Competences for Personnel of Protected Areas and Other Conservation Sites: A Global Register and User Guide

Key Points in Document:

• The goal of the Global Register is to define and classify all the competencies potentially required for effective, efficient, and equitable management by people working in protected areas. Competencies are defined as the combination of skills, knowledge, and attitude enabling the ability to do a job.
• The Global Register was developed by IUCN and was presented to the World Parks Congress in Sydney in November 2014.
• Competencies in the Register were compiled from reviews of previous initiatives, assessments of job descriptions and training curricula, workshops, and consultation with capacity development and protected area specialists.
• The competencies are intended as a set of flexible building blocks for use by the protected areas sector according to individual needs. This Register may be used by “managers and human resource professionals to plan and manage staffing of protected areas, for educators to identify and meet capacity needs, and for individuals to assess and develop their own skills.”
• “290 competencies relevant to protected area management are defined in the Register, and are classified into four job levels (executive, senior manager, middle manager/technical specialist, skilled worker), and are arranged in 14 functional categories covering organizational management, applied protected area management, and generic work-related skills.” Each of the 209 competencies includes a statement of the required skill, a detailed explanation of the skill, and the supporting knowledge required for that skill. The Register also contains guidance on “how to make use of competencies to create staffing structures, specify job descriptions and terms of reference, identify performance indicators, conduct needs assessments, and design courses and curricula.”
• Most relevant to CWT, the Register contains a competency category on upholding law and regulations, or “ensuring that laws, regulations, and rights affecting protected areas and biodiversity are upheld.” This category of competencies includes, among many others:

-       For executives, “coordinate law enforcement strategies and operations with other agencies.”

-       For senior managers, “direct the development and implementation of a strategy, plan, and operating procedures for crime prevention and law enforcement.”

-       For middle managers or technical specialists, “process legal cases related to violations.”

-       For skilled workers, “identify signs and evidence of unauthorized activities and security threats in the field.

 

Citation: Appleton MR. Competences for Personnel of Protected Areas and Other Conservation Sites: A Global Register and User Guide (Draft). Gland, Switzerland; 2015.