Socio-Economic Effects of National Park Governance and Management: Lessons from Post-Socialist Era Estonia

Henri Järv,Kalev Sepp,Janar Raet,Raymond D Ward

doi:10.3390/land10111257

Henri Järv, Kalev Sepp + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/land10111257

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Abstract

Despite the significant increase in protected territory globally, there is a common understanding that the designation of protected areas alone does not guarantee their effectiveness nor halt the loss of biodiversity. In addition to biodiversity conservation, protected areas are expected to perform a number of other functions, such as provide ecosystem services and improve local socio-economic conditions. Therefore, the need to strive towards mixed, decentralized conservation management and stakeholder involvement is increasingly emphasized. Although there is limited research, it has been noted that protected areas have not served wider objectives effectively enough. The current study provides insight concerning socio-economic effects of different governance and management practices of protected areas based on perceptions of residents and stakeholders of five national parks of Estonia. It was found that conservation status has an important impact on local socio-economic conditions largely depending on governance and management practices, resulting in both, positive and negative effects. It was concluded that the centralization of nature conservation and the abolition of protected area administrations have led to a gradual distancing of nature conservation from local conditions and the population, causing concern about the preservation of the living environment.

Highlights

Protected areas (PAs) are spatially defined, recognized, and effectively managed sites, dedicated to the long-term conservation of biodiversity and natural values with associated ecosystem services and cultural values [1]
Conservation areas have been created for thousands of years in various forms and purposes [19], modern nature conservation and protected areas are considered to be based on ideas and national parks established in the second half of the 19th century in the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand [20,21]
The present study found that conservation status has an important effect on local socio-economic conditions

Summary

Introduction

Protected areas (PAs) are spatially defined, recognized (either nationally or, for example, in the World Database on Protected Areas), and effectively managed sites, dedicated to the long-term conservation of biodiversity and natural values with associated ecosystem services and cultural values [1]. Protected areas are generally recognized as an essential measure for the conservation of species and biodiversity [2,3,4], but their importance is increasingly emphasized in combating climate change [5,6,7,8], contributing to balanced and sustainable socio-economic development [9,10,11,12], preserving traditional and cultural values and landscapes [13,14,15], and as an important element in maintaining people’s mental and physical health [16,17,18]. The biggest challenge of this century is to combat climate change, and the creation of additional protected areas is seen as one mitigation measure [24,25]. The active creation of new protected areas is likely to continue in the near future [27]

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