Exchange programmes - IUCN

Implementation of an Exchange Programme for Protected Areas in East Asia
modest, it is an indication of the importance attached to exchanges and this may help to
persuade other sources of funding to support the programme.
Grants from public donor agencies
Multilateral donor agencies, such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank,
as well as bilateral donor agencies – such as the EU, USAID, DANIDA and JICA –
provide a significant amount of financing for conservation and are often particularly
interested in financing protected site activities. These types of agencies would be
potentially suitable to support large-scale, multi-national exchange programmes.
In general, multilateral bank funding is available only to governments. Typically a
development bank grant or loan for the establishment and maintenance of national parks
and protected areas would come in the context of support for implementation of a
national conservation plan. Projects submitted to development agencies, especially
multilateral banks, must usually have the backing of the appropriate government agencies,
and can generally be submitted by or with those agencies.
Grants from private foundations and NGOs
Private philanthropic foundations also provide significant amounts of financing for
global conservation activities. Foundations usually have specific missions, areas of
focus, or geographical interests that guide which projects and activities are funded.
Thus, it is important to identify foundations that have compatible missions, goals and
objectives with the protected areas involved in any exchange.
Foundations are usually interested in activity or project-based financing. This means
that the funds offered by an organisation or foundation are often earmarked for a specific
project and are usually short-term. Funding bodies are also often interested in seeing the
projects or activities that they assist become self-supporting or financing. Thus, they
may be a source of revenue for start-up costs or one-off projects such as infrastructure
development. For example, the Fulbright Grant for the Italy-US Parks and Protected
Area Twinning/Partnership provides funds for the exchange of one Italian and one
American each year.
Making use of established funding programmes or partnerships
By taking advantage of an ongoing project, it may be easier to find the funds for an
exchange programme. For example, there are a number of such international projects
ongoing in East Asia, such as the Eastern Steppe Biodiversity Project in Mongolia,
sponsored by the GEF through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
and executed by the Ministry for Nature and the Environment and the United Nations
Project Office. The Wetlands Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use in China
project is also sponsored by the GEF through the UNDP and executed with the help of
Wetlands International. Applying for technical assistance from the World Heritage
Fund, UNESCO, the GEF, and the World Bank are all viable options.
Self-financing mechanisms
The self-financing option applies only to wealthier participants and countries. An
example of this is the North America/UK Countryside Exchange, where each participant
must pay his or her own way. It can be quite costly, although if travel is only interregional,
then cost may not be a limiting factor.
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