Managing sustainable development in recreational and protected areas. The Dovre case, Norway

Abstract

With an emphasis on integrating national parks into wider regional and local tourism development processes during the latter two decades, protected areas have gradually become more closely connected to their economic and social environments. This presupposes a dynamic approach that involves participatory planning. However, the preservation of nature and wildlife in protected areas remains a source of conflict among different stakeholders. The aim of this study is to explore how key stakeholders, with their different interests at stake, identify dilemmas, challenges, and opportunities in a national park, and to suggest how the various opinions can be integrated in an adaptive management framework for sustainable development. The main results from qualitative interviews with key stakeholders reveal three components of the adaptive management framework: 1) “Combining a bottom-up/top-down strategy in protected areas”, 2) “Channeling different user segments in protected areas”, and 3) “The dynamics between protected and surrounding areas”. The first component provides opportunities to look at sustainability issues from different perspectives, build alliances on shared values, and improve dialogue and collaboration. The second component may help national park management to maintain conservation values, for example, by using trails and guided tours. The third component may generate more attractive user experiences, guiding tourism suppliers to design and offer more attractive outdoor recreation activities and create attractive environments for economic development.