Abstract: Protected areas are the cornerstone of global conservation efforts yet despite their importance our knowledge of the financial resources required to effectively manage them is remarkably poor. For the vast majority of protected areas we have little understanding of what is being spent, what should be spent or how costs are expected to change through time. Here I outline the current estimates of protected area management costs both globally and for Queensland and highlight shortcomings in the existing data. Knowledge of costs is of limited use unless the drivers of costs are also understood so I summarise and discuss the key known drivers of costs. Then I present my current project, which is currently in the data collection phase, and show how it will develop our knowledge of management costs and the advantages that this knowledge will provide.

Biography:  Ian, originally from the UK, completed a PhD carried out with the University of Cambridge, ZSL London and the UNEP – World Conservation Monitoring Centre. The PhD focussed on assessing the conservation performance of Africa’s protected areas. Prior to the PhD Ian worked for South African National Parks and competed an MSc at Imperial College London. Ian is currently a post-doc at the ARC Coral Reef Centre of Excellence in Townsville and is working with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to understand the costs of effective protected area management.