Yet the relationship between people and protected areas is one of the most challenging in conservation, with conflicts often created by failing to address people’s needs. Such actions, quite apart from their social and humanitarian impacts, achieve little for conservation. Loss of traditional rights can reduce peoples’ interest in long-term land stewardship  of resources and even increase the rate of damage to the protected area.

Conversely, people can play a key positive role.  Many “natural” areas have been managed to some extent for hundreds or thousands of years and biodiversity may rely on traditional management. Local communities can maintain protected area values, if they agree with them, in situations where park managers have neither the time nor resources to ensure protection.

The Programme of Work stresses that planning should be participatory, involving a wide range of the right stakeholders. Many tools exist to help the process of engaging with stakeholders.