Protected areas are a key conservation strategy, prioritized in many policies including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and national legislation. However, the establishment of protected areas by governments does not guarantee perpetual legal protections. Politics can have significant effects on protected area policies, including changes to the political party in power or decision-making structures. This year, as governments prepare for COP16 to share progress toward the GBF, more than half of the planet's population will have the opportunity to participate in an election, providing an opportunity for broad-scale engagement of the public for conservation. This webinar highlighted perspectives on the topic of protected areas and politics from three countries — Brazil, India, and the United States. Presenters shared the context in each case, and discussed challenges and potential pathways forward.

Moderator:
Dr. Rachel Golden Kroner, Co-Chair, IUCN WCPA Task Force on PADDD (Protected Area Downgrading, Downsizing, and Degazettement)

Speakers:
Dr. Gwenolé Le Velly, Associate Professor, CEE-M & Institut-Agro Montpellier
Dr. Mariana Napolitano Ferreira, Strategy Director, WWF-Brasil
Ms. Prerna Singh Bindra, Wildlife Conservationist and author, PhD Scholar, University of Cambridge and Former Member, National Board for Wildlife, India