Supplementary Table 1 | Key events in the development of protected areas globally. Key
events reflect developments in conservation that mark periods of change in thinking about
protected areas or that have signalled an expansion of objectives for protected areas. The
major events have been added to Fig. 1 in the main text.
When
What
Why important/influential
Pre-history
to 1860s
Community conserved
lands, hunting reserves,
sacred natural sites
Long history of conservation by communities and
rulers but generally not with an explicit conservation
objective
1864
Yosemite Grant Act
First ‘formal’ protected area established by
government
1872
Yellowstone National Park
established
First ‘national park’ – commonly cited as the birth of
the modern protected area movement
1879
Royal National Park,
Australia established
Indicative of the national park idea spreading outside
USA
1892
Sierra Club formed in USA
Sierra Club established to promote wilderness as an
ideal. Wilderness has been an influential motivator for
establishment of protected areas focused around
protection of iconic landscapes and species
1938
Establishment of tourism
bureau in US National Parks
Service
Growing focus on tourism and dual mandate of
protected areas for protection and use. Tourism has
grown to become a major economic driver of
protected area establishment and management
1945
UN founded but without a
body dealing with the
environment
Indicative of limited global awareness of environment
as an issue of concern
1948
IUCN founded
World’s first global environmental organisation formed
in recognition of emerging concerns for the
environment and conservation of nature
1958
IUCN establishes provisional
National Parks Commission
Protected areas recognised as core nature
conservation tool and an area of importance for IUCN
1959
UN Economic and Social
Council recognises parks as
Growing awareness of need for nature conservation
within the United Nations
important
1962
First World Parks Congress
First World Parks Congress had a principal focus on
tourism and internal park management issues with a
strong North American bias
1971
First world directory of
national parks and other
protected areas published
by IUCN
Recognition of wider role of protected areas as
conservation mechanisms
UNESCO Man and the
Biosphere Programme
established
Early recognition of linkage between protected areas
and sustainable development
The Declaration of the
United Nations Conference
on the Human Environment,
or Stockholm Declaration
UN pays greater attention to environmental issues
1972
UNEP founded
World Heritage Convention
established
1980
First World Conservation
Strategy
Emerging concern for biodiversity conservation crisis
and recognition of the wider role of protected areas as
a key strategy for biodiversity conservation
1982
Third World Parks Congress
in Bali
First World Parks Congress outside USA
1990
TNC Launches Parks in Peril
programme
Raises profile of protected areas that are not
effectively managed with a program aimed a analysing
and addressing factors impeding effective
management of protected areas
1992
Fourth World Parks
Congress in Caracas
Fourth World Parks Congress established a 10% target
for terrestrial coverage in recognition that existing
protected areas were insufficient to adequately
conserve biodiversity
European Habitats Directive
Establishes Natura 2000 programme as a system for
protection of habitat and species in Europe. This led to
a major expansion of protected areas in Europe,
although sites were frequently small and targeted at
protection of a single species or feature
Social and community issues prominent were
dominant features of the discussions and marked an
emergence of a growing concern about the impact of
protected areas on Indigenous people and surrounding
communities
United Nations Conference
on Environment and
Development
Established Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Article 8 of Convention recognises protected areas as
principal means of biodiversity conservation. The
provisions, targets and programmes of the CBD have
subsequently been a major driver of protected area
establishment and policy
Fifth World Parks Congress
‘Benefits beyond
boundaries’
Recognition of wider benefits of protected areas
including ecosystem services
2004
CBD Programme of Work on
Protected Areas (PoWPA)
Establishes global goals and targets for protected area
management. The PoWPA has been influential in
shaping management programs and objectives in many
countries
2005
Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment published
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment shone a
spotlight on the importance of, and threats to, natural
ecosystems in delivering goods and services to
humanity
2010
CBD strategic plan and Aichi
targets
The CBD strategic plan and Aichi targets have
broadened the international agenda for protected
areas especially in Target 11 with a focus on more than
just percentage targets for coverage but also on the
designation of protected areas in sites of most
importance for biodiversity and on ensuring effective
and equitable management of protected areas
2003
Management effectiveness of protected areas
identified as an important issue. Recognition of
governance and the rights of indigenous and local
communities and the social costs and benefits of
protected areas as a continuing issue for protected
areas