International cooperation

The East Asia Action Plan (IUCN, 1996) recommended exchange programmes as a means of improving protected area management capacity in the East Asia region. The experience of exchange programmmes from around the world shows that they can bring great benefits when executed and managed effectively. This report reviews and summarizes past experience world-wide in protected area-related exchange programmes, and analyzes its relevance to East Asia.

Papers presented as well as discussions and recommendations are collected in this report. Papers were presented under four themes : promoting access to information and networking; skills enhancement; case studies of existing networks in southern Africa and establishment of a network through group discussions and recommendations.

Arbritary national boundaries do not define the extent of landscapes and ecosystems worthy of protection. They do, however, influence the quality of nature conservation as this is affected by differences in national legislation on different sides of the border. This study analyses the status of protected areas across various European State boundaries, lists successes and shortcomings, and gives valuable advise as to how co-operation between protected areas can be improved and enhanced