The Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Programme (BIOPAMA, http://www.biopama.org) aims to address threats to biodiversity in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, while reducing poverty in communities in and around protected areas. Specifically, the programme will enhance existing institutions and networks by making the best available science and knowledge available for building capacity to improve policies and better decision-making on biodiversity conservation, protected areas management and access and benefit sharing.

Well-designed and effectively managed systems of protected areas are a vital tool for biodiversity conservation and for maintaining ecosystem services. In some cases they may also provide opportunities for enhancing the livelihoods of local communities, thus having a possible role to play in reducing poverty.

The protected areas component, jointly implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the European Commission Joint Research Center, includes:

• Capacity building for regional and national institutions, technical personnel, and protected areas managers;
• Improved access and availability of biodiversity data through the establishment of regional observatories and information systems to improve decision making.

The Regional Observatories for Protected Areas and Biodiversity are regional resource hubs to support decision-making and more effective protected area management and biodiversity conservation in the regions. The observatories build capacity and support the use of the best available scientific data and information in decision-making processes. The Observatories:

• Serve as knowledge centres for the regions;
• Facilitate networking of experts and institutions;
• Coordinate technical and policy support to national agencies and regional organizations.

The Regional Reference Information System (RRIS) is at the heart of the Regional Observatories. The BIOPAMA RRIS integrates relevant information to support decision-making on the effective management of protected areas. It allows for collation, organisation, analysis and use of relevant protected area and biodiversity data. Furthermore, it integrates applicable data and information from other sectors, related to and impacting on protected areas and biodiversity. Much of this information is geospatial (maps and other data with a geographic reference), complemented with information on training, best practice, funding, literature and expertise.

BIOPAMA is a four year-initiative (2012-2016) funded by resources from the intra-ACP envelope of the 10th European Development Fund (EDF).