In the Argentina BiodiversityConservation Project, a social assessment (SA) helped theGovernment of Argentina/World Bank team develop acooperative approach to protected areas management.Socialanalysis and participatory research helped the task teamunderstand the range of potential social impacts and risksto people living in proposed protected areas, and to theproject itself.The resulting recommendations were putforth in a mitigation plan and a publicparticipation/training plan for the project that willpromote collaboration among the public sector, privatesector, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), increasedcommunity participation in protected areas management, andsustainable land use practices that will reduce the threatsto protected areas.