Rapid assessment of management effectiveness of the zhangye national wetland park, Gansu Province, people’s republic of China

Abstract

A rapid assessment of management effectiveness was undertaken for the Zhangye National Wetland Park, a small, remote protected area in Gansu Province, the People’s Republic of China (PRC). During site visits and a workshop with park personnel in 2011, park management activities were documented and the first baseline score of management effectiveness was derived. The park exhibits similar trends to many other protected areas in the PRC and globally, with legal establishment, design and objectives, and economic benefits reported as management strengths, and budget security, monitoring and evaluation, and law enforcement reported as management weaknesses. Specific challenges for the park include a need to balance the development of tourism infrastructure with biodiversity conservation, and to develop quantitative management targets linked to conservation objectives.