The Delos Initiative focuses on the sacred natural sites in developed countries throughout the world (such as Australia, Canada, the European countries, Japan, New Zealand and the United States of America). Its main purpose is to help in maintaining both the sanctity and the biodiversity of these sites, through the understanding of the complex relationship between spiritual/cultural and natural values.

Protected areas are the cornerstone of virtually all national and international conservation policies. About 10% of the world’s forests are to be found in protected areas, and Forest Protected Areas make a critical contribution to conservation.

Sometimes boundaries make geographical sense. Other times they are straight lines, imposed by colonial powers centuries ago.

It has become clear during recent global deliberations on biodiversity conservation that achieving Protected Area (PA) financial sustainability will require major changes in the way that PA funding is conceptualized, captured and used. With many, if not most, PAs facing funding crises, both in terms of the amount of funds available and how those are used, there is an urgent need to expand and diversify PA financial portfolios, and to ensure that funding reaches the groups and activities essential for biodiversity conservation.

Le Ve Congrès mondial sur les parcs de l’UICN a été le plus grand rassemblement consacré aux aires protégées, En septembre 2003, près de 3000 participants se sont réunis à Durban (Afrique du Sud) en vue de 10 jours de réflexion, d’échanges, de débats et de travail en réseau afin de faire la bilan de l’état des aires protégées dans le monde, des difficultés rencontrées et des voies d’avenir.

El V Congreso mundial de Parques constituyó el encuentro más numeroso de expertos en áreas protegidas que haya tenido lugar hasta ahora. En septiembre de 2003, se reunieron unos 3.000 participantes en Durban, Sudáfrica, durante 10 días de reflexiones, discusiones, debates y creación de redes, a fin de considerar la situación de las áreas protegidas del mundo, los desafíos que se les presentan y las oportunidades que existen cara al futuro.

The collection of papers contained within this publication brings together the experience and wisdom of the leading thinkers and practitioners of protected area planning and management. The editor has successively integrated the disparate and often complex literature and debate around this subject, deducing the “lessons learned” by so many researchers, managers, teachers and local communities.

The traditional patterns of land use that have created many of the world’s cultural landscapes contribute to biodiversity, support ecological processes, provide important environmental services, and have proven sustainable over the centuries. Protected landscapes can serve as living models of sustainable use of land and resources, and offer important lessons for sustainable development.

Almost half the world’s people live in cities and this proportion is steadily growing. Protected areas provide important benefits to cities; conversely, conservationists depend on support from voters, leaders, and opinion-shapers largely concentrated in urban centres. This book’s message is that conservationists’ success will depend increasingly on taking these urban connections seriously.

The relationship between poverty and protected areas is a complex one, but this book presents a balanced perspective on how protected areas relate to poverty, in both positive and negative ways. On the one hand, protected areas deliver multiple benefits to the people living around them, ranging from tourism to pollination.

With ‘good governance’ firmly entrenched on the international agenda, this publication analyses the trends affecting protected area governance at the international level, and goes on to explore emerging issues concerning certification, standards, partnerships and funding mechanisms.