Karst Landscape Governance in the Guilin World Heritage Site, China

Abstract

Sustaining karst landscape areas in World Heritage Sites under increasing human pressures and climate change is an emerging challenge. Growing evidence has highlighted the transition from traditional government-oriented regulation to the collaborative governance of different stakeholders in governing karst landscape resources. However, the complexity and dynamics of karst landscape policy and stakeholder networks are poorly understood. This study combined a legislative analysis, network analysis, and public survey to explore effective methods of karst landscape conservation in the Guilin World Heritage Site, China. The policy analysis showed that various national laws and local regulations have been enacted in China, but these regulations often focused on individual aspects of karst–human interactions. The network analysis indicated the complexity and relationship of networks in karst World Heritage Site governance at the national, provincial, and municipal scales. The majority of questionnaire respondents (65–89%) reported a medium and high level of karst landscape governance effectiveness. The insights in the present study may be valuable for other karst World Heritage Sites facing complex challenges, especially in developing countries.