Scientists, politicians, park rangers, business leaders and indigenous communities gathered in the eastern port city of Durban over 10 days to discuss the management of the 100,000 protected areas that cover almost 12 percent of the world's land surface.

The theme of the World Parks Congress, "Benefits Beyond Boundaries", guided in particular discussions on involving communities in conservation management, reflecting a fresh way of thinking that involves rather than excludes people from protected areas.

"We have established a link very firmly between ecosystems and communities. It's a new paradigm and there is no going back from here," South African Environmental Affairs Minister Valli Moosa said at the closing.

The congress recognised the rights of indigenous people living inside protected areas and the need to respect their ancestral heritage.

The event saw the creation of new conservation sites, including an announcement by Madagascar that it would triple its protected areas over the next five years and the expansion of sites covering extensive proportions of tropical rainforests in Brazil.

Achmim Steiner, director general of the World Conservation Union that hosted the congress, said the event was "the single most important reference point in dealing with protected areas".

The plenary adopted a range of recommendations Wednesday, setting targets for the next decade which are not binding on governments but are expected to have a powerful persuasive force.

"There is a secret to this congress. You have 3,000 believers here who leave tomorrow and fan out across the world," Steiner said.

The "Durban Accord", the main outcome of the event, stated: "Given the calibre of participants and the process by which they were developed, they (the recommendations) remain a powerful tool to promote, guide and influence positive action for protected areas around the globe."

The main target of defining 10 percent of the Earth's land surface as protected areas, set at the previous congress a decade ago, has been achieved, statistics produced at the congress showed.

Main issues included the under-protection of marine sites and a lack of resources to manage protected areas.

The congress recommended that a global system of effectively managed networks of protected marine and coastal areas be set up by 2012. A new project involving six governments to protect the coastal zone of west Africa was also unveiled.

Another major concern was an annual shortfall of 2.5 billion dollars in funds needed to manage the existing network of protected areas, a lack that is concentrated in the developing world.

The penultimate day of the congress was set aside to focus on Africa, which staged the congress for the first time in history. An Africa Protected Areas initiative was unveiled which is aimed at developing a well-designed and managed system of protected areas to meet the social and environmental needs of the continent.

Moosa said the goals of the congress would be integrated into the continent's revival programme, the New Partnership for Africa's Development.

The congress recommended a fresh focus on environmental matters by African states, saying poverty upliftment and conservation efforts should operate hand-in-hand to ensure success.

"What is happening on the African continent can have a significant impact on the biodiversity of the world," Steiner said.

He added: "We have drawn up an effective tool to draw the attention to where we need to act with urgency. We will attempt a reversal of loss of biodiversty by 2010, which is an extraordinarily ambitious target."

TERRA.WIRE