Documentation
and presentation


The documentation of the outputs of the four management tools (descriptive compendium; compendium of laws, norms and agreements; strategic plan; and zoning plan), as presented in this document, is the result of a continuous protected area management process, and remains active and open during the entire management of the protected area. For this reason there cannot be closed and finished documents at any given moment. The documents must be adapted and adjusted constantly, as a function of management advancements. This implies the generation of information with different degrees of detail, different validity periods and different needs for social or legal approval.

Considering the importance of flexibility and the need to adapt, the following recommendations for the presentation of the documents are applicable:

- In order to add information, whether to complement or update a text, it is recommended to work with modules in logbooks, thus facilitating the addition of new papers. In this case it is important that only one person is able to authorize the addition or change in the information, and that this person guarantees that every actor involved will be informed of any change. For this purpose, a list of the persons the document was handed to must be kept and published in information boards. As an additional distribution and publication tool for the document, Internet or Web pages of the institution in charge may be used, if available.
- During the first edition of the documents, good structuring must be insured to avoid confusion in the future. Specifically, continuous numeration should not be used; rather it should be structured by modules, chapters and pages. For example, Module A, Chapter I, page 3 would be (A,I,3) and Module C, Chapter IV, page 6 would be (C,IV,6). This way you can avoid the constant change in the page numeration as the document grows or changes.
- It is recommended that the documents have a defined structure, known to everyone involved in the management of protected areas. This will make searching for information easier not only for his area, but also for the rest of the areas in the country, as well as reducing the work a protected area manager must deal with when being transferred from one area to another, or when trying to communicate with colleagues and actors of another protected area.

- Additionally, it is possible to create a CD containing a basic scheme of the desired format, in which the section headings are pre-established, as well as the pages or sections that repeat themselves and are valid for all the protected areas of a given country. The basic scheme could also work as a list of aspects to be thought about during the planning process.

 

Notes


1 The participants of the "International Workshop on Management Plans for Protected Areas in Latin America: Concepts and Challenges" (Taboga Island, Panama, from Oct. 15 to 19, 2001): Stefanie Eissing (Germany), Jürgen Czerwenka, Luis Pabón, Gonzalo Peña, José Antonio Péres (Bolivia), Gustavo Wachtl (Brazil), Juan Oltremari (Chile), Aída Giraldo (Colombia), Stanley Arguedas, Luis Gerardo Artavia, Andrea Ballestero, José Joaquín Calvo, Ronald McCarthy, Michael Schlönvoigt (Costa Rica), Vladimir Valarezo (Ecuador), Stephan Amend, Thora Amend, Adrián Carrillo, Cecilia Guerra, Amable Gutiérrez, Daniel Holness, César Sandino (Panama), Ramón Ovidio Sánchez Peña (Dominican Republic), Edgard Yerena (Venezuela).
2 Questions that arose in the context of the documents that were revised for the electronic forum, and that guided the discussion about management plans in Latin America:
- What is a management plan?
- For whom is a management plan?
- What elements must it contain?
- How should it be prepared?
- Who should take part in the preparation?
- What role can the external consultants play?
- How can the elaboration costs be minimized?
- How far does the geographic reach of a management plan go?
- How far does the thematic reach of a management plan go?
- What is the minimum information needed about a protected area in order to prepare a management plan?
- What role does zoning play?
- Are strategic and operational planning part of the management plan?
- Which parts of the plan need formal approval?
- What do the concepts of buffer zone and neighboring zone, have to do with management plans?
- How can the plans respond flexible to the dynamic changes in a region?
- How should the publication presentation or format of a management plan
look like?
- To whom does a management plan belong?
3 The following guideline documents for the elaboration of management plans were analyzed in the electronic forum before the workshop:
- ANAM (2000): Directrices Técnicas para la Preparación de Planes de Manejo en Áreas Protegidas. Elaborated by Valarezo G, V. & J. Gómez. Panama.
- Europarc Deutschland / Germany (2000): Leitfaden zur Erarbeitung von Nationalparkplänen.
- Gabaldón L., Mario (1997): Manual para Formulación de Planes de Manejo en Áreas Protegidas de la Amazonía. European Union, Amazonic Cooperation Treaty.
- IBAMA (1996): Roteiro Metodológico Para o Planejamento de Unidades de Conservação de Uso Indireto. Versão 3.0. Brasilia, Brazil.
- Ledec, George (1992): Guidelines for preparing management plans for national parks and other protected areas. Presentation at: Fourth World Congress on National Parks and Protected Areas. The World Bank. Caracas, Venezuela.
- Miller, Kenton (1980): Planificación de Parques Nacionales para el Ecodesarrollo en América Latina. Madrid, Spain.
- MINAE (2000): Guía para la Formulación de Planes de Manejo para Áreas Silvestres Protegidas. Elaborated by Artavia, G.; Asch, Y.; Calvo, J.J. & Y. Mena. San José, Costa Rica.
- Oltremari, J. V. & K. D. Thelen (1999): Manual para la Formulación de Planes de Manejo en Áreas Silvestres Protegidas Privadas. FAO, Study N° 07-0003-016. National Committee on the Environment. Santiago, Chile.
- UAESPNN (2001): Documento Conceptual sobre Planes de Manejo de las Áreas del Sistema de Parques Nacionales Naturales. Bogota, Colombia.
- IUCN (1986): Managing Protected Areas in the Tropics. Gland, Switzerland.
4 MAPZA Proyect (SERNAP-GTZ) (2002): Hacia una Metodología Integral de Planificación para el Manejo de Areas Protegidas y sus Zonas de Amortiguamiento en Bolivia. Bases para desarrollar un proceso de su Elaboración (Propuesta). La Paz, Bolivia.
5 Carlos Matus, renowned Chilean professor, has developed and promoted very successfully the concept of Strategic Situational Planning (SSP). In: Franco Huertas (1996): El método PES. Entrevista a Carlos Matus. La Paz, Bolivia.
6 The definition of the outputs and outcomes was taken from: Hockings, M., Stolton, S., and Dudley, N. (2000): Evaluating Effectiveness: A Framework for Assessing the Management of Protected Areas. Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series No. 6. IUCN.
7 U.S. Department of the Interior (1933): Laws Relating to the National Park Service. Washington, D.C.
8 IUCN ( 1977): World Directory of National Parks and Protected Areas. Morges/Switzerland.
9 158 South American national parks (85.9% of the total of 184 declared by 1991) faced the problem of human occupancy or use of their resources. In: Amend, Stephan & Thora, Eds. (1995): National Parks without people? The South American experience. IUCN/Parques Nacionales y Conservación Ambiental No. 5. Quito, Ecuador.
10 Prepared during the "International Workshop on Management Plans for Protected Areas in Latin America: Concepts and Challenges," organized by the ABS/LISTRA project in 2001 in Panama.
11 IUCN (1994): Guidelines for Protected Area Management Categories. Gland, Switzerland.
12 Jeffrey Sayer (1991): Rainforest buffer zones: Guidelines for Protected Area Managers. Gland, Switzerland.
13 Dirección Nacional de Parques/ Consorcio Ambiental Dominicano/ Fundación Loma Quita Espuela. 1997. Plan de manejo de la reserva científica Loma Quita Espuela. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
14 A large part of this chapter was enriched by: Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend et. al. (2001): Manejo Conjunto de los Recursos Naturales - Organizarse, Negociar, Aprender en la Acción. GTZ y IUCN. Heidelberg; and by GTZ/IUCN (1998): Metodologías Participativas para Elaboración e Implementación de Planes de Manejo en Áreas Protegidas. Report form the International Seminar-Workshop in Cochabamba/ Bolivia.
15 Adapted from: MINAE (2000): Guía para la Formulación de Planes de Manejo para Áreas Silvestres Protegidas. San Jose, Costa Rica.
16 Some topics that can be necessary or useful for protected area management:
- Outstanding natural resources
- Fragile ecosystems
- Scenic and landscape resources
- Cultural and archeological resources
- Communities and ethnic groups
- Economic activities of the population
- Land tenure
- Current land use
- Land use capacity
- Pressures on the use of the resources
- Environmental impact of development projects
- Land use conflicts
17 IBAMA (1996): Roteiro Metodológico para o Planejamento de Unidades de Conservaçao de Uso Indirecto. Version 3.0. In: IBAMA (s.a.): Guía do Chefe. Manual de Apoio ao Gerenciamento de Unidades de Conservaçao Federais. Proyecto IBAMA/GTZ. Brasilia, Brazil.
18 Jean Paul Harroy (1963): "The Criteria for Selection. Established by the International Commission on National Parks". In: IUCN (1969): United Nations List of National Parks and Equivalent Reserves. Brussels, Belgium.
19 IUCN (1994): Guidelines for Protected Area Management Categories. Gland, Switzerland.
20 República de Perú, (1997): Ley No. 26834, Ley de Áreas Naturales Protegidas, Art. 21.
21 Amend, Stephan / Amend, Thora (1998): La zonificación - elemento clave de los planes de manejo in: GTZ/IUCN (1998): Metodologías participativas para elaboración e implementación de planes de manejo en áreas protegidas, Piñami, Cochabamba (Bolivia).
22 UAESPNN (2001): Documento Conceptual sobre Planes de Manejo de las Áreas del Sistema de Parques Nacionales Naturales. Bogota, Colombia.
23 Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (1999): Lineamientos para la Elaboración de Planes Maestros de las Áreas Protegidas del SIGAP. Guatemala.

 

 

Information about authors,
collaborators and organizations


Authors


Stephan Amend, geographer graduated from the universities of Bochum and Freiburg (Germany) with a doctoral thesis about the management of El Avila National Park in Venezuela. He is currently the main advisor for a project in Panama that is executed between the National Authority for the Environment (ANAM) and the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ), along with ECO-Consult, for the sustainable development of the regional integration of the Cerro Hoya National Park. He is co-editor of the book "National Parks without people? The South American experience" and co-founder of the "National Parks and Environmental Conservation" series. He has worked for the GTZ as expert and planner for nature conservation issues at the headquarters in Eschborn/Germany as well as in the Amazon in Ecuador (Cuyabeno Fauna Production Reserve).
Aptdo. 4228, Zona 5, PANAMA
Tel.: +507-232.72.24, Fax: 232.72.25
E-mail: pncehoya@sinfo.net

Aída Giraldo, anthropologist with master's degrees in Agrarian Systems Sustainable Development and in Management and Conservation of Biodiversity in the Tropics. Currently she holds the position of Technical Subdirector of the National Parks Unit of the Colombian Ministry for the Environment. She has worked for more than 10 years on the management and zoning issues related to the environment with different indigenous populations, Afro-American communities and farming sectors. She has wide experience in working with NGOs, grassroots organizations and public and academic institutions where, through problems related to environmental and land zoning she has developed methodological and conceptual instruments linked to social participation.
Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt
Calle 37 No. 8 - 40 Mezanine, Bogotá D.C., COLOMBIA
Tel : + 57 (1) 3406925/ 2877530/ 2877514. Celular + 57 (3) 3104230024
E-mail: aida_giraldo@hotmail.com / amgiraldo@humboldt.org.co

Juan V. Oltremari Arregui, forestry engineer and M.Sc. Currently he holds the position of Academic and Director of the Forestry Sciences Department of the Pontificia Universidad Católica of Chile. He has more than 30 years of professional experience as university professor in the fields of protected area management and conservation of biological diversity. For 10 years he coordinated several international projects at the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, all of which were about management and planning for national parks and other protected areas. He is the author of numerous publications, including articles in scientific magazines and various technical documents and reports about planning for natural areas, conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity and the management of natural resources.
Departamento de Ciencias Forestales,
Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal, Pontificia Univ. Católica de Chile
Av. Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Casilla 306, Correo 22, Santiago, CHILE
Tel: + 562 - 686.41.14, 686.41.69, Fax: 686.59.82
E-mail: joltrama@puc.cl

Ramón Ovidio Sánchez P., biologist with a master's in Natural Resource Management, with specialization in Wildlife Areas, from the Tropical Agronomic Center for Research and Teaching (CATIE) - Costa Rica. He also holds a doctorate in Natural Sciences from the University of Bielefeld, Germany. Currently he is professor of Protected Area Management for the master's programs of the Pedro Henriquez Ureña National University (UNPHU) and the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology (INTEC). He has a lot of experience in fieldwork on biodiversity conservation.
Calle 15, Edificio 10, Apto. 3-1, Ensanche Honduras
Santo Domingo, REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA
Tel: + 809 - 533-7807
E-mail: dnp@codetel.net.do / ramon52do@yahoo.es

Vladimir Valarezo García, ecuadorian biologist, dedicated to the management of renewable natural resources since 1972, both in the public and private sectors. In the past 15 years he has worked on the planning and management of protected areas; and among his work we can cite the following: Methodology for the strategic planning of protected natural areas in Ecuador and in Panama; Methodology for the evaluation of the management efficiency of natural protected areas; Methodological guide for the elaboration of integral community management plans; Strategic plan for Ecuador's national system of natural protected areas; Management plan for the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve; and the elaboration of six management plans for protected natural areas. Moreover, between 1996 and 1999 he was the coordinator of the technical planning unit for natural protected areas of the GEF project-Ecuador.
Calle Ulloa N2820 y Selva Alegre, Edificio C.B., PB, Ofic. 03, Quito, ECUADOR
Telefax: + 593-2 - 255.82.49
E-mail: vvalarezog@yahoo.com

Edgard Yerena, biologist graduated from Simón Bolívar University in Caracas, Venezuela, with an M.Sc. He is currently working as professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at the Simón Bolívar University where he teaches postgraduate courses in protected area planning and management, territorial zoning, and environmental planning and management. His previous work experience includes 14 years working for the Venezuelan national parks (Inparques) where he coordinated various studies which led to the declaration of 12 new national parks and natural monuments, as well as the approval of more than 20 zoning plans and use regulations for the various management categories. He also worked for 5 years as advisor to the Venezuelan Senate's Environment and Land use planning Commission, and for 2 years with the Venezuelan Nature Protection Foundation (FUDENA).
Aptdo. 68409, Altamira, Caracas, 1062 VENEZUELA
Tel: + 212 906-30-38
E-mail: eyerena@usb.ve

Collaborators

Thora Amend, ethnologist and geographer with a doctorate from the University of Freiburg, Germany, on marine-coastal national parks in Venezuela. Currently she is an independent consultant in Panama. She has worked in Latin America since 1985 and is a member of the Cerro Hoya Project team (ANAM- GTZ/Eco), as well as coordinating the GTZ's ABS-LISTRA Sectorial Project (Protected Area Management and Sustainable Development) for Latin America. She is a member of the IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas, and the IUCN's Commission on Environmental Economical and Social Policy, Collaborative Management Working Group for the participative management of protected areas and natural resources. She is co-editor of the "National Parks and Environmental Conservation" series, and founding member of the NGO Aprender con la Naturaleza (Learning with Nature).
Aptdo. 4228, Zona 5, PANAMÁ
Tel.: + 507-232.72.24, Fax: 232.72.25
E-mail: amend@sinfo.net

Andrea Ballestero, lawyer with a Masters in Environmental Legislation, currently studying natural resource policies at the University of Michigan, USA. She has worked in various Latin American countries in the implementation of integral models for biodiversity conservation and local development. Founder and Director of the Latin American School for Protected Areas (ELAP) at the University for International Cooperation - UCI in Costa Rica. From there she has coordinated several academic and technical initiatives regarding sustainable development within contexts of change and uncertainty.
Student, M.Sc. Resource Policy and Behavior
School of Natural Resources and Environment
University of Michigan. ESTADOS UNIDOS
E-mail: aballes@umich.edu

Olatz Cases, Field engineer and specialist in Environment and Natural Resource Management, both titles acquired from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. During the past few years she has collaborated as specialist in protected areas on several projects under the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources-IBAMA, and the Brazilian Ministry for the Environment, such as the "National Program for the Development of Ecotourism in the Brazilian Amazon", the "Ecological Corridors Project" under the Pilot Program for the Conservation of the Brazilian Tropical Flora (PP/G7), and the "National Program for the Environment", in the Conservation Units Component. In this last project she was part of the team that developed the methodology, the concepts, and the technical aspects for the planning of the Brazilian Federal protected areas. As a result of this work, the "Methodological Guide for the Planning of Indirect Use Conservation Units" was elaborated.
R. Paraíba, 670. Cd. N. S. de Fátima, Bloco 5, Apt 204.
Manaus /AM. 69.057-020. BRASIL
Telefax: + 55-92-.236.11.09
E-mail: ocases@uol.com.br

José Joaquín Calvo Domingo, biologist graduated from the University of Costa Rica and holder of a master's degree in Business Administration. He is currently the Chief of Wildlife for the National System for Conservation Areas under the Ministry for Energy and the Environment. He has collaborated on various publications, including the Procedure Manual for the Wildlife Conservation Law, the Application Report for the Costa Rican Protected Area Management Monitoring System, and the Environmental Zoning Plan for the Ministry for Energy and the Environment. Morevoer, he has participated on several commissions, including the National Commission for the Conservation of Lapa Verde together with IUCN, UNDP, the British Embassy and CODEFORMA; the Animal Wildlife Management Project together with the Center for Earth Conscience; the National Wetland Strategy Follow-up Commission; and the Commission for the execution of the Environmental Zoning Plan, which took place between August 1999 and March 2000.
Aptdo. 10104-1000, San José, COSTA RICA
Tel: + 506 283-8004 ext. 126
Fax: + 506 283-7343
E-mail: jjcalvo@minae.go.cr

Stefanie Eissing, biologist with a master's degree from the University of Marburg, Germany. Currently she works as consultant for different international cooperation and nature protection organizations with different tasks in Latin America. Between 1998 and 2000 she worked as advisor in the "Ecological Support Program" from GTZ and in the "Mesoamerican Biological Corridor" project with the GTZ in Costa Rica. Some of the professional and research fields that she has worked in are the following: sustainable use of natural resources; planning and management for protected areas; planning, organization, management and consulting for projects, programs, NGOs and events.
Hirschberg 3, D-35037 Marburg, ALEMANIA
Telefax: + 49-(0)6421 / 487706
E-mail: Stefanie.Eissing@gmx.net

Amable Gutiérrez:, forestry engineer, graduated in 1980. He has worked during 22 consecutive years for the Panamanian government in the National Authority for the Environment (ANAM). He has held the positions of National Director of the Firewood and Alternate Energy Sources Project, of the Multiple Use Trees Project (MADELEÑA), and of the Cerro Hoya Project. Moreover, he is Chief of the Regional Department for Natural Resources and Hydrographic Watersheds.
ANAM - Proyecto Cerro Hoya
Apdo. 29, Las Tablas, Provincia de Los Santos, PANAMÁ.
Tel: + 507 - 994.03.63, Fax: 994.09.57
E-mail: amablegg@hotmail.com

Ronald McCarthy, master's in integrated management of natural resources with a specialization in protected areas. He has worked as international consultant for different institutions in the Central American region for the past 11 years. He has coordinated the elaboration of the management plans for: the Terreba Sierpe National Wetlands (Costa Rica) and the Camino de Cruces National Park (Panama), and participated in the elaboration of the management plans for the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica), and the Barra de Santiago Multiple Use Area (El Salvador).
Área de Conservación de Bosques y Áreas Protegidas
Oficina Regional para Mesoamérica (ORMA-UICN)
Apdo. 146-2150, Moravia, COSTA RICA.
Tel: + 506-241.01.01, Fax: 240.99.34
E-mail: ronald.mccarthy@orma.iucn.org

Luis Pabón Zamora, bolivian economist with a diploma in Regional Planning and Administration from the University of Dortmund, Germany, and a master's degree in Sciences from the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand. Until 2002, he was the Executive Director of the Bolivian National Service for Protected Areas. He worked as Permanent Secretary for the Departamental Council for Social Development of Chuquisaca and he founded the Chuquisaca Provincial Development Councils which were considered among the first de-centralization and citizen participation experiences in Bolivia. He contributed to the implementation of the Popular Participation Law in the Bolivian Chaco. He was consultant for UNICEF as de-centralization and social development expert and he developed an information system for development planning based on rural communities and local governments of Bolivia.
Casilla Postal 13 561. La Paz, Bolivia
Tel: + 591-2-415949, Fax: 416593; Tel Privado: 591-2-2796232
E-mail: lpsainz@mara.scr.entelnet.bo

José Antonio Peres Arenas, bachelor's degree in Economic Sciences with a master's degree in Local Development and Governments. He is the current Director of the Research and Projects Center s.r.l. (CEP) and he works as consultant in development plans, programs and projects, and collaborates with international cooperation organizations, public institutions, and NGOs and grassroots organizations, both on a national and international level. He has participated in the elaboration of the Methodological Guide for Protected Area Management Plans (MAPZA/GTZ-SERNAP Project); in the formulation of the Municipal Development Plan for the city of Sucre (Bolivia), and in various consultancies related to sustainable development in Bolivia and Latin America.
Casilla Postal 13 561, La Paz, BOLIVIA.
Tel: + 591-2-415949, Fax: 416593
E-mail: cep@acelerate.com

Gustavo Wachtel, bolivian forestry engineer with doctoral studies performed in Freiburg, Germany and Curitiba, Brazil about native Araucaria forests in Southern Brazil. Currently he is the coordinator of the German contribution to the "Doces Matas" project that supports and trains the institutions responsible for the administration of the Protected Areas in the Mata Atlantica of the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil). He has worked for the GTZ since 1990 on agroforestry projects (Costa Rica), forestry policy (Eschborn), and nature conservation (Brazil). The main working areas are: participative management plans, the creation of consulting councils, interinstitutional organization, the creation of ecological corridors, environmental education, and community participation.
Rua Paracatu, 304 - sala 903, 30.180-090 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil
Tel: + 55-31-3295/3688, Fax: 7875
E-mail: gtz@ief.mg.gov.br

Organizations

ABS-LISTRA: The sectorial project "Management of protected areas and buffer zone development" (ABS-LISTRA) is executed by GTZ in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Its objective is to develop innovative strategies and outlooks to promote the equilibrium between the conservation interests and the use of natural resources, with special attention to strengthening the action capacities of the different actors. Starting in 2003, ABS-LISTRA will be part of the new GTZ initiative, called "People and Biodiversity in Rural Areas."

Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (ANAM), Panamá (National Authority for the Environment): ANAM is the autonomous State entity pertaining to natural resources and the environment, in charge of ensuring the fulfillment and application of the laws, regulations and national policies regarding the environment. Its mission is to "create a healthy environment through promoting the sustainable use of the natural resources, keeping environmental management in order, and developing Panamanians' environmental culture, with the participation of all sectors of society, in order to improve the quality of life."

Bioparques, Ecuador: La Fundación para la Protección de la Biodiversidad, Parques Nacionales y otras Areas Naturales (The Foundation for the Protection of Biodiversity, National Parks, and other Natural Areas,) BIOPARQUES, was constituted on January 8, 1999, through Agreement No. 21 of the Ecuadorian Ministry for the Environment. It is a private rights organization, non profit, made up of a group of professionals with ample experience in activities related to planning and the management of natural resources and protected areas, watershed management, assessment of environmental impacts, and community development.

Centro de Estudios y Proyectos s.r.l. (CEP), Bolivia (Research and Projects Center): The Research and Projects Center (CEP), founded in 1989, is an independent, private organization. It offers professional services, nationally and internationally, to public and private institutions, and to social organizations in the fields of rural and urban economy, social sciences, productive agricultural and livestock development, institutional development, and specific topics, amongst which we can highlight local development, decentralization, and popular participation. The center performs its work at the level of research, diagnostics, consulting, and technical assistance; formulation and execution of development and social promotion projects; and project planning, follow-up, evaluation, and management.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH: the GTZ, which belongs to the German Federal Government, is a company that is known around the world in the field of cooperation for development. It works promoting the objective of contributing positively to the political, economic, ecologic, and social development of developing countries, thus improving the living conditions and perspectives of the population. Through its services it supports complex development and reform processes, contributing towards sustainable development in the world.

ECO-Consult. Socio-Ecological Advisory Services, Germany: Founded in 1992, ECO has offered technical assistance to more than 220 sustainable development projects all over the world. It is one of the most important German companies for counseling in the conservation and sustainable use of forests and other natural resources, offering training, studies, planning, evaluations, and project execution. The company's philosophy is based on a participative and interdisciplinary outlook.

Escuela Latinoamericana de Áreas Protegidas (ELAP), Costa Rica (Latin American School for Protected Areas): The University for International Cooperation (UCI) is an international center of academic excellence, credited in Costa Rica. As a response to the urgent needs for professional training regarding the administration and management of protected areas in Latin America under new teaching modalities, the UCI founded the Latin American School for Protected Areas - ELAP -, which functions since 1997 with six permanent programs: 1) Professional training for the management and administration of protected areas, 2) Training, 3) Latin American Network of Protected Areas, 4) Real and Virtual Documentation Center, 5) Research Applied to the Management of Protected Areas, 6) Technical Support and Consultancies. ELAP impulses a process of professionalizing the management and administration of protected areas in Latin America, oriented by the principles of biodiversity conservation, an eco systemic approach, citizen participation, respect for cultural identity, sustainable use, and adaptable management.

Ministerio del Ambiente y Energía (MINAE), Costa Rica (Ministry of Energy and the Environment): It is in charge of the formulation of policies, strategy planning, and the execution of actions related to sustainable human development. It covers conservation, promotion, control, and research regarding natural, hydrocarbon, mining, and energy resources, with the purpose of improving the quality of life of the country's inhabitants. MINAE has a modern and dynamic structure, which guarantees community participation, which includes an equitable gender perspective.

Parque Nacional Cerro Hoya (PNCH), Panama (Cerro Hoya National Park): With an extension of 32.557 hectares, the PNCH was created in 1985 in the southwest region of the Azuero peninsula, on the Pacific coast of Panama. Supporting strategies for the community, together with protection activities, PNCH will hopefully guarantee the conservation of the extraordinary natural resources, and improve the socio-economic situation of those who depend upon them in the future. PNCH is supported by the Cerro Hoya Project, executed between ANAM and GTZ/ECO.

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile: The Pontificia Universidad de Chile was founded on June 21, 1888, and during its 114 years of existence has created a tradition of prestige and relevance. Due to its centenary tradition, academic excellence, contribution to the development of the country, and its level of scientific research, it is recognized as one of the most prestigious universities in Chile.

World Conservation Union (IUCN): Founded in 1948, IUCN joins states, government entities, and a large variety of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in a unique organization: 980 members, in more than 140 countries. The strengths of the Union are its members, networks, and associates, which allow their capacities to grow, and support world alliances to protect natural resources on a local, regional, and world level.

Universidad Simón Bolívar (USB), Venezuela: Simón Bolívar University was created on July 18, 1967, and started operating on January 19, 1970. It has a dynamic structure adaptable to the rehearsal of new orientations in teaching, research, and educational administration systems. The University has academic and administrative autonomy.

 

Literature


Amend, Stephan/ Amend, Thora, Eds. (1995): National Parks without people? The South American experience. IUCN / Parques Nacionales y Conservación Ambiental No. 5. Quito, Ecuador
Amend, Stephan/ Amend, Thora (1998): La zonificación - elemento clave de los planes de manejo. In: GTZ y Comité Boliviano de la UICN (1998): Metodologías participativas para elaboración e implementación de planes de manejo en áreas protegidas. Cochabamba, Bolivia.
ANAM (2000): Directrices Técnicas para la Preparación de Planes de Manejo en las Áreas Protegidas. Panama.
Baumgartner, Jeff (2001): Planificación para la Conservación de Sitios. Un Esquema para Desarrollar y Medir el Impacto de Estrategias de Conservación de la Biodiversidad. PROARCA/COSTAS. Guatemala.
Borrini-Feyerabend, G./ Farvar, M.T./ Solis, V./ Govan, H. (2001): Manejo Conjunto de las Recursos Naturales. Organizarse, Negociar y Aprender en la Acción. GTZ y UICN. Heidelberg, Germany.
Bundesministerium für Umwelt; Jugend und Familie (1998): Leitfäden für Nationalpark-Managementpläne; Konzept zur Erstellung von Managementplänen für Nationalparke in Österreich, Band 4/1998 der Schriftenreihe des BMUJF. Viena, Austria.
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Abstract


Management Plans: Concepts and Proposals

"Management" means shaping social processes in order to reach a common vision. This is achieved through different analysis and planning steps, and through considering natural protected area "management plans" not as static instruments, but as participative and dynamic processes. Through information, organization, motivation, the establishment of cooperation networks, monitoring, and the joint consideration of the various parties interested in protected area management, these factors can be integrated into the local, regional, and national development processes. Therefore, planning cannot be considered in a linear fashion, it has feedback loops in which the analyses and decisions made must be reviewed in major detail, as experience and knowledge are acquired, or as changes appear.

The objective of the "Management Plans: Concepts and Proposals" study is to conform the plans to the reality of the protected areas, inserted in their social, economic, political-legal, and ecological context, so that those who are interested can use them in a more efficient and effective manner.

As a result of a wide analysis of experiences in the Latin American region, the study has concluded that management plans can be separated into four interrelated elements that follow their own objectives and become separate instruments:

1. Descriptive compendium, as a source of information for geographic, biophysical, social, or economic information related to the protected area.
2. Compendium of laws, norms, and agreements, as a source of information for any legal matter related to the protected area.
3. Strategic plan, prioritizing the management activities that must be performed offering answers about what to do, where, and how.
4. Zoning plan, regulating the use of the area and its resources, defining where things can be done, and how.


This proposal to change the traditional management plan is based on the following pragmatic and conceptual reasons:


- The results and effects expected of each element are different, therefore each one requires its own strategy.
- The base information for the preparation of the different elements may be similar in certain parts, but it will not be identical for the entire element.
- The actors involved or interested in the preparation of the different elements are not necessarily the same.
- The methodology to be used in the preparation of each element is different.
- The timeline for the preparation varies significantly between one element and another.
- Finally, the approval of the four elements involves different actors and different levels or instances of organizations or institutions. While the descriptive compendium, the compendium of laws, norms, and agreements, and the strategic plan are developed at the local level, with the participation of those interested in the management and use of the protected area, the zoning plan requires a more formal or official approval with representatives from the local communities, other actors, and the responsible state institutions.

The current study defines the conceptual bases and emphasizes the distinction between traditional and strategic planning. Likewise, it introduces a series of guidelines and criteria that should be taken into account for the management of protected areas. Once this base has been established, it describes in detail the four elements proposed as different instruments.

Moreover, the study presents a series of recommendations for the preparation and execution of the four identified instruments, a description of the process' starting up phase, suggestions for information gathering, and a concrete proposal for the presentation of the written up documents, understanding them as the results of a continuous area management process, which remain active and open to changes and adaptations.

 


Zusammenfassung


Managementpläne für Schutzgebiete:
Konzepte und Vorschläge
Planungs- und Managementkonzepte und deren Instrumente zur Umsetzung müssen den Rahmenbedingungen angepaßt sein.

Traditionelle Mangementpläne gehen von der Annahme aus, für ein Schutzgebiet zu planen,
- in welchem das Land dem Staat gehört und Rechtssicherheit bezüglich Landnutzungs- und Landbesitzverhältnissen besteht,
- das siedlungs- und bewirtschaftungsfrei ist,
- das von einer staatlichen Institution verwaltet wird, die die Macht hat, Regelungen des Schutzgebietes nachzuhalten,
- das von einer staatlichen Institution verwaltet wird, die finanzielle wie personelle Ressourcen besitzt, um Managementmaßnahmen umzusetzten,
- das auf Akzeptanz und Unterstützung von Politikern und der breiten Masse der Bevölkerung setzen kann.
Diese Bedingungen finden wir in Nordamerika, Australien und den meisten europäischen Ländern weitgehend vor, selten jedoch in Lateinamerika.
Die Rahmenbedingungen lateinamerikanischer Länder zeigen auf, daß die meisten Schutzgebiete unabhängig ihrer Managementkategorie:
- innerhalb ihrer Grenzen Siedler beherbergen, deren rechtlicher Status bezüglich Landbesitz und Landnutzung meist ungeklärt ist;
- die sozio-ökonomischen Bedingungen, unter denen die Bevölkerung in diesen meist marginalen Gebieten lebt, präkar ist und bis hin zu absoluter Armut reicht;
- die Bevölkerung oft negativ gegenüber dem Schutzgebiet eingestellt ist, da sie sich ihrer Nutzungsoptionen beraubt sieht;
- die Schutzgebietsverwaltung nicht die Mittel besitzt, ein umfang-reiches Schutzgebietsmanagement zu leisten;
- die Schutzgebietsverwaltung nicht die Macht besitzt, reine Natur-schutzinteressen gegen die Bevölkerung und andere Sektoren (Agro, Erdöl, Straßenbau etc.) durchzusetzen.
Es werden Prinzipien und Kriterien formuliert, die das Management von Schutzgebieten unter den oben genannten Rahmenbedingungen leiten sollen.
- Ausgangspunkt der planerischen Überlegungen ist das Schutzgebiet mit seinem Akteursumfeld.
- Das Schutzgebiet wird gemeinsam mit seinem Umland gemanaged und berücksichtigt die Anliegen der Bevölkerung in der Nach-barschaft.
- Das Schutzgebiet wird in regionale und gesamtstaatliche Raum-planungen integriert und ist Anliegen aller Institutionen, Behörden und Verwaltungen.
- Schutzgebietsplanung und -management sind ein kontinuierlicher, sich immer hinterfragender und anpassender Prozeß. Planung ist inherenter Teil des Managements. Das Zusammenspiel zwischen Planung und Management führt hin zum "Zielnationalpark", der als Vision von den Beteiligten angestrebt wird.
- Das Schutzgebietsmanagement verfügt für seine Entscheidungen über der Situation angemessene Information. Kenntnisse und Wissen über das Schutzgebiet zu erlangen, ist Teil des Managements, nicht aber dessen Vorraussetzung.
- Naturschutz hat eine gesellschaftliche Funktion und berücksichtigt die geschichtliche Entwicklung der Region sowie die sozio-ökonomische Realität, in der die Bevölkerung lebt.
- Managementstrategien werden gemeinsam mit den Interessierten erarbeitet und umgesetzt.
- Lösungen, die zwar ökologisch nicht immer ideal, aber sozial umsetzbar sind, müssen als Weg hin zur Optimallösung ("Zielnationalpark") Akzeptanz finden.
- Planung und Umsetzung des Schutzgebietsmanagements werden den sich ändernden politischen, sozialen und ökonomischen Umfeld-bedingungen rasch und flexibel angepasst. Es gibt keinen "fertig" abgeschlossenen Plan.
- Planungsdokumente müssen allgemein verständlich und zugänglich sein und neuen Gegebenheiten adäquat angepaßt werden, was sich in der Präsentationsform der Loseblattsammlung widerspiegelt.
Es werden zwei fundamental unterschiedliche Momente innerhalb der Erstellung von Plänen für das Management herausgehoben: die Vorbereitungsphase und die Phase der Erstellung und Umsetzung der Pläne.
- In der Vorbereitungsphase werden die Grundvoraussetzungen für ein partizipatives Management geschaffen. Vor allem das Vermitteln der Notwendigkeit von Schutzanliegen und das Schaffen von Organisationen, welche die unterschiedlichen Interessen der Akteure artikulieren und vertreten.
- Die Phase der Erstellung und Umsetzung der Pläne ist geleitet von einem gemeinsam getragenen Grundverständnis (Vision) und der Übernahme von Verantwortung durch Interessierte. Unter der Prämisse, daß Planung und Management niemals abgeschlossen sind, werden Probleme flexibel und rasch angegangen.

Der Inhalt traditioneller Managementpläne wird grundsätzlich als für das Management nützlich angesehen, jedoch unter den lateinamerikanischen Rahmenbedingungen neu bewertet und in vier unabhängige Instrumente eingeteilt. Als Grundlage dienen:

- die Zusammenstellung aller Gebietsbeschreibungen,
- die Zusammenstellung aller das Schutzgebiet betreffenden Regelungen und Gesetze,
- der strategische Plan,
- die Raumplanung des Schutzgebietes (Zonierung).

Neben pragmatischen Gründen für eine bessere Handhabung läßt sich der Schritt, den "traditionellen" Managementplan in vier separaten, sich ergänzenden Instrumenten zu betrachten, konzeptionell wie folgt begründen:

- Die angestrebten Produkte und Wirkungen der jeweiligen Instrumente sind unterschiedlich, weshalb die Vorgehensweisen zu ihrer Erarbeitung stark voneinander abweichen.
- Die notwendige Grundinformation zur Durchführung jedes Instruments ist niemals identisch.
- Die an der Erarbeitung und Handhabung der Instrumente beteiligten Personen sind bei den einzelnen Instrumenten unterschiedlich.
- Die Methodik, die bei der Erarbeitung und Handhabung der vier Instrumente eingesetzt wird, variiert grundsätzlich.
- Der Zeithorizont bzw. das Zeitmanagement, das zur Erarbeitung und Handhabung der unterschiedlichen Instrumente benötigt wird, klafft bei den einzelnen Instrumenten stark auseinander.
- Die Notwendigkeit und Verbindlichkeit einer "Genehmigung" durch involvierte Akteure und die verantwortliche Behörde ist bei den vier Instrumenten unterschiedlich. Während beispielsweise der strategische Plan ein hohes Maß an Flexibilität benötigt und durch die direkten Nutzer angepaßt wird, hat die Raumplanung mit ihren vereinbarten Regelungen ein hohes Maß an Verbindlichkeit und sollte von autorisierten Vertretern der beteiligten Gruppen unterschrieben werden.

Im zweiten Teil des Buches Management Plans - Concepts and Proposals werden die vier Instrumente (a) Zusammenstellung aller Gebiets-beschreibungen, (b) Zusammenstellung aller das Schutzgebiet betreffenden Regelungen und Gesetze, (c) strategischer Plan und (d) Raumplanung des Schutzgebietes (Zonierung) hinsichtlich des angestrebten Produktes und der erwarteten Effekte in ihrer Umsetzbarkeit ausführlich dargestellt.