Staff

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.

Over 600 protected area agencies world-wide were surveyed on their budgets and staffing levels. From the 108 countries surveyed it emerged that budgetary provision was very uneven - ranging from $24 to $12,308 per km2. There is also a positive correlation between economic development and population density. Priorities for financial assistance were identified.