In order to fill these gaps and address the threats to protected areas, the Conference of the Parties, at its seventh meeting, adopted the work programme on protected areas. The purpose of this work programme on protected areas is to support the establishment and maintenance, by 2010 for terrestrial areas and by 2012 for marine areas, of national and regional protected area systems that are comprehensive, well-managed and ecologically representative and that, collectively, including through a global network, will contribute to achieving the three goals of the Convention and the 2010 target of substantially reducing the current rate of impoverishment the development of biological diversity at the global level, regional and national.