Hunan Nature Reserve, Effective Management And Evaluation Techniques

In order to promote development of nature reserve and improve effective management level in Hunan province, according to special geography condition and objectives of biodiversity conservation, this paper set up indicators including 12 different contents to evaluate the nature reserve management effectiveness in Hunan province, which could be sorted out Basic Biodiversity (A), Long-term Management Activities(B), Fund Raising(C) and Social Participant Co-operation(D). Regarding these indicators as assessment standards, scores were given to 62 nature reserves in Hunan province in accordance with second-hand information such as available data, written reports, etc. during May, 2001 to June, 2002, which is called level 1 evaluation. Following operational formula was used for scoring:Score Rj were graded as 4 different grades: perfect, good, mediocre and bad. There is no nature reserve graded as Perfect (score between 56 to 60), 6 nature reserves graded as Good (score between 48 to 55), 38 nature reserves graded as Mediocre (score between 36 to 47), 18 nature reserves graded as Bad (score between 12 to 35) in Hunan province. It's said more than half of the nature reserves management effectiveness is mediocre in Hunan province. Based on results of scoring and second-hand information collected from management practice for several years, 12 main measures and problems on nature reserve management of Hunan were set forth. Primary problems on nature reserve management in Hunan province include: the present management regime couldn't ensure to manage nature reserves effective, nature reserves with different categories are managed by the same rule, lack of foundation, organization structure couldn't meet the needs of nature reserve management, lack of qualified staffs, background information is out-of-date, lack of monitoring planning, haven't set up co-management system with community, and nature reserves don't distribute evenly in the whole province. To counter these problems, principal strategies were put forward as follows: 1 . To put in place a management regime that authorial administrations could manage nature reserve directly in stead of several different administrations managed the same area. 2. To take account of nature reserve construction into state and provincial economic development planning. 3. To make regulations implementing different management to nature reserves with different categories. 4. To adjust organization structure to management needs and make personnel training plan. 5, To enhance biodiversity monitoring practice. 6. To explore sustainable utilization of resources and conservation of biodiversity through encouraging inter-agency cooperation. 7. To frame nature reserve development plan and perfect construction of nature reserve net. The effective management assessment and strategies mentioned above will be helpful for improving nature reserve management effectiveness and level, and strengthening supervise on management activities in Hunan province.