Skip to main content

Janishevski, L. and Gidda, S.B. 2010. Protected Areas and Climate Change. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) and UNEP; Issue Paper No. 6

This four page issue paper discusses the importance of protected areas, which while under threat from climate change, provide a natural and economical means of mitigating and adapting to its effects. It describes the need to strengthen protected areas (e.g. in respect of management and governance), and to expand and ensure their connectivity in order to improve the global response to climate change.

This issue paper describes the role of protected areas in climate change adaptation and mitigation and the potential of REDD+ as the most important funding opportunity for climate change mitigation activities in protected areas. It looks ahead to enhancing protected area networks for climate change mitigation and adaptation; improving and diversifying governance and integrating protected areas into the wider landscape and seascape. There is a useful table providing examples of how the Programme of Work on Protected Areas can be used to tackle climate change adaptation and mitigation.