The inclusion of China reduces the mean figure considerably, although it is likely that Japan also has a higher than average rate of investment. Besides reflecting the availability of financial resources, the high rate of investment also reflects the intensity of pressure on protected areas, requiring an intensive management response. The level of staffing in countries in East Asia for which data are available is the highest in world. However, it would be a mistake to assume that this indicates a low level of commitment as there is substantial evidence, both from the size of the protected areas estate in Australia, and through numerous policy statements and legal enactments to indicate a generally high level of commitment. Instead, the low figures in Table 5 are a reflection of the low level of pressure on protected areas.
Sites often comprise extensive areas in remote regions, thus requiring minimal management input.
The provision of staff at a rate of only 2.6 personnel per 1,000 square kilometres of protected areas is a further reflection of the high level of natural protection enjoyed by many of Australia's protected areas. These two countries have very different backgrounds, the former being one of the poorest nations and the latter one of the richest. Furthermore, protected areas have existed in Brunei for a number of years with an established legal and administrative framework. In contrast, Lao PDR has only initiated a protected areas programme in the last three years and is still heavily reliant on international donors. It remains to be seen whether countries such as Lao PDR, Cambodia and Viet Nam, countries of considerable international importance for biodiversity conservation, can find sufficient resources during the next 15 years to replace the tenuous support of international assistance.