Draft CMP HH - the Department of Environment

Coastal and Wetland Biodiversity Management Project BGD/99/G31
Hakaluki Haor Draft Conservation Management Plan
3. IUCN PA MANAGEMENT CATEGORY
Based on the definitions of each of IUCN’s PA Management Categories, Hakaluki Haor is probably
best suited to Category V. The 1994 IUCN Guidelines for Protected Area Management Categories,
defines Category V as an:
“Area of land, with coast and seas as appropriate, where the interaction of people and nature over
time has produced an area of distinct character with significant aesthetic, ecological and/ or
cultural value, and often with high biological diversity. Safeguarding the integrity of this traditional
interaction is vital to the protection, maintenance and evolution of such an area” (IUCN 2002)
The management of Hakaluki Haor is particularly aligned with this definition especially in relation
to the emphasis on the interaction between people and nature and the acknowledgement that the
area in question is a lived-in and working landscape. Other key features of IUCN Category V
Protected Areas that approximate the approaches that are going to be necessary to adopt in order to
effectively manage Hakaluki Haor as an ECA include placing importance on:
• Maintaining ecological and biological diversity
• The views of communities and their traditions
• The adoption of partnership approaches between all relevant stakeholders groups
• Management outcomes which brings social, economic and cultural benefits to local
communities
• The development of management models which are both sustainable and replicable
• Management arrangements that are determined by local circumstances and needs
• The adoption of effective collaborative land-use planning strategies
Although Hakaluki Haor is not necessarily going to be managed specifically as an IUCN Category
V Protected Area, it may be useful for DOE to draw upon the experience and lessons learned in
managing Category V Protected Areas. This is especially true given that the management objectives
of a site such as Hakaluki Haor and a Category V Protected Area are likely to be very similar.
Prepared by UNOPS Consultant Mr. Sulma Warne August/ September 2005 for Project BGD/99/G31 4