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The evaluation of management effectiveness is generally achieved by the assessment of series of criteria (represented by carefully selected indicators) against agreed objectives or standards. The following definitions refer specifically to the context of protected area management effectiveness.

The Convention on Biological Diversity CBD recognises that humans are a major force in changing nature. Vast parts of the earth's surface are transformed to meet human needs and wants for agricultural production, water, energy, urbanisation, construction, tourism, transport and industry. In the process humans are causing threats to and massive extinction of species, depleting natural resources, reducing ecosystems and unwittingly increasing threats from natural disasters. Cultural practices that use particular species for ceremonies or medicinal purposes can put pressure on people to act in certain ways that threaten species. With climate warming, threats increase to the diversity of life on earth and to human wellbeing.

The importance of strengthening ecological coherence and resilience as necessary conditions for both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development has attracted growing attention in recent years in a wide range of conservation and development fora. The World Summit on Sustainable Development, that was held in Johannesburg in September 2002, adopted the goal of securing by 2010 a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss. In setting out how this can be achieved within the context of sustainable development, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation called for the promotion of ‘national and regional ecological networks and corridors’.

An environmental flow is the water regime provided within a river, wetland or coastal zone to maintain ecosystems and their benefits where there are competing water uses and where flows are regulated. Environmental flows provide critical contributions to river health, economic development and poverty alleviation. They ensure the continued availability of the many benefits that healthy river and groundwater systems bring to society. It is increasingly clear that, in the mid and long term, failure to meet environmental flow require-ments has disastrous consequences for many river users. Addressing the water needs of aquatic ecosystems will often mean reducing the water use of one or more sectors. These are tough choices, but they have to be made to ensure the long-term health of the basin and the activities it encom-passes.