The Second Africa Protected Area Directors (APAD) Conference 2024 under the theme Africa’s
Protected and Conserved Areas at the Heart of Conservation-Driven Sustainable Development, was held
from the 5 th – 8 th March 2024 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. It was hosted by Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife
Management Authority (ZimParks) with support from APAD, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF,
host to APAD Secretariat) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation,
Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection– BMUV.
The overall objective for the conference was to agree on implementable and committed-to actions
that contribute to the achievement of Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets,
enhance Protected and Conserved Areas (PCAs) governance and management effectiveness,
contribute to Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
(IPs and LCs) priorities.
The conference facilitated dynamic engagement, with the involvement of more than key 150
stakeholders from the conservation space, such as protected area directors, government officials,
youth representatives, civil society organizations, private sector entities, development partners,
donors, non-governmental organizations, Indigenous Peoples , and Local Communities (IPs and LCs).
The conference culminated in the issuance of a communique, that features the conference outcomes,
accessible here: https://apad.africa/download/apad-conference-2024-communique/
