We promote capacity building for professionals in charge of the management of marine protected areas in the Southern Cone and other countries, in order to improve the effective management of conservation units, with a view to certifying their competencies. We carry out this work through alliances with universities and protected area systems in the region.
It is recognized that capacity building for the management of protected areas is fundamental for the achievement of conservation objectives. For more than 20 years, there has been a global debate on the need to improve the capacities of protected area staff, both in the field and at the management level. In the Southern Cone, this is particularly important for the marine environment, where there is not as much experience as in terrestrial ecosystems. In the region, in the last decade, hundreds of thousands of marine kilometers have been incorporated into national, provincial or regional protection systems. And this incorporation has rarely been accompanied by an increase in specialized staff, nor by the professionalization of the personnel employed. This situation has a direct correlate on how effectively an area can be managed. It is necessary to have personnel trained in tools for effective management and adaptive management of MPAs in order to achieve biodiversity conservation and sustainable development results in the medium term, especially considering the impacts on the oceans as a result of climate change.
A 2020 study analyzed 2167 (terrestrial) protected areas worldwide and found that only 22.4% of these were adequately staffed and budgeted. The analysis suggests that investment over the last 20 years has simply kept pace with expansion in area and has not improved per unit area. The marine field may have less promising statistics.
Increasing personnel is not a sufficient condition for effective area management; personnel must have adequate competencies for management. We understand competencies as the ability to know (theoretical knowledge), to do (practical skills) and to be (attitudinal qualities).
Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Southern Brazil share common challenges and needs. An integrated training scheme is efficient and achieves an impact at an adequate scale for the unique characteristics of the temperate seas of the Southern Cone, which need to be thought in a dynamic way, with an adaptive and regional approach.
Together with the national, provincial and/or regional governmental sectors and the academic sector, we work in the following areas:
We develop courses to strengthen nine previously identified competencies (Governance, Evaluation of Management Effectiveness, Project Management, Design of Management Plans, Generation of Partnerships, Support for the Implementation of Species and Environment Monitoring Plans, Control and Surveillance Planning, Operational Planning).
We promote the design and subsequent implementation of a formal diploma course, in alliance with the Academy of Protected Areas and Communities of the Austral University of Chile.
The participants of the different courses of the School have gathered in a community of practice made up of about 60 professionals. This group maintains periodic exchanges of learning and reflection.
6 pilot courses aimed at developing competencies.
+50 managers, administrators, planners and/or supervisors of MPAs in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay trained.
+40 MPAs benefited by the development of proposals to improve their effective and progressive implementation. As of 2022, the scope will be extended to another 6 countries in South America and 10 countries in Ibero-America.
+15 public institutions strengthened in relation to marine conservation practices.
A learning network for collaboration and integration among professionals from Southern Cone countries, which favored horizontal and cross-learning, beyond formal courses.
An academically certified course (2023) in alliance with the Academy of Protected Areas and Portal Communities of the Austral University of Chile.
A Diploma in MPA management in design, in the framework of the alliance with the Academy of Protected Areas and Portal Communities of the Austral University of Chile.
The 2017 Pilot Course was declared “Of Interest by the Honorable Chamber of Senators of the Argentine Nation” in November 2017 (File S- 3884/17).
Courses
Six courses oriented to the development of competencies.
MPAs benefited
More than 40 MPAs benefited from the development of proposals to improve their effective and progressive implementation.
Responsible managers trained
More than 50 managers, administrators, planners and/or supervisors of MPAs in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil trained. As of 2022, the scope will be extended to 6 other countries in the Southern Cone and 10 countries on the Atlantic coast, including Europe.
Strengthened public institutions
More than 15 public institutions strengthened in relation to marine conservation practice.
Learning network
A learning network for collaboration and integration among professionals from the Southern Cone countries, which favors horizontal and cross-learning, beyond formal courses.
We articulate the experience and efforts of numerous organizations with trajectory in conservation, research, education, and management of the marine environment in Latin America.
FUNDING
