The Parties to the SPAW Protocol agreed to adopt common guidelines and criteria  under Article 21.

The main objectives of this activity are to:

• Promote and assist with the development and implementation of the guidelines on protected area establishment, management and listing developed under the framework of SPAW;
• Promote a national system for protected areas as a mechanism for the development of relevant legislation and reporting mechanisms; and
• Promote and assist with the development and implementation of guidelines on species conservation and management developed under the framework of SPAW.

Concerning protected areas, the Guidelines and Criteria for the Evaluation of Protected Areas to be Listed under the SPAW Protocol were adopted in 2001 and advocate the following principles:

• Sustain natural resources and encourage their ecologically sound and appropriate use, understanding and enjoyment;
• Protect and preserve areas, habitats and species;
• Form a network of protected areas;
• Develop cooperative agreements on bilateral and multilateral bases to promote the effectiveness of the network of protected areas;
• Include a comprehensive and representative system of protected areas; and
• Ensure that any area to be included in the List of Protected Areas recognized by the SPAW Protocol  conforms to the following guidelines and criteria:
• Ecological, cultural and socio-economic;
• Protection, planning and management measures; and
• Procedures for e nominations and for listing and delisting.

A pilot activity to evaluate the guidelines for the evaluation of protected areas to be listed under the SPAW Protocol was completed in 2010 and an Annotated Format for the Presentation of Reports for the Areas Proposed for Inclusion in the SPAW List was adopted in 2010.