The Global Database on Protected Area Management Effectiveness (GD-PAME)* collates data on the effectiveness of protected and conserved areas. The GD-PAME is managed by UNEP-WCMC and compiled in collaboration with a wide range of governmental and non-governmental organizations (referred to as data providers). It is updated monthly, alongside the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM). The GD-PAME data can be viewed and downloaded here.
The GD-PAME User Manual version 2.0 provides information on the GD-PAME and its history, and guidance on how the data are collected and managed. The manual is designed to support data providers and users. It is structured into the following sections:
Section 1: Provides an overview of effectiveness assessment approaches and the role of the GD-PAME in gathering data.
Section 2: Describes the GD-PAME Data Standards that ensure the data are supplied in a common format that is globally interoperable and useable.
Section 3: Explains the process of submitting data to the GD-PAME, who can submit data and the benefits of doing so.
Section 4: Describes the terms and conditions of using the GD-PAME, including how it can be accessed and how it should be cited.
If you have any questions about the database, or are interested in reporting data, please contact [email protected].
The GD-PAME User Manual version 2.0 is available for download here:
* Note: The scope of the GD-PAME has evolved since it was first established to collate data from a wide range of effectiveness assessment methods, including but not limited to protected area management effectiveness (PAME) tools. The name of the database (‘GD-PAME’) will be gradually phased out as part of a broader redevelopment of the Protected Planet databases. An updated version of the user manual will be released, and changes to the website will be made, once this transition is complete. These changes will not affect the data that are stored within the database.
The GD-PAME collates information gathered through a range of tools applied at the national and site level (please see the GD-PAME User Manual for further details). Some examples of assessment methods/tools that can be used to assess effectiveness, and subsequently report to the GD-PAME, are outlined in the table below. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. Other methods, including nationally or regionally developed/adapted methods, may also be used. The approaches used are diverse, depending on the biodiversity values and objectives of the site, and may include practices guided by traditional knowledge. It is recommended that site managers use the methods that are most appropriate to their national/local contexts. The GD-PAME is designed to be flexible enough to accept data gathered using any method that is appropriate for assessing and adaptively improving effectiveness in a given context.
Application of assessment tools to OECMs
While the approaches outlined in the table below, and in the GD-PAME user manual, have been extensively applied in the protected area context, their applicability to OECMs requires further testing. OECMs vary significantly in management approaches and objectives and OECM governance authorities will need to assess which tools are appropriate to their context. Global guidance on OECMs suggests that protected area effectiveness assessment tools could also be used in OECMs, though they may require adaptation and need to be supplemented by additional information. Subsequent iterations of the GD-PAME manual will be updated as knowledge and tools for monitoring OECMs develop. It is recommended that site managers use the methods that are most appropriate to their national/local contexts and consult global guidance when considering different assessment options.
Table 1: A selection of available effectiveness assessment tools and approaches (this list is not exhaustive). Please refer to the GD-PAME Manual for further guidance on how these assessment approaches can be used to report data to GD-PAME.
Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT)
| The most widely used protected area management effectiveness assessment tool globally. Please see here for further details |
Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool (IMET)
| An in-depth protected area management effectiveness and decision-support tool. |
Enhancing our Heritage (EoH) Toolkit
| Comprises 12 tools. Designed to assess the management of World Heritage sites but also applicable to other PAs and OECMs. |
Governance Assessment of Protected and Conserved Areas (GAPA) | A tool focused on assessing governance challenges and underlying causes. Applicable in cases where actors are interested in exploring sensitive governance issues. |
A tool focussed on assessing governance and equity, broader in scope than GAPA. | |
A tool focused on assessing the wellbeing of local people. Also includes a basic governance assessment. | |
A set of software and analysis tools designed to help conservationists manage and protect wildlife and wild places. | |
A global standard for effective protected and conserved areas (See here for further details). A Green List self-assessment tool is under development. | |
Management Effectiveness of Protected and Conserved Areas (MEPCA) | An indicator for assessing effectiveness based on responses to a series of metrics. Responses are multiplied against weightings to produce an overarching management effectiveness score with a focus on the achievement of conservation outcomes. |
A rapid-assessment approach for marine protected areas to identify expected outcomes of an area, based on the degree to which it is actively managed (Stage of Establishment) and the activities that are happening in the site (Level of Protection) provided key Enabling Conditions are met. A similar tool for OECMs is under development. |
Further background information on management effectiveness and governance evaluations in protected and conserved areas can be found in the following links:
Convention on Biological Diversity (2022) Decision 15/4 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-de...
Franks, P. and Pinto, R. (2020). SAPA, SAGE or GAPA? Tools for assessing the social impacts, governance, and equity of conservation. IIED, London.Available at https://www.iied.org/17664iied
The Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT)
First published in 2002, the METT was one of the first tools developed to reflect the IUCN WCPA Framework for protected area management effectiveness (or PAME). The METT was originally developed by the World Bank/WWF Alliance for Forest Conservation and Sustainable Use. Several versions of the METT and many adaptations have been produced, reflecting lessons learned through implementation; by 2016 the METT had been applied in 127 countries worldwide.
In 2020 a new version of the METT (the fourth version, METT-4) was developed. METT-4 draws together the lessons learned from applying the tool around the world. For the first time, METT-4 is presented as an Excel tool which aids implementation and compilation of results.
The METT consists of two main sections.
1. Datasheets that collect key information on the protected area, its characteristics, threats and management objectives and details of who carried out the assessment.
2. An assessment form that provides a composite measurement across 38 parameters integrating all six components of the WCPA Framework. The form is designed around a questionnaire with four alternative responses, each with an associated score ranging between 0 (poor) to 3 (excellent). Each question also has data fields to include notes about the answers (with justification if possible), steps to be taken to improve management if necessary and details of information sources. Additional worksheets in METT-4 allow for more detailed assessments of community relations, planning processes, condition of natural and cultural values, key species and habitats.
If you are planning to implement the METT please download the files below:
Guidance:
Additional resources
Two IUCN Vital Sites webinars on the METT are available on YouTube: Introduction to the METT-4 and Using the new METT-4
Best practices for implementing the METT are also summarised in a paper in the IUCN WCPA journal PARKS.
For news and updates about the METT, please join the METT support group on Facebook.
Tracking progress towards global targets for protected and conserved areas.