Private Reserves or Private Protected Areas: General Overview and Definitions

Document Type : Report

Author

Department of Natural Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran

Abstract

In recent decades, new approaches to biodiversity conservation have emerged, emphasizing the expansion of protected areas through private or collaborative governance. These models were first introduced in 1977 under the biosphere reserve framework with community-based management. According to IUCN guidelines, governance of protected areas can be state-led, collaborative, private, or community-based. While state governance dominates (e.g., Iran’s Department of Environment-managed areas), other models, particularly private protected areas (PPAs), remain underutilized.
In Iran, private game reserves are the closest equivalent to PPAs. Defined in the 1967 Hunting and Fishing Law, these reserves are designated for wildlife conservation and sustainable management, entrusted to private entities under the supervision of the Department of Environment. Over the past decade, grassroots initiatives in provinces like Kerman, Yazd, and Semnan have established private game reserves, officially recognized since 2016. These areas actively engage in conservation activities such as habitat restoration, wildlife monitoring, community education, and fostering ecotourism.
The global theme for International Biodiversity Day 2024, "Be Part of the Solution," calls for collective action to halt biodiversity loss. Inspired by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, it urges governments, local communities, NGOs, and individuals to take meaningful steps toward reversing biodiversity decline, emphasizing that everyone has a role in conserving this invaluable heritage for future generations.

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References

Faraji, R. (2023). Private conservation and private reserves: From necessity to law. IranShanasi Publications.
Challender, D. W. S., & Cooney, R. (2016). Informing decisions on trophy hunting: A briefing paper for European Union decision‐makers regarding potential plans for restriction of imports of hunting trophies. International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Stolton, S., Redford, K. H., & Dudley, N. (2014). The futures of privately protected areas. A project funded by the Linden Trust for Conservation published by IUCN WCPA with the CBD and UNEP-WCMC. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.
Mitchell, B. A., Stolton, S., Bezaury-Creel, J., Bingham, H. C., Cumming, T. L., Dudley, N., Fitzsimons, J. A., Malleret-King, D., Redford, K. H., & Solano, P. (2018). Guidelines for privately protected areas (Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series No. 29). Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.

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