Advice

The Fifth GEF Assembly comes at a critical but exciting juncture of the Facility. In two decades, the GEF partnership has made demonstrable contributions to delivering global environmental benefits (GEBs) in accord with its mandate as the financial mechanism for the Rio Conventions. Yet threats to the global commons continue to grow – driven by human activities and lifestyle choices – resulting in pollution, biodiversity loss, degradation of land and water, fragmentation of ecosystems, and climate change.

This paper reports on a review of evidence related to the impacts on human well-being arising from the establishment or maintenance of terrestrial PAs. The evidence base provides a range of possible pathways of the impacts of PAs on human well-being (both positive and negative). However, it provides very little support for decision-making on how to maximise positive impacts or minimise negative ones. Recommendations are made to improve the design of future studies.

This paper reports on the outcome of two workshops on this issue that took place in Cape Town, South Africa in 2004 and 2013. In 2004, the objective was to review the concept of biodiversity mainstreaming, to promote best practices in GEF projects focused on production landscapes and seascapes, and to assess the effectiveness of such interventions. In 2013, the objective was to assess lessons learned, and includes case studies and perspectives on mainstreaming.