Financial indicators and targets for protected areas

16 Pages·1997·0.48 MB·English

by  James, A.N., Green, M.J.B., Paine, J.R., Cambridge University, UNEP-WCMC

1
Background paperforGBF6: Dialogueon Biodiversity Indicators and Targets
UN Headquarters,NewYork,April3-4, 1997
Draft-fordiscussionontv
Financial Indicatorsand TargetsforProtectedAreas'
by
AlexanderN.James
DepartmentofLandEconomy
UniversityofCambridge
and
^
MichaelJ. B. Green
JamesR. Paine
WorldConservationMonitoringCentre
Cambridge,UK
Abstract: Drawingupontheresultsofathreeyearprojectatthe WorldConservationMonitoringCentre,
thispaperexaminesnationalinvestnientinprotectedareasasafinancialindicatorforbiodiversity
conservation. Anoverviewoftheexistingdataonfinancialindicatorsandtargetsforbiodiversity
conservationispresented, includingtherecentlycompletedglobalsurveyofgovernmentbudgetsfor
protectedareasbythe WCMC. Thepaperthen discussesthemethodologicalissuesinvolvedin
standardizingdataoninvestmentinprotectedareas, thesettingoftargetinvestmentlevels, andwavsto
improve thefuturecollectionofsuchinformation. Thediscussionisconductedwithintheframeworkof
the upcomingnationalreportsbythePartiesto theConvention onBiologicalDiversity, andthespecific
objectiveofestabUshingfinancialindicatorsfromthedataincludedinthenationalreports.
Introduction
ThethirdConferenceoftheParties(COP)oftheConventiononBiologicalDiversity(CBD)prioritized
theestablishmentofa"coreset"ofindicatorsforbiologicaldiversityandthesettingofmeasurabletargets
forachie\'ementoftheConvention'sobjectives. Thiscoresetofindicatorsandmeasurabletargetswillbe
developedthroughthenationalreportingprocessundertheCBD, whichspecifiesthatPartiessubmit
nationalreportsontheimplementationoftheirnationalbiodiversitystrategiesasdefinedinArticle6.
Thenationalreportsareexpectedtoproduceasetofinformationonthestatusandtrendsinbiological
diversityinthecountriesthatarePartiestotheConvention. Thisinformationisexpectedtoformthe
TheauthorswouldliketoacknowledgethevaluablecommentsonthedraftcontributedbyFrank
Vorhies,ErnstLutz,RobLake, andSamJohnston. Theviewsexpressedandanyerrorsoromissionsin
thedraftareattributablesolelvtotheauthors.
basisforthe refinementofbiodiversity-indicatorsandtargetswhichwilleventuallyreceivewide
disseminationandstandardization. However, theCOP hasyettoselectasetofcoreindicatorsand
targets, ortodefineguidelinesforthenationalreportsinsufficientdetailtoensurethisinformationis
obtainedinastandardizedandinternationallycomparableformat.
Theselectionofafinancialindicatorforthecoresetisthesubjectofthisdiscussion. Anindicatorbased
ongoverrmientinvestmentinbiologicaldiversityconservationrepresentsa"response" indicator. This
financialindicatormeasurestheresjxjnseofa governmentorotherfimdingagenc\'tothechallengeof
biodiversitylossordegradation. Possibleresponseindicatorsmayincludeeitherpolicyorfinancial
measures. Financialresponseshavetheadvantageofbeingquantifiable, andabletoreflectarangeof
commitmentlevelstotheCBD. Financialindicatorsalsoprovideameanstoestimateunmetfinancial
needsandtosettargetsforgoverrmientorinternationalinvestment.
Thispaperwilldiscusstheuseofnationalinvestmentinprotectedareasasafinancialindicatorfor
biodiversityassessment. IntheCBD, aprotectedareaisdefinedas"ageographicallydefinedareawhich
isdesignatedorregulatedandmanagedtoachievespecificconservationobjectives." Protectedareas
coverover5%oftheearth'slandareaandrepresenttheprimaryinsituconservationacti\ityundertaken
bygovernments(fUCN, 1994a). Whilethereareotherinsituconservationactivitiesundertakenby
goverrmientssuchasagriculturalbiodiversityandsustainableresourceuseprograms,protectedareas
absorbthemajorityofnationalbiodiversityinvestment.
ApreliminaryestimateinaWCMCstudyshowsthatnationalinvestmentinprotectedareasaccountsfor
t\vothirdsofannualglobalbiodiversit>-investment(James, etal., 1997). Table 1 illustratesthatnational
governmentsinvestabout$7.2billionannuallyinprotectedareas, comparedwithestimatedglobal
biodrversit>'investmentof$11.2billion. Internationalassistancemayaddanother$1 billionto
biodiversityconservationefforts, thoughthequantityallocatedtoprotectedareasisnotknown. Protected
areasrepresentthecoreofnationalbiodiversityconservationactivities,andprovideaquantifiable
indicatorthatcanbemeasuredandfollowedbytheinternationalconservationcommunity.
Inthisdiscussion, thenationalprotectedareaagencyisthebasicunitofanalysis. Thefinancialindicator
forbiodiversityistheconservationinvestmentundertakenbythenationalprotectedareaagency. These
protectedareainvestmentsmaybedirectedtocapitalinvestmentprojects, ortofundoperatingexpenses.
Theprotectedareasagencybudgetscanbeexpressedonthebasisofinvestmentpersquarekilometer
(PSK), orasapercentageofthetotalgoverrunentbudget,orasapercentageofGDP, amongother
methods. ThispaperwilloftenrefertoPSKbudgetsasitdrawsupontheWCMCstudyofnational
investmentinprotectedareasthatusedthesameconvention(Jamesetal, 1997).
ExistingData
Financialindicatorsofgovernmentinvestmentinprotectedareashavebeenveryhardtoobtain. The
internationalstandardreportingsjstemforgovernmentbudgetsdoesnotincludealineitemforparksand
protectedareabudgets(IMF, 1988). Noristhedatacollectedandpublishedbyotherinternational
organizations,suchastheUNorWorldBank(e.g.. WorldBank, 1992). Therearenofinancialindicators
providedintherecentGlobalBiodiversityAssessment(UNEP, 1995b), orinthepublicationsofmajor
non-governmentalorganizations(e.g. WRI, 1995).
Withnostandardizedinformationsourceavailable, researchershavehadtorelyupnndatascatteredin
regionalandnationalreviewsofbiodiversityconservationandprotectedareasystems, suchasthelUCN's
Tout\ol\uaeProtectedAreasofthe World{lUCN, 1992)andProtectingNature: RegionalReviewsof
ProtectedAreas(lUCN, 1994b),orWCMC'sGlobalBiodiversity(WCMC, 1992). Someregionaldata
onAfrica, relatedtoanti-poachingeffortstoprotectedelephantsandrhinos, hasappeared(e.g.. Cumming
etal., 1984, 1990; AECCG, 1992). Eventakentogether, thesedatasourcesdonotpresentacomplete
pictureofglobalconservationinvestment.
1
Table2 illustratesthescarcitv-ofexistingfinancialindicatorsofprotectedareainvestment. Thetable
includesthefindingsofthelargestcrosscountry'studiesofprotectedareainvestmentconductedtod;ite.
ThreeofthestudiesarelimitedtoAfricanprotectedareas(Ciumninge/a/., 1984; 1990; AECCG, 1991).
Theothertwoareglobalinscope,butonehasonly32countriesinthesample(Martin. 1995). The
WCMC
study, whichisthefirstmajorattempttoprovideastandardizedglobaldatasetonprotectedarea
investment, includes 100countries(Jamesetal., 1997).
Thelargedifferencesintheinvestmentlevelsreportedforcertaincountriessuggestthatthedataare
unreliablefortimeseriescomparisons. Forexample,theinvestmentratesreportedinseparatestudies, for
countriessuchasTurkeyorSouthAfrica, candifferbyafactoroften. Itisnotclearwhethersuch
discrepanciesinreportedbudgetsforcertaincoimtriesareduetodifferencesincollectionmethods, ordue
to"real" factorsrelatingtochangesingovernmentallocations. Asaresult, thepubUshedfinancial
indicatorsforbiodiversityareoflimiteduseforconservationistsandpolicymakers
Moreover, thelimitationsoftheavailabledatahavealsojjreventedaconsensusfrombeingreachedon
investmenttargetsforprotectedareas. Oaestudyfromadecadeagofoimdthatadequateprotectedarea
conservationinanAfricannationalparkrequiredaninvestmentof$230persquarekilometer
(Leader-WilliamsandAlbon, 1988). Morerecentstudieshaveconjecturedthatcloserto$500persquare
kilometerwouldbeadequatetocontrolpoachinginAfrica(Leader-Williams, 1993; Dublinetal, 1994).
Thesestudies' focusonanti-poachingrequirementsinasingleregiondoesnotpro^ideauseful
benchmarkforgeneralprescriptionsoftheadequacyofinvestmentatagloballevelofanalysis.
WCMC
The Study
Inanattempttoremedythissituation, WCMCinitiatedaprojectin 1993 tocollectfinancialdataon
govermnentbudgetsforprotectedareas. Theprojectsentasurveyquestioimairetothe600+protected
areasagenciesinitsdatabase,andafollowupquestionnairetwoyearslaterto 193 agencies. Thesurvey
obtaineddataoneachagenc>''sbudgetforprotectedareaconservation, andanassessmentofuiunet
financialrequirementsforadequateconservation. Thestudydefinedthefinancialindicatoras
governmentinvestmentincoreprotectedareas(lUCNcategoryI-V). Foreignassistanceforbiodiversity
consenationwasremovedfromthesampleandtreatedseparatelyinotherstudies(e.g. WCMC, 1996).
Thestudychosetocomparenationalandregionalbudgetsbasedonpersquarekilometerinvestment.
AsunmiatyofthefinancialindicatorsproducedintheWCMCstudyisillustratedinFigure 1. Thesurvey
fotmdthatglobalmeaninvestmentinparksandprotectedareaswas$776persquarekilometerin 1993
USdollars, butthatprotectedareabudgetsvariedwidelybyregionwiththemeanSouthAmerican
investmentat$57persquarekilometerandtheEastAsian(excludingChina)meaninvestmentat$11,55
persquarekilometer. Highbiodiversityregionsinthefropicstendedtohavelowerlevelsofinvestment,
suchasSouthandSoutheastAsiaat$390andSub-SaharanAfricaat$143. Onaverage,thedeveloped
coimtriesoutspentthelessdevelopedcountriesb>'afactoroften: $1,687to$161 persquarekilometer.
Figure2showsanotherindicatorofinvestmentinbiodiversitv': staffinputsinprotectedareas. Theglobal
meanstaffinputwas24.5peopleper 1000squarekilometerswitharangefrom2.6inAustrahato432.1
inEastAsia. Inthestaffsample, thevariancebetweenthedevelopedandlessdevelopedcountrieswas
muchlessextreme: 27.3 versus22.6per 1000squarekilometers, respectively. Inaddition, someofthe
biologicallyrichregionshadrelativelyhighstaffinginputswithSouthandSoutheastAsiaat62.7,
Sub-SaharanAfricaat24.3, thoughSouthAmericareportedonly3.7staffper 1000squarekilometers.
Whilethestaffdatatellamoreoptimisticstoryforthelessdevelopedcountries,theunderinvestmentof
capitaloveralongfimeperiodhasresultedininadequateparkinfrastructureandpoorlyequipped
personnel inmanycountries.
Clearly,betterandmorecompletedataongovenunentinvestmentinprotectedareasisaprerequisiteto
theestablishmentofaccuratefinancialindicatorsandfinancialtargetsforbiodiversityassessment. The
establishmentofastandardbasisofreportingprotectedareainvestmentdataisthekeytoproducing
useflilfinancialindicators. AsshowninTable2, withoutinternationallycomparabledatapoints, no
assessmentsofinvestmenttargetsortrendscanbemadewithanyconfidence. Thenextsectiondiscusses
somethetechnicalissuesinthestandardizationoffinancialindicators.
FinancialIndicators
Thechallengeinestablishingafinancial indicatorforprotectedareasliesindecidingwhichsourcesof
fiindsandwhichconsen-ationactivitiestoincludeinthestatistic. Apracticalchoicemightbe
goverrmientinvestmentinprotectedareas,buteventhissimpledefinitionrequiresworkingwiththe
organizationalcomple?dtyofthedifferentprotectedareaagenciesoftheworld.
Table3 presentsadiagramofthemanysourcesandusesofinvestmentfundsforbiodiversityconservation
inatypicalcoimtiy. Thetableillustratestheextenttowhichbiodiversityconservationactivitiescutacross
differentsectorsofgovernmentandtheeconomy. Biodiversityconservationinvolvesagreatnumberof
individualactivities, fromprotectedareaconservationtosustainableusetotherehabilitationofdegraded
ecosystemsandendangeredspeciesprotection. Inpractice, theseacti%itiesreceivefundingfromawide
varietyofsources,includinggovenunents(national, provincial,andlocal), non-governmental
organizations, academicandresearchinstitutions, privatesectorindi\idualsandcorporations, andforeign
sources.
Anumberofgovernmentagenciestypicallycontributetothemanagementofacountry'ssystemof
protectedareas. Inadditiontoanationalparksorwildlifedepartment, oftenadepartmentofforestry,
agriculture,fisheries, tourism,transport,police, andeducationcontributetoagovernment'sbiodiversity
conservationeffort. Insomecountriesevenmilitaryexpenditurecontributestoprotectedarea
conservation. Stateandprovinciallevelparksaddafurtherdimensiontobiodiversityexpenditure.
Outsidegovernmentsources, therearetheexpendituresofforeignaidagencies, non-governmental
organizations, privateindividualsandcorporations, andacademicorresearchfoundationsforbiodiversity
conservation.
Protectedareainvestmentistypicallyallocatedtoarangeofdifferentconservationareas,distinguishedby
theirlevelofprotection. Nationaldesignationsforprotectedareasrangefromstrictpreservationofthe
resourcestomultipleusezoneswheresignificanteconomicactivitymaytakeplace. ThelUCNhas
organizedthesenationaldesignationsintoasixlevelsystemwithCategoriesI-Vpertainingtoprimary
conservationareas,andCategoryVIformultipleusezonesthatincludeaconservationcomponent(lUCN,
1994b). Thefundingintensityofprotectedareasusuallyvariesbythenationaldesignation: national
parkstendtoreceivethemostfimds,wildlifeandresourceresen'esgettinganintermediateamount, and
marineprotectedareasandmultipleusezonesusuallyasmalleramountoffundingforbiological
diversity. Asaresult,financialindicatorsforbiodiversityconsen-ationcanvaryconsiderablywithinthe
samecountry,dependingupontheclassofprotectedarea. Thus, itisimportanttospecifywhetherthe
indicatorrepresentsacountry'shighestdesignationofprotectedareas, oranaverageofalloftheprotected
areas.
Asanillustrationofhow afinancialindicatormightbedefined, thesourcesandusesoffimdsmarked
withanasteriskinTable3 representtheWCMCdefinitionofgovernmentinvestmentinprotectedareas.
WCMC
The studythenarrowedtherangeofgovenunentalagenciestoeachcountry'sprimaryprotected
areasagencies. Theimestmentundertakenbyotheragenciessuchasagricultureortransportationwere
notcounted,thoughaquestionwasaskedinthesur\'eyregardingtheamoimtofassistancereceivedby
otheragencies. Stateandprovincialprotectedareaagencieswereincludedinthetotal. Theactivities
includedonlythehigherlevelprotectedareas,excludedmultipleusezones, marineprotectedareas, and
conservationactivitiesoutsideofprotectedareas. Theunderlyingassumptionofthisindicatoristhatthe
coreprotectedareasarecriticallyimportantresponsibilitiesofgo\ermnents. regardlessoftheactivitiesof
foreignornon-governmentaldonors.
WCMC
Inthe study,thebasicimitofanalysisistheprotectedareaagenc>-. ratherthanindividualparksor
wholecountries. Theprotectedareaagencj'istheinstitutionalimitthatcarriesoutanation'sprimary
conser\-ationactivities. Manycountriesusemultipleagenciestomanagetheirprotectedareas, soitis
clearertoestablishthefinancialindicatorsbasedonorganizationallines. Ifnecessary, theaverage
investmentofalloftheprotectedareaagencieswithinacountrycanbecalculated, andusedasanational
indicatorforconservationcommitment.
Financial Targets
Afinancialtargetisameasureofthefinancialcapacit>'requiredfortheachievementofastated
conservationobjective. Theinvestmentrequiredforadequateprotectedareaconservationinacountryisa
financialtargetforbiodiversity. Thefinancialtargetcanbeexpressedintermsoftotalfinancial
requirements, orpersquarekilometerinvestmentrequirements, orotherpossibleways. Inanycase,the
targetinvestmentlevelprovidesabenchmarkagainstwhichtheadequacyofactualinvestmentcanbe
measured. Forexample, budgetaryadequacycanbeexpressedasacountry'sactualinvestmentasa
percentageofitstargetinvestment. Theresultingadequacyratiocanbecomparedacrosscoimtriesto
identifyareasinspecialneedofinternationalassistance.
However, thesettingoftargetbudgetsrequiresascientificassessmentofadequatebiodiversity
consen'ationinacoimtiy'sprotectedareas. Further, theefficiencyofthecoimtry'sprotectedarea
agencieswillimpactthefinancialrequirementstoachievetheseconservationobjectives. Thus,bothof
thefinancialandthescientificjudgmentsarelikelytobesomewhatsubjective. Thesejudgmentsmust
takeintoconsiderationarangeofcountry-specificenvironmental,economic,andinstitutionalfactors,
makingitdifficultforanexternalagencyororganizationtoestablishmeaningfiilinvestmenttargetsfor
globalprotectedareaconservation.
WCMC
The projectestablishedtargetbudgetsbasedoncountries' self-assessmentoffinancial
requirementsforadequateprotectedareaconservation. Inthesurvey,eachprotectedareaagency-was
askedtoestimateanamountofadditionalfundsrequiredtomeettheirstatedconservationobjectives. In
thisway,thesurveyaskedagenciestojudgeforthemselvesthecostofadequateconservation. Inthe
stucfy, apersquarekilometertargetbudgetwascalculatedforeachcountrybysuitmiingitsactual
investmentinprotectedareaswiththeirreportedshortfallamount. Then, anassessmentofbudgetary
adequacywasmadebydividingactualbudgetsbytheself-assessedtargetbudgets.
Table4showstheWCMCfinancialtargetsforprotectedareainvestmentineachofthegeographical
regions. Onlythedevelopingcountrieswereincludedintheanalysis. Thetargetbudgetforeachregion
iscomprisedofthemeanactualbudgetplusthemeanreportedfinancialshortfall. Theregionsfellinto
threegroupsbasedontargetbudgets; lowercostregions, highercostregions, andveryhighcostregions.
Thetargetbudgetsfortheseregionswere$150to$350persquarekilometer; $750to$1000persquare
kilometer; and$1500to$2500persquarekilometer. Despiteitsdeficiencies,thisanalysisshowsclearly
thatfinancialtargetsforadequateprotectedareaconservationshouldvarywidelyindifferentregionsof
theworld.
However, itisworthconsideringtheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofrelyinguponnational
self-assessmentsforsettingtargetsoffinancialadequacysincethiswillbethemethodusedinthenational
reportingundertheConvention. Thechiefadvantageisthattheestimatesarebasedonnationalexpertise
withregardtotheecological, social, andeconomicconditionsthatimpactthecostofoperatingprotected
areas. Thedisadvantagesarethatcountrieswillhavedifferentstandardswithregardtoadequateinsitu
conservation,whichmayreflectdifferencesinincome, society, andextentofcommitmenttoconservation.
Anotherlimitingfactoristhevarianceininstitutionalcapacitywithincountries. Theestimationofcosts
ofadequateconservationwillnecessarilyinvolvesubjectivejudgments. Theskillatwhichtheseestimates
aremadewillreflectthedegreeofinstitutionalde%'elopment.
Theadvantagesofthenationalassessmentdatacertainlyoutweighthedisad\'antages. National
assessmentsaretheonlypracticalwayofincorporatingtherangeofecological, economicandinstitutional
faaorsintosubjectivejudgmentsaboutthecostofachievingconservationobjectives. Attheleast,
nationallydefinedtargetbudgetscansen'easthebasisforfurtherdiscussionamongtheParties,
non-govermnentalorganizations, andconservationists. Inthecourseofsuchdiscussions, national
interpretationsofadequateconservationmayultimatelyleadtosomeinternationalizationofstandards.
Reporting
ThenationalreportsdueinJanuary 1998pertaintotheimplementationofArticle6,thenational
biodiversity-actionplans. Thenationalactionplansrepresenteachcountry'simplementationofthe
measuresnecessarytomeetitsobligationsundertheCBD. ToassistPartiesinthereportingprocess, the
COPhasissuedasetof"suggestedguidelines"fortheinformationtobeincludedinthenationalreports
(Decision11/17, Annex,UNEP(1995a)). Thesuggestedguidelinesincludeacallforcountriestoreport
theirbudgetsforthenationalbiodiversityactionplan.
Theguidelinesspecifythatthebudgetsshouldinclude"fundingrequirementsforoperatingejqjenses,
capitalpurchases, transport,fieldcosts, ect." anda"listofthepersonnelneededbycategory." In
addition, informationisrequestedon"possibleinternationaltechnicalandfinancialcooperation" (UNEP,
1995a). Whiletheseguidelinesajjpeartobetailoredquitewelltoinsituconsen'ationactivities,
particularlyprotectedareaconservation,theyactuallypertaintoalloftheactivitiesunderthenational
biodiversityactionplan. Thus,thereportedfinancialinformationcouldpotentiallyincludeaverybroad
rangeofactivities,wellbeyondprotectedareaconservation. Protectedareasarelikelytobeonlyoneof
manyinvestmentsincludedinthenationalreports.
Table5 illustrateswhereprotectedareainvestmentfitsintothenationalreports. Thetabledivides
nationalreportsintomeasuresthatrequireagovermnentbudgetaryoutlayandthosethatareprimarily
changesingovermnentpolicyorlaws. ProtectedareainvestmentfallsunderArticle8,InSitu
Conservation,oneofmanybudgetarymeasures. Article8containsarangeof/nsituconservation
activitiesthatgowellbeyondthemanagementofasystemofprotectedareas. Hence, ifcoimtriesreport
anaggregatedbudgetfortheimplementationoftheentirenationalbiodiversitystrategy, theprotectedarea
investmentcomponentmaybeburiedinthenumbers. WhiletheConferenceofthePartiesnowhasan
excellentopportimitytogatherfinancialdata, theformatfornationalreportsmayneedtobestandardized
atarelativelyhighlevelofdetailinordertoprovideusefulindicatorsforbiodiversityassessment.
Solutions
IfthePartiestotheConventionselectprotectedareabudgetsasoneofthe"coreset"ofbiodiversity
indicators,thenationalreportsshouldprovidethefollowingleveloffinancialdetail. Countriesshould
itemizetheirnationalactionplanbudgetsbasedoneachoftheArticlesthatrequireagovenmiental
expenditure, asoutlinedinTable5. Specifically,countriesshouldspecifyseparatebudgetsforinsitu
conservation, exsituconservation, identificationandmonitoring,researchandtraining,publiceducation,
andtechnicalcooperation. Thepohcyrelatedcomponentsofnationalactionplanswouldnotrequire
disclosureofabudget. Importantly, thebudgetforArticle8, insituconservation, shouldbefiirther
brokendownintobudgetsforeachoftheactivityareas,particularlyprotectedareaconservation.
ThereportingoftheArticle8budgetsshouldincludethefollowingforeachcountryinordertoisolatethe
investmentsofnationalprotectedareaagencies:
—thegovernmentallocatedbudgetforthenationalprotectedareaagency(ies)
—anindicationofthedistributionofexpenditurebetweensalaries,operations/maintenance.
capitalinvestmentandother
—thesquarekilometersunderthemanagementofeachagency
—anestimateoftheexpendituresofsecondaryagenciesthatcontributetoconser\ationactivities
—theexpendituresbyforeignagenciesandNGOs
—thetotalofanyothersourcesofinvestmentinprotectedareas, includingrevenuesraisedand
retainedwithintheagencyanddonations/subscriptions
—anindicationofthedistributionoffiindsbetweenthedifferentnationaldesignationsof
protectedareas
—anestimateoftheshortfallinthebudgetsofeachprotectedareaagency, measuredrelativeto
theobjectivesoftheconvention,ortheagenc>''sstatedconservationobjectives
—staffingdatarelatedtoeachoftheabove
ThePartiesmightselectasetoffinancialreportingcategoriestouseasatemplateforthenationalreports.
Suchatemplatecouldstandardizethereportingofnationalinvestmentsinprotectedareas,facilitatingthe
constructionoffinancialindicators. Themainfeatureofsuchatemplatewouldbethedisaggregationof
thebudgetsfornationalactionplansintoinvestmentsundereachoftheArticlesoftheConvention. The
templatemightaskforgreaterdetailoninsituconservationexpenditure, includingbudgetdetailsforthe
majorconservationagenciesinthecountry,theirstaffinglevels, thesizeoftheprotectedareasimdertheir
management, andanestimateoftheutunetfinancialneedsineachoftheconservationagencies.
Animportantfeatureofstandardizedtemplatesistheircompatibilitywithcomputerizeddatabases. A
financialdatabasecouldbehousedattheSecretariatoftheConventiononBiologicalDiversity,or
alternativelyattheUNDPCSDoffices. Suchadatabasewouldincreasetheavailabilit>'ofinformationto
theParties,NGOs, andconservationresearchersbyallowingelectronictransfersofdata. Also, adatabase
caneasilybeconstructedtomanagetimeseriesdataonfinancialinvestmentsasitbecomesavailablein
fiiturereportsbytheParties. ThePartieshavetheoptionnowofsettingupareportinganddata
managementsystemthatcouldinstitutionalizetheavailabilityoffinancialindicatorsforbiodiversity
conservation, similartootherformsofeconomicdata.
WCMC
The protectedareasdatabaseisanothersuitablelocationforfinancialindicatorsforprotectedarea
conservation. TheWCMCdatabaseisthedefinitivesourceforgeographicalinformationontheglobal
systemofprotectedareasandservesasthebasisfortheUNListofProtectedAreas(lUCN. 1994a). Asa
WCMC
partofthesurveyreviewedhere, the databasewasdevelopedfurthertocontainalayerof
financialinformationthatpertainstothefimdingofprotectedareas. AsapartoftheUNListreporting
processforprotectedareainformation,countriescouldbeaskedtocontributefinancialinformationona
standardizedtemplate. Ifthebudgetarydataprovidedbycountriesintheupcomingnationalreportsunder
theConventionarenotpracticalfortheestablishmentoffinancialindicatorsforbiodiversityassessment,
thentheWCMCprotectedareasdatabasemayanotherusefiilsourceoffinancialdata.
Conclusion
InthecomingnationalreportsontheimplementationofArticle6, theConferenceofthePartieshasan
opportunitytoobtainalargesetofpotentiallyvaluabledataonfinancialinvestmentsinbiological
diversityconservation. Thusfar, suchdatahavebeenlacking. Asaresult, thedevelopmentofindicators
offinancialinvestment,andtargetsforadequateinvestmenthasnotbeenpossible. Forexample,
assessmentsofthefinancialobligationsoftheGEFhavebeenimpededbyalackofknowledgeonnational
investmentinbiologicaldiversityconservationandtheincrementalcostsofprovidingglobalbenefits.
ThePartiesnowhavetheopportunitytoremedythissituationandproduceasetofdatathatcanprovide
guidanceforfinancialpolic>'andstrategyintothefuture. However,totakefullestadvantageofthis
of^rtunitythePartieswillneedtoadoptreportingguidelinesinadvanceofthereportingdeadline.
EvenifthePartiestakenofurtheractiononclarifyingtheguidelinesfornationalreporting, the
opportunity-toimprovedataonfinancial indicatorsisnotlost. Therepwrtswillprovideanenormous
amountofnewdata, whichmaybeanalyzedtoproducesomethingclosetoastandardizeddataset. This
processcanbee-xpectedtoinformthesecondroimdofnationalreporting(theintervalofnationalreports
willbedeterminedatthenextConferenceoftheParties). Atthattime, itwouldbereasonabletoe.xpect
theguidelinestohavebeenimprovedasaprocessofinstitutionallearningtakesplace. Thispaper\Nillat
leasthaveflaggedsomeoftheissuesthatarelikelytobecomeapparentthroughtimeasnational reports,
andtheresultingfinancial indicatorsandtargets,becomefurtherrefined.
REFERENCES
AECCG(1991) AfricanElephantConservationReview Oxford: AfricanElephantConservation
.
CoordinatingGroup(Mimeo).
Cumming, D. H.M.,DuToit, R. F. andStuart. S. N. (1990) AfricanElephantsandRhinos: Status
SurveyandConservationActionPlan. lUCNSpeciesSurvivalCommission AfricanElephantandRhino
SpecialistGroup. Gland: lUCN.
Cumming, D. H, M., Martin,R. B., andTaylor, R. D. (1984) "QuestionnaireSurveyontheManagement
andConservationofElephantsandRhinos"inTheStatusandConservationofAfrica'sElephantsand
Rhinos (D, H. M. CunmiingandP. Jackson,eds.). Gland, Switzerland: lUCN.
Dublin, H. T., Milliken, T. andBarnes,R. F. W. (1994) Four YearsAftertheCITESBan: IllegalKilling
ofElephants, IvoryTradeandStockpiles. lUCNSpeciesSurvival CommissionAfricanElephant
SpecialistGroup. Gland, Switzerland: lUCN.
IMF(1988) AManualon GovernmentFinanceStatistics. Washington, DC: InternationalMonetary
Fund.
IUCN(1992) ProtectedAreasofthe World: A ReviewofNationalSystems Preparedb}'theWorld
ConservationMonitoringCentre. 4 Vols. Gland. Switz.: lUCN.
lUCN(1994a) 1993 UnitedNationsListofNationalParksandProtectedAreas. Preparedbj-theWorld
ConservationMonitoringCentre. Gland, Switz.: lUCN.
lUCN(1994b)GuidelinesforProtectedAreaManagementCategories. Gland, S\vitz: lUCN.
lUCN(1994c) ProtectingNature: RegionalRirviewsofProtectedAreas. J. A. McNeeley, J. Harrison,P.
Dingwall,eds. Gland, Switz.: lUCN.
James. A. N.,M. J. B. Green, andJ. R. Paine(1997) FinancialIndicatorsforBiodiversityConser\'ation:
A GlobalAnalysisofBudgetsforProtectedAreas. Cambridge, UK: WorldConservationMonitoring
Centre(Inpress).
Leader-Williams, N. andS. Albon(1988) "AllocationofResourcesforConser\'ation," Nature, 336: 533.
Leader-Williams, N. (1993)"TheoryandPragmatismintheConservationofRhinos" inO. A. Ryder(ed.)
RhinocerosBiologyandConsen'ation. SanDiego,US: SanDiegoZoological Society.
Martin, R. B. (1990) "AnalysisofConservationSuccess." Appendix 1 iaAfricanElephantsandRhinos
StatusSurveyandConservationActionPlan(Cumming,D. H. M.,DuToit,R. F., andStuart, S. N., eds.).
Gland, Switz.: lUCN.
Martin, R. B. (1993) "ShouldWildlifePayItsWay?" (KeithRobyaddress. DepartmentofNationalParks
andWildlife,Perth, Austraha,December8, 1993)citedinStephenR. Edwards, "ConservingBiodiversity;
ResourcesforOurFuture" in The TrueStateofthePlanet(R. Bailey, ed). Ne\vYork: TheFreePress.
UNEP(1993) ConventiononBiologicalDiversity. TextandAnnexes. Chatelaine, Switz: Interim
SecretariatfortheConventiononBiologicalDiversity.
UNEP(1995a) A CalltoAction. DecisionsandMinisterialStatementfromtheSecondMeetingofthe
ConferenceofthePartiestotheConventiononBiologicalDiversity. Geneva: UNEP.
UNEP(1995b) GlobalBiodiversityAssessment. Cambridge: CambridgeUniversin'Press.
WoridBank(1992) IVorldDevelopmentReport 1992. Oxford: OxfordUniversit\-Press.
WCMC(1992) GlobalBiodiversity: StatusoftheEarth'sLivingResources. London: Chapmanand
HaU.
WCMC WCMC
(1996) PrioritiesforBiodiversityConservationinthe Tropics. BiodiversiU-BulletinNo.
1. 18pp. plus4 maps. Cambridge: WorldConservationMonitoringCentre.
WRI.IUCN,andUNEP(1992) GlobalBiodiversityStrategy. Washington,DC: WRI.