Session Description
Aligned with the IAIA 2027 theme, “Looking Back for the Future of Impact Assessment,” this panel will examine how lessons from the history of protected area management can help shape more effective, equitable, and sustainable conservation outcomes. Reflecting on the transition from traditional “fortress conservation” approaches to more inclusive models, the session will explore how conservation can better balance biodiversity protection, community rights, economic development, and sustainability.
Drawing on perspectives from conservation consulting, development finance, protected area management, and Indigenous community advocacy, speakers will discuss how impact assessment has influenced and responded to changing conservation practice. Topics include the relationship between protected areas and development projects, innovative governance and financing mechanisms, practical implementation lessons, and the experiences of communities affected by conservation policies.
The panel will address key questions: What can historical conservation approaches teach us about future protected area management? How can impact assessment better integrate social, cultural, and biodiversity considerations? What role can sustainable finance play in supporting resilient conservation outcomes? And how can governments, investors, conservation organisations, and communities collaborate to create lasting stewardship of Africa’s protected landscapes?
Bringing together diverse perspectives, the session will reflect on past experiences, current challenges, and emerging opportunities, highlighting how impact assessment can support environmentally effective and socially just conservation models.
Session Summary
This panel explores how the evolution of protected area management in Africa can inform future conservation and impact assessment practice. Drawing on conservation, finance, implementation, and community perspectives, it examines lessons from past approaches, governance models, and community rights to support inclusive, res
Additional Information
We feel that this topic is cross-disciplinary and fits several streams.
Anticipated Panelists / working titles of presentations
• Simon Boulter – Consultant; Protected Areas - The Correct Focus in Impact Assessment?
• Claudia Eckhardt – Development Finance; Investing in New Models of Protected Area Management for Sustainable Development
• TBC (Frankfurt Zoological Society) – Case Study: Mahale National Park, Tanzania
• TBC (Indigenous Affairs CBO) – Legacy Impacts of Fortress Conservation and a Shared Way Forward
Session Chair
Kelly Horton
RSK Africa
Kenya
Session Co-chair
Simon Boulter
RSK Africa
Kenya