AWF Working Papers

AWF Working Papers

February 2006

The Proces of Preparing a General Management PlanThe Proces of Preparing a General Management PlanThe Proces of Preparing a General Management PlanThe Proces of Preparing a General Management PlanThe Proces of Preparing a General Management Planfor a Protected Areafor a Protected Areafor a Protected Areafor a Protected Areafor a Protected Area

Philip Muruthi

The African Wildlife Foundation,

together with the people of Africa,

works to ensure the wildlife and

wild lands of Africa will

endure forever.

www.awf.org

Arusha Center (Tanzania)African Wildlife FoundationPlot 27, Old Moshi RoadP.O. Box 2658ARUSHA, TANZANIATel: +255 27 2509616Fax: +255 27 2544453email: [email protected]

Nairobi Center (Kenya)African Wildlife FoundationBritak CentreMara Ragati RoadP.O. Box 48177, 00100NAIROBI, KENYATel: +254 20 2710367Fax: +254 20 2710372email: [email protected]

Kampala Center (Uganda)African Wildlife FoundationRuth Towers15A Clement Hill RoadP.O. Box 28217KAMPALA, UGANDATel: +256 41 344 510Fax: +256 41 235 824email: [email protected]

Washington D.C. Center (U.S.A.)African Wildlife Foundation1400 Sixteenth Street, N.W.Suite 120WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036, U.S.A.Tel: +1 202 939 3333Fax: +1 202 939 3332email: [email protected]

White River Center (South Africa)African Wildlife FoundationP.O. Box 2977WHITE RIVER 1240,SOUTH AFRICATel: +27 13 751 2483Fax: +27 13 751 3258email: [email protected]

Zambezi Center (Zambia)African Wildlife Foundation50 Independence AvenueP.O. Box 50844RidgewayLUSAKA, ZAMBIATel: + 260 1 257074Fax: + 260 1 257098email: [email protected]

About this paper series

The AWF Working Paper Series has been designed to disseminate to partners and the conservation community,aspects of AWF current work from its flagship African Heartlands Program. This series aims to share currentwork in order not only to share work experiences but also to provoke discussions on whats working or not andhow best conservation action can be undertaken to ensure that Africas wildlife and wildlands are conservedforever.

About the Author: Dr. Philip Muruthi is the Director for Conservation Science and is based in Nairobi, Kenya.He can be reached at [email protected]

This paper was edited by an editorial team consisting of Dr. Helen Gichohi, Dr. Philip Muruthi, Prof. JamesKiyiapi, Dr. Patrick Bergin, Joanna Elliott and Daudi Sumba.

Copyright: This publication is copyrighted to AWF. It may be produced in whole or part and in any form foreducation and non-profit purposes without any special permission from the copyright holder provided that thesource is appropriately acknowledged. This publication should not be used for resale or commecial purposeswithout prior written permission of AWF. The views expressed in this publication are the authors and they donot necessarily reflect those of AWF or DGIS - the sponsor of this publication.

For more information, contact the coordinating editor, Daudi Sumba at - email [email protected].

AWF Working PapersFebruary 2006

The Process of Preparing a General Management Plan for a Protected Area

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Table of Contents

The Purpose of a General Management Plan

Functions of a Management Plan

Timeframe for a General Management Plan

The Process of GMP Preparation

Flowchart Summarizing GMP Process

Suggested Format for a Protected Area Management Plan

Good Practices in Preparing a Protected Area Management Plan

Bibliography


The Process of Preparing a General Management Plan for a Protected Area - P. Muruthi

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The Process of Preparing a General Management Plan for a Protected Area

The purpose of a protected area management planA management plan is a document that guides the useand control of resourceswithin a protected area. It is adynamic, feasible, practical, and realistic instrument that,based on a process of ecological and socio-economicplanning, provides the general indications forconservation, zoning and uses of the natural space,becoming the pillar instrument for zoning, managementand development of the protected area. Managementplans provide guidance in three dimensions: in space,establishing what should be done in a given place, intime, establishing what should be done at a given timeand in method, establishing how things should be done.Management planning1 interprets and integrates a rangeof policies, treaties, strategies, business plans andlegislative requirements into a geographical overlay thatprovides an essential framework to guide managementof a particular protected area and assure the public thatthe area is being responsibly managed.Specific purposesof management plans are seen as being to:• Ensure protected areas are managed to achieve

objectives of conservation management, corporategoals, legislation and stakeholder expectations –assures quality, consistency, and prevention ofincremental degradation through ad hoc decisionmaking.

• Ensure public involvement in protected areamanagement. A General Management Plan (GMP)supports and encourages participation by otherstakeholders in the development of the protected areaand improves on subsequent legitimacy and sociablesustainability.

SYNOPSIS. One major constraint on protected area management is the lack of well designed strategies for approaching thefuture. Production of a good management plan is vital to execution of efficient and effective protected area management.Protected areas maintain samples of diversity: biological, cultural, landscape, and watershed in addition to facilitatingrecreation, controlling habitat degradation and supporting rational use of lands. They fit straightforwardly with a landscapelevel conservation approach such as AWF’s African Heartlands Program – www.awf.org. This paper outlines the generalmanagement plan making process and outlines some “good practices”. It encompasses the process starting with the decisionto prepare a plan for a certain protected area or group of areas and finishing with evaluation of the plan’s effectiveness, planreview and amendment or replacement. This paper should be a useful starting point for staff and partners who will engagein the management planning process in the quest to save protected areas which are anchors within their particular conservationlandscape.

1 Planning means thinking in a systematic manner, explainingpossibilities and analyzing their advantages and disadvantages,setting goals, projecting towards the future. Over time, planningenables efficient and effective management of sites and species.

• Develop a shared understanding of and a vision ofthe protected area – identify the significance of thearea, consolidate legislative and policy issues, integratevarious elements of management and convey to thepublic and management staff how the reserve will beprotected and visitors provided for.

• Public accountability – what we want to achieve andhow including criteria by which the performance ofmanagement under the plan will be assessed.

Who needs a plan? Functions of a management planEvery protected area should have a plan to guide itsmanagement and to ensure effective use of limitedresources. The management plan has some obvious andimportant functions. It provides a description of thearea, identifies the objectives of the area management,resolves any conf licts and prioritizes the variousobjectives. A management plan identifies and describesthe management required to achieve the objectives. Asa road map, a plan maintains continuity of effectivemanagement. The GMP helps in obtaining resourcesfor managing the protected area (it is a bid for resources).The plan enables communication within and betweenprotected areas and organizations. A good managementplan helps demonstrate that management is effective andefficient.

What is a protected area?A protected area is “an area of land and / or sea especiallydedicated to the protection and maintenance ofbiological diversity, and of natural and associatedcultural resources, and managed through legal or othereffective means” (IUCN 1994).Six levels of protected areas are identified within thebroad definition, ranging from strictly protected reserves



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with limited access to more accessible areas managedfor sustainable resource use.Protected areas are vital components of strategies topreserve biodiversity including rare species, and maintainecological integrity (Bruner et al. 2001, Possingham etal. 2005). Protected areas around the world assist tosafeguard biodiversity and often provide other benefitssuch as protecting water supplies, providing f loodprotection, protecting cultural values, and sustainingthe livelihoods of local people. The total coverage ofprotected areas has more than doubled over the lastdecade to about 12.65% of the Earth’s land surface(Chape et al. 2003). However, most protected areas arenot solely capable of this task in the long term. Ontheir own they are too small, too few in number or toowidely separated to maintain viable wildlife populations,sustain the effects of large natural disturbances andensure maintenance of regional scale biological processessuch a metapopulation dynamics.

Even the most strictly protected area is not immune toexternal impacts.Within the traditional concept ofprotected areas, it is assumed that they are unoccupiedareas with legal, political support for their conservation,that they are a property of the state, they have stronginstitutions and enough financial and human resourcesfor their management. It is also assumed that there issocial acceptance of the concept and of the objectivesof the protected areas. These and other assumptionsshould be considered in the process of developing ageneral management plan.

Timeframe for a management planThe common time frame for the GMP is five years.

The process of GMP preparationPlanning is a continuous task in the management cycle.For simplicity sake, I have broken the GMP makingprocess into several steps (Figure 1).

1. Identification of the need to prepare a GMP forthe particular areaThe process starts with the identification of the need toprepare a GMP for the particular area. At this early juncturethe total planning area may not strictly be agreed upon.The need to prepare a GMP may be identified by theprotected area managers, their directorates or otherstakeholders who have an interest in its management.

2. Getting Started with the GMP building process:the start-up teamThe start-up team is a small group of perhaps four –five persons, who take charge of the preparatory phase.At this initial stage, a management concept has not beendeveloped –a start-up team must take the initiative forthe process. A key output of the start-up planning teamis a scoping report in preparation for developing ageneral management plan providing a framework for theplan, identifying key issues, components, resources androles. The startup team is made up of people who areknowledgeable in management planning, familiar withthe site and are able to communicate with the localactors.

The start-up team drafts a statement of significance andpurpose, identifies information needs for the planningprocess, and creates a schedule for plan development.The team must be clear on how to handle the differentsteps in the process together with the different actors.A preliminary budget is developed andrecommendations made regarding opportunities forcapacity building within and around the protected area.The team gathers information about the legal andpolitical bases for the protected area. The lead agencymust have a compendium of all laws related to theprotected areas in general, which must be complementedwith laws and agreements that exist for the particularprotected area. The start-up team begins outreach withthe key stakeholders and draws up a simple outreachplan to work with stakeholders and support them actorsso that they can effectively participate in the GMPmaking process. The start-up team identifies the basicneeds including tools, equipment, and supplies urgentlyrequired for effective management of the protected areaeven before the plan is completed. A Core PlanningTeam to complete the GMP is identified by the start-upteam.

AWF facilitated preparation of the GMP for SamburuNational Reserve (SNR) in Samburu Heartland(www.awf.org) whose start-up team included staff fromSNR, Kenya Wildlife Service (the national wildlifeauthority), the United States Department of Interior(DoI), local community development manager. The DoIprovided two experts: one in plan development andanother in protected area management. DoI staff andother members of the scoping team subsequentlyparticipated in the planning process until the plan wasfinalized and ratified.



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3. Preparation of Terms of Reference for the GMPPlanning ProcessThe start-up team’s scoping report contributes to thedevelopment of comprehensive terms of reference (ToR)for the management planning process. The objective ofthe ToR is to guide the planning process and team sothat all the critical issues and steps are followed andensuring that a sound GMP is prepared. Key elementsof the ToR include objectives, priorities, timeframe,information needed, public involvement, financialimplications, team composition, responsibility andauthorities. ToR for the GMP making process must beshared and agreed upon with key stakeholdersparticularly the protected area management authorityupon whom the plans implementation will depend.

4. Formation of the Core Planning TeamThe responsibility for initiating preparation andimplementation of the GMP lies with the protectedarea authority which forms the start-up team. Thefunction of the core team is to complete the plan – itsmembers have been members of the start-up team. Thecore team should be multidisciplinary. Its constitutiondepends on the main issues in each specific area.The core planning team has a team leader and expertsin the areas of tourism, community development,ecology, legal issues and protected area management.The team leader knows the planning process and ispreferably a natural resources management specialist. S/he provides oversight to the process ensuring ToR areadhered to, assigns duties, supervises the team, collatesinformation and ultimately is in-charge of producingthe GMP. The tourism expert analyzes the tourismscenarios in the area and proposes an optimal tourismstrategy.A community based natural resources management andrural development expert is essential to success of aparticipatory protected area management planningprocess. An ecologist handles research and ecologicalaspects of the GMP including habitat and speciesmanagement. The protected area manager involved inthe GMP process should be quite senior in theestablishment. A legal expert may be called upon tolook at legal basis of the protected area, land issues andcontracts pertaining to the protected area and to giveadvice relevant to the GMP process. Each team membermust have ToR for their respective tasks.Other experts may be brought on board as necessary.Institutional representation may be necessary in theplanning team where the area being planned has several

inf luences outside the direct jurisdiction of theinstitution charged with the responsibility of managingthat protected area.

5. Principles to orient the management processThe core planning team considers certain key principlesthat serve to orient the management of protected areas.The principles include protected areas being integralparts of local, regional and national dynamics,implementation of participative processes, coherence ofthe institutional realm, planning as a continuous taskin the management cycle, and involvement of all relevantactors in collective construction to achieve consensusabout the use and future of the area. As a matter ofprinciple: management should be based on appropriatelevels of information (evidence-based if possible),conservation should be seen to have a social function,and conservation objectives should be the starting pointfor general management planning. There is no uniqueformula to plan and manage a protected area. Plansshould be able to respond to external and internalchanges – they should be flexible. The planning teamshould be aware that protected areas are of necessityprone to conflicts. Finally, the planning documentsmust be simple, amenable to alteration, and accessible.The concept of a management plan which grows asinformation becomes available is widely accepted – theteam should plan with the best available informationwithin the stated planning period.

Initial GMP Planning Workshop for core team andkey stakeholdersThe interdisciplinary core planning team meets to beginthe development of the GMP. Key stakeholders areinvited the workshop to ensure that planning isinteractive. The scoping report and the terms of referenceare amended based on inputs of stakeholders. Theworkshop agrees regarding the geographic reach of theplanning – the extent to which the plan will includethe protected area and surrounding areas. Thematicworking groups may be formed at this workshop.Members of the team could also be trained at thisworkshop to improve on their effective participation inthe entire planning process.

6. Identification and Analysis of StakeholdersProtected areas are influenced by factors internal andexternal to themselves. Analysis of Stakeholders willprovide information regarding who has access to, andcontrol over resources, their needs, practical and



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strategic interests, and how they affect resources in theplanning area. It is also important to examine existinginstitutions, their activities and how they affect protectedarea management. Analysis of stakeholders should bedone early in the planning process.

7. Collection of Background InformationBackground information is usually collectedsystematically from various sources including literaturereviews, interviews and field visits.

Literature Review information can be sought from theconservation and management authorities and otherorganizations that may have an interest in itsmanagement. Documents worth surveying includereports (research, evaluation, rural appraisal), local andregional development plans and files of the respectivemanagement authorities. The relevant policy and legalframework governing management of protected areas andother land uses that may influence it are reviewed. Thisprovides guidance and direction on the generalmanagement of the particular area. InternationalConventions and protocols pertaining to themanagement of the area also studied. Maps, satelliteimages and photographs of the area should be reviewedto provide insights into spatial and temporalcharacteristics and their variation.

Interviews should be held with those working for variousconservation and development organizations within andaround the protected area. Interviews can provideinformation about key issues and problems in theprotected area as well as local and regional influencesnot available in the literature.

8. Field VisitsEach protected area is different and it is necessary thatthe planners make field visits to their particular site tocapture and authenticate the pertinent issues and fillknowledge gaps. Field visits must be planned properlyto meet their purpose. Each team member should havea fairly good understanding of the area based on theliterature review, the scoping exercise/report and termsof reference. The team leader should assemble allrelevant maps for the area at relevant scale and avail themto team members. A base map for the planning areashould be prepared using Geographical InformationSystem (GIS). Regardless, a GIS metadata databaseshould be established for the planning process. Anitinerary for the field trip should be prepared that allowsthe team to move together initially to allow for

interdisciplinary appreciation of the protected area andissues to be addressed. After the reconnaissance survey,members of the team may undertake their tasks separatelybased on ToR and interrelationships.

9. Analysis of Data/Information Collected so farTo this stage, the process has concentrated on collectingdata and information that can help the planning teamto thoroughly understand the situation within andaround the protected area. Information collected couldbe formidable to analyze and summarize. To simplify,the planning team may consider summarizinginformation into four components;• This Descriptive Compendium which is a source of

information for any geographic, biophysical,ecological, social or economic question in relationto the area.

• The Compendium of laws, norms and agreements whichis a source of information for any legal question inrelation to the protected area.

• The Zoning Plan which establishes norms for use ofthe land, defining where you can do what and how.

• The Development of Management Programmes which givespriority to activities that should be performed first,offering answers about what to do, where and how.

• The first two bullets form the first chapters of theGeneral Management Plan. Care must be taken notto overemphasize the descriptive compendium at thedetriment of the other parts of the plan which maybe more important for management. These zonal andstrategic plans begin as outline statements, graduallygrowing into definitive documents. These plans comelater in the GMP document though the informationis gathered throughout the planning process includingsection 10 below.

10. Management issues, Problems, Constraints andChallengesCollection of information through literature review,interviews and field visits and the subsequent analysisand documentation will reveal problems, issues, andchallenges that may prevent the realization of the goalsand objectives of establishing the protected area. Thisis a very important part of GMP preparation process - itprovides a basis for the development of managementinterventions. Issues and problems should be groupedinto categories such as natural/environmental resources,visitor use/experiences, operations, communityconservation issues, infrastructure and administration.



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11. Identification of Exceptional Resource ValuesExceptional resource values capture the essence of whythe protected area was established and exists as suchand must be protected. Identification of an area’sexceptional resource values helps the planning processto set priorities for the management and conservation.The process of identifying exceptional values & fornature conservation is simple and somewhat subjectiveand might include consideration of features such a size,diversity (species, physical, habitat, community),naturalness, rarity, fragility (degree of sensitivity tochange), typicalness, recorded history, position in anecological unit, potential for improvement /restoration.

12. Preparation of a Statement of SignificanceA statement of significance is a highlight of the specialfeatures/exceptional resource values that give it characterand importance as a protected/conservation area. Thestatement also helps in putting the conservation areainto context within the national protected area systemand at the regional level. From the statement ofsignificance, management objectives of the area arederived. Some protected areas will have been establishedto serve certain purposes, which will be stated at thetime of their official declaration. However, others areestablished without a very clear definition of thesignificance and the core values for which they are to bemanaged.

13. Definition of Management Objectives for theProtected AreaManagement objectives represent the desired futureconditions in the area. Objectives serve to enhance thecore values and exceptional resources highlighted in thearea’s statement of significance. The core/exceptionalresource values may be shaped by higher national andinternational conservation goals and objectives.The planning team will need to ask a few key questions.What resources are of critical biodiversity conservationvalue in the conservation area, what is their status? Whatare the Governments stated goals and objectives withregard to the conservation of those Biodiversityresources? What role would this particular conservationarea play at the national, regional and international levelin the conservation and management of these resources?What type of management regimes and practices areallowed for this type of conservation area in the countryand internationally? What role does the conservationarea play with regard to tourism in the country and the

local area? Should tourism development therefore beone of the key goals of managing the area or not andhow should this be controlled and/or regulated? Whatare the key threats and challenges that have to beaddressed if the conservation area is to thrive optimallyand ensure the sustained protection of its resources? Iscommunity participation critical for the conservationand management of the area and if so, how will thelocal people be involved in its management.Formulation of management objectives considersecological, social and achievability factors.

14. Zoning PlanThe zoning plan rationalizes and regulates the use ofthe protected area and its resources, defining wherethings can be done, and how so as to achieve the area’smanagement objectives. Zoning is based on an analysisof the key biodiversity values of the area alongside itspotential and threats in meeting conservation and socio-economic-legal goals. Zoning must maintain a closerelationship with the objectives and category of theprotected area. Zoning indicates what level of use ispermitted in each zone, where physical developmentswill be sited, type and nature of activities that can beundertaken in each zone and how. Each zone must fulfilits specific purpose.

Zoning becomes useful for protected area managementwhen the spatial conditions for an area predetermine iffor certain activity and you want to secure the utilizationof its potentialities and opportunities. Zoning isimportant if there are different interests in that spacewhich implies conflicts. To develop a zoning plan, theteam has to know “what” you want to protect, “withwhom”, “from whom”, or “from what” and “why”. Onemay ask what conservation targets2 (species, ecologicalcommunities, systems and processes) are characterizedby their attractiveness, rareness or fragility and whathuman factors threaten their existence.

The zoning plan is not an assessment of carrying capacityof the various parts of the protected area but rather itdefines the ‘limits of acceptable use’ and the types ofdevelopments and activities that can and can not occurin each zone. In fragile areas, complete restrictions couldbe imposed on all users except the protected areamanagement. A particular vegetation type which is

2 A conservation target is simply an ecological entity (species,community, system or process) that you want to conserve inperpetuity.



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critical for the conservation of a certain species ofwildlife, which is one of the exceptional resources inthe conservation area, could be delineated as the coreconservation zone. Similarly, development of tourisminfrastructure may be prohibited in the coreconservation area but allowed in the use zones.

Zoning is an extremely participatory task and it requiresrules and guidelines understood by all managers andusers of a protected area. A joint definition of the visionof the protected area and each of its zones is developed.The different zones are mapped and delineated spatiallyand validated with the various key actors. The differentzones should be easily identifiable on the ground forpurposes of management. Agreements and rules for theuse of natural resources in the different zones are drawn.It is also defined the manner in which monitoring andevaluation of agreements will be undertaken. Theplanning team and stakeholders should jointly define,agree and document the sanction mechanisms to ensurethat everyone abides by the agreed rules. In somecountries3, these agreements are backed by politics andlegislation concerning protected areas. It is importantto apply socio-economic and cultural criteria to zoningin addition to biological and physical and geographicalcriteria in order to minimize use conflicts. As much aspossible, zoning should not be limited to the protectedarea itself but also contemplate the potentialdevelopment of the buffer and neighbouring andcorridor zones. If the zoning plan has flexibility clauses,they must be discussed and agreed upon in writing.Where advantageous and possible, a zoning plan can beflexible in time – e.g. restricted access to beaches andresource use can be imposed during critical times whensea turtles lay their eggs.

15. Development of Management ProgrammesManagement programmes are the desired actions thatwill lead to the achievement of the managementobjectives focused on the desired or improved situation.The planning team must reflect critically on the issues,problems and limitations identified and the managementobjectives before formulating the management programs.Management programmes should be detailed for eachstated management objective.

3 In Peru, article 23 of the Natural Protected Areas Law establishesthat each area must be zoned according to its requirements andobjectives, being able to strict protection and access areas whenrequired (Amend et al. 2003).

16. Development of a Schedule for PlanImplementation and responsibilityOnce activities to be undertaken for each managementobjective have been identified, the next step should beto prepare a plan implementation schedule. In identifyingactions for implementation, only those activities thatare cost effective, simple, technically and environmentallysound and feasible should be prescribed. Each of theactivities should be budgeted for, have a time frame,and persons responsible for implementation. Activitiesshould be prioritized reasonably. Some activities mustbe undertaken before others while some are moreimportant for the maintenance of the integrity of theconservation area than others. A particular threatidentified may require urgent redress. This would thenhave to be prioritized. Still, there are those activitieswhose implementation will have insignificant budgetaryimplications and can therefore be implementedimmediately.

Responsibility for implementation of management plansis through the relevant designated authority. The linkbetween preparing the plan and implementation mustbe explicit including priority setting and budgeting bythe relevant agency. The financial implications of amanagement plan must be generally considered in theplan approval process.

17. Environmental Impact AssessmentEnvironmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the processof identifying the potential impacts of a project or policybefore it goes ahead. The final output is an EIAdocument called the environmental statement (ES) whichis used to decide whether or not the environmentalimpacts of a project are acceptable, and can beconsidered together with other project-relatedinformation when deciding whether or not a projectcan go ahead. EIA has become mandatory for proposeddevelopments in many countries. It is imperative that ascreening exercise is conducted for the proposeddevelopments in the GMP to preset criteria to determinewhat requires EIA and what does not. This allows forbudgeting for EIAs where they will be needed duringplan implementation and further informs the schedulingof plan activities. The impacts considered in an EIAcan include the effect of a project on species, habitats,landscapes, economies and health. To complete an EIArequires a combination of fieldwork, expert opinionand modelling. Always strive for a good ES.



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18. Monitoring and EvaluationThreats to protected areas must be eliminated if theprotected areas are to meet their objectives andcontribute to biodiversity conservation. It isfundamental that plan implementation is continuouslymonitored and evaluated. Monitoring and evaluationdocuments what happens in relation to what wasproposed, expected results and, importantly, reasonsfor the variance. A basic monitoring plan should containthe action to be monitored and the objective that is tobe fulfilled by the implementation of this activity aswell as indicators for process and effectiveness (impact),means of verification, persons responsible formonitoring, target dates for achievement of the result,monitoring intervals and budget. Monitoring must bedone regularly and the monitoring systems need not becomplicated.

It is necessary to document the baseline conditionagainst which future changes will be monitored.Standardized methods of data collection that as muchas possible provide quantitative data should beemployed. For example, if one of the programmeactivities was to grade roads, the monitoring indicatorshould be number of kilometres of road graded.Thereporting interval on M&E plan should be indicated –a mid term review is mandatory.

IUCN established a framework for measuringeffectiveness which considers: (a). issues related toappropriateness of management; (b). design of theprotected area; and (c). whether the objectives of theprotected area are being delivered. Inappropriate designmay result in protected areas that are unable to meettheir objectives. Design issues include considerationsof size, shape, buffer zones and linkage to other areas.Without appropriate management threats may continuein spite of legal designation of protected status.

Assessment of the level to which protected areas aremeeting their stated objectives involves evaluation ofbiological and social outcomes. These observationsensure that corrective action is taken at the appropriatetime so that the plan goals and objectives may beachieved. Internal and external stakeholders should beaccorded opportunity to provide feedback on whataspects of the plan have worked well and what have notas well as factors that have helped and hinderedmanagement performance.

19. Review of the management planThe planning team should articulate when, or underwhat circumstances the plan will be reviewed. It is alsonot uncommon to find detailed subsidiary plans beingprepared as necessary to give more detail, for exampleinterpretation plans, fire management plans andconservation plans.



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Figure 1: Flow Chart summarizing the GMP process

Decision to prepareManagement Plan,formation of PlanningTeam 11111

Scoping Workshopfor Core Team 22222

Gather Information33333

Field Inventory44444

Assess Regional &local interrelationships

55555

Assess limitations ofpark as related todevelopment 66666

State major objectivesof the area 77777

Review the area’sboundaries

88888

Divide area intoManagement zones

99999

Design managementprogramme1 01 01 01 01 0

Prepare options forintegrated development1 11 11 11 11 1

Prepare budget estimate1 21 21 21 21 2

Prepare and distribute adraft1 31 31 31 31 3

Hold draft GMP ReviewWorkshop1 41 41 41 41 4

Incorporate appropriatechanges1 51 51 51 51 5

Obtain official approvalfor GMP1 61 61 61 61 6

Prepare, publish anddistribute final version1 71 71 71 71 7

Evaluate implementationand then revise the plan1 81 81 81 81 8

Review of literature, mapsand photographs

Interviews with officials,scientists & local leaders

Resource management

Public use

Administration andmaintenance

Integrated Development

Development areas &Circulation

Engineering & constructionimplementations

Review of literature, mapsand photographs

Interviews with officials,scientists & local leaders

Protected Area Management

Other government officials

Key Stakeholders

Step 3 above

Design implementationschedules and priorities

Actual

Potential

Physical aspects

Administrative aspects andmanagement



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Appendix 1: Suggested Minimum Format for aProtected Area Management Plan

This format contains the minimum contents for a viableplan. Individual sites may add to this format if it is notadequate.

Front and Inside Covers: Contain the name of managementauthority, name of the plan and duration of the plan.The inside cover may contain financial assistanceinformation, plan, citation details, andacknowledgements.

Foreword: Written by a high ranking official (e.g. director)of the managing authority, provides background andplaces current plan in context.

Approval Page: Contains a statement to the effect thatimplementation of the plan has been approved by theappointed officers of the relevant protected areaauthority and it is signed by those officers on behalf ofthe authority / board of trustees.

Amendment Table or Checklist: This checklist keeps trackof the amendments made to the plan during itsimplementation indicating the date of amendment,pages removed, pages added and the reason foramendment.

Executive Summary: The executive summary provides thesalient points in brief including the significance of theprotected area, the critical management issues,management objectives, interventions, and briefbudgetary and other resource requirements.Chapter 1. General Management Plan Purpose andPlanning ConsiderationsChapter 2. Background InformationChapter 3. Critical Management IssuesChapter 4. Management ObjectivesChapter 5. Zoning planChapter 6. Management and Development ProgrammesChapter 7. Environmental Impact AnalysisChapter 8. Budgets and Cost TablesChapter 9. Monitoring and EvaluationBibliography

Appendix 2: “Good practices” in preparing aprotected area management plan

A management plan should be written in simple, clearlanguage understandable to those implementing it. Itshould be treated as an accountability document forevery protected area manager and agency. At least withina country or agency there should be adopted a standardprocedure and format.The protected area should be placed in context – local,regional, national and international. Many plans fail tospatially integrate their protected areas with land useplans at local and regional level. There should beadequate articulation of the ecological role of theprotected area in the larger landscape e.g. the part itcan play in protecting the established migration of speciesin an ecosystem and the maintenance of ecologicalprocesses in a landscape. It is prudent to contextualizenational policies and development processes; an aspectwhich many management plans gloss over.A management plan is prepared for regular use bymanagers and staff. Managers should contributeimmensely to planning of their areas. Planning candepend on experts who are not external to the protectedarea and are catalysts not arbiters. The planning teammust seek to address user expectations as appropriatein the planning process. Local communities must beinvolved in the management planning process.Inadequate consideration of the socioeconomic andcultural relations of the park with its surroundings maylead to lack of legitimacy and social sustainability.Find out if the particular protected area agency hasformal management planning system. The protected areaauthority must create its own policy structure and thenhand it to the planners to produce plans not vice versa.On the other hand, you may encounter incoherentpolicy direction when trying to extract decisions fromdirectorates on purposes and objectives for individualprotected areas.To ensure a smooth planning process andimplementation, it is good practice to gain high level(director / agency) commitment. Consider entering anagreement ensuring that planning is initiated andcompleted. When it is completed, always ensure that aprotected area management plan is approved. SomeGMPs have had no approval pages meaning that no onewill be responsible for buy-in or inaction.Many protected areas cannot produce a managementplan. Ensure that plan preparation is not expensive anddoes not require much time. Pay sufficient attention to



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budgets and make realistic assumptions of managementcapacity based on your local situation. Prescriptionsmust be target-oriented not a wish list. The managementplan must be handed to the local manager with clearinstructions and authority to implement. Monitoringand evaluation of management plan implementationshould also be allocated as a responsibility and outcomesfed back to management. Management plans should besufficiently flexible to allow for change within their lifesuch as those occasioned by unforeseen circumstances.The rationale for management planning for the particulararea should be strong. Objectives should be realistic.Sometimes, the conservation and developmentobjectives are promoted separately each to the detrimentof the other. Ensure that the objectives are approved bythe agency and other stakeholders before the detailedplanning work starts in earnest. Prioritize among theobjectives. Do not pay undue attention to only a fewaspects of the plan. Some plans pay a lot of attentionto describing the area to the detriment of themanagement programme and activity implementationsections. Ensure your management plan has clarity onpurpose and rationale for conservation managementzoning within the protected area. Planning must be seenas being a continuous task within the management cycle.

AcknowledgementsI thank Stephen Manegene and other individuals fordiscussions on management planning.

Bibliography

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2. Bruner, A. G., R. E. Gullison, R. E. Rice and G. A.B. de Fonseca. 2001. Effectiveness of parks in protectingtopical biodiversity. Science 291: 125-128.

3. Chape, S., S. Blyth, L. Fish, P. Fox, and M. Spalding.2003. 2003 United Nations List of Protected Areas.IUCN and UNEP-WCMC, Gland, Switzerland andCambridge, UK.

4. Clarke, P. 1999. Park management planning in Africa.Oryx 33: 281–282.

5. Clarke, P. 2000. Protected area management planning.Oryx 34(2): 85-89.

6. IUCN. 1994. Guidelines for Protected Area ManagementCategories. IUCN, Cambridge, UK and Gland,Switzerland.

7. Kenya Wildlife Service, 1991. A Policy Frameworkand Development Programme 1991-1996: Annex 4 -Parks and Reserves Planning. Nairobi.

8. McNeely, J. A. and Miller, K. R. (eds). 1984. NationalParks, Conservation and Development: The role ofprotected areas in sustaining society. SmithsonianInstitution Press, Washington, D.C.

9. Possingham, H. P., K. A. Wilson, S. J. Andelman,and C. H. Vynne. 2005. Protected areas. Goals,limitations and design. In Groom, M. J., G. K. Meffe,C. R. Caroll.2005. Principles of Conservation Biology.Sinauer Associates, Inc. Publishers.Sunderland,Massachussets USA.

10. Samburu County Council, 2004. GeneralManagement Plan for Samburu National Reserve.Maralal, Kenya.

This Publication is funded by the NetherlandsMinistry of Foreign Affairs/Directorate Generalfor International Cooperation (DGIS).

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© 2006 African Wildlife Foundation

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