Implementing the UNESCO Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit at Ngorongoro Conservation Area

In recent years, there has been a growing concern amongst protected area professionals and the public that many protected areas, including some natural World Heritage sites, are failing to achieve their objectives and, in some cases, are actually losing the values for which they were established. As a result, improving the effectiveness of protected area management has become a priority throughout the conservation community. One important step in this process is the carrying out of an assessment of current status and management of the protected area, to understand better what is and what is not working, and to plan any necessary changes as efficiently as possible. Assessment of management effectiveness has emerged as a key tool for protected area managers and is increasingly being required by governments and international bodies. For example, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Programme of Work for Protected Areas (agreed in February 2004) calls on all State Parties to implement management effectiveness assessments for at least 30% of their protected areas by 2010 (Hockings et al. 2008).

Very few Management Effectiveness Evaluations (MEE) have been conducted in Tanzania. In cases where they have been conducted, those trained in the field have moved on and thus no repeat assessments have been conducted.

Through funding from UNESCO, the PAMS Foundation is currently conducting a MEE using the ‘Enhancing our Heritage’ (EoH) methodology at Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a World Heritage Site in Tanzania. In so doing, we will capacitate the necessary staff to conduct future assessments and ensure that the necessary measures are put in place to ensure repeat assessments. By including key staff members from Serengeti National Park (where an ‘EoH’ evaluation has been conducted, but not with the ecological and current management staff who are stationed there), Kilimanjaro National Park (World Heritage Site), Selous Game Reserve (World Heritage Site) and the office of the UNESCO Focal Person for Tanzania, capacity will also be developed to conduct future MEE in other World Heritage properties. The benchmark set by the World Heritage sites, and the knowledge and experience gained during the process of conducting the MEE, can be later applied to the benefit of the other National Parks and Game Reserves in Tanzania.

Additional Notes:

The PAMS Foundation will also be involved in implementing the Enhancing our Heritage toolkit at Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, and developing capacity within the field of Management Effectiveness assurance in the East Africa Region. The PAMS Foundation will be collaborating with IUCN on these projects.