GEF 37643
Global
Support
forWilderness
Areas
PEOPLE AND WILDERNESS AREAS
Wilderness areas bring significant benefits to to increase awareness, stimulate enthusiasm,
both local and remote populations. Among develop local site support groups, and create
the varied beneficiaries of wilderness areas sustainable economic opportunities. Many
are recreational users; those who seek out indigenous people, who often live near or in
the scientific values of these areas; those who wilderness areas, retain traditional knowledge
depend on wilderness areas for subsistence; and resource management practices that could
native inhabitants who value wilderness areas contribute to biodiversity conservation.
for their spiritual, cultural, and emotional
significance; and distant communities who In a major wilderness area in Peru, a GEF project
depend on wilderness watersheds for water managed by the World Bank is working to increase
supplies. Even those who live thousands of miles participationofindigenouspeoplesinconservation
away value wilderness areas for their impor- of biodiversity through communal management of
tance in the global environment as preservers of protected areas. Project goals include establishing
biodiversity and as carbon sinks. areas for communal reserves using participatory
methods, developing management plans and
Expanding constituencies for wilderness areas agreements with indigenous communities, and
and the values they represent depends to a building and strengthening the organizational and
great degree on governance structures that give technical capacity of local institutions to manage
stakeholders a voice, a role, rights, responsibilities, reserves sustainably.
and a reason to care. When these structures are
informed by a shared vision that goes to the CONNECTING BOUNDARIES TO
heart of stakeholder concerns, the chances for SURROUNDINGS
sustainability are greatly increased. Many experts believe that conservation efforts
must extend beyond the formal boundaries of
LOCAL PARTICIPATION wilderness protected areas. Experience shows
Closely aligned with national priorities, GEF that the full potential of these areas is real-
projects generate substantial benefits to local ized only when their surrounding geographic,
communities. It has been the GEF's experience economic, and social contexts are taken into
that indigenous knowledge is vital to conserving account. It is vital that protected area managers
biodiversity and managing wilderness areas. The and government agencies establish and manage
GEF brings local communities into the conserva- wilderness protected areas holistically within
tion action process through activities designed natural boundaries.
www.theGEF.org
GEF projects work to link wilderness areas ment is part of the larger landscape conservation
and their surroundings in a myriad of ways-- and ecosystem management effort.
through buffer zones, corridors, cultural link-
ages, integrated ecosystem and coastal zone Another example of how the GEF is tying
management, and transboundary protected wilderness areas to their surroundings is a GEF
areas. Buffer zones create a transition between project in Bolivia, which the World Bank is imple-
protected areas and the surrounding land- menting. The project covers extensive areas,
scape, where planners and managers can work including the Amazon, one of South America's
with neighboring communities to address their most important wilderness areas, and supports
needs and expectations. Ecological corridors increased participation of local communities in
multiply the conservation benefits of protected protected area management and the sustainable
areas by connecting them within the larger use of natural resources. About 40,000 people
surrounding ecosystems. in 150 communities inhabit the 22 protected
areas and their buffer zones.
An example of the GEF's work can be found in
the vast landscapes of Arctic Russia, some of the The protected areas were established for their
last remaining wilderness on earth. The region rich biodiversity. The natural ecosystems covered
serves as the feeding and breeding ground for by this project provide ecological services that are
millions of migratory birds and mammals from important to the national and regional economy.
Asia, Africa, and Europe. However, its rare and The management of these protected areas is
endemic plants and wildlife are beginning to be an opportunity to provide additional protec-
imperiled by overharvesting, illegal harvesting, tion to traditional lifestyles. The subsistence of
and habitat fragmentation. Only a few species the Quechua, Tacana, Chimanes, and Aymara
are currently protected. indigenous peoples comes from the sustainable
use of the protected area resources.
A GEF-supported project implemented by the
United Nations Environment Programme is This project and the one in Arctic Russia reflect
contributing to the conservation and sustainable GEF's belief that wilderness areas must increas-
use of biodiversity in these wilderness areas in ingly be connected to their surroundings and
Arctic Russia. Its immediate objective is to adopt to the environmental context in which they
strategies and initiate action plans for integrating are found. In its current and future work, the
ecosystem management in three model areas-- GEF will continue supporting the expansion
that is, carefully combining conservation and of protected areas to the larger production
sustainable use of forests, tundra, freshwater, landscape, taking into account the needs of
and marine resources. Protected area manage- local communities.
FOR MORE
INFORMATION
Shirley Geer
Acting Team Leader,
External Relations
Global Environment Facility
1818 H Street NW
Washington DC 20433 USA
Tel: 202-473-0508
Fax: 202-522-3240
September 2005