Targets and recommendations set out at previous parks congresses, while not binding, have served as guides which many governments have tried to follow.

For example, the broad target of setting aside 10 percent of the planet's surface for protection, adopted at the last conference in Venezuela in 1992, was surpassed over the past decade and now stands at around 12 percent.

Many of those areas are so-called "paper parks" which offer little real protection to their resident flora and fauna - but the increase in protected area does represent some progress.

Among its recommendations, the congress called on governments greatly to increase the amount of protected marine and coastal areas. Only a tiny fraction of marine areas are protected at present.

Significantly, the Durban Accord urges a "commitment to ensure that globalization and trade agreements do not hinder the capacity of protected areas to achieve their core aims."

North-South and other disputes may mar other international gatherings such as last week's WTO talks at Cancun and last year's Earth Summit in Johannesburg.

But the parks congress is a gathering of experts, and its theme, "Benefits Beyond Boundaries" - which broadly refers to extending the benefits of protected areas to nearby communities - can be embraced at no political cost.

The absence of powerful politicians means there are no targets for radical environmental groups, which can only applaud efforts to protect vital ecosystems.