Wildlife and protected areas management
Working Party on the Management of Wildlife and Protected Areas
Background
The African Forestry and Wildlife Commission (AFWC) is one of the FAO specialized commissions, which is unique as it integrates both forestry and wildlife. It was created in the 1950’s and according to the Statutes and Rules of Procedure approved by the FAO Council in November 1988 its mandate is ‘…advise on the formulation of forest policy and to review and coordinate its implementation at the regional plane, to exchange information and generally through special subsidiary bodies, advise on suitable practices and action in relation to technical problems, and make appropriate recommendations…’.
The AFWC plays a key role in the international arrangement on forests, serving as a link between global dialogue at the Committee on Forestry (COFO) and the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), and national implementation.
The AFWC reports and makes recommendations to the Conference through the Director-General of the Organization. Copies of its reports, including any conclusions and recommendations, will be circulated to interested Member Governments and international organisations for their information as soon as they become available.
FAO supports and benefits from the advice of a number of specialized technical bodies that meet regularly to focus on specific areas of forestry development and management. These bodies study and report on matters of importance for sustainable forestry, and may consist either of selected representatives of member countries or of individuals appointed in their personal capacity. As such a subsidiary body (initially ad hoc Working Party on Wildlife Management) was established in the early 1960s. Its first mandate was to draft the African Convention on Wildlife Conservation. This later expanded to address emerging issues and respond to the continuous internal reflection, monitoring and strategic evaluation of its role in wildlife management in Africa. This also resulted in the changes of its designation to ‘Working Party on Wildlife Management and National Parks’, and to the current designation ‘Working party on Wildlife Management and Protected Areas (WPMWPA) and the Terms of References adopted in 2000. Please use the menu on the left to open the 2000 Terms of References.
The Working Party makes recommendations to member countries and to FAO on how wildlife and protected areas management in the continent can be improved upon. These recommendations are brought to the attention of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission, where they are being discussed and endorsed or rejected. The African Forestry and Wildlife Commission formulates several recommendations for the attention of COFO. One or two recommendations are specifically related to wildlife and protected areas management.
Please use the menu on the left to acces information and reports of the sessions of the WPMWPA.