Privately protected areas (PPAs) are increasingly recognized as important conservation initiatives, as evidenced by recent developments that support recognizing and documenting them alongside protected areas under other governance types. Advances in guidance on PPAs have been accompanied by increasing support within international policy arenas, and more PPAs are being reported to the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). Despite this, national approaches to recognizing and supporting PPAs vary, as does the extent to which countries report on PPAs to the WDPA. We present recent advances that support PPAs at the international level, summarize the present state of PPA reporting to the WDPA, and discuss the challenges and opportunities that currently characterize the future of PPAs.

Ecological infrastructure (EI) refers to ecosystems that deliver services to society, functioning as a nature-based equivalent of, or complement to, built infrastructure. EI is critical for socio-economic development, supporting a suite of development imperatives at local, national and international scales. This paper presents the myriad of ways that EI supports sustainable development, using South Africa and the South African National Development Plan as a case study, linking to the Sustainable Development Goals on a global level. We show the need for EI across numerous development and sustainability issues, including food security, water provision, and poverty alleviation.A strategic and multi-sectoral approach to EI investment is essential for allocating scarce public and private resources for achieving economic and social-ecological priorities. Opportunities to unlock investment in EI, both internationally and on the national level, are identified. This includes leveraging private sector investment into landscape management and integrating the costs of managing EI into public sectors that benefit directly from ecosystem services, such as the water sector and infrastructure development. Additionally, investing in EI also aligns well with international development and climate change funds. Investment in EI from a range of innovative sources supports global and national development, while complementing other development investments.

Equilibrium Research offers practical solutions to conservation challenges, from concept, to implementation and evaluation of impact. With partners ranging from local communities to UN agencies across the world, Equilibrium explores and develops approaches to natural resource management that balance the needs of nature and people. The founders, Nigel Dudley and Sue Stolton, see biodiversity conservation as an ethical necessity, which can also support human wellbeing. www.equilibriumresearch.com The Turner Endangered Species Fund (TESF) TESF was launched in 1997 and is dedicated to conserving biological diversity by ensuring the persistence of imperiled species and their habitats with an emphasis on private land. Our activities range from single species conservation actions to restoration of ecological communities and functional ecosystems. We are unique in our efforts to bring the role of private lands to the forefront of ecological conservation. We aim to use the best science to effectively conserve biodiversity and disseminate reliable scientific and policy information. We are determined to establish a new level of effectiveness for private-public efforts to redress the extinction crisis.

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