Exchange programmes - IUCN

Implementation of an Exchange Programme for Protected Areas in East Asia
of the joint ICM projects, both sides agreed to establish a Marine and Coastal Zone
Management Joint Co-ordination Panel. The Panel is staffed by federal and state coastal
managers from each country.
How the programme works
Establishing a partner
The establishment of the three marine reserve partnerships was based upon a set of
common core interests, primarily marine protected areas management, GIS, and use of
the Internet in management, land use planning and marine pollution. NOAA found that
Asia’s coastal nations shared certain characteristics with the US: dynamic economic
growth, exploding coastal populations, international transportation and shipping dependencies,
an urgency to improve coastal management capacity, and a shared stake in
effective management of marine resources. At the same time there were profound
cultural, political, economic and societal differences that required flexible approaches
tailored to meet these special circumstances.
The aims of the partnership were “to build and strengthen the strategic partnership at
regional and national levels to enhance the capabilities for coastal stewardship through
integrated coastal management; and to do so through the exchange of relevant ideas,
experiences, information and technologies” (NOAA web site).
The exchange agreement
Each of the three marine reserve partnerships was consolidated with a formal, signed
agreement. Within the agreement, specific focus was given to the reasoning behind the
partnership and the overall objectives the partnership wished to achieve. For example,
the agreement between Chesapeake Bay and Tianjin recognised the importance of
maintainingwetland ecosystems in order to sustain biological diversity and the availability
of natural resources for this and future generations. It allowed for the transfer of
technological knowledge that would benefit both countries. The hope is that the longterm
result of this action will further human understandingof these complex coastal
ecosystems and their protection through research, monitoring, education and stewardship.
Exchanges
The NOAA and SOA sponsored several exchanges between managers from each partner
facility to their respective sister reserves as a means of enhancingresearch collaboration
and management dialogue. For example, in June 1999, three Chinese marine protected
area managers visited American marine protected areas for a period of two weeks. The
Chinese representatives met with many professionals in the US to discuss and witness
issues first-hand, includingreserve administration and management, techniques to
protect natural resources and their enforcement or regulation, fish population and coral
reef studies, and recreation and tourism management within the reserves.
These visits were used to develop action plans and strategies for the future. For
example, after the first visit of the Shankou representative to Rookery Bay, four projects
were identified as next steps in their sister reserve partnership programme. One such
project focused on the need for ecotourism education of Shankou staff. A co-operative
project was proposed to train Shankou staff in ecotourism practices, develop a site plan
for managing ecotourism, create an agreement with ecotourism parties in the nearby city
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