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Despite the significant increase in protected territory globally, there is a common understanding that the designation of protected areas alone does not guarantee their effectiveness nor halt the loss of biodiversity. In addition to biodiversity conservation, protected areas are expected to perform a number of other functions, such as provide ecosystem services and improve local socio-economic conditions. Therefore, the need to strive towards mixed, decentralized conservation management and stakeholder involvement is increasingly emphasized. Although there is limited research, it has been noted that protected areas have not served wider objectives effectively enough. The current study provides insight concerning socio-economic effects of different governance and management practices of protected areas based on perceptions of residents and stakeholders of five national parks of Estonia. It was found that conservation status has an important impact on local socio-economic conditions largely depending on governance and management practices, resulting in both, positive and negative effects. It was concluded that the centralization of nature conservation and the abolition of protected area administrations have led to a gradual distancing of nature conservation from local conditions and the population, causing concern about the preservation of the living environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tajik National Park struggles with overgrazing, illegal hunting and ill-managed tourism. The designation of the park as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 was meant to ease some of these struggles, but improvements are thus far difficult to identify. We conducted a case study to understand how local people perceive and interact with the park to probe how these struggles could be mitigated. Interviewees and participants proposed solutions that revolved around the concept of co-management, which we consider as a way to alleviate challenges the park faces today, especially in terms of nature conservation and livelihoods for communities affected by the park. We conclude that engaged community members are willing to help the park improve its management by co-producing knowledge and adapting to social–ecological change if certain conditions, such as improving trust and making trade-offs, are met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity loss is progressing despite biodiversity being essential for human survival, prosperity, and well-being. Conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of the habitat, given that its change is the most prominent factor causing the deterioration of biodiversity, represents a highly effective way of securing biodiversity. Therefore, we assessed and monitored habitat quality as a proxy for biodiversity with habitat quantity in Jeju Island, South Korea. We used an InVEST model with data on the habitat type, suitability, sensitivity, accessibility, and threat factors. Natural habitats throughout Jeju had rapidly decreased in area by 24.9% from 1989 to 2019, and this change contributed to the degradation of habitat quality by 15.8%. We provided significant evidence on the critical degradation of habitat for a long period of over 30 years and highlighted the urgent need for policies and behaviors that enhance biodiversity. We proposed appropriate strategies to prompt people to conserve better, restore effectively, and use biodiversity sustainably. We expect that our findings will provide scientific and evidence-based guidance for policy-making on biodiversity enhancement and will further support achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and Aichi Biodiversity Targets, in addition to compliance with the New Deal for Nature and People. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magical place commonly called the "Grand Canyon " is Native space. Eleven tribes hold traditional connections to the canyon according to the National Park Service. This Article is about relationships between these tribes and the agency--past, present, and future. Grand Canyon National Park's 2019 centennial afforded a valuable opportunity to reflect on these relationships and to envision what they might become. A reconception of the relationships has begun in recent decades that evidences a shift across the National Park System as a whole. This reconception should continue. Drawing on the tribal vision for Bears Ears National Monument, this Article advocates for Grand Canyon tribes and the Park Service to consider forming a Grand Canyon Commission for cooperative management of Grand Canyon National Park. Establishing this Commission would mark the vanguard of the relational reconception, and, in this precise sense, the Commission would lay a foundation for "indigenizing" Grand Canyon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National parks can be dangerous places. Lulled by often ill-informed notions that national parks are cleansed of any hazards and monitored by a ubiquitous staff of rangers, many visitors take unnecessary risks to their personal safety. The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) is tasked with the often-difficult challenge of protecting and preserving the 419 units of the national park system while providing for the comfort and safety of visitors. This article examines the spatial and thematic patterns of danger in national parks through a visual and textual content analysis of park signage and brochures combined with a landscape evaluation. Based on this work, I present examples of park signage and a typology of danger in national parks that is both geographic and thematic. Findings indicate that 1) a more informed understanding of the geographic range and environmental diversity of hazards can help park managers develop signage and increase visitors' geographic literacy of the NPS system. 2) We gain a better sense of the environmental use and management contexts of national parks by focusing on danger signs, their imagery, and site-specific information. This information provides texture to our understanding of changing park service management strategies, prepares visitors to be active participants in their personal risk responsibility, and helps us better understand changing environmental perceptions of U.S. national parks. 3) A spatial, cultural, and social perspective is important as it moves national parks toward a more inclusive experience that welcomes the growing ethnic, social, and cultural diversity of park visitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides a case study of utilization-preservation confrontations that have plagued Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. It outlines the disputes over the U.S. National Park Service's "multiple-use" mandate as it applied to Glacier Bay. It shows how local factors, including the cruise ship industry, influenced the implementation of federal policy at Glacier Bay.

The article examines the relationship between the automobile and national park management in the U.S. The introduction of automobiles into parks in the 1910s created a preservation ideal in which it is possible to link nature with car. This serves as the guiding principle of the National Park Service in its management of Mount Rainier in Washington and other national parks.

The diverse and omnipresent social media platforms in contemporary society have fundamentally changed the way people interact with their world. Parks and protected areas are no exception. Although outdoor recreation and tourism research has embraced social media from a utilitarian perspective, very few studies evaluate how social media influences visitor use, experiences, and behaviors. This research note is designed to provide a research agenda for investigating the relationship between social media, visitor use and experience, and parks and protected areas. It identifies four critical themes that act as a platform for further research with respect to social media: 1) the influence of social media on visitor behaviors, 2) using social media to enhance and facilitate the visitor experience, 3) reaching intended audiences, and 4) understanding management perspectives. Collectively, inquiry into these four themes can improve our understanding of how social media influences contemporary and future management of parks and protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As tax-based funding for local public park and recreation services becomes increasingly scarce, alternative funding strategies have received increased attention. Privatization, any activity that reduces the public's role in the financing and delivery of such services, has garnered particular scrutiny. Privatization is simultaneously a promising tool for public park agencies, and a potentially controversial and contentious issue. However, existing research has provided an incomplete picture of privatization in the local public park and recreation context. Previous studies are limited by the localized nature of their samples, as well as their emphasis on dichotomous attitude measurements, which do not fully address attitude strength and structure. To address these gaps, this study used a nationally representative sample to examine cognitive factors that relate to attitudes toward the concept of park privatization as a whole, and toward specific privatization practices. Results indicate only a modest level of attitudinal ambivalence among respondents, indicating that privatization of park and recreation services may not be a highly controversial topic among the general public. Attitudes toward privatization as a whole were moderately positive across the entire sample; however, there were significant variations in acceptability among individual practices (i.e., corporate sponsorship, outsourcing, and the outright sale of public park facilities). Social ideology, attitudinal ambivalence, and knowledge about privatization were shown to be consistent predictors of attitudes toward privatization, while economic ideology was less consistently significant. Social conservatives with greater attitudinal ambivalence and knowledge of privatization were generally more positive toward privatization as a whole, and toward individual privatization practices. Privatization practices in the delivery of park and recreation services are likely to be part of the new reality for many public agencies. As such, a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence the acceptability of these practices will be crucial. This study illustrated that several cognitive factors are significantly related to attitudes toward privatization. For practitioners and decision makers considering implementing one or more of these practices, as well as national professional groups advocating for public parks and recreation, such information may be of significant value. Future research should continue to explore and refine the concept of attitudinal ambivalence as it applies to park privatization practices. Based on the influence of social ideology found in this study, future research must also examine additional factors such as personal value orientation for any potential relationship to attitudes and support for privatization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Dugongs (Dugong dugon) depend on seagrass meadows for food. As such seagrass and dugong conservation should go hand in hand. Assessing dugong populations is notoriously challenging. In the most resource dependent communities Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) is generally high and can provide an alternative to the use of expensive ecological surveys to understand dugong populations and support associated resource management decisions. Residents of the Wakatobi National Park (WNP), SE Sulawesi, Indonesia are highly dependent on marine resources for livelihoods and correspondingly LEK is high. Here LEK documents the presence of D. dugon in the WNP and infers changes in population size. Interviews with local residents in 2012–2013 revealed 99 sightings of dugongs since 1942, 48 of which occurred between 2002 and 2012, with 79.82% of respondents having seen a dugong. Declines in the frequency of sightings within the lifetime of several respondents were reported, respondents speculating that populations are reduced. This information can guide further cooperative research and conservation efforts for the protection of a vulnerable species and the seagrass habitat on which it depends. Highlights • Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) evidences presence and population change of Dugong dugon in the Wakatobi National Park • Persistence of D. dugon in the park provides a reason to be optimistic about the status of Wakatobi seagrass meadows • Clear pathway for integration of LEK into management planning for D. dugon and the seagrass meadows on which they depend [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rwanda's Nyungwe National Park is a biodiversity hotspot with the most endemic species in the ecoregion and the highest number of threatened species internationally. Nyungwe supplies critical ecosystem services to the Rwandan population including water provisioning and tourism services. Tourism in the Park has strong potential for financing enhanced visitor experiences and the sustainable management of the Park. This paper explores quantitatively the economic impacts of adjustment in Park visitation fees and tourism demand as a source of revenues to improve Park tourism opportunities and ongoing operations and maintenance. The methods developed in this paper are novel in integrating the results of stated preference techniques with a regional computable general equilibrium modelling approach to capture multisectoral, direct, indirect and induced impacts. Such methods have strong potential for assessing revenue generation alternatives in other contexts where park managers are faced with the need to generate additional revenue for sustainable park management while facing diminishing budget allocations. Results of this analysis demonstrate that adjustment of Park fees has a relatively small impact on the regional economy and well-being when compared with a strategy aimed at generating increased tourism demand through investment in improving the visitor experience at Nyungwe National Park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soundscape assessment takes many forms, including letting the consequences of the soundscape be an indicator of soundscape quality or value. As a result, much social science research has been conducted to better quantify problem soundscapes and the subsequent effects on humans exposed to them. Visual evaluations of natural environments are one area where research has consistently shown detrimental effects of noisy or anthropogenic soundscapes (e.g., those containing noise from motorized recreation), but the potential moderating role of individual attitudes toward elements within the soundscape has not been sufficiently explored. This study demonstrates that both pro-motorized recreation and pro-motorized recreation management attitudes can alter the effect of motorized recreation noise on scenic evaluations in opposing directions. Pro-recreation attitudes lessen the effect of the soundscape, while pro-management attitudes heighten the negative effect of anthropogenic sounds on scenic evaluation. The implications for other areas of soundscape research, especially with regard to soundscape quality assessment through experienced outcomes, are discussed, including possible strategies for prioritizing known or relevant moderating variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review a 28‐year project to restore a Bull Trout Salvelinus confluentus population in a small Oregon watershed. Restoration evolved from eradication and exclusion of nonnative fishes within the boundaries of a national park to stream reconstruction and reconnection of a historical stream network across state and private property. Management of the project evolved from unilateral actions by a single federal agency to collaborative actions by multiple federal and state agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and private land owners. The project removed nonnative fish from 24 km of one stream by electrofishing and application of chemical piscicide. As a result, Bull Trout abundance and distribution increased from approximately 150 fish occupying 2 km of stream to over 2,000 fish occupying 19 km. Stream restoration included construction of 4 km of stream channel, planting riparian vegetation, fencing to exclude cattle, transfer of water rights to instream use, and facilities to manage fish passage and water withdrawals for irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The national parks in Vietnam are protected areas in the national system of special-use forests created to protect natural resources and biodiversity. In order to improve the effectiveness of management of national parks, the study assesses some current aspects of conservation and management of natural resources with respect to management plans, financial sources, staff, cooperative activities, causes of limited management capacity and threats to natural resources. Out of the total of 30 national parks, six are under the responsibility of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) and 24 national parks are managed by provincial authorities. It was found that most of the national parks have updated their management plans. Financial sources of funding for national parks mainly originated from the central and provincial budgets, with an average of 51% and 76% respectively. Fifty percent of national parks spent 40-60% of their total funding on conservation activities. About 85% of national parks' staff had academic degrees, typically in the fields of forestry, agriculture and fisheries. Biodiversity conservation was considered a priority cooperative action in national parks with scientific institutes. Major causes of a limited management capacity of national parks included human population growth and pressure associated with resources use, lack of funding, limited human and institutional capacity and land use conflict/land grab. Illegal hunting, trapping, poaching and fishing, the illegal wildlife trade, illegal logging and firewood collecting appeared to be the most serious threats to the conservation and management of natural resources. In addition to these results, significant differences were found between the VNFOREST and provincial parks in terms of financial sources, staff and the threat of illegal logging and firewood collecting. The authors' findings offer useful information for national park planners and managers, as well as policy makers and researchers in seeking solutions for the sustainable management of natural resources in national parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the analysis of the current situation of the forest area in Alytus and Vilnius counties. Comparative, analytical as well as statistical and logical analysis methods were used for the investigation. The aim of the investigation is to carry out the analysis of the Alytus and Vilnius counties forest area during the period between the years 2006 and 2018. The object of the investigation - Alytus and Vilnius counties forest area. Tasks of the investigation: 1. To describe the status quo of forest in Alytus and Vilnius counties. 2. To analyze and compare the forest area change in Alytus and Vilnius counties during the period between the years 2006 and 2018. The study found that forests prevailing in Alytus and Vilnius Counties are 50-59 years old. It was determined that pine trees prevail in Alytus County (71.05 percent) and in Vilnius County (16.38 percent) as well. The type of ownership prevailing in both Alytus and Vilnius counties is the forests of state significance managed by forest enterprises, national parks and state reserves. In Alytus County, during the period between the years 2006 and 2018, the forest area decreased by 4123.16 ha or 1.55 percent, in Vilnius County increased by 9593.16 ha or 2,35 percent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burning embers are pushed over a 3,000 feet granite cliff to create a 'firefall' visitor spectacular. Sounds like an amusement park attraction? Actually, this and other actions have taken place in National Parks that were not conducive to good management of geologic resources. This article will explore the evolution of geologic resource management from its laissez-faire inception, to an era when landscape architects largely drove management of geologic resources, to today's policy-driven Geologic Resource Division that professionally provides comprehensive and project-specific assistance to parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last years, Albania attempted to change his legislation, making possible approach to the European Union standards. A sector which our country push his attention has been the environment sector and in particularly the biodiversity protection. In this reason the government has made several efforts on making policies in the development and management of the Protected Areas and National Parks. The tourism sector an especially ecotourism are manly new industries in the Republic of Albania. The Biodiversity is an attraction for the tourists who visit these specific areas, but is necessary to create touristic guide specialized in this sector and especially in the endemic and sub endemic species. Ecotourism sector development makes pressure in the biodiversity and therefore it requires a qualitative management because besides the economic benefits it constitutes an ongoing threat to the biodiversity in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utria National Park is a remote biodiversity hotspot in Colombia. It encompasses ancestral territories of the Embera indigenous peoples and borders territories of Afro-descendant communities in El Valle. We explore environmental value conflicts regarding the use of the park, describing them as a Wicked Problem that has no clear solution. Juxtaposing how the territory is perceived by different communities, we employ Faber et al.'s heuristic of the three tele of living nature to search for deficiency in the third telos, service, which we take to be symptomatic of Wicked Problems. Based on field data encoded using the three-tele heuristic, concerning how the respective communities would like to use the park area, we identify deficiencies in the third telos and develop recommendations regarding how these might be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper outlines the existing system of the system of territorial nature conservation in the Far Eastern Federal District as of 2017, the 100 anniversary of zapovednik management in Russia. Emphasis is placed on the importance of the primacy of the landscape approach in a further formation of this system as opposed to the currently dominant biological principle that declares conservation of rare and endangered species only. This is associated with the environment-forming function of landscapes, and with the need for the preservation of significant spaces typical for the Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts, each of which accounts for one-third of the area of Russia. The analysis of the system of specially protected natural areas demonstrated that in the Far East it includes a smaller number of protected areas; on the other hand, it is substantially more significant in diversity of categories and in the area than in Siberia. It is emphasized that among the nine regions of Siberian District, a special situation is emerging in Yakutia, because it has the largest number of protected areas, their proportion with respect to the area of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation is highest, and their diversity in categories is considerable. Also, it is the only region in all Asian Russia where the governance practices have retained the principle of division of the nature conservation and resource-use lines of activity. It is shown that the single-dimension (landscape) approach can be used in thematic atlas mapping to assess representativeness of the system of territorial nature conservation in the Far East at a large and medium scale, identify the distribution patterns of specially protected natural areas and determine their spatial overlaps. Illustrative examples are provided for the landscape structure and territorial overlaps in the case of Khoso National Park (Khabarovsk krai) and the South Kamchatka cluster of the Kamchatka Volcanoes Nature Park from the forthcoming Atlas entitled 'Specially Protected Natural Areas of the Far Eastern Federal District. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution characteristics of the zapovednik system in Russia are considered. The national zapovednik management activities emerged well before 1917. Its further strengthening was influenced by the Western European ideas of nature conservation, and by experience of the establishment of North American national nature marks accumulated since the last quarter of the 19 century. In spite of this influence, the network of zapovedniks of the USSR acquired its uniqueness and became one of the country's most important achievements in the 20 century. The idea of conserving nature is deeply rooted in the history of Russia and was raised in the national literature long before its practical implementation. Three main interpretations in the theory and practice of zapovednik management of Russia have hitherto been used: utilitarian-pragmatic, ecocentric, and scientific-ecological. The idea of classical zapovedniks is based on the scientific-ecological approach substantiated in publications of V.V. Dokuchaev, G.A. Kozhevnikov, F.R. Shtil'mark, and others. It is suggested that a specialized state body be re-established to ensure absolute conservation of preservation territories. The existing geographical network of zapovedniks of Russia needs further development in order to achieve optimal representativeness. An important benchmark in its optimization is provided by the project prepared in 1917 by V.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shanskii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws attention to the neglected sociological concept of authority, arguing that fresh attention to authority, and its relationship with legitimacy, is needed to extend our understanding of the practices and outcomes of rural governance. However, the foundational theory of authority needs updating to recognise the multiple modes of authority and attention should be paid to how they are enacted, by whom and in what circumstances. The paper updates debates on whether there is a missing category beyond Weber's traditional tripartite distinction between traditional, charismatic and legal-rational authority. The paper uses empirical evidence from a five year ethnographic study of the development and implementation of a strategic National Park Plan to explore what is meant by an ‘enabling Authority’ and the difficulties experienced. The results suggest that a portfolio of modes of legitimate authority are enacted, drawing attention to how authority and legitimacy are more complex and hybrid than the foundational theory suggests. The tensions in utilising multiple sources of authority speak to wider discussions about rural governance of multi-functional spaces and places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Record numbers of people are visiting the country's national parks and wilderness areas. This volume increase places a greater strain on these natural places. This increase in visitors, coupled with a National Park Service maintenance backlog and budget deficit for maintaining existing facilities in parks, illustrates the need for additional measures to adequately maintain the national wilderness system. The status quo in wilderness maintenance is insufficient. Leave No Trace is an informal set of principles for wilderness users to follow to minimize their impact when traveling through these areas and has been around for decades. However, an increasing number of first-time wilderness users means a growing population unfamiliar with Leave No Trace principles. Additionally, there is evidence that those arguably most aware of the principles are choosing to ignore them. The informal nature of these principles has outlived its usefulness; a heavier hand must now accompany them. This Comment argues that the Leave No Trace principles should become law, replacing the current regulations governing recreational activities in federal wilderness areas. Decades of development allowed the principles to reach their current final form and to gain familiarity and consensus among those whom the law would affect most. Additionally, the simple and coherent structure of the principles would replace the current scattered regulations and a messy body of law in general. Finally, Leave No Trace possesses certain traits that can address resource and enforcement issues unique to wilderness settings. A Leave No Trace law can be a concrete step in preserving our wilderness system and ensuring the viability of the natural world for generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Joint management at Kakadu National Park has been marked by conflict and discontent among the major actors, its Traditional Aboriginal Owners and the White rangers (and other staff) of the state. Despite such conflict, and structured differences between these groups of actors, the park continues to function. In this article I argue that the structures and actions perpetuating difference and conflict are usually more or less balanced by opposing structures and actions that draw the two groups of actors together. I further argue that the most important of such cohering structures and actions, what I call 'common discourse', derives from the work that both Aboriginal and White rangers perform in the field. This form of under-recognised discourse acts against the corrosive discourses of the separate groups that tend to perpetuate separateness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spur-thighed tortoise is a vulnerable species, the local declines of populations require an imperative need for conservation. Research on habitat use is essential for understanding population ecology. To investigate the home range and movement patterns we studied a population which occupies an enclosed area of 30 ha in northeastern Algeria. Studies of movement showed that home ranges were substantially smaller than in Spain. This difference was due to the high trophic availability with signifi cant richness in plants which make part of the diet of the tortoise. The home range varied from 0.287 ha in males to 0.354 ha for females; there was no sexual difference. The males are the most active with a distance of 3.79 m/d. Females and juveniles are respectively about 2.25 m/d and 2.11 m/d. The distance moved each day do not vary signifi cantly by sex and ages. Results from this study are important for establishing conservation strategies for this vulnerable species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most pressing concerns arising from growth of ecotourism in the protected areas is how to plan the ecotourism to support effective conservation of the values in the sensitive areas and optimize equitable benefits to local people and reduce adverse impacts of tourism. Beside the concerns, there is a high level of expectation among protected area managers about ecotourism and its opportunities, but there is also a great deal of concern about the challenges it creates. It is clear that ecotourism will not succeed without planning and management. Although, planning for ecotourism is a very important progress for conservation and development in the protected areas, there is a very limited number of ecotourism planning studies for protected areas in Turkey. One of these studies is the 'Sustainable Tourism Planning for Ilgaz Mountain National Park'. The plan has four phases and issues to be addressed in implementing each of these phases are discussed in detail by planners, site managers and other key stakeholders. The process described is intended as a reference for implementation of ecotourism products and services, governance for ecotourism, sustainability of the activities, and training and awareness for visitors, site managers and implementers. The plan initiates many opportunities for managers and decision makers. It also corroborates importance and necessity of the planning for sustainable ecotourism implementation and stakeholder engagement in order to increase effectiveness. Despite the fact that the plan is a concrete result, the process indicates that ecotourism is initiated only when it is the most effective strategy to achieve tangible, lasting results and strong cooperation and collaboration between local people and tourism business. The conservation management, local participation and business development must be fully understood by ecotourism planners and protected area managers before moving ahead with plans to implement ecotourism activities. This paper sets out to identify a number of elements of good practice in incorporating the fundamental issues of management and development of the ecotourism in Ilgaz Mountain National Park. The process intends to be a reference for the other protected area ecotourism planning studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the legislation for the designation of national parks in England dates back to the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949, it was not until 1997 that free-standing and independent national park authorities were established to help manage these landscapes. In 2014–15, the 10 English national park authorities were allocated £44.6 million from the Department for Food, the Environment and Rural Affairs to deliver their conservation and recreation purposes and their socio-economic duty. This paper discusses how the performance of the national park authorities has been assessed, using the Northumberland National Park Authority as a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT Air temperatures have increased globally over the past decades, while rainfall changes have been more variable, but are taking place. In South Africa, substantial climate-related impacts are predicted, and protected area management agencies will need to respond actively to impacts. It is critical for management agencies to understand the way in which climate is changing locally to predict impacts and respond appropriately. Here, for the first time, we quantify observable changes in temperature and rainfall in South African national parks over the past five to ten decades. Our results show significant increases in temperatures in most parks, with increases being most rapid in the arid regions of the country. Increases in the frequency of extreme high temperature events were also most pronounced in these regions. These results are consistent with other climate studies conducted in these areas. Similar increases were identified for both minimum and maximum temperatures, though absolute minimum temperatures increased at greater rates than absolute maxima. Overall, rainfall trends were less obvious, but a decrease in rainfall was observed for the southern Cape (in three parks), and an increase was detected in one park. The observed temperature changes over the last 20-50 years have in several instances already reached those predicted for near future scenarios (2035), indicating that change scenarios are conservative. These results provide individual parks with evidence-based direction for managing impacts under current and projected changes in local climate. They also provide the management agency with sub-regional information to tailor policy and impact monitoring. Importantly, our results highlight the critical role that individual weather stations play in informing local land management and the concerns for parks that have no local information on changes in climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feral Hogs ( Sus scrofa) are an invasive species that have occupied the Great Smoky Mountains National Park since the early 1900s. Recent studies on vegetation, mast, and harvest history were important for our work. Using these data, a model with discrete time and space was formulated to represent the feral hog dynamics in the Park. Management strategies and key characteristics of the population were investigated. The model uses observed mast variation to help govern population dynamics and results indicate that Park control efforts have limited the growth of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article has sought to present an ethnographic analysis of the processes of constructing cultural difference in the co-management of Nahuel Huapi National Park (Patagonia, Argentina). It focuses on the articulation of identity, culture and territory, understanding co-management to be a global-local conservationist arena in which multiple interests that reshape identities and environmental policies come into dispute. The study concludes that communities are not approached as historical products in this process, but rather as totalizing and homogeneous entities that must comply with predetermined attributes in order to be legitimized and incorporated into the co-management process. In contrast to this tendency, it shows how different "ways of being a community" require a degree of institutional plasticity that cannot be guaranteed with such rigid models of co-management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trend and episodes of erosion at Great Kills Park, part of the National Park Service, are products of the origin of the park's location and the impact of a negative sediment budget. Management response to the impacts of erosion is somewhat limited by National Park Service philosophy, but some options remain because the negative sediment budget is a product of barriers to sediment transport updrift of the Park. The erosional situation is exacerbated by an exposure of an antecedent backmarsh feature within the Park that is affecting the inshore pattern of incident waves. Recent monitoring data indicate planform conformity to an updrift log-spiral erosional bluff that extends downdrift to a site with beach and dune features. Despite a general net negative sediment budget in the profile, the dune feature is increasing in volume as it shifts inland, fitting models of foredune development. Seasonal monitoring of the topography records that storms cause a stepwise inland displacement of an updrift portion of the Park and a more linear displacement in the downdrift portion. Among the options consistent with management policy responding to the negative sediment budget issue is an opportunity to work within the scale of the small sediment transport cell and backpass sediment toward the updrift margin of the cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beginning of the creation of national parks is related to the foundation of Yellowstone National Park in the USA in 1872. National parks (or NP), according to our ordinary understanding, are territories of complex preservation, having priorities of conservation, recuperation, recreation and in some cases farming, according to the program of general protection and usage. These are the territories, dedicated to preserving and managing landscapes of national importance. It took almost a century to achieve such a complex national park concept. The American example had a strong influence on other countries. The first national parks in Europe began to be founded at the beginning of the twentieth century, they were much smaller in their area and were based upon the USA management model. The United Kingdom is the first country to be analysed in this article. National parks in this country started to be propagated as a method to save vegetation and animal life and fulfil an increasing need or recreation for the society. National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act was formed in 1949, which defined national parks as rural areas, including villages and small towns. The first national parks were founded in 1951, in Scotland only in 2000. Unfortunately, Northern Ireland has no national parks founded until this day. The first national park projects in France appeared in 1909, causing a lot of discussions. Creation of national parks was delayed for decades due to many factors. Only after World War II main works were started. The National Park Law was enacted in 1960, which separated national parks into three zones and in the revision of 2006 into two zones: “le coeur” and “l'aire optimale d'adhésion”. There are currently 10 national parks founded in France. They seek to preserve flora, fauna, soil, underground, air, water and protect all natural environment from interference. There was no official definition for a national park in Germany until 1970. A big contribution to creating the concept of national parks in Germany was made by the IUCN conference in New Delhi in 1969. During the conference, the first common rules, goals and perspectives were set for national parks. The biggest impact was made in 1973 when the definition of a national park was introduced into the Bavarian Environmental Protection Act and after few years it was introduced into the Federation Environmental Protection Act. National parks in Germany are for the preservation of representative natural landscapes, e. g. for the protection of biodiversity and especially creating an option for natural processes to take place without any human influences. Uneven differentiation of national parks in landscape is determined by different priority for a particular type of landscape and its protection in each country. Landscape of the United Kingdom's national parks is mostly hills and mountains, less frequent are lakes and heath landscapes. French national parks are located mostly in mountainous and coastal territories. Also, national parks in overseas departments are exceptional for their tropical landscape. German national parks stand out from others for their coastal and forest landscapes, which comprise half of all national parks. However, it must be noted that one national park territory can belong to more than one landscape type. So, the best way to define a dominant landscape in national parks is to define it according to the degree of naturalness: United Kingdom's national parks belong to cultural, French national parks to natural or sub-natural, Germany's natural parks to natural landscape. Protection, usage and management of national parks in the selected countries is regulated by law. In all three countries, the management structure is different. In the United Kingdom, these protected areas are managed as protected community resources, where permanent human community is not usually involved, and are quite different from the ones in other countries, where they usually belong to the government. The national park purpose there is to include large settlements and human land use, which is a part of the landscape. Additionally, due to its lack of territorial integrity, the United Kingdom has separate legal bases for national parks: one of them is for the English and Welsh system and the other one for the Scotland national parks system. However, in France and Germany, unlike Britain, creation and management of national parks depends on the country. In France, after the law reform in 2006, municipalities can also take part in development of national parks, lowering the negative public attitude towards protected areas. In Germany, the biggest part of national park's territory belongs to the country, so there are no problems with land owners there. The main conclusions of the article are these: 1) The United Kingdom, France and Germany have developed different kinds of NP concepts, what proves that these concepts are determined by the state itself, without one IUCN format specified. 2) NP unequal representation of the landscape type is determined by different country's priority for a specific type of landscape and its protection: cultural landscape in the United Kingdom, natural or subnatural landscape in France, natural landscape in Germany. 3) The British NP model and the French [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial incomes in the management of national parks represent one of the essential components in the management of protected areas. Revenues generated through the sustainable use of resources are of great importance, and are essential components financing the activities of national parks (NPs). In the system of financing NPs are determined by the three general methods of financing: the budget of the Republic of Serbia through grants; revenues generated by the organization that manages the NP and donations. The aim of the research is to acquire new knowledge about the economic value of the part of ecosystem services in the territory of NP Kopaonik (NPK). The purpose of the research is part of the economic evaluation of ecosystem services, as well as establishing the importance and possibilities for the development of the NPK by further differentiating sources of income of the national park in comparison to other ecosystem services. The methodological approach refers to a case study in the territory of the NPK. The research objects are: timber (assortments and part of final production) and non-timber forest products (blueberries, porcini, chanterelles, wild berries and herbs), which are commercially important for management of NPK. The assortment structure of timber which the NPK delivers to all customers, participate spruce and fir with 63%, while beech has a share of 37%. Placement of assortments of beech, spruce and fir has linear trend with exponential growth rate of +5.8%. Purchase of beech, fir and spruce decreases according to the linear trend with exponential growth rate of -4.4%, as well as placement on domestic market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sri Lanka's National Parks (NPs) are becoming prime destinations for both foreign and domestic tourists. With rising heterogeneous demand for nature-based experiences, NP administrators are facing the challenge of re-crafting policy and nature-based use-models to meet the diverse expectations of visitors while achieving conservation goals. As such, an understanding of NP visitor perspectives is essential in making sound management decisions to effectively accommodate conservation and recreational uses. This study explores visitor perceptions of roles, functions, policies and best uses of NPs in Sri Lanka. On-site interviews from 682 visitors to two highly-visited NPs revealed that a majority of respondents view "ecological protection " as the most important role of NPs. Recreation and commercial development-related roles were ranked lower in overall importance. Factor analysis and subsequent ANOVA comparisons further identified core belief constructs that ultimately supported the notion of NP policy should be more protection-oriented rather than accommodating to recreation. This is not to say that recreation should not be one of the multiple uses ofNPs from the respondents' viewpoint. Although non-consumptive activities were rated most appropriate, visitors also desire that park infrastructure and visitor services to be developed and maintained at an acceptable level in order for them to satisfactorily experience the destination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural landscape managers are seeking to enhance the ability of landscapes to endure stressors, disturbances, and environmental change. The components of resilient systems--diversity, redundancy, network connectivity, modularity, and adaptability--are valuable tools to examine current landscape vulnerability and to attempt to minimize climate change impacts. These components are derived from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's "National Incident Management System" and were recently included in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's Rebuild by Design competition brief.1 This article discusses the resiliency components and provides examples from cultural landscapes in national parks across the country. It is intended to stimulate thought about sustainable practices and the ways in which cultural landscapes can be managed through preservation maintenance or rehabilitation treatment for greater resilience to the effects of changing climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of the HMS Fowey shipwreck site in Biscayne National Park is a unique case study in the development of an interpretation and outreach program for the sensitive and now inaccessible site. Decades of restricted access and recent stabilization activities completed at the site have effectively closed archaeological access to it for the foreseeable future. The National Park Service did not come lightly to the decision to physically remove access the site. However, after several decades of monitoring significant loss, due to both erosion and looting, few options remained. This article utilizes the management of HMS Fowey as a case study in the development and modification of an interpretation and outreach program that can be applied to resources in similar peril and specifically to those located within the Florida Keys. Following a discussion of the archaeological history of the wreck site and the difficulties of regulating public access to HMS Fowey, this article addresses some of the difficulties associated with interpreting a closed and inaccessible archaeological site while detailing the Park's attempts to balance the protection, interpretation, and public access to sensitive archaeological sites in what could be described as the treasure hunting capital of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective management of conservation areas is critical to ensure the adequate protection of the natural resources. The landscape unit concept can be used as a tool in conservation management as a spatial planning unit. Landscape units are areas with a specific set of biotic and abiotic characteristics that can be classified, mapped and described. These units then form the basis on which a conservation area can be planned and managed. A vegetation map was compiled for Tankwa Karoo National Park (TKNP), when it was originally proclaimed at 27,064 ha. The park has subsequently expanded to more than 145,000 ha and is still growing. A need has been identified by park management as well as scientists working in the park for an effective framework for managing the park, and for conducting scientific research. The latest vegetation map of South Africa is at too coarse a scale for park planning. The purpose of the current study was to classify, map and describe the current extent of the TKNP to fulfill this need. Two primary zones were identified for the park: the Tanqua Plains Zone and the Roggeveld Mountain Zone. These two zones were further subdivided into landscape units using land type units and a combination of field work and satellite imagery. Futhermore, the landscape units were related to habitats and/or vegetation types as identified during previous studies in the area. Environmental parameters for each landscape unit were summarised in order to provide additional information for consideration in management and research decisions. Thirteen landscape units were identified in the current TKNP and are mapped and described. Delineation of the TKNP into landscape units will aid in the effective conservation management of this large national park as well as facilitate scientifc research and monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Penang National Park (PNP), as Malaysia's smallest national park, is one of the few naturally forested areas left on Penang Island, in Peninsular Malaysia. The main objective was to analyse users' preferences and willingness to pay to enhance improved management of PNP for the dual aim of conservation and recreation. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the formation of attitudes towards different aspects of PNP. Results showed that implementing enforcements with rules and regulations and imposing permits and charges on certain activities were the most influential variables of PNPs' perceptions. The results of a random parameter logit model (RPL) demonstrated that visitors placed the highest value on having adequate information about PNP, and the second-highest value on improvements in the park's ecological management. The welfare measure for improvement in management of PNP against status quo is estimated at about MYR 9. Results also showed that demand for better conservation and management of PNP is relatively price-inelastic. Simulations of the results showed, under a MYR10 admission fee, that improvement in management would have 96% of market share compared with status quo. This study concluded that visitor entrance fees can and ought to be introduced as a means of financing conservation initiatives and possibly preventing congestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]