WWF - Publications, factsheets and reports on species

Law enforcement against forest crime in the Eastern Plains Landscape of Cambodia 2006-2011

2012-07-30

The Eastern Plains Landscape of north eastern Cambodia is recognized as being of critical importance for biodiversity conservation. Covering a huge area, this largely forested habitat supports globally significant populations of Asian elephant and banteng as well as other endangered species such as eld's deer, gaur, white-shouldered ibis and vultures. However, this habitat is coming under increasing pressure due to uncontrolled logging, hunting for trade and land conversion.

The Royal Government of Cambodia through the Ministry of Environment and the Forestry Administration have the mandate to manage and protect these area. A key element of that protection is the implementation of law enforcement to which WWF have been giving strong support as well as complementing other WWF initiatives on community engagement and biodiversity research. This report highlights the results and achievements of that enforcement effort over a six year period and shows the considerable progress that has been made whilst also suggesting what else needs to be done in the future.

Wild Mekong: New species in 2010 from the forests, wetlands and waters of the Greater Mekong, Asia's land of rivers

2011-12-12

A new monkey, a self-cloning skink, five carnivorous plants, and a unique leaf warbler are among the 208 species newly described by science in the Greater Mekong region during 2010. In total 145 plants, 28 reptiles, 25 fish, 7 amphibians, 2 mammals and 1 bird have been discovered in the last year.

This rate of discovery marks Asia's land of rivers as one of the last frontiers for new species discoveries on our planet.

The Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia through which the Mekong river flows comprises the countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China (including Yunnan province). The region is home to some of the planet's most endangered and charismatic wild species including tiger, Asian elephant, Mekong dolphin and Mekong giant catfish, in addition to hundreds of newly discovered species.

Between 1997 and 2009 an incredible 1,376 species were discovered by science across this region alone.

However, while these discoveries highlight the unique biodiversity of the Greater Mekong they also reveal the fragility of this region's diverse species and habitats. The plight of the wild tiger, whose numbers have dropped by a dramatic 70 percent in a little over a decade, and the extinction of the Javan rhino in Vietnam during 2010 are urgent reminders that biodiversity is still being lost at an alarming rate from man-made
pressures.

Rapid, unsustainable development and climate change impacts are profoundly affecting biodiversity and ecosystem services and consequently the millions of people who depend on them. The Greater Mekong region is warming and experiencing more extreme floods, droughts and storms as a result of shifting rainfall patterns. These changes are exacerbating agricultural expansion and unsustainable infrastructure pressures on natural ecosystems and the services they provide.

Today the Greater Mekong region is an integral part of one of the top five most threatened biodiversity hotspots in the world.

The central importance of the region's shared natural resources cannot be overstated. The economic and social development of the Greater Mekong depends on the continued productivity of its inter-connected ecological systems. Only intact, healthy, and diverse natural ecosystems can provide the resilience to ensuing climate change while ensuring continued access to water, energy, food, commodities, and livelihoods for over 300 million people.

Sound regulatory frameworks implemented via harmonized policies across the Greater Mekong will help the region's countries adequately address complex, challenging, regional-scale issues like habitat loss and fragmentation, unsustainable natural resource use, and climate change. Addressing these challenges requires stronger regional collaboration at the broader, ecosystem scale; countries cannot effectively solve these problems thinking only within their own borders. Regional collaboration needs high levels of political support. It also needs to be formalized through a regional agreement that is supported by an effective institutional framework mechanism. Only this can ensure future security for the millions of people that rely upon the Greater Mekong system.

FIELD GUIDE TO THE CETACEANS OF WEST AFRICA

2011-10-26

The FIELD GUIDE TO THE CETACEANS OF WEST AFRICA
aims to improve the level of knowledge and information on cetaceans in West Africa, gives an overview of existing species, their habitats, behaviours and conservation status.

Easy to use and drafted in a simple way, it facilitates the identification of cetaceans to professionals and all those concerned with their management and conservation.

INFOGRAPHIC: Marine turtles in the Coral Triangle

2011-07-21

Marine turtles are to the Coral Triangle what jewels are to a crown: both indispensable and marvelous. In the case of turtles, they are also highly vulnerable.

Check out this infographic to discover the simple aspects of turtles' life cycle, and the threats they face in the ocean.

Turtle Harvesting & Trade is Illegal

2010-12-14

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WWF study shows decline in Fiji marine turtle shell trade

2010-12-01

Suva, Fiji - The marine turtle derivatives trade in Fiji is showing a marked decrease compared to previous years, a new report from WWF South Pacific says.

The result of four years of surveys conducted in all municipal markets around Viti Levu, Turtle shells and derivatives looks at the trade in marine turtles shells, products and other species in Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island.

It reveals that while sea turtles face many threats in the wild, their biggest challenge comes from human demand for subsistence and traditional products derived from their shells.

The report specifies that Fiji's Turtle Moratorium needs to be amended if this iconic species is to survive. For example, the Moratorium currently allows exemptions if turtle shells or their derivatives are used as ceremonial tokens of appreciation or for other traditional purposes.

Capacity to monitor the number of turtles captured and the trade for its meat, shell or eggs also needs further strengthening, the report says, to guarantee the long-term survival of Fiji's threatened marine turtles.

Awareness campaigns have been effective for consumers and vendors

However, an increase in awareness campaigns developed by government, NGOs, and media over the past few years have had a positive impact on conservation, with more people now taking action to protect Fiji's threatened marine turtle populations.

Lead author and WWF South Pacific marine species officer Merewalesi Laveti highlights in the report that the enforcement of the Endangered and Protected Species Act (1998) and the extension of the turtle moratorium have further enhanced the protection and conservation of marine turtles.

"A total of 102 traders were extensively interviewed for this report and they have indicated the lack of demand from consumers for turtle derivatives", she said. "Consumers who had an interest in turtle derivatives have made a shift to wooden artefacts."

Results from the survey also indicate a change in vendor behaviour, which has been brought about thanks to ongoing campaigns to raise public awareness on Fiji's endangered marine turtles.

"The change in vendor behaviour shows that the Endangered Species Protection Act and the Turtle Moratorium have been effective in enforcing laws on the ground and increasing levels of public awareness."

Black market remains an unknown quantity

The report shows that the 57 turtle shells sold in the markets from 2006 to 2008 decreased to none in 2009. However, this figure does not reflect the level of underground trading in black markets.

"Instances where the derivatives were found, dealers explained that the items were on the shelves from previous years. This is an achievement that would not have been possible without effective partnerships," Laveti said.

Other species of concern remain on the shelves

While there has been a noticeable decline in the sales of turtle shells and derivatives, the sale of other species – which the report calls "species of special concern" – continued to sell in larger volumes in fish and municipal markets around Fiji.

Species falling into this category include the near threatened juvenile Black tip shark and the endangered Hammerhead shark, which are usually sold for food. The report says this illustrates a lack of enforcement on fishing size limits as well as general awareness on what species need to be protected.

In most cases fish species of special concern tend to be ignored by traders and continue to appear in markets due to consumer demand.

Continuing to work with other stakeholders to protect marine turtles and other species of concern

The WWF South Pacific species programme works closely with the Fiji Sea Turtle Steering Committee (FSTSC) to improve awareness on the need for conservation and protection of the sea. Composed of turtle conservation stakeholders, the steering committee is also looking to extend their mandate to cover species of special concern such as the sharks, humphead wrasse and bumphead parrotfish.

Turtle shells and derivatives reiterates the need to enforce existing regulations but at the same time recognises the need for increased financial assistance to be focussed on initiating and continuing research for new information about marine turtle population in Fiji.

Turtle Shells and Derivatives

2010-11-25

The declining marine turtle populations in Fiji has become a growing concern over recent years. Unlimited exploitation of marine turtles for both subsistence and traditional purposes have imposed a threat to these vulnerable turtle populations.

Vei tayaki (1995) explained that the use of marine turtles in traditional occasions is unlimited where the number of tur tles exploited represents the success per catch per effort in a village setting.

A few studies have illustrated the use of marine turtles in Fiji. According to Guinea (1993), a tortoise industry was thriving in Fiji in the early 1940s. In 1998, Fiji became a signatory country to the Convention on International Trading of Endangered Wild flora and fauna (CITES). Fiji later enforced the Endangered and Protected Species Act (1998) and a second Turtle Moratorium (2004 -2008) after the first from 1995 - 2000. In September 2009, a third Moratorium was endorsed and is in effect from 2009 - 2018. These policies and associated regulations contribute to the implementation of Fiji's commitments to CITES at local level and further enhances the protection and conservation of marine turtles.

A lack of dedicated research aimed at quantifying the illegal use of marine turtles in Fiji has been one of the many factors hindering informed decision making in the conservation and management of marine turtles. In response to this a survey initiated by the Department of Environment and monitored by the Institute of Marine Resources aimed to identify the efficacy of the legally binding regulations in place. The survey was initially conducted in December 2006 with a follow up assessment in April 2007.

Save the Whale, Save the Southern Ocean

2010-06-21

The Southern Ocean is critical to ensuring the recovery and viability of the great whale populations in the southern hemisphere.

It provides the feeding grounds needed to sustain most southern hemisphere great whales – which coastal communities from Australia to Latin America to Africa are reliant upon for livelihoods and income derived from whale watching tourism.

After rampant commercial whaling in the twentieth century brought most great whale species in the Southern Ocean close to extinction, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) established the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in 1994, recognising the critical importance of protecting whales in this special place.

Since the inception of the sanctuary, threats to whales in the Southern Ocean have broadened to include climate change, ship strikes, the potential of over-fishing and acoustic and chemical pollution. If whales in the southern hemisphere are to fully recover, the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary must be fully respected by all contracting governments to the IWC.

WWF therefore urges all contracting governments to the IWC to reject any proposal that would set catch limits for whaling in the Southern Ocean.

Download the report: Save the Whale, Save the Southern Ocean 2.65 MB pdf

WWF position statement, IWC 62

2010-06-10

WWF's goal is to ensure that viable populations of all cetacean species occupy their historic range, and fulfill their role in maintaining the integrity of ocean ecosystems.

WWF acknowledges the widely varied cultural attitudes toward the conservation and management of whales, but continues to oppose commercial whaling - now and until whale stocks have fully recovered, and the governments of the world have brought whaling fully under international control with a precautionary and conservation-based enforceable management and compliance system adhered to by all whaling nations.

WWF recognises the human need for subsistence whaling and supports the take where it is carried out by aboriginal, indigenous, or native peoples with long-standing, strong social or cultural ties to whaling; where products are for local consumption only; and with a precautionary management scheme in place to ensure such activities are sustainable and do not threaten whale populations.

This position statement includes comments on several but not all of the issues facing the IWC.

Download WWF position statement IWC 62 193 KB pdf

Six Fundamental Elements for the Proposed IWC Consensus Decision

2010-05-15

The IWC suggested its version of a compromise but we do not support this compromise unless it is revised to include the following six points:

End all whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
If any whaling is authorized the whale products must be for domestic consumption only.
Any agreed catch limits for whales must be calculated by the IWC Scientific Committee using the published version of the Revised Management Procedure (RMP), which is specifically designed to safeguard whale populations while providing for some sustainable use as long as the species being considered is determined to have a healthy population.
No whales should be killed that are either a threatened species or in a threatened population.
End all so-called scientific whaling.
If this deal goes through then governments should not be allowed to lodge any reservations and attempt to operate outside of the IWC.

Download the full text of WWF's response to the IWC by clicking on the relevant language version to the right.

Ivory traffickers held in Central African Republic

2009-10-06

The arrests were the first of their kind in the African nation since it passed a wildlife protection law in the 1980s, said Ofir Drori, director of the Cameroon-based group The Last Great Ape which announced the arrests with WWF.

One woman had 157 ivory objects weighing more than 200 kilogrammes in her home in Bangui, the groups said in a statement.

The other trafficker was detained in a Bangui hotel Friday as he was "trying to sell 14 ivory objects, hippopotamus teeth and a panther skin," said the statement.

The two could face up to a year in jail if found guilty.

"They had several decades of experience between them and were said to be at the centre of an international ivory trafficking network," the statement said.

Illegal poaching threatens the elephant with extinction, animal protection groups say, despite the ivory trade being banned by a 1989 international agreement.

Experts say some 38,000 African elephants are killed each year for their tusks.

Banking on Cod

2009-06-16

Cetaceans and Other Marine Biodiversity of the Eastern Tropical Pacific: Options for Adapting to Climate Change.

2009-06-12

This three-day meeting brought together 72 international experts in cetacean biology, oceanography, biodiversity, conservation and climate to discuss the current status of cetacean and other marine populations in the eastern tropical Pacific and to assess their vulnerability and adaptation options to climate change in the region.

This is the first effort in the region to collate oceanographic and climate knowledge in the context of vulnerabilities and adaptation options for marine organisms. Although it did not aspire to be comprehensive, it will serve as a platform to stimulate further regional work towards adaptation of marine habitats to climate change.

Hoffman, JR, Fonseca, A, and C Drews (eds). 2009. Cetaceans and Other Marine Biodiversity of the Eastern Tropical Pacific: Options for Adapting to Climate Change. Report from a workshop held February 9-11, 2009. MINAET/WWF/EcoAdapt/CI/IFAW/TNC/WDCS/IAI/PROMAR, San Jose, Costa Rica. ISBN: 978-9968-825-37-5

Defining and estimating global marine fisheries bycatch

2009-04-15

Abstract

Unselective fishing catches non-target organisms as 'bycatch'—an issue of critical ocean conservation and resource management concern. However, the situation is confused because perceptions of target and non target catch vary widely, impeding efforts to estimate bycatch globally. To remedy this, the term needs to be redefined as a consistent definition that establishes what should be considered bycatch. A new definition is put forward as: 'bycatch is catch that is either unused or unmanaged'. Applying this definition to global marine fisheries data conservatively indicates that bycatch represents 40.4 percent of global marine catches, exposing systemic gaps in fisheries policy and management.

Reference: DAVIES RWD, et al. Defining and estimating global marine fisheries bycatch. Marine Policy (2009), doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2009.01.003.

New scientific paper reveals the impact of climate change on whales dolphins and porpoises

2009-04-02

In the week when 4000 towns and cities across 88 countries turned off their lights to call for stronger action to combat climate change, a new scientific paper published in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK takes a collective look at what is currently known about how climate change may affect or is already affecting whales, dolphins and porpoises (collectively know as cetaceans) and how this issue may be best addressed. The paper was written by WWF and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).

There is unequivocal evidence that climate change is affecting the oceans but just how it impacts cetaceans and what conservationists, scientists and governments should do about it remain critical questions.

What we know
Climate change could have an impact on several factors that cetaceans depend upon for survival including:

•Ocean temperature
•Habitat availability
•Changes in sea-ice distribution
•Prey availability

These factors in turn can be expected to impact feeding and breeding and survivorship.

Some cetacean species and populations are likely to be especially vulnerable to these predicted climate related changes, including those with a limited habitat range, or those for which sea ice provides an important habitat for the cetacean and/or that of their prey.

Other factors impacting cetaceans such as bycatch, unsustainable hunting, chemical and noise pollution and oil and gas development are even further compounded by the different threats posed by climate change, which adds undue pressure to already vulnerable species. At least a quarter of the world's cetaceans were recently confirmed as endangered and the situation may be worse as the status of many others remains unclear.

What can be done?
If conservation programs for cetaceans are to succeed in the face of climate change, decision makers must be swift to react to emerging developments that are a result of climate change; focus on reducing other pressures on populations where possible; and, be more responsive as new information becomes available. For example, if cetaceans change their distributions and establish new critical habitat areas, conservation and management efforts will have to move with them.

Conservation programs should also shift to not only focus all work on critically endangered species, but also pay attention to ensuring that other species and populations remain robust and resilient to the changes that are predicted.

There is a need for large scale and long-term work to better understand the impending risks posed to cetaceans by climate change and leadership from appropriate international bodies will be crucial. However, such bodies will need to prioritize these endeavors and allocate adequate funding.

The paper was written by WWF and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).

For the full paper click here: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=MBI&volumeId=89&issueId=01&iid=4249964

WWF position following the IWC intersessional meeting, March 2009

2009-03-11

A proposed "package deal" that would allow Japan a five year coastal whaling quota in exchange for phasing out or reducing its so-called scientific whaling program in the Southern Ocean is not an acceptable compromise as it does not do enough to protect whales according to WWF.

The package deal was discussed at a three day meeting in Rome on 9-11 March attended by just over half of the 84 member governments of the IWC, and is part of an attempt to resolve the current impasse in the IWC between pro-whaling and anti-whaling nations. WWF attended the meeting as an official observer.

This meeting was an opportunity for IWC member governments to come up with a plan that would move the IWC forward for the benefit of whales but few innovative suggestions that would contribute to a feasible solution were made.

The chair of the IWC, William Hogarth, has passed the task of drafting a package deal to the Small Working Group (SWG), which will present their report on18 May. The package deal will then be discussed and voted on at the 61st meeting of the IWC in Madeira, Portugal in June. Dr Hogarth is the IWC Commissioner for the United States.

WWF has been working with the IWC, and on whaling, for decades. WWF fully supports a resolution to the deadlock in the IWC, but believes that such a resolution must benefit whales more than whaling. WWF appreciates the fact that the IWC member governments are engaging each other in discussion but finds the package deal discussed at the meeting has some major loop holes and problems.

WWF has several suggestions for the SWG as they go forward with drafting a new deal, including the following:

All "scientific whaling" must be stopped immediately;
All whaling nations, not just Japan, must be considered in any deal;
There must be clear mechanisms for compliance, monitoring and sanctions against countries that break the rules; and,
The Revised Management Procedure (RMP), agreed by the IWC in 1994 and one of the most rigorous procedures for natural resource management yet developed, must be included in any deal involving quota setting.

Without these and several other provisions in the deal, whale populations already depleted from the unregulated whaling of the past century will continue to suffer from the actions of irresponsible whaling nations.

WWF looks forward to discussing with governments all of the elements of the SWG report and hopes that the SWG's decisions are based on sound, robust science and for the benefit of the world's whales. WWF continues to work with all governments on the conservation and recovery of whale species, and the reduction of all threats to whales and dolphins including bycatch, ship strikes, pollution, noise, habitat loss, and climate change.

WWF Opening Statement, International Whaling Comission (IWC) intersessional meeting in Rome, March 2009

2009-03-01

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WWFolio Bolivia Nº 15

2008-10-27

Le presentamos nuestra edición informativa de octubre de 2008. En este número usted podrá leer sobre:

EDITORIAL VIVO:

La conservación es una disciplina de emergencia

PANTANAL VIVO:

Un enfoque ecor-regional transfronterizo para el Cerrado-Pantanal
Chichi Grillo y Rosa la Mariposa nos llevan a conocer y valorar la vida en el Pantanal boliviano
El trabajo de las artesanas del Pantanal boliviano

AMAZONIA VIVA:

Contaminación por mercurio en el Iténez
Problemática del mercurio
NUESTROS SOCIOS: El Instituto de Investigación para el Desarrollo (IRD) en Bolivia
Comunidades del Área Protegida Iténez hacia un futuro más sostenible
La Fuerza Naval de Bolivia y el Proyecto Centinela Ambiental
PUBLICACIONES VIVAS: Visión de Conservación de la Biodiversidad del Corredor Amboró-Madidi

VIDA FORESTAL:

Las instituciones públicas y su compromiso con la conservación de los bosques
La FTN Bolivia y la promoción de la oferta forestal certificada de Bolivia

MÁS VIDA:

4 de septiembre: Día Nacional de las Áreas Protegidas en Bolivia
Becas Príncipe Bernhard
Generando resultados de conservación a gran escala

Lifting the lid on Italy's bluefin tuna fishery

2008-10-07

This WWF-commissioned report, researched and compiled by independent consultancy ATRT, contains the first in-depth analysis of the role of Italy in the bluefin tuna fishery in the Mediterranean. Its findings confirm the widely held view that Italy is among the main culprits in the region for overfishing and violation of the fishery's management rules.

In April 2008 WWF released a report quantifying for the first time the fishing overcapacity of industrial fleets targeting the stock in the Mediterranean . That study identified Italy as the leader in overcapacity among EU member states, with an estimated catch capacity for the industrial purse seine fleet twice the national quota allocated to it. The study pointed to the likely underreporting of real catches in the last years, coupled with a systematic violation of international management rules and the overshoot of national quotas.

To ascertain the performance of the Italian bluefin tuna fishing industry during the crucial 2008 fishing season, the authors of this report have combined a thorough analysis of trade information with extensive field work. The latter has included the monitoring of Italy's fleet at sea in real time, as well as the field analysis (through aerial surveys) of bluefin tuna biomass caged in every farm based in Italy, Croatia and Malta. This colossal undertaking has generated the most comprehensive picture yet of the role played by Italian interests in the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery, including the extent of compliance (or lack thereof) with international management rules agreed by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT, the body tasked with sustainably managing the fishery) and the EU.

This WWF study is all the more relevant now, when the Italian government holds the view that the EU's decision to close the purse seine fishery two weeks early (15 June 2008) resulted in the Italian purse seine fleet falling short of fulfilling its quota for the year (which even led Italian interests to the extreme step of taking the European Commission to the European Court of Justice).

The current report reviews data for 2007 and demonstrates that Italy's overshoot of the bluefin tuna national quota for 2007 amounted to a minimum of 1,653 tonnes, more than five times as much as the officially recognized overshoot of 327 tonnes. It also highlights the serious inconsistencies in the register of the fleet targeting bluefin tuna, with a broad mismatch of records between ICCAT, the EU and national fleet registers. Up to 163 purse seine vessels would have been active in the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery in 2008, according to the crosscheck between the relevant official registers. A total of 15 purse seine flotillas, or fishing groupings, were identified to be operating during the 2008 fishing season, including in partnership with other Libyan, Turkish and possibly Algerian vessels. The latter were identified as having been involved in an illegal operation of paper-quota transfer between Algerian and Turkish vessels during the 2008 fishing season.

The report includes extensive field information proving that Italian airports have played a key role during 2008 as a hub for illegal aerial spotting activities in central Mediterranean waters. Additionally, Italian spotter planes have operated (with others, such as US, French and Swiss) in support of the illegal activities of Italian purse seiners.

A total of 5 farms based in Italy were identified as active in 2008, containing an estimated biomass of 2,410 tonnes of live tuna (equivalent to an estimated weight at input of 2,241 tonnes). This tuna was caught exclusively by Italian purse seiners operating during the 2008 fishing season.

Additionally, a conservative 1,321 tonnes of bluefin tuna is estimated to have been caught by Italian purse seiners in the early spring fishery inside the Adriatic Sea, including an estimate of 853 tonnes that would have been caged in Croatian farms.

Finally, a further 1,159 tonnes of tuna are estimated to have been caught by Italian seiners and transferred to farms in Malta and Tunisia during 2008.

The estimate of the total bluefin tuna catch by Italian fleets during the 2008 fishing season contained in WWF's report thus amounts to 4,887 tonnes at the very minimum. This highly conservative figure does not account for any estimate of catches by long line fleets outside of the Adriatic Sea, due to the impossibility of obtaining this information, and yet, entails a minimum quota overshoot by Italy of 724 tonnes. One wonders what the final catch of Italy's bluefin tuna fleet might have been, had the EU not closed the purse seine fishery 15 days earlier than initially scheduled this year. Additionally, the report highlights that several relevant fishing ports for bluefin tuna in Italy, such as Pozzuoli, Vibo Valentia, Portopalo and Cetraro, are duly registered with ICCAT as landing ports for the species, but do not report any single bluefin tuna.

In WWF's opinion, the disturbing findings of this report (concerning a significant EU member state) reinforce the conclusions contained in the recent independent verdict on ICCAT's performance elaborated by an international panel of experts , released in September 2008. The report commissioned by ICCAT describes mismanagement in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery as an "international disgrace" and recommends that ICCAT immediately suspend fishing – until conditions for sustainable fisheries management exist.

WWF continues to advocate a moratorium of the fishery – and in parallel encourages retailers, chefs, restaurants and consumers to join the growing boycott of the species – until Mediterranean bluefin tuna has been pulled safely back from the brink.

Exploratory co-management interventions in Kuiburi National Park, Central Thailand, including human-elephant conflict mitigation

2008-09-03

John W.K. Parr (Corresponding Author)
Supol Jitvijak, Saowanee Saranet and Songsak Buathong

Co-management is a developing field of protected area management. Increasingly, the practice is to involve local communities and other stakeholders in protected area planning and management. In many countries,
management boards, co-management structures and other participatory mechanisms are being created.

This paper reports on promoting co-management involving participatory management planning at Kuiburi National Park, Central Thailand, through the establishment of two working groups, namely a core management planning team comprising park personnel (charged with plan implementation), operating in parallel with a park management board working group (local people and other stakeholders).

These institutional bodies participated in a park management planning process, which was fuelled by socio-economic data focusing on the high profile human-elephant conflict in the buffer zone. The initiative led to a major rethink on participatory management planning by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. The process also led to some valuable recommendations for elephant-wildlife mitigation, both at Kuiburi and the international context.