APPROVED BY THE FIFTH WORLD
PARKS CONGRESS, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, SEPTEMBER 2003
Half the world’s population now lives in cities, and this proportion is
expected to grow to 60 percent by 2030.
Protected areas both near and far provide many significant benefits
to cities, ranging from education and healthy recreation, to
watershed protection, biodiversity conservation, and income from
tourism.
Protected area systems also depend on support from voters,
leaders, opinion-shapers, and financial resources, which are largely
concentrated in cities. At the same time, city dwellers tend to be
less and less connected to nature and consequently the quality of
their lives is diminished and they may unwittingly behave
irresponsibly toward the environment.
Nevertheless, urban residents can gain greater appreciation and
love for nature through experiences in natural areas and open
spaces as well as through education. Ecological restoration and
environmental protection are essential to the quality of life of urban
dwellers. Interaction with nature by city dwellers brings direct social,
economic, and cultural benefits.
Agencies responsible for protected areas can serve urban
residents through conventional activities such as preserving,
restoring, and interpreting natural areas in and near cities, but also
through less conventional roles such as reaching out to
disadvantaged people, working to bridge social divisions through
shared experiences in nature, and helping to “green” and promote
sustainable development in cities.
IUCN has recognised the critical roles that cities, urban people, and
urban institutions play in achieving IUCN’s overall mission, for
example, in Caring for the Earth (1991) and at the Union’s 50th
Anniversary Celebration (Fontainebleau, 1998). Urban populations
are also essential to achieving such fundamental goals of the World
Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) as “Strengthening the
constituency for protected areas” (Recommendation 1 of the IVth
World Parks Congress; Caracas, 1992). Connecting protected
areas to social and economic concerns is a priority of WCPA’s
2001-2004 action plan.
At the same time, more should be done to facilitate exchange of
experience in urban conservation and outreach among the
increasing number of IUCN members with such activities, and many
innovative local socio-environmental programmes, including
programmes involving children and young people in making the
case for conservation.
Finally, allied intergovernmental programmes such as the UNESCO
Man and the Biosphere Programme and national programmes that
connect natural and cultural heritage sites are placing greater
emphasis on urban dimensions of protecting biodiversity.
Therefore, PARTICIPANTS in the Stream on Building Broader
Support for Protected Areas at the Vth World Parks Congress, in
Durban, South Africa (8-17 September 2003):
1. RECOMMEND that conservation agencies, NGOs, local
authorities and local communities:
a. RECOGNISE the importance of protected areas and green
spaces to the people living in cities and encourage and resource
the development of strategies and programs that engage groups in
activities that improve their quality of life;
b. RECOGNISE the interdependence of cities and protected areas,
as demonstrated for example through regional and ecosystem
approaches linking urban and rural conservation areas and efforts,
and the important contributions of protected areas to
socio-economic priorities; and
c. STRENGTHEN the capacity of the protected area community to
preserve and restore natural areas in and near cities, reach out to
urban residents, and build stronger urban constituencies for nature
conservation;
2. RECOMMEND that the IUCN World Commission on Protected
Areas incorporate an urban dimension in its activities through a
Theme on Cities and Protected Areas; and
3. RECOMMEND that IUCN:
a. ORGANISE activities at the 3rd World Conservation Congress
(Bangkok, 2004) spotlighting innovative programmes linking cities
and protected areas;
b. INCORPORATE the urban dimensions of conservation into the
2005-08 intersessional programme to be considered at the 3rd
World Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004);
c. LINK biodiversity conservation to human settlements in order to
better advance the implementation of sustainable development
objectives, including the United Nations Millennium Development
Goals;
d. RECRUIT as members organizations engaged in urban
environmental issues, invites prominent leaders and experts in
urban management to participate in the work of IUCN;
e. DEVELOP partnerships with key organisations engaged in the
urban environment; and
f. DEVELOP tools, such as modelling techniques, which assist
urban managers to incorporate ecosystem management
approaches in their planning and management.
