ESN provides training and mentoring to protected area managers to build organisational management skills, thereby supporting management effectiveness.

Each year, six African protected areas each nominate three representatives who will benefit from the input of business planning guidance, personal skills development and support for the duration of one year. Protected areas are selected through a competitive application process. ESN is open to UNESCO World Heritage Sites (including sites on the tentative list), IUCN natural protected areas, protected area agencies, management authorities, local governments and NGOs with management remit. The programme is targeted at protected area managers who are in positions of responsibility that allow them to instigate management and planning changes, and who have the support of their senior management.

To ensure the programme is effective in driving organisational change, ESN works with protected areas that demonstrate a clear need for training in organisational, management and business skills. For sites that have severe challenges (i.e. lack of political support, severe lack of resources or security issues), enhancing these skills may not have a discernible impact.

A guided assessment of the forest areas suitable for the sale of conservation credit units (CCU) in the foreseen region is done with the Global Conservation Standard (GCS). The elaboration of a masterplan outline the project area and its potential to sell CCU (based on criteria by the IPPC). All interventions are defined through participatory planning (calculation credit generation, beneficiaries, marketing). Once the masterplan is accepted by GCS, the international registration is done at Markit.

Three federal Mexican agencies as well as a private organization are joining efforts for the conservation of priority watersheds. This is formalized by a letter of intent for collaboration stating the common goal all are working towards.

A technical committee with representatives of all institutions is formed and takes decisions. It meets every two months, and supports the implementation of the project. A participatory platform is set up at the local level in each of the regions, allowing local stakeholders from different sectors to get together and decide on activities to promote within the watersheds.

In our program in the region of Hawaii, we are creating a framework whereby local people and volunteers can share their knowledge and culture, where the safety of the volunteers is ensured, and whereby locals can be compensated economically for these non-extractive activities.

For a community to participate in the management of state forests (such as mangroves), it needs to sign a forest management agreement (FMA) with the government agency in charge of the sector, in this case the Kenya Forest Service (KFS). Signing of FMA is preceded by the formation of Community Forest Association (CFA) and the development of a Participatory Forest Management Plan (PFMP) for the area. As the name implies, developing the plan is a participatory process whereby views and concerns from different stakeholders are collected and analyzed. The final Management Plan includes a zonation map showing activities of different stakeholders in the designated forest area. The Participatory Forest Management Plan becomes operational once the Director of the Kenya Forest Service, the state agency in charge of forest management in Kenya, has approved it. The Plan for Mikoko Pamoja was approved in May 2013, followed by the signing of the forest management agreement in October 2013.

Key social and environmental factors affecting Protected Areas are identified through interviews, surveys and through research of public databases to evaluate both, the perceptions of users, and the effectiveness of authorities in the management of protected areas.

Skilled personnel, effective governance and functioning technical systems are essential for successful operation. Key elements to support this include training for National Conservation Trust Funds, staff and board members, establishment of clear accounting systems, operations manuals, learning from best practices, mentoring, and peer exchange.

In this regard, the CBF has established training on its accounting system for its staff. It has also become a member of the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Conservation Trust Funds (RedLAC) to learn from similar institutions.

CBF endowment proceeds will be channeled through the NCTFs, which in turn will lead the grant-making process for on the ground and water activities. They are governed by majority non-government member boards reflecting a broad range of sectors and interests, and provide grants to both government and civil society.

Drawing on internationally recognized standards, the characteristics of NCTFs to be supported by the CBF are:

• Purpose: Purpose aligned with the purpose of the CBF.
• Board composition: Broad composition and representation, with majority civil society board membership and no single majority interest group dominating the board.
• Civil society board members: Board members representing civil society not solely selected by the government.
• Asset control: Well-designed and independent asset control.
• Audit requirements: Well-defined annual external audit requirements.
• Grants: Grant making to government and civil society.

Collaborative data and information gathering was used to: identify and acquire secondary information; document local knowledge of resources and space-use; develop an appropriate habitat classification scheme; conduct marine habitat mapping field surveys; validate information produced; and ascertain the technological capacity and information preferences of stakeholders. Furthermore, participatory research demonstrates the relevance of information provided by stakeholders, strengthens capacity and provides ownership of the information produced.