Exchange programmes - IUCN

Implementation of an Exchange Programme for Protected Areas in East Asia
tected area management role, community groups, indigenous groups and private
sector bodies directly involved in protected areas management).
� Using the WCPA regional, and perhaps global, network to identify suitable international
partners who would benefit from a partnership under the Parkshare
Programme;
� Establishing formal agreements between individual partners involving the exchange
of personnel (short familiarising visits and longer hands-on exchanges)
and other joint actions;
� Providing regional training courses for a number of participants in the partnerships;
� Producing and disseminating reports arising out of partnerships for wider distribution
beyond the partners themselves;
� Establishing an advisory partnership and exchange board from within the WCPA
membership (regionally or globally) to provide overall guidance of the programme;
� Establishing a management board to supervise operations and approve individual
partnerships and expenditures under the programme;
� Appointing an Exchange Co-ordinator or Joint Co-ordinators.
Such a programme would be relatively expensive and call for strong leadership.
However, funds and time permitting, a WCPA East Asia Regional Exchange Programme
would be an ideal way to increase management capacity in East Asia’s protected area
systems. Possible funding agencies include IUCN, World Bank, GEF, perhaps some
governments in the region and various NGO organisations (see Athanas et al., 2001).
Providing the supporting information
The planning of exchange programmes of any kind requires access to good background
information, for example:
� lists of the protected areas in each nation, within the East Asia region, and
globally;
� evidence of the major issues facing each park;
� contact addresses;
� possible source of funding;
� publications and other sources of advice;
� information on training opportunities.
Some such information is available in published form, e.g. in the 1997 UN List of
Protected Areas (IUCN, 1998). It would also help if agencies in the East Asia region
were to translate into national languages of the region the following four reports (all
arising out of the East Asia Action Plan) and distribute them widely:
� this present report on exchange programmes;
� the Directory of Protected Area Personnel and Organisations in East Asia (Hayes
and Egli, 2001);
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