Exchange programmes - IUCN

Stage 7. Obtain financing
Exchanges can be very demanding on the limited financial and personnel resources
available to most parks, particularly large-scale or long-term exchange programmes.
Normally, some kind of additional funding will be required to initiate an exchange. A
grant proposal usually needs to be written to obtain funding. These proposals can range
from brief to lengthy documents, according to the complexity of the proposal and the
requirements of the funding agency. The preparation of complex proposals may require
assistance from head office or other external assistance. This is especially the case when
the granting agencies or foundations are based outside of the East Asia region, and
require submission in English or another foreign language.
In preparing a bid for funds, care should be taken to ensure that the objectives of the
proposed exchange directly relate to the objectives and geographical focus of the
funding agency. As noted, a number of potential financing agencies, both within and
outside the East Asia region, are listed in Financing Protected Areas: Guidelines for
Protected Area Managers (IUCN, 2000), and Guidelines for Financing Protected Areas
in East Asia (Athanas et al., 2001).
If access to the Internet is available, the following web sites are useful:
� http://www.biodiversityeconomics.org/finance/topics-38-00.htm (the IUCN web
site for financing of protected areas)
� ‘www.foundationcenter.org’ (which focuses on US-based granting agencies)
� ‘www.oingo.com/topic/49/49394.html’
� http://dmoz.org/Science/Environment/Organisations
Stage 8. Undertake the exchange(s)
Recommendations for protected area exchanges in East Asia
By this time, all the planning required for running the exchange should be in place, and
the plan detailed in the MOU or other agreement should be activated. The exchange
itself may take as little as a few days to several years, depending on the type and scope of
the exchange programme created. Particularly for medium to long-term programmes,
the exchange should be viewed as an ongoing process rather than a “one-off” project
with a start and end date.
In addition, if the exchange has a medium to long-term time frame, it is critical that the
interim results of the exchange be communicated internally throughout the protected
area or protected area agency. Without this communication, it is likely that only the
actual participants in the exchange will benefit from their activities. It is also important
to inform the community of the ongoing results, reporting whether the exchange
activities are going smoothly, and the objectives of the programme being met.
It is also helpful to arrange periodic feedback from exchange participants, and any
associated interest groups, to assess whether the time lines and deliverables in the
agreement are being adhered to. If progress is being made, it is appropriate to tell all
members of the exchange team – if not a wider audience – of this success. If progress is
not being made, it is even more critical that this be discussed, and that ways to maximise
the chances of success are developed before it is too late to salvage the programme.
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