Three new publications offer expertise on the subjects of protected area management and/or coastal management:

Managing Protected Areas: A Global Guide

Edited by Michael Lockwood, Graeme L. Worboys, and Ashish Kothari. Published by IUCN, 2006.

This 802-page book from IUCN spans the full terrain of protected area management and is very likely the most comprehensive guide on the subject ever published. With dozens of detailed international case studies, maps, tables, evaluation tools, and checklists, this book provides a one-stop shop for IUCN expertise on the principles and best practices of managing protected areas. One chapter – authored by Jon Day, director of conservation for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority – is dedicated specifically to the management of MPAs. Other chapters provide information and guidance on topics applicable to any kind of protected area, marine or terrestrial: e.g., governance, developing capacity, management planning, finance, sustainable use, cultural heritage management, tourism, community-based management, evaluating management effectiveness, and more.

Price: US $99.50 from Amazon.com


The Dynamics of Integrated Coastal Management: Practical Applications in the Sustainable Coastal Development in East Asia

By Chua Thia-Eng. Published by Global Environment Facility, UN Development Programme, and International Maritime Organization Regional Programme on Building Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), 2006.

This 468-page report traces the advance of integrated coastal management (ICM) for sustainable development in East Asia over the past four decades, describing principles of ICM, tools for its application, and its future as a framework for sustainable coastal management in the region. Although the report spends only four pages specifically discussing the role of MPAs within an ICM context, it notes numerous benefits that can accrue to communities from linking these management tools. The report serves as a useful reminder that integrated management of coastlines can lay the groundwork for improved ecosystem health, both inside and outside MPAs.

Price: US $48.00 from PEMSEA (http://www.pemsea.org/ecomm/onlinestore_new.htm)


Coastal Resource Management in the Wider Caribbean: Resilience, Adaptation, and Community Diversity

Edited by Yvan Breton, David Brown, Brian Davy, Milton Haughton, and Luis Ovares. Published by the International Development Research Centre, 2006.

This 300-page report, available in English and Spanish, analyzes the social science aspects of community-based coastal resource management in the Caribbean region, with lessons learned and recommendations for researchers and decision-makers. One chapter examines communities and stakeholder groups with regard to MPAs in Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, and stresses the importance of understanding community characteristics and needs during MPA planning. The publisher, Canada’s International Development Research Centre, assists developing countries in using science and technology to build sustainable policies and societies.

Free: Downloadable at http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-97371-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html