ASSESSING AND ADDRESSING CAPACITY NEEDS

What is protected area capacity?

Capacity is generally defined as the ability and means to achieve a given end.  When applied to a protected areas system, capacity can be further defined by three levels (GEF, 2005; Hough, 2007; Booth et al., 2003): 1) individual level – the degree to which protected area staff have the skills and resources needed to effectively manage a protected area system; 2) institutional level – the degree to which a protected area institution has the internal and external structures and processes in place needed to enable the effective management of a protected area system; and 3) societal level – the degree to which the laws, policies and practices of a range of environmental, social and economic sectors provide a favorable environment for the establishment and management of a protected area system.

What steps are involved in developing a capacity action plan?

• Begin with the prioritized results of protected area management effectiveness assessments.  Such assessments identify the range of threats and weaknesses within the protected area system, and should form the basis of a capacity needs assessment. 

• Develop  and prioritize strategies needed to improve critical management weaknesses and abate key threats.  The strategies can be prioritized according to feasibility and likely impact.   

• Identify the actions and capacities needed  to implement these strategies, including individual, institutional and possibly even societal capacities.

• Develop a detailed action plan that includes responsible actors and agencies, timelines, priority actions, likely costs, and indicators of success.

What are the guiding principles in developing a capacity action plan for a protected area system?

Based on lessons from case studies in developing capacity action plans (Ervin et al., 2007), the following are some guiding principles in developing protected area capacity action plans:

• Build off the results of existing assessments of protected area management effectiveness. 
• Focus on capacities needed to address key management weaknesses, abate critical threats and improve policy constraints as the basis for the action plan. 
• Consider individual and institutional capacities, and, depending on the scope of the assessment and available resources, on societal capacities when developing actions.
• Engage the right actors at the right time; park guards and field level staff can provide one level of input, ministerial staff and policy makers can provide another.  Several meetings may be needed to include different levels of expertise.
• Include multiple actors from different sectors, including, for example, tourism, economic development, land use planning, forestry, fisheries and agriculture.
• Emphasize a self-assessment approach, empowering protected area staff and administrators to identify their own capacity needs and constraints.
• Ensure the support of senior-level management in conducting the capacity assessment and following up with results.
• Ensure that the capacity action plan is integrated into national budgetary processes in order to increase the likelihood that the plan will be implemented.

What are ways to strengthen the capacity of a protected area system?

There are a variety of techniques and methods for strengthening the protected area capacity of individuals, including formal academic education, short courses, professional and in-service training, internships and mentoring, study tours and exchanges, meetings and workshops, and written materials and publications (Hough, 2007).  Strengthening the capacity of institutions is more complex, and may involve strategic planning and visioning, resource reallocation, and organizational restructuring, among other change strategies (UNDP, 1998).  Strengthening societal capacity is even more complex, and will likely involve improvements in sectoral laws and policies, as well as better integration and coordination between different sectors.

When developing a protected area capacity action plan, planners should be sure to focus on addressing the key issues across all three core components of a protected area master plan:

• capacities needed to design a comprehensive and representative protected area network;
• capacities needed to manage protected areas and abate key threats; and
• capacities needed to improve the broad enabling environment for protected areas. 

References and resources on protected area capacity