Evaluation of the Barents Protected Area Network using PoWPA as a tool
One of the main tasks of the BPAN project in 2011-2013 was to conduct evaluation of the protected area network. This report presents the results of the evaluation on protected areas in the Barents Region, which was made using the Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA) of the Convention on Biological Diversity as a framework.
Project implemented eight regional evaluations, which were done by national and regional authorities, scientific institutes and nature conservation non-governmental organizations from Norway, Sweden, Finland and northwest Russia. Five regions of northwest Russia prepared their own evaluations as the circumstances between them vary.
The PoWPA national reporting framework was modified to make it more suitable to be used as a tool for analysis of the protected area network in the Barents Region. It was especially used to see in which PoWPA goals and targets the Barents Region as a whole had progress, and which of them needed further work. The evaluation was used to form recommendations for future development in the Barents Region.
A network of existing and planned protected areas is under development in the Barents Region. New protected areas have been established in recent years. However, strong efforts are still needed for strengthening the network of protected areas in order to reach the internationally agreed Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
Publication is available in English and Russian.
