A Go-To Reference for Strengthening Protected Area Governance in Africa
A practical resource supporting governance, management, financing, and participation in African protected areas
The Added Value of This Article
Hover over to have a look!Value add for readers
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Brings governance, management, and financing tools together in one structured reference, helping practitioners focus on what is relevant for their context
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Updated multilingual PDFs and an upcoming digital version improve accessibility and usability across diverse African working environments
Cover of the publication⎮ Visual: © GIZ/Karsten Leckebusch
Practitioners working on protected and conserved area governance across Africa are navigating a rapidly shifting landscape. Expanding conservation targets, increasing pressure on land and resources, climate impacts, and growing expectations around inclusive governance make it increasingly difficult to rely on fragmented guidance or isolated tools.
The Protected and Conserved Area Governance and Management – A Resource Book for Practitioners in Development Cooperation has established itself as a trusted reference for capacity development in protected area governance and management since its first publication in 2021. The newly revised edition strengthens this role by refining existing content, integrating updated standards, and expanding applied examples relevant to complex, multi-actor governance contexts.
For practitioners working with government institutions, local authorities, Indigenous Peoples, community actors, and development partners, the resource offers structured orientation across areas that are particularly critical in African contexts today: governance quality, management effectiveness, sustainable financing, and meaningful participation. By linking tools with internationally recognised frameworks such as the IUCN Green List standard and PANORAMA solutions, the resource supports more coherent decision-making while remaining grounded in practical application.
In addition to content updates, the resource is also evolving in form. The publication is currently being transformed into an interactive, searchable digital application, responding to a practical need frequently voiced by practitioners: faster orientation and easier access to relevant tools without navigating lengthy static documents. The digital version is designed to make connections between challenges, tools, and applied experience more visible and easier to use in day-to-day work.
The revised PDF edition is now available in English, French, and Spanish, supporting use across diverse linguistic contexts in Africa. The fully digitised version—combining an interactive website and offline app—is scheduled for release in February 2026, further improving accessibility, including in low-bandwidth settings.
Contact
Barbara Lang, Senior Planning Officer, barbara.lang@giz.de
