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Overview

Protected Area Degazettement, Downlisting and Downsizing

Protected areas (PAs) are critical elements of global, national and local conservation strategies and provide critical protection for ecosystems, wildlife and plant biodiversity. The creation of a new PA is often a major event, with media coverage and official statements by policy makers, conservation professionals and community groups. However, far less attention has been paid to the degazettement, downlisting and downsizing of PAs. This meeting will present new findings by researchers working on this issue in Africa and will provide an opportunity for insightful discussion on important questions and next steps. USAID’s Biodiversity Analysis and Technical Support (BATS) program has provided support for some of the research presented.

Objectives

  • To learn about Protected Area Degazettement, Downlisting and Downsizing (PADDD)
  • To discuss the causes, impacts and questions about PADDD in Africa
  • To consider recent or proposed PADDD cases in Africa, such as the Serengeti Road


Minutes of the meeting

Meeting Agenda: November 11, 2010

1:30 Welcome and Introductions
Mike Mascia, Social Scientist, Conservation Science Program, World Wildlife Fund-US

1:50 Protected Area Downgrading, Downsizing and Degazettement in Africa: local pressures, global demands, and everything in-between
Sharon Pailler, Social Scientist, Conservation Science Program, World Wildlife Fund-US

2:10 Degazettement and Denotification of Protected Wildlife Areas in Kenya and Tanzania
Jane Dwasi, Faculty of Law, University of Nairobi

2:30 Infrastructure development in protected areas in Africa: examining the impact of a proposed commercial road in the Serengeti
Michelle Gadd, US Fish & Wildlife Service, International Programs

2:50 Q&A with Panelists and Discussion

4:15 Wrap up and Next Steps

Additional Resources:

Dobson,A., Borner, M. and T. Sinclair. 2010. Road Will Ruin Serengeti. Opinion: Nature. Vol 467: 272- 274.

Gadd, Michelle. 2010. Barriers, the beef industry and unnatural selection: a review of the impacts of veterinary fencing on mammals in southern Africa. Chapter in Hayward, Kerly & Somers: Fencing for Conservation.

Harris, G et al. 2009. Global Decline in Aggregated Migrations of Large Terrestrial Mammals. Open Access: Vol 7: 55-76.

Mascia, M., and S. Pailler. 2010. Protected Area Downgrading, Downsizing, and Degazettement (PADDD) and its conservation implications. Policy Perspectives in Conservation Letters. Pages 1-12.

And, learn more from the following online sources about the proposed Serengeti highway

The Frankfurt Zoological Society

www.SavetheSerengeti.org