Changing Ideas and Visions for Parks

Introduction he dawn of the new millennium provides an excellent opportunity to assess the future of conservation in the 21st century. The Fontaine-bleau Symposium, held in France in November 1998 to mark the 50th anniversary of IUCN–The World Conservation Union, reviewed conservation achievements over the last 50 years and assessed future challenges. This symposium noted a dichotomy. On the one hand, awareness of conservation issues has never been higher. Concepts such as biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, which were not even explicitly developed until the 1980s, are now increasingly mainstreamed into key sectors of the economy. The recent proliferation of international environmental conventions , such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, also reflects growing awareness of the significance of the environment for life on earth. However, on the other hand, many key environmental indicators give rise to major concerns. The rate at which humans are altering their environment, and the impact of this on biodiversity, is accelerating. For example, recent reports indicate that between 5% and 20% of vertebrates and trees are threatened with extinction and that extinction rates in many of the well-documented groups, such as birds and mammals, are likely to increase by an order of magnitude over the next century or so (May 1998). This dichotomy shows the need for the establishment and implementation of clearer and more effective conservation measures. Protected areas—defined as " areas of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources , and managed through legal or other effective means " (IUCN 1994)—are playing an increasingly important role in addressing the challenges of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development around the world. These areas represent a vital investment by nations to ensure a healthy environment in the 21st century. However, the full potential of this investment will not be realised unless dynamic and forward looking strategies are developed and implemented. Also, it is becoming increasingly clear that protected areas, and the agencies that manage them, must reexamine their traditional approaches to protected area establishment and management. Important species,