Mapping Conservation Priority Areas in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

The Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands, in collaboration and consultation with stakeholders and experts, plan to run a spatial prioritisation project from mid May 2017 to early 2018. The UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) will provide technical assistance to the project.

 

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  • The aim of the project is to adopt a data-led, precautionary approach to propose a terrestrial network of protected areas that meets a series of conservation goals agreed by the GSGSSI and the island’s key stakeholders.
  • The project is based on systematic conservation planning techniques, an established and recognised scientific discipline that efficiently balances the multiple data and perspectives that are required in such a project to design a network that conserves biodiversity while meeting stakeholder’s needs.
  • A two-step stakeholder consultation will be undertaken to ensure a transparent and clear process, discuss and agree on options and strategies to establish the network. These consultations are expected to take place in July 2017, November 2017, and January 2018 and will include online presentations and questionnaires.
  • The expected outputs are: 1) a technical report where candidate conservation sites are characterised and mapped including suggestions of where additional data and monitoring are required; 2) a database with all data collected through the project; 3) step by step guidance on how to incorporate new data into the system to rerun the analyses if needed when new data are available. The GSGSSI will use the outputs as a guide to formally designate terrestrial protected areas.
  • The project will demonstrate the contribution of the islands to global conservation and development targets and goals, such as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets on the Convention of Biological Diversity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

For more details please contact: Edward Lewis (UNEP) or Brian MacSharry (UNEP)

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