scholarly journals National Parks and Other Protected Areas: Some Reflections on the Past and Prescriptions for the Future

1980 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold K. Eidsvik

The World Conservation Strategy stresses the maintenance of essential ecological processes and life-support systems, preservation of genetic diversity, and sustainable use of species and ecosystems—in brief, the integration of conservation with development. The present paper traces shifts in conservation policy, which originnally saw national parks as islands isolated from their surrounding communities, through to the evolving concept of protected areas integrated with development programmes. It stresses the need for protected areas, and notes that only about 2% of the world's continental land-mass can be so classified. It is thereofre imperative for the survival of Nature and Man that a closer linkage be established between protection and development functions in such a way that both are seen as essential from a social and economic viewpoint.The continuing exploitive pressures on living natural resources are noted, and suggestions are made towards mitigating the impact of armed conflict and increasing financing for protected areas in order to achieve conservation and development objectives.

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
José Augusto Leitão Drummond ◽  
José Luiz De Andrade Franco ◽  
Daniela De Oliveira

This is a second overview of the Brazilian conservation unit system for mid-2010. It updates author et al, 2009. It examines six dimensions of federal and state protected areas – age, numbers, types of units, absolute and average sizes, distribution by states and biomes, and degree of compliance with CBD-inspired goals. Major findings: (i) the system maintained a rapid growth rate; (ii) national parks and national forests are the most prominent units; (iii) distribution of units by region and biome remains unbalanced; (iv) state units grew remarkably over the last five years; (v) state units are biased towards sustainable use; (vi) sustainable use units grew more than fully protected units; (vii) Amazonia remains the most extensively protected biome; and (viii) quantitative goals of biome protection are closer to being reached. In 2010 Brazil held the fourth position globally in protected areas; it created the largest number of units between 2000 and 2010; it has the largest combined area of protected tropical formations. However, several regions and biomes remain under protected. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-458
Author(s):  
Martina Dell'Eva ◽  
Consuelo Rubina Nava ◽  
Linda Osti

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the role of animals in creating a satisfactory experience at a natural park by investigating the impact on visitors of the exposure to, or absence of, fauna, towards the visitors’ overall experience. Design/methodology/approach The work is based on a quantitative data collection of tourists visiting a nature park. Altogether, 532 valid questionnaires were collected and used for the analysis. A series of factor analyses was conducted on pull and push factors for animal encounters. The resulting factor domains (FDs) were used as independent variables in ordinal logistic regression models to describe customer satisfaction. Findings The results of this study show that important FDs characterize the main visitor characteristics. Although human–animal encounters are an important factor for some visitors, the encounters should be encouraged in the most natural manner possible and not in captivity. This brings us to the concept of “Interpretation”, where guides and guided tours can help with the encounters. Information given prior to and during the visit can ensure visitors are aware that animal encounters are subject to nature and cannot be guaranteed. Originality/value The presence of areas where a number of animals are in captivity and can be viewed by visitors is an important decision for national parks and protected areas, as animals represent a potential attraction for visitors. Nevertheless, this decision creates an ethical dilemma in relation to the exploitation of animals, exacerbated by recent and increasing pressure on sustainable management. This study provides valuable results for guiding park managers in making reasoned decisions.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
DARÍO FERNÁNDEZ-BELLON ◽  
JOHN LUSBY ◽  
JULES BOS ◽  
TONIO SCHAUB ◽  
ALAN MCCARTHY ◽  
...  

Summary Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus and Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus are open-country birds of prey with overlapping distributions. Although both species face similar conservation threats across their ranges, work to date has largely been undertaken at a national scale with few attempts to collate and assess factors relevant to their conservation at an international scale. Here we use an expert knowledge approach to evaluate the impact of conservation threats and the effectiveness of conservation strategies for each species across Europe. We report results of responses to a questionnaire from 23 Hen Harrier experts from nine countries and 12 Short-eared Owl experts from six countries. The majority of responses for both species reported declines in breeding numbers. The perceived impact of threats was broadly similar for both species: ecological factors (predation, extreme weather and prey availability), changes in land use (habitat loss and agricultural intensification) and indirect persecution (accidental nest destruction) were considered to be the greatest threats to breeding Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl. Short-eared Owl experts also highlighted lack of knowledge and difficulties associated with monitoring as a major conservation challenge. Despite broad-scale similarities, geographical variation was also apparent in the perceived importance of conservation threats, with some threats (such as direct persecution, large-scale afforestation or habitat degradation) requiring country-specific actions. Implementation of different conservation strategies also varied between countries, with the designation of protected areas reported as the most widespread conservation strategy adopted, followed by species and habitat management. However, protected areas (including species-specific protected areas) were perceived to be less effective than active management of species and habitats. These findings highlight the overlap between the conservation requirements of these two species, and the need for collaborative international research and conservation approaches that prioritise pro-active conservation strategies subject to continued assessment and with specific conservation goals.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko ◽  
Zuzana Botiková ◽  
Joanna Poczta

The practice of active and qualified tourism in national parks in Poland and Slovakia has longstanding traditions. Primarily, these parks have been a place of individual recreational activity, as well as a place to educate and convene with nature. Recently, sport tourism, which is characterized by the participation of tourists in mass organized sporting events mainly of a competitive nature, has been gaining more popularity. Even though this activity takes place in protected areas, sports are the main priority, rather than educational goals. Natural values have the primary function of enriching emotional experiences, and exploring wildlife is not an end in itself. Running events are now at the head of the list as the most popular sporting events in Poland and in Slovakia. The authors of the article focused on protected areas in Poland and Slovakia, largely because these countries were considering organizing one of the world’s biggest sports events together: The Winter Olympic Games (2022). The purpose of the study was to recognize the attitude of Polish and Slovak national park authorities toward the organization of mass sports events in protected areas. A diagnostic survey was conducted using the method of interviews with the directors of Polish and Slovak national parks. The research results shed light on the current state of development of sports event tourism in protected areas in the two countries. The article examines the response of Polish and Slovak park authorities to the changes of the current era of shifting societal needs regarding physical development, in particular with regard to the sustainability of protected areas. Currently, there is a lack of a strategic approach toward the development of sports tourism in national parks in Poland and Slovakia. The answers given in the interviews create an image that indicates a differentiated approach to the issue of permitting the organization of sports events in the areas of national parks. It turns out that the practice in these areas is different in individual parks. The diagnosis presented in the article indicates that it is necessary to undertake interdisciplinary and international research among environmentalists, economists, sociologists, anthropologists, and physical culture specialists in order to develop methods for measuring the impact of sporting events organized in natural areas in this part of Europe.


Author(s):  
M. Toker ◽  
E. Çolak ◽  
F. Sunar

Abstract. Protected areas are important with land or water body ecosystems that have biodiversity, flora and fauna species. In Turkey, National Parks are one of the protected areas managed according to the National Parks Law No. 2873. Among them, the İğneada Floodplain Forests National Park, located in İğneada town in the province of Kırklareli, Turkey has been declared as a national park in 2007, and has an importance being a rare ecosystem, which consists of wetland, swamp, lakes and coastal sand dunes. Planning of Protected Areas can be done in a variety of ways, taking into account the balance of protection/use and should follow policies and guidelines. Today, for the sustainability and effective management of forest ecosystems, remote sensing technology provides an effective tool for assessing and monitoring ecosystem health at different temporal and spatial scales. In this study, potential temporal changes in the National Park were analyzed with Landsat satellite time series images using two different methods. First method, the Landtrendr algorithm (Landsat-based Detection of Trends in Disturbance and Recovery) developed for multitemporal satellite data, uses pixel values as input data and analysis them by using regression models to capture, label and map the changes. In this context, Landsat satellite time series images were taken quinquennial between 1987 and 2007 and biennially until 2017 for Landtrendr analysis (i.e. before and after its declaration as a National Park, respectively). As a second approach, the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud-based platform, which facilitates access to high-performance computing resources to process large long-term data sets, was used to analyze the impact of land cover changes. The results showed that the area was subjected to various pressures (i.e. due to illegal felling, pollution, etc.) until it was declared as a National park. Although there was general improvement and recovery after the region declared as a Park, it was seen that the sensitive dynamics of the region require continuous monitoring and protection using geo-information technologies.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251383
Author(s):  
Lyudmila Maksanova ◽  
Taisiya Bardakhanova ◽  
Natalia Lubsanova ◽  
Darima Budaeva ◽  
Arnold Tulokhonov

The impact of protected areas on local communities is the subject of intense discussions as part of the implementation of the global ecosystem protection agenda. Conflicts between the interests of environmental protection and the needs of socio-economic development become particularly acute when large areas of land are taken out of economic circulation as a result of organizing protected areas. In this case, there is an urgent need for detailed and reliable information about the social impacts of such land withdrawal on the well-being of the local population. An analysis of the methodological approaches widely presented in the literature, used to assess the social impact of protected areas, testifies to the insufficiency of completed and practically applicable methodological guidelines for the areas with significant restrictions for people who form part of the protected landscape. In this study, we understand the cost estimate of the social impact of national parks on the local population as a quantitative calculation of the losses due to restrictions on their ownership rights to land and property assets. The methodological approach consists in considering the category of losses as a sum total of the actual damage and lost profits. The assessment algorithm includes three stages: systematization of social impacts on citizens, development of indicators and data collection, and calculation of actual damage to the population and lost profits. The assessment is performed using the example of the Tunkinsky National Park located in the Tunkinsky municipal district of the Republic of Buryatia, a region of the Russian Federation, where there are 14 rural settlements with a population of more than 20,000 people. The results of the calculations show that the losses of the rural population due to legal restrictions on the registration of land dealings amount to 170.4 million USD. Taking into account the potential amount of administrative fines and the value of property subject to demolition, the losses amount to 239.2 million USD. It is more than an order of magnitude greater than the amount of own revenues of the Tunkinsky municipal district in 2011–2019. The results obtained demonstrate the real picture of the impact of restrictions on the rights of local people to land within the boundaries of national parks and are useful for developing measures to account for their interests and include protected areas in the socio-economic development of regions. The methodological approach developed by the authors can be used in other national parks, where it is necessary to optimize the policy of improving land use for local residents.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. e5-e5
Author(s):  
Anushka Weeraratne ◽  
Dayae Jeong ◽  
Suhrata Verma ◽  
Marina Atalla ◽  
Mohammed Hassan-Ali ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Studies in the US have demonstrated that many primary care staff and offices are inadequately prepared for paediatric emergencies. Although the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) recently reaffirmed their “Guidelines for Paediatric Emergency Equipment and Supplies for a Physician’s Office”, no evaluation has been made regarding the impact of publishing these recommendations, or on the state of preparedness for paediatric emergencies in family physician offices. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate awareness of and adherence of family physicians in Ontario to the CPS guidelines on preparedness for paediatric emergencies. DESIGN/METHODS We conducted a province-wide, cross-sectional survey of 749 randomly selected family physicians. Participants were asked to complete a 14-question survey regarding clinic characteristics, incidence of paediatric emergencies, and preparedness of the clinic in the case of a paediatric emergency. Ethics approval was obtained from the regional Ethics Review Board. RESULTS 94 physicians responded to our survey (response rate of 13.1%). 68.1% of respondents reported seeing more than 10 children per week, and 59.6% and had experienced at least one paediatric emergency in the past year. The proportion of physicians reporting paediatric emergencies within the last year increased with the number of children seen - 37.9% of physicians who saw fewer than 10 children per week reported an emergency, compared to 100.0% of those who saw more than 40 children per week. Only 4.3% respondents reported that they were unaware of the CPS guidelines on paediatric emergency preparedness. Although 85.1% of respondents were aware of the guidelines, only 10.6% of respondents had read them. Of the physicians who were aware of but had not read the guidelines, 2.5% engaged in mock code sessions, 27.8% were up-to-date on Paediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), 1.3% had written protocols outlining safe transport of children to hospitals, and 41.8% stocked half or more of the recommended supplies. In comparison, of the physicians who had read the guidelines, 20.0% engaged in mock code sessions, 50.0% were up-to-date on PALS, 10.0% had written protocols, and 70.0% stocked half or more of the recommended supplies. CONCLUSION A large proportion of respondents had experienced at least one paediatric emergency in the past year, but were overall underprepared. There was a discrepancy between physicians who were aware of the CPS guidelines on emergency preparedness (85.1%), and those who have actually read them (10.6%), though offices with the latter were more adherent to the guidelines’ recommendations. It will be important for CPS to consider how to further advocate for paediatric emergency preparedness in clinics that see children regularly.


1985 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 311
Author(s):  
W.H. Butler

The Australian petroleum industry has been involved in environmental planning and has developed an awareness of multiple land use over the past twentyfive years, more particularly over the past decade. This is in accord with the World Conservation Strategy and the National Conservation Strategy for Australia upon which the Australian State and Territory conservation strategies are based.As the term implies, multiple land use means a sharing of the land. The range of uses includes reserves, heritage areas, agriculture, urban and suburban development and mining. To achieve multiple land use requires the restoration of the environment to its pre-development state as quickly as possible so that both uses can be maintained. This requires that the new user assess the impact of his development well before it begins. This assessment is normally achieved through an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or Environmental Review and Management Plan (ERMP). Most operators are familiar with these requirements.This paper deals primarily with the restoration of the existing environment. Restoration is achieved by preserving, to the greatest extent possible, the vegetation and topsoil which are stripped from the development area. As little stockpiling as possible is done and the topsoil, mixed with the broken down vegetation, is returned as quickly as possible. In this way the contained seed load and nutrient values are not lost and regeneration results.Apart from the practical aspects there is a need for the workforce involved to understand what they are conserving and why they are conserving it. A delicate balance exists in nature wherein the surviving plants and animals are able to cope with natural disasters. Management plans must include the principle that the collective impact of a new development will at no time exceed the impact of natural catastrophes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viviane Cordovez ◽  
Francisco Dini-Andreote ◽  
Víctor J. Carrión ◽  
Jos M. Raaijmakers

Microorganisms colonizing plant surfaces and internal tissues provide a number of life-support functions for their host. Despite increasing recognition of the vast functional capabilities of the plant microbiome, our understanding of the ecology and evolution of the taxonomically hyperdiverse microbial communities is limited. Here, we review current knowledge of plant genotypic and phenotypic traits as well as allogenic and autogenic factors that shape microbiome composition and functions. We give specific emphasis to the impact of plant domestication on microbiome assembly and how insights into microbiomes of wild plant relatives and native habitats can contribute to reinstate or enrich for microorganisms with beneficial effects on plant growth, development, and health. Finally, we introduce new concepts and perspectives in plant microbiome research, in particular how community ecology theory can provide a mechanistic framework to unravel the interplay of distinct ecological processes—i.e., selection, dispersal, drift, diversification—that structure the plant microbiome.


2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
CATRINA A. MACKENZIE ◽  
RAJA R. SENGUPTA ◽  
RIDHWANA KAOSER

SUMMARYThe influence of protected areas on childhood education is often assumed to be positive, and integrated conservation and development programmes (ICDPs) typically support childhood education by building schools, providing scholarships and improving education quality, which in turn helps build conservation attitudes. In this paper, the impact of a protected area on childhood education is examined within the broader socioeconomic context of villages bordering Kibale National Park (Uganda). Survey data from households and primary schools indicated ICDPs improved primary school enrolment and education for girls. However, crop raiding by Park-protected animals reduced the probability of boys completing four years of primary education because they were preferentially held back from school to guard crops. Since population growth around protected areas is a threat to conservation, and since extending education for both boys and girls helps reduce birth rates and improve future employment opportunities, helping children attain primary school completion supports both conservation and development objectives. The findings highlight the need to continue supporting childhood education near protected areas; however, additional focus should be placed on boys’ educational attainment, and the need for wildlife authorities, governments and conservation organizations to invest in crop-raiding defences to mitigate crop-raiding losses.


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