Strengthening the Protected Area Network (SPAN)

The long term goal of the full GEF project is the sustainable management of natural resources to protect biodiversity and contribute to equitable economic and social development. The more immediate objective of the full project is to improve management effectiveness of the National System of Protected Areas. The project is divided into two phases, each with a six-year duration. The first phase, which is the subject of this proposal, will focus on three broad areas of intervention: 1) strengthening systemic capacity, namely the enabling legal/policy environment and financial mechanisms for PA management; 2) strengthening the institutional capacity for PA management; and 3) demonstrating new ways and means of PA management, including partnerships with other government agencies, local communities and the private sector. Building on the foundation achieved during Phase 1, and subject to satisfaction of agreed performance criteria, Phase 2 will focus on the further consolidation and expansion of the PA network. This will include the operationalisation of new PA categories applicable communal and private lands (e.g. through management agreements, or lease back arrangements), as well as strengthening regulatory oversight over, and management within Private Reserves. The Government recognizes that it lacks the absorptive capacity, management tools and institutional framework to tackle this imperative immediately; hence its committal to a phased approach to rationalization of the PA system.