This MOOC is about areas that are dedicated to protecting nature - “protected areas.” The coursework explores how they work and why they are so important in maintaining the health of the environment in our fast-developing world; particularly in Africa.

This course will help you learn about conservation challenges in Africa and how protected areas can help face them - from the local level to an international scale. These topics will be explored using best practices from the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and case studies from the field coming from all over the African continent.

The course is composed of seven thematic modules (key concepts, planning, governance, management effectiveness, specificities of management, financing, and topical issues) that include videos (introduction, five themes, one video on a convention related to PA and a conclusion), readings, training quizzes (optional) and exams (one per week - compulsory for the certificate track).