Protected and Conserved Areas (PCAs) are not only conservation tools but also powerful drivers of socio-economic development in local economies. Investing in protected and conserved areas creates jobs across nature-based tourism, nature-based value chains (including timber and non-timber forest products), biodiversity monitoring and research, and ranger services, among other sectors.
As COP17 takes place in Yerevan, Armenia, the first Global Biodiversity Stocktake is assessing progress toward the 2030 goals. The years leading up to 2030 are decisive for delivering the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), including Target 3, which aims to effectively conserve and manage at least 30% of terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine areas through protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), recognizing Indigenous and traditional territories where applicable.
The World Bank Group is partnering with client countries to turn biodiversity pledges into jobs, growth, resilience, and poverty reduction. A new World Bank report Strengthening the Effectiveness and Impact of Protected and Conserved Areas: Lessons and Scalable Solutions, prepared by the Global Wildlife Program (GWP)and the China–World Bank Group Global Center for Ecological Systems and Transitions (CWGC) draws on a global knowledge exchange workshopheld in Chengdu, China, in May 2026, setting out practical solutions for effective PCAs and illustrating how experience from China and other countries can inform global practice.
The report highlights several examples from China, including community co-management in Sanjiangyuan National Park, the use of Ecological Conservation Redlines as one approach to identifying and managing ecologically important areas and enhancing connectivity, outcome-based monitoring, and a biodiversity-credit pilot in Giant Panda National Park. It complements the earlier Pathways to Success report, which shared international good practices with China’s protected area system. Promoting two-way knowledge exchange is the mission of the CWGC, a partnership between China’s Ministry of Finance and the World Bank Group that curates and shares practical experiences and lessons from China and other countries, while also bringing cutting-edge global knowledge to China.
