Does Public Participation Shift German National Park Priorities Away from Nature Conservation?. (14th September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dupke, Claudia; Dormann, Carsten F.; Heurich, Marco
• Is Part Of: Environmental conservation. Volume 46:Number 1(2019)
• Page Start: 84
• Page End: 91
• Publication Date: 2018-09-14
• Subjects: parks–people relationship, -- national forest management, -- public participation, -- conservation, -- ecotourism, -- sustainable tourism, -- carrying capacity; Environmental protection -- Periodicals; 363.7
• DOI: 10.1017/S0376892918000310
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0376-8929

Abstract

Summary: National park management has the dual mission of protecting and conserving natural systems and providing services to visitors. These two goals are often contradictory, especially when levels of recreation and tourism increase. We studied whether and how the management of the 13 terrestrial national parks in Germany respond to increasing numbers of visitors. One to three managers from each national park completed an online questionnaire and were then interviewed by phone. We found no general strategy for managing high levels of recreational use. Adaptation to increasing visitor numbers seemed to be complex and arduous. Management options are particularly constrained by the mandatory public participation process, in which various stakeholders are involved in decision-making. Given the political pressure to make amends for restrictions imposed by designated protected areas, national park management is characterized by compromises, which results in a shift of priorities from conservation towards service provision. We argue that to maintain the balance between the dual objectives of conservation and recreation, park managers need the support of both social and biological research communities. Above all, the unique ecological merits of national parks could be more strongly highlighted to increase the general public's acceptance of park restrictions.