Residents’ Attitudes Towards a National Park Under Conditions of Suburbanisation and Tourism Pressure: A Case Study of Ojców National Park (Poland)

The article attempts to contribute to the global discussion on the social aspects of the functioning of protected areas. It explores the attitudes of local communities towards national parks and the determinants of those attitudes. The problem is presented using the example of Ojców National Park (Pol. OPN), a small-area national park located in the suburban zone of Kraków (Poland) and subject to strong pressure of tourism and suburbanisation. The analysis is based on interviews with people residing within the boundaries or buffer zone of the OPN. The residents are proud to live in a scenic location; they tend to perceive the national park in the context of its significant natural value rather than its administration and the related restrictions, and mostly approve of its existence. There is a high support for implementing the participative model of local area management. At the same time, however, the residents’ preferred methods of area management are in conflict with the need to protect the Park’s natural and landscape values. The residents favour commercial tourism infrastructure within the protected area and residential housing development in its close vicinity. The residents’ attitudes towards the Park are also shaped to a large extent by complex factors relating to the area’s history and its location within the suburban zone of a major city

Osobowy ruch graniczny w polskich Karpatach w latach 2000-2003

Tyt. z nagł.Bibliogr. s. 124.Dostępny także w wersji drukowanej.Omówiono ruch graniczny i jego strukturę na przykładzie przejść granicznych w polskich Karpatach. Przedstawiono problematykę wyjazdów Polaków za granicę i przyjazdu cudzoziemców do Polski w latach 2000-2003 . Przeanalizowano znaczenie przejść granicznych

Parki narodowe w nowych realiach prawnych i ekonomicznych

The article presents the evolution of the legal environment and funding of national parks in Poland against worldwide trends in the funding of protected areas. Following transformations between 2010 and 2012, Polish national parks evolved from state budget entities into state-owned legal entities, largely autonomous in terms of organisation and finance. They have become visibly more active in raising funds for their own needs, be it through funded projects or business activities. Issues concerning sources of funding are discussed on the basis of the example of Babia Góra National Park. The Park’s “own funds” (raised through its own activity), mainly sale of wood, are its key budget item