Protected area managers and policy-makers have access to guidance and tools for assessing the impact of biodiversity conservation actions on local people living in and around protected areas, enabling them, through better engagement, to make informed decisions to minimise negative social and economic effects and maximize positive impacts for local communities. Benefits would be seen at the local level (in particular for the poor and for traditionally marginalised groups, including women) both through empowerment – as they engage with social assessment and articulate their priorities – and through subsequent improved management which takes those priorities into account.