Programme des Journées

LES AIRES PROTEGEES DE L'AFRIQUE DU NORD
Vers la gestion des paysages integrés

Tunis, December 2002

Conclusions from the meeting of Directors of North African Protected areas

In addition to the role they play in conserving the natural heritage, protected areas in N Africa should include in their official mission a component to contribute to local development and be a motor for the social and economic development of the country. Structured participatory interaction with local and regional communities in and around protected areas in areas of concern (eg employment, access to resources, health, environmental education…) is one way of achieving this goal.

To reach this objective, protected areas should be given an adequate administrative status that allows greater autonomy in the identification of, and the establishment of cooperation with, partners.

The lack of sufficient financial resources is often quoted as one of the problems of protected areas in the region. Nevertheless their administrations are not always able to manage the substantial international grants (which can be in the order of millions of dollars, for example from GEF or bilateral donors) when these require considerable consultation and planning prior to making investments. It is therefore important to extend the duration of future projects to ensure their success and to make Directors of protected areas more directly responsible for the management of project funds to ensure the projects' success.

The implication of the private sector can assist in resolving some of the problems facing the management of protected areas. It is nevertheless important to take the necessary precautions to ensure that the priority of conservation is not distorted by the search for financial gain.

In order to help the managers of protected areas to better identify their financial needs and to formulate them according to standards required by donors, it would be useful to organise training events, or guidelines, on this issue.

The slow nature of administrative and financial procedures is currently incompatible with the need for rapid and efficient intervention when problems arise. It is therefore necessary to provide the protected areas of the region with financial management systems that allow more efficient and rapid intervention, while guaranteeing transparency and financial control.

There is currently a lack of opportunity for protected areas managers in N Africa to meet and exchange information and experience. The organisation of regular meetings, the publishing of a bulletin, twinning with other protected areas, or exchanges with the northern shores of the Mediterranean would help in filling this vacuum.

The managers of protected areas face a series of problems of a biological nature (damage by Barbary Macaques, conservation of gazelles and mountain sheep, restoration of cedar and juniper forests, etc). It is desirable to share experiences in this field at international level.

Management plans are a key tool for PA management in the region. It is essential to exchange experience on methods and approaches, and on the successes and failures of the approach at regional level and to organize appropriate training.

Good scientific inputs are essential for the monitoring and management of protected areas. It is therefore essential to reinforce the legal and administrative status of Scientific committees, to promote grants for studies and materials and to promote the participation of researchers and their students in the management of protected areas.