Table 4.6: Area of forest by management type and status, 1994Status and trends related to protected areas
The Asia-Pacific region has almost 3,000 protected areas in total, covering nearly 9 percent of the land area (Table 4.7).36 Protected areas are generally divided into six categories according to the objectives of management and the restrictions placed upon economic activities in these areas.
36 Protected areas include more than just forest, although it is likely that in many Asia-Pacific countries a large proportion of protected areas is forest of some sort.
IUCN has suggested that 10 percent of every country's land area should be protected in some way. Eleven countries in the region do not meet this target and it would require an additional 75 million hectares of protected areas to do so. Protected area coverage is even less adequate if distribution by eco-floristic zones is considered. Only 5 of the 39 eco-floristic zones of South and Continental Southeast Asia have more than 10 percent protected area coverage. Eleven of the 39 are less than 1 percent protected, and 4 zones have no protection whatsoever. In the 17 eco-floristic zones of Insular Southeast Asia, only 8 have more than 10 percent of protected area coverage. Australia has the largest area of protected areas and Bhutan has the largest percentage of land in protected status.
Table 4.7: Protected areas in the Asia-Pacific region37 (not necessarily all forested)