Diagnostic Tool for Assessing Transboundary Conservation Feasibility

This document provides comprehensive guidance on the Diagnostic Tool for Assessing Transboundary Conservation Feasibility (Version 2.1), developed by IUCN WCPA and collaborators. ​ Below are the key points: Acknowledgments The tool is based on years of feedback and practical experience from practitioners, government agencies, managers, civil society organizations, and community representatives. ​ Peer reviewers and contributors, including Sunita Chaudhary, Olivier Chassot, Jamie McCallum, and Antonio Vasilijević, improved the tool's clarity and technical solutions. ​ Introduction Transboundary Conservation: Defined by IUCN as cooperation across international boundaries to achieve conservation goals. ​ Types of TBCAs: Transboundary Protected Area ​ Transboundary Conservation Landscape/Seascape ​ Transboundary Migration Conservation Area ​ Special designation: Park for Peace. ​ Benefits: Ecological, socio-economic, cultural, and political advantages, contributing to global biodiversity targets like the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. ​ Challenges: Complexities in communication, governance, and stakeholder engagement. ​ Diagnostic Tool Purpose: Rapid assessment of transboundary conservation feasibility, stakeholder engagement, and strategy design. ​ Target Audience: Protected area managers, government officials, civil society organizations, policymakers, Indigenous Peoples, scientists, and others involved in transboundary conservation. ​ Structure: Includes instructions, glossary, questionnaire (Parts A-E), automated report, feasibility status, and annex. ​ Questionnaire: Divided into six parts: Part A: Background and context ​ Part B: Site values and threats ​ Part C: Economy ​ Part D: Socio-cultural dynamics ​ Part E: Governance and management framework ​ Types of Questions: Quantitative (scored) and qualitative (descriptive). ​ Implementation Approaches Transboundary participatory workshops: Involves stakeholders from all countries for joint completion of the questionnaire. ​ National workshops: Stakeholders complete the questionnaire separately, and results are compiled later. Individual self-assessment: Cost-effective but less comprehensive. ​ Automated Assessment Report ​ Summarizes key aspects of transboundary conservation feasibility, including ecological reasons, benefits, challenges, stakeholder roles, and capacity for cooperation. ​ Provides a visual summary using a traffic-light system for easy understanding. ​ Historical Development First published in 2012, with updates in 2020 and 2026 based on feedback and collaboration with various organizations. Key Objectives Evaluate feasibility by identifying priorities, differences, and opportunities. ​ Guide design and implementation of initiatives. ​ Improve ongoing initiatives. ​ Strengthen stakeholder awareness and capacity. ​ Enable rapid participatory assessments. ​ Provide self-assessment of feasibility. ​ Annex Lists potential benefits, required actions, and challenges across areas like legal frameworks, ecosystem management, socio-economics, cultural linkages, regional integration, management, law enforcement, research, and knowledge sharing. ​ Feedback The tool is dynamic and open to updates based on user feedback. ​ Contact Maja Vasilijević for comments or suggestions. ​ This document serves as a detailed manual for practitioners and stakeholders involved in transboundary conservation initiatives, offering structured guidance for assessing feasibility and fostering collaboration across international boundaries. ​