Furthermore, GMS governments have designated more areas for forest protection and conservation such as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves and so forth. At the same time, there has been an increase in awareness of the importance of maintaining the remaining natural forests and more information has become available on the protective functions of forests and the value of ecosystem services. While it is difficult to obtain concrete data on financial aspects, it could also be true that governments may have increased budget allocations for forest protection and conservation compared to the outlay 20 years ago. This is also intended to ensure that they can benefit from forest management, e.g. enhanced livelihoods and income.