Protected areas are the cornerstone of nature conservation. Despite their vital role in the prevention of species extinctions, protected areas continue to be poorly resourced and managed, with less than a quarter providing effective protection.

In an effort to make protected areas more successful at preventing the loss of nature, in 2011 nine leading conversation organizations joined forces to create the SMART partnership. Our response to the unprecedented loss of wildlife, in alignment with global policies and scientific priorities, is to support the management of conservation areas providing refuge and a safe haven to threatened fauna and flora.

The SMART Partnership is a groundbreaking collaborative effort, unlike any other currently in the conservation realm. It is through the global reach of the Partnership that we have achieved rapid, scalable, successful adoption of SMART.


We have secured longstanding sustainability of SMART through the commitment of eight global conservation agencies to our long-term support.