The sixteenth edition of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the Convention on Biological Diversity was held in Cali (Colombia) in October, where a broad discussion took place regarding the progress and fulfillment of the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed two years ago.
Designed to be achieved in a period of eight years (2022-2030), we are a quarter of the way to the deadline to achieve these goals and the main challenges remain the same: land use change, overexploitation of marine resources, climate change, pollution and the invasion of invasive species.
The key lies in conservation management. The slogan of COP16 itself guides us in this sense: Peace with Nature. Peace, to be true, must be sustainable over time. The correct management of protected natural areas, mainly with a view to increasing them, is the instrument that States, civil society and communities have to achieve this long-awaited peace with nature.
What is correct management of protected natural areas? At the Tropical Scientific Center (CCT), the 62 years of experience managing private biological reserves has taught us that this management must include three elements. The first is to be sustainable over time, which requires successful financial mechanisms.
Conservation management must also be aware of the global context of climate change, so its strategies must be resilient and capable of adapting to unforeseen effects.
Benefiting local communities
Finally, the management of protected natural areas must generate benefits for local communities, especially those in social, economic and environmental vulnerability, in accordance with the commitments that States have for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
This is the case of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, which has 4,125 hectares and is one of the most internationally recognized and visited protected areas due to its incalculable biodiversity, but also due to its successful and sustainable management model.
The Monteverde Reserve, through the CCT’s Private Reserve System (SiReP), develops its conservation actions by integrating protection, research (generation of technical-scientific knowledge for decision-making in the management of protected resources), environmental education (with the intention of raising awareness in communities on environmental issues) and ecotourism. This same model is successfully applied in the other private reserves of the SiReP.
The SiReP also incorporates the biological corridors in which the reserves are located; for example, the Monteverde Reserve is within the Pájaro Campana Biological Corridor. This model, through local alliances and socio-environmental projects, promotes agroforestry and sustainable tourism in the biological corridors. The vision is to promote sustainable development between biodiversity and the surrounding populations.
Recently, this management model – which brings together conservation with ecotourism – has been validated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) by officially confirming the candidacy of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve to be added to the Green List of Protected Areas.
If it were to materialize, the Monteverde Reserve would be the first private protected area worldwide to be included in this list. This has been an incentive to perfect the management model and its indicators on governance, planning, effective management and successful conservation results.
This is precisely the experience that we shared with the world at COP16, a scenario that has been conducive to seriously discussing the replication of efficient management models of other protected wild areas from the perspective of ecotourism and community involvement.
Protection of land, inland water areas, marine and coastal areas
The third goal of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework calls for the protection of at least 30% of land and inland water areas and 30% of marine and coastal areas by 2030. Although this may be an ambitious goal, it is a necessary intermediate step if we want to restore the integrity of all ecosystems and stop the loss of biodiversity, as well as mitigate and adapt to climate change, all for the benefit of people.
But this 30×30 will be impossible to achieve if communities do not get involved and experience first-hand the benefits that nature conservation brings. Reserva Monteverde can speak from experience and we hope to inspire other people, communities and countries.
