About UNITAR

This Course is organised by United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

About the Course

The course’s overall goal is to enhance the capacity of key stakeholders to optimize land-use planning to achieve compatible conservation and development results, including through the effective engagement of protected area systems. This self-paced course promotes a dynamic learning approach through interactive lessons and multimedia contents. Participants will understand the nexus between biodiversity, climate change, and land-use plans; discover the rights and roles of different stakeholders in the planning and decision-making process, and consider ways to collaborate across national borders.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the course, you will be able to:

  • Identify the interaction of climate change and biodiversity with land-use plans;
  • Identify principles and concepts of land-use planning for incorporating biodiversity and climate change into spatial development plans;
  • Explain the role played by protected areas and village planning;
  • Explain policies and laws across sectors;
  • Identify relevant stakeholders across institutions;
  • Identify stakeholder positioning in the planning and decision making process;
  • Explain how stakeholders can engage in planning and decision making process:
  • Identify the different layers of governance involved in planning across village, district, regional and national levels;
  • Identify ways to collaborate across national borders.

Structure of the Course

The course is divided into four modules:

Module 1: “Connecting land-use, climate change and biodiversity” covering:

  • The spatial planning – biodiversity – climate change nexus
  • Principles and concepts of land-use planning for incorporating biodiversity and climate change into spatial developments plans
  • The role played by protected areas in village planning

Module 2: “Inter-sectoral and inter-institutional collaboration” covering:

  • Introduction to international laws and policies
  • Cross-sector approach to laws and policies concerning integrated land use planning
  • Identification of all relevant stakeholders in integrated land use planning

Module 3: “Public participation in decision-making” covering:

  • Positioning stakeholders in the planning and decision making process
  • Stakeholder engagement in the planning and decision-making process

Module 4: “Regional planning for harmonization and connectivity”

  • Multilevel and multi-scale governance.
  • Transboundary governance.

Targeted Audience

Government officials, representatives of international organizations and NGO, protected areas staff, academics and private sector professionals with an interest in development, climate change, and nature conservation.

Registration Details

  • Registration will be accepted on a rolling basis during the time the course is offered. Please allow a few hours for the processing of your registrations, you should be able to log in via http://learnatunitar.org  (or Click Here)with your unitar.org/event credentials within a working day.
  • You will earn a badge upon the completion of each module. This badge system allows you to display your learning progress on social media.
  • Once you meet the passing criteria for the course you will receive a Certificate of Completion jointly delivered by UNITAR and IUCN.
  • Kindly be advised that you should have access to an internet connection to complete the course.
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