Article

The traditional mIe of managers has been to restore or maintain a certain state or the protected ecosystem, implying that the conservation goal of ali protected areas is to secure the 'balance of nature'. It is now recognized that ecosystems undergo non-equilibrium dynamics. Rather than strive to restore 'balance' , conservation goals should be attainable, and specifically moulded for each protected area. Often areas are not allocated for allaining predetemlined conservation goals, but goals are 'filled ' lo already selected areas. The first role of the manager is to set attainable goals to the protected area. To do this, it is necessary to survey the current and the 'potential' inventory of species and processes, and to evaluate the findings by checking them against existing conservation programmes and their state of implementation. Natural ' assets' of the protected area are then identified, and become the objects of the conservation goals. The subsequent role is to prepare a management programme, that by executing it, conservation goals will be allained. Preparation includes tapping current relevant scientific knowledge, formulating a management hypothesis, outlining an action pIan that comprises conservation activities optimized to accommodate a public relations component, a monitoring protocol for periodically evaluating the success of the programme, a managementoriented research programme, a timetable, and a budget. The third role of the manager is to execute the management programme in a dynamic and iterative manner, whereby 'c1ocks' are 'set' to update and revise the programme, lIsing scientific progress, trends in public opinion, changes in funding and resources, research results and the reaction of the protected area to the management activities. A prospective manager should be trained through a formaI academic programme that equips the manager with research experience, evolutionary thinking and quantitative approach to management. Protected areas should be hierarchically networked, and the promotion track of managers should include the formulation and execution of management programmes for these networks.