The Regional Integration of Protected Areas: A Study of Canada's National Parks

The relationship between protected areas and their regions is complex, dynamic, and often based on social interactions. It is widely accepted that protected areas are not “islands” – rather they are connected to their regions through ecological interactions such as the movement of air, water, wildlife, or fire across boundaries; social interactions such as relationships between protected area agency staff and local people; and economic interactions such as the development of on-site and off-site goods and services for protected area visitors. Regional integration is a complex process by which protected area staff and regional actors engage in formal and informal social interactions in order to reach independent and shared goals related to the protected area. Regional integration is influenced by regional contextual factors such as the biophysical environment, the economy, demographics, history, and culture. In order to develop the theory and improve the practice of the regional integration of protected areas, a qualitative study of five national parks in Canada and their regions was undertaken. The case studies were Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, Nova Scotia; Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador; Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta; and Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks, British Columbia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 112 regional actors including Parks Canada staff, provincial government agency staff, local business owners, First Nations, and resource users. Each case study had a unique regional context as well as formal and informal mechanisms in place for interaction and communication between park staff and regional actors. Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site was perceived by participants to have very strong links with the scientific community, a developing relationship with First Nations, but weak links with local communities. Gros Morne National Park was perceived by participants to have undergone a significant shift in the way that park staff interact with regional actors and has several unique mechanisms in place for interacting with regional actors. The regional integration of Waterton Lakes National Park was perceived by participants to be stronger due to numerous personal relationships between park staff and key regional actors. The park is also well known for its close working relationship with Glacier National Park, Montana. Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks were perceived by participants as somewhat “in the background” in a region undergoing significant change. There are several long-standing working relationships in place between park staff and regional actors but participants’ perceptions of the parks’ connections with the tourism industry and the local community were varied. Several characteristics of strong regional integration were identified including park staff being aware of the park’s effects on the park region; principles in place for park involvement in regional issues; and regular informal interactions occurring between park staff and regional actors. An assessment was made of the strength of regional integration of the case studies based on the formal and informal mechanisms for communication and interaction in place in the case study regions, their regional contexts, and the presence or absence of the characteristics of strong regional integration. It was found that GMNP has the strongest regional integration of all of the case studies while the regional integration of the three other case studies was strong in some areas and weaker in others. Several suggestions are made for improving the regional integration of national parks in Canada including decreasing the turnover of key park staff; effectively communicating the park mandate to regional actors; improving relationships with First Nations; obtaining political and managerial “buy-in” for regional integration; and increasing informal interactions with regional actors

CANADIAN "ATLANTIC COASTAL ACTION PROGRAM" AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS ON "DECENTRALIZED" INTEGRATED COASTAL MANAGEMENT

海岸带地区因其独特的地学与生态系结构而具有丰富的资源和巨大的开发价值。据统计,世界上有2/3的城市座落于海岸带地区,海岸带地区人口远比内地人口增长得快。经济发展和人口增长给海岸带带来的生态环境的压力不断加重,引起了一系列问题。如:海洋污染、渔业减产、海洋生物栖息地丧失、海域使用冲突、管理机构之间的冲突等。这些问题简单地沿用以往的行业管理已难以解决,由此,70年代起在加拿大国际发展署“ UPCD Tier-1之Community-Based Conservation Management项目01843-S53305号

"The Regional Integration Of Protected Areas: Results From a Study of Five National Parks In Canada"

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Love thy neighbour? A study of Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand and the people-park relationship

The establishment of national parks can generate significant changes for the people living in and around them. Acknowledging this, park managers around the world increasingly recognise that nature conservation and protected natural area management should not be divorced from wider socio-economic and cultural issues, such as employment, lifestyle, and tradition (Stankey, 1989). This study uses a qualitative approach to investigate the nature of the people-park relationship for two rural communities: Golden Bay and Karamea, near Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand. Interviews were undertaken with local residents, tourism operators, business owners, farmers, and Department of Conservation (DOC) staff. Three dimensions of the people-park relationship are explored: 1) lifestyle, recreation, and place attachment; 2) tourism; and 3) interactions with the Department of Conservation (DOC). Kahurangi National Park plays an important role in Golden Bay and Karamea residents' lifestyles and recreational opportunities. It creates employment opportunities in tourism, conservation, and natural resource extraction. Residents use the Park in their recreation and value it for the opportunity that it gives them to recreate close to home. Its physical presence plays a role in generating the communities' isolation. Many residents are also emotionally attached to the Park: some sense the Park's 'spirit' while others feel they are guardians of the Park's entrances. National park status has made some residents feel prouder of the Park while others lament the loss of access to the Park for mountain bikers. Many Golden Bay and Karamea residents view DOC as overly bureaucratic and difficult to communicate with. Others believe that DOC is caught 'in a sandwich' while trying to accommodate various interests. Most residents, however, have a high regard for the DOC employees who live and work in their communities. A perceived poor consultation process leading up to the creation of the Park hampered the DOC-community relationship, especially in Karamea. After the Park's gazettal, residents expected DOC to spend more money on recreational infrastructure within the Park and this is perceived not to have happened. Tourism is an important dimension of the people-park relationship in both Golden Bay and Karamea. The name 'national park' is now used in the promotion of both communities. Locals perceive that some tourists, especially international tourists, are drawn to the region because it is a national park. Due to their different levels of tourism development, Golden Bay and Karamea are experiencing different effects from tourism. Golden Bay residents perceive some negative effects of tourism whereas most Karamea residents are positive about tourism. The effect of the creation of Kahurangi National Park on tourism in Golden Bay and Karamea is inconclusive. Some residents perceive that the national park has drawn more people but others attribute the increase in tourism in both communities to other factors, such as local tourism initiatives. This study also synthesises the New Zealand people-park relationship research to date and develops an exploratory model of the New Zealand people-park relationship, contributing to a wider theoretical discussion on people-park relationships in New Zealand. Several factors can influence the relationship between a park neighbour and a park including a community's history and stage of tourism development and the stakeholder group that a local person belongs to