beevaluated.53 | P a g e