IUCN/WCPA Protected Areas Program: Making Space for People and Biodiversity in the Anthropocene - Earth Stewardship: Linking Ecology and Ethics in Theory and Practice - page 333

What does a truly sustainable protected planet look like? What science is available
to inform this question? To address these pressing questions and about a future
beyond the Aichi Targets, we need to catalyze inter-institutional collaboration
between IUCN and professional societies of ecologists to achieve a more effective
integration of conservation science and protected area management is a priority for
determining conservation goals and communicating them in appropriate terms to
decision makers.

22.3 Responding to Climate Change

Protected areas are now viewed as potential instruments for mitigating climate
change by securing carbon-rich habitats in new or enhanced protected areas, and by
facilitating adaptation through the provision of ecosystem services and cultural
benefi ts that enable society to cope with the consequences of climate change. But at
the same time, climate change is being viewed increasingly as a major threat to
protected areas and resources for biodiversity conservation are being selfi shly
diverted into climate change adaptation. Plant and animal ranges may shift outside
the borders of these areas set aside for their survival, and the specter of ocean
acidifi cation hangs over many coastal and marine protected areas. There is an urgent
need for understanding the critical role that protected area systems can play in
climate change response strategies. People and societies throughout history have
adapted with different levels of success, and the promotion of culturally diverse
approaches enhances adaptive capacity for facing climate change impacts.

22.4 Healthy Parks Healthy People

Previous links between health benefi ts of parks and protected areas, tended to focus
on ecosystem services such as providing medicines and fresh water. The 2010
International Healthy Parks Healthy People Congress in Melbourne, Australia,
launched a movement that has spread around the world. The recent advent of the
Healthy Parks Healthy People approach has established broader understanding of
the diverse health benefi ts of nature. These include regulating disease, mitigating
climate events such as fl oods, and providing natural pollination controls. They also
include the bio-cultural benefi ts of nature for physical, mental, and spiritual health,
through respecting cultural heritage and diversity, supporting livelihoods, and
fostering social well-being to sustain life. Healthy Parks Healthy People addresses
the interconnection of people and parks (ecosystems) for health co-benefi ts.