Abstract
Questions about park–people relationships and the understanding and handling of the conflicts that may result from the creation and management of national parks in the surrounding area are prerequisites for both successful park management and sustainable rural tourism development. This paper analyzes the roles that research may play in relation to park–people relationships in the context of the two oldest German national parks located in Bavaria. The different fields of action of national parks are used to identify the potential for conflict, using detailed case studies from the Bavarian Forest and Berchtesgaden National Parks using quantitative population surveys carried out in 2018. The overall attitude towards both national parks is overwhelmingly positive, with trust towards park administrations and the perceived economic benefits from rural tourism being the attitudes most strongly correlated to the overall level of park–people relationships. Nevertheless, some points of contention still exist, like the ecological integrity approach towards strict nature conservation and related landscape changes (e.g., deadwood cover). A comparison over time shows in both cases that the spatial proximity to the protected area negatively influences people’s attitudes towards the parks, but less so than in the past. Recommendations for national park management include communicating proactively and with greater transparency with locals and decision-makers, to identify conflicts earlier and, where possible, to eliminate them. Furthermore, developing a standardized method to monitor park–people relationships in Germany is a must and would benefit integrated approaches in research and management based on conservation social science.
Highlights
Managing resources in terms of inter- and intragenerational justice and sustainable living on a global scale is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity
Over 80% of respondents in both park regions agree that the national parks will bring many more tourists to the region; in the Bavarian Forest, the level
Over 80% of respondents in both park regions agree that the national parks will bring many more tourists to the region; in the Bavarian Forest, the level of agreement is slightly higher
Summary
Managing resources in terms of inter- and intragenerational justice and sustainable living on a global scale is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. The UNEP goals for the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework are ambitious: “By 2030, protect and conserve through well connected and effective systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures at least 30 per cent of the planet with the focus on areas important for biodiversity” [1]. How can these lofty aims be achieved?. Positive local attitudes towards national parks and other protected areas are indispensable for their designation and expansion and for their ongoing functioning and management [4,5,6] These park–people relationships are intricately interwoven with issues surrounding rural tourism. Rural tourism to protected areas could lead to adverse effects for local people (e.g., traffic, noise, crowding etc.), impairing park–people relationships [12]
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