Évaluation de la gouvernance des aires protégées. Le cas de la Colombie Britannique et de l’Ontario (Canada)

There is currently a wide diversity of management models for protected areas. As a result, there is a wide diversity of governance models too (who are the decision-makers, how are decisions taken, and how are various stakeholders involved in the decision making process). Governance within management models for parks and protected areas can be analysed and evaluated using the UNDP governance criteria. Evaluation of governance using these governance criteria has been proven effective through studies undertaken for the British Columbia and Ontario’s provincial parks systems (Canada). Those studies not only compared both management models (combined public and for-profit, and parastatal, respectively), but also evaluated the different stakeholders’ perception of governance within each management model. The Ontario model was the best valued of both, although different results were obtained depending on the type of the surveyed stakeholder.Actualmente existe una gran diversidad de modelos de gestión de espacios protegidos y, por consiguiente, de modelos de gobernanza (quién toma las decisiones, cómo las toma y qué nivel de participación tienen en el proceso los distintos agentes implicados). Para cada uno de los modelos de gestión se puede analizar y evaluar su respectivo modelo de gobernanza, utilizando los criterios de buena gobernanza del PNUD. Así se hizo en el estudio realizado para los parques naturales provinciales de la Columbia Británica y de Ontario en Canadá. Ese estudio no sólo permitió comparar dos modelos de gestión distintos (combinado público-privado y paraestatal, respectivamente), sino también evaluar la percepción de cada modelo de gobernanza y sus criterios por parte de los distintos agentes implicados. El modelo de Ontario resultó ser el mejor valorado de los dos, aunque con valoraciones distintas según el tipo de agente encuestado.Il y a présentement plusieurs modèles de gestion pour les aires protégées. Il en résulte une grande diversité de modèles de gouvernance (qui prend les décisions et comment celles-ci sont-elles prises et comment inclut-on les parties prenantes dans le processus décisionnel). La gouvernance présente dans les modèles de gestion des aires protégées peut être analysée et évaluée en utilisant les critères de gouvernance stipulés par le PNUD. L’évaluation de la gouvernance utilisant les critères du PNUD pour la Colombie Britannique et l’Ontario (Canada) démontre que ces critères sont effectifs. Cet étude non pas seulement comparé les deux systèmes provinciaux (respectivement, gestion publique et à but lucratif combinées et gestion paragouvernementale), mais a aussi évalué la perception de gouvernance des deux systèmes de gestion du point de vue des parties prenantes. De ces deux modèles de gestion, celui de l’Ontario a reçu de meilleures notes. Par contre, les résultats diffèrent selon les parties prenantes

Healthy Outside-Healthy Inside: The Human Health & Well-being Benefits of Alberta\u27s Protected Areas - towards a benefits-based management agenda

This report details the results of an empirical study that examined perceived health and well-being motives and benefits among visitors to a sample of Alberta’s parks and protected areas. The study revealed several major findings with important policy and management implications. First, the human health and well-being benefits that the visitors expected to receive from visits were perceived to be a major personal motivation in the choice to visit Alberta protected areas. The most important motivation factors identified by respondents were psychological and emotional well-being (89.1% of visitors ranked this important), social well-being (88.3%), physical well-being (80.3%), and environmental well-being (79.4%). Second, the perceived benefits that visitors received from their protected areas experiences were substantial. The most frequently reported improvements were related to psychological and emotional (90.5%), social (85%), and physical well-being (77.6%). Interestingly, women perceived greater benefits than men associated with their visit, especially with respect to spiritual, social, and psychological and emotional well-being. Research findings substantiate the need for park agencies to better understand the motivations of visitors representing different social and population subgroups (e.g., youth, elderly, couples, etc.) in order to inform and develop policies and visitor experience programs in support of health and well-being related pursuits. Important policy and management implications for both park managers and health care professionals are highlighted

Trends affecting tourism in protected areas

Section: Keynote addresse