Fifth WCPA East Asia Conference

Hong Kong 2005

We, the 250 participants at the Fifth Conference on Protected Areas of East Asia, convened by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), meeting at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, from the 21st to the 25th June 2005, agree as follows:

To RE-AFFIRM the contents of the Fragrant Hills Declaration, Beijing 1993, the Kushiro Declaration, Kushiro 1996, the Pukan-San Declaration, Seoul 1999, and the Yang Ming Shan Declaration, Taipei 2002.

To RECOGNIZE the Durban Accord 2003; the recommendations and suggestions at the WCPA Members Meeting in Bangkok, 2004; the CBD Programme of Work on Protected Areas; and the key future directions set at the World Conservation Congress in Bangkok, November 2004.

To WELCOME the progress made by countries and territories of the East Asia Region in the establishment of both terrestrial and marine protected areas (PAs) as well as the continued improvements in the management capacity of protected areas for the conservation of biodiversity.

To RECALL the role of the WCPA East Asia Region in supporting the establishment and management of Protected Areas in the Region, and in building networks with members of the Region, sharing management experience and knowledge, and strengthening links with IUCN regional and country offices.

To RECOMMEND

• establishing PAs and enhancing standards for the planning and management of PAs, aimed at better conservation outcomes and greater social benefits;
  
  
• extending and strengthening marine protected areas;
  
  
• responding to the challenge of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the targets identified in the Programme of Work on Protected Areas adopted by the seventh meeting of the CBD Conference of Parties in 2004;
  
  
• facilitating the contribution of PAs to sustainable development including sustainable tourism;
  
  
• empowering stakeholders, policy makers, managers, NGOs and scientists to work in an integrated manner to promote effective environmental governance at all levels;

To URGE all relevant organizations and individuals in the East Asia region to recognize the vital importance of protected areas for the people of East Asia, and to encourage them to :

• provide young people with the education, training and opportunities needed to develop their interest in and commitment to the planning and management of protected areas;
  
  
• pay special attention to the linkages between protected areas and surrounding land uses, while ensuring socio-economic and cultural concerns, in particular the livelihoods and property rights of indigenous people and local communities are respected;
  
  
• share knowledge, experience and technology, including data bases, for protected areas through training, workshops, seminars and publications and to make the best use of the WCPA Protected Areas Learning Net (PALNet) to serve the protected area community;
  
  
• establish a comprehensive inventory of the protected area system of East Asia and to identify gaps in the current system;
  
  
• develop and implement best practice guidelines and indicators for the management, monitoring and evaluation of protected areas and their flora and fauna;
  
  
• generate wider public support for the Protected Areas system and to demonstrate the value and benefits of Protected Areas to the community, especially the urban sector;
  
  
• provide sufficient resources for PAs through sustained financing and policy support by relevant authorities;
  
  
• develop transboundary protected areas;
  
  
• investigate opportunities for ecological restoration on PAs;
  
  
• facilitate scientific research

And to AGREE that we will:

• enhance and update the Protected Areas Action Plan for East Asia and translate this document together with other key WCPA documents and guidelines into the languages of the region for better understanding by people in the respective areas;



• organize regional activities or programmes between the triennial meetings, which can be in form of special workshops, seminars, site-specific brainstorming sessions, or youth exchange visits;
  
  
• implement where appropriate , the guidelines and measures developed at the WCPA/EA-5 in managing Protected Areas in respective countries and districts;
  
  
• communicate this declaration to relevant networks and organizations;
  
  
• meet again in China in 2008 for the 6th Regional Conference WCPA