Governance of Biodiversity Conservation in China And Taiwan

burning without a fire management plan, predator control, introduction of alien

species, and forced relocation of local people.^51

The report goes on to suggest that human resource deficiencies account for
this condition: drawing directors from the local civil service without qualifica-
tions to manage nature reserves; the absence of a formal career structure that
would enhance morale; and staff ignorance of ecological approaches to
management.^52
With respect to provincial, municipality, and county-level PAs, it would
seem that the preparation of staff for conservation of endangered species and
ecosystems has been abysmal. Until recently, appointments to positions were
often made on patronage grounds. Protected area staff were ill-educated; they
lacked knowledge of the life sciences, could not easily distinguish the species
they were employed to protect, and had no incentive to increase their
knowledge or capability. Also, as one national official noted, in the remote,
rural, isolated PAs, ‘The conditions for staff are difficult. To stay there,
essentially, they have to sacrifice their children’s future and sometimes their
marriages’.^53
Based on statistics from late 2001, some 62 percent of China’s 2000-odd
nature reserves have installed management agencies, and thus 38 percent have
not. About 73 percent of the nature reserves have special management staff. In
total, management staff number about 30000 for the country as a whole. The
larger, national-level PAs may have around 100 staff; smaller, sub-national-
level PAs may have as few as two or one; the average is around six staff
members per reserve.^54 Clearly, there are too few personnel to manage PAs
covering 15 percent of China’s territory.
The most recent survey of the human resource situation in China’s nature
reserves was done in mid-2004 and facilitated by CI. Researchers distributed
questionnaires in 56 nature reserves with a total of 1088 staff members. The
survey results discussed below reflect the sample, which may not be represen-
tative of most PAs in China.^55 Nevertheless, this is the largest sample survey
on this topic done to date in China. Survey results indicate these staffing
conditions:

● Regular (as opposed to part-time and temporary) staff members

comprised 46 percent of the total number of workers;

● nearly all the nature reserves surveyed lacked specialized staff in

ecosystem, habitat and species management, field patrol and monitor-

ing, public environmental education, and law enforcement;

● about 80 percent of staff have less than 10 years experience; nearly half

began their work less than five years previously;

● just over 10 percent of staff have bachelor’s degrees; an additional 45

114 Governance of biodiversity conservation in China and Taiwan