Management Of Natural Protected Areas Research Articles

Incorporating ecosystem services into functional zoning and adaptive management of natural protected areas as case study of the Shennongjia region in China

Against the background of global climate change and anthropogenic interference, studying the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of ecosystem services in important ecological function regions and rationally dividing the functional zones will help to promote the construction of the natural protected areas system dominated by national parks. The Shennongjia Region is an important candidate for China's national parks and one of the key pilots. Integrating the InVEST model, Getis-Ord Gi* index, hotspot analysis, GeoDetector and K-means clustering algorithm, we measured five ecosystem services interactions and delineate the functional zones. The results show that the spatial and temporal evolution of various ecosystem services in the Shennongjia Region between 2000 and 2020 was significant. All ecosystem services showed a decreasing and then increasing trend, except for carbon storage, which slowly declined. The ecological status of the region is in the process of polarization, with the local environment showed a trend of continuous deterioration. Water yield-habitat quality and carbon storage-water purification showed synergistic relationships; soil conservation showed trade-offs with water yield, carbon storage and water purification over a wide spatial range. The interaction between land surface temperature and vegetation cover was the most significant dominant factor. Hot spots for the comprehensive ecosystem services index were mainly located in the central and southern parts of the Shennongjia region and four types of ecosystem service functional zones were identified accordingly. This study is of great significance for maximizing the benefits of ecosystem service functions, the efficient allocation of environmental resources and the rational formulation of management policies in natural protected areas.

Spatial Diagnosis and Conceptualisation of Greening Plan of Seme-Podji, Benin (West Africa)

Conservation and sustainable management of natural resources are increasingly recommended in decentralized territories. The most effective approach for this process is the participation of local communities because their knowledge is valuable in policy implementation. The study aims to propose a sustainable management model of a territory based on the needs of communities in order to conserve the natural resources in the Sèmè-Podji municipality in Benin, West Africa. Local knowledge and community’s needs have been used in association with GIS technics to make a diagnosis of the territory and propose a land use map for the municipality. The spatial diagnosis revealed an anthropization of the land cover, with a predominance of agro-systems, built up areas, croplands and fallow which represent 80.03% of the total area of the municipality. The marshlands which mostly serve as a refugium and support biodiversity represent 5.42%. The proposed plan showed that 84.79% (p ˂ 0.001) of socio-professional needs are explained. Therefore, the proposed actions were related to the restoration of ecological continuity, creation of new green recreational spaces, the protection of marshlands, the management of natural protected areas and the creation of fuel wood tree plantations. The current information can contribute to a sustainable and inclusive landscape planning for such municipalities, like our study site at Sèmè-Podji in Benin.

EVALUATION OF TOURISM MANAGEMENT IN THE BOSQUE DE PÓMAC HISTORIC SANCTUARY, PERU

The objective of this research was to evaluate the management of tourism in the Bosque de Pómac Historic Sanctuary, in the region of Lambayeque, Peru, by developing a methodology using criteria and variables related to the sustainability of the protected natural area and the activity. Although several methodologies can be used to evaluate the general management of natural protected areas, this study focuses exclusively on tourism-related activities in one specific area. To develop the methodology, international documents related to tourism, nature, and culture were reviewed, and six criteria were obtained to evaluate the progress of tourism management in natural protected areas: Management Governance, Heritage Conservation, Identity and Authenticity, Equity and Inclusion, Marketing and Commercialization, and Visitor Experience. Subsequently, fifty-six variables were determined to be evaluated within the six criteria. A numerical evaluation matrix was designed in order to be applied to the criteria and variables with four rating levels; semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-five specialists in the area of tourism and natural protected areas (businesspeople, academics, consultants, public officials, as well as local entrepreneurs) linked to the protected area, and information was obtained from technical reports and field inspections. Using the scores, it was determined that the sanctuary has positively developed the criteria of Governance, Conservation, and Visitor Experience, while the issues related to Cultural Identity and Authenticity, as well as Inclusion and Equity, still need to be improved. Keywords: governance, sustainability, protected areas, sustainable tourism.

The use of tourism as a social intervention in indigenous communities to support the conservation of natural protected areas in Mexico

Tourism has been considered a tool for sustainable development (SD) of rural/indigenous communities living within natural protected areas (NPAs) since the 1980s. This article examines the use of tourism as a SD intervention in the management of NPAs. Based on the theory of social change and on the realist methodological approach to social research, the study focuses on the case of Mexico. It seeks to establish causal chains to identify mechanisms that trigger (un)expected outcomes within a specific sociocultural context. The research distinguishes between development of tourism, and SD through tourism. Preliminary findings from on-going research in the indigenous community of Sta. Cruz Tepetotutla in Oaxaca, Mexico point to the necessity for an alternative approach to the design, application and assessment of tourism interventions. It is argued that specific contextual features trigger mechanisms which lead to (un)expected outcomes. Considering traditional social organization is fundamental to achieve improvement in collective well-being, biodiversity preservation and cultural heritage. The article seeks to help decision-makers improve their outcomes from interventions, and to generate further discussion on the use of tourism for the management of NPAs, and on the role tourism can play in the improvement of the living conditions of the communities.

The montane multifunctional landscape: How stakeholders in a biosphere reserve derive benefits and address trade-offs in ecosystem service supply

Ecosystem service (ES) assessments, which make an explicit link between nature and people’s well-being, can support the management of natural protected areas that face complex and persistent sustainability challenges. We present a case study of ES supply in a biosphere reserve community in southern Mexico. We aimed to identify stakeholder-relevant ES and to analyse trade-offs between them. After engaging local stakeholders, we conducted a biophysical assessment of ES supply and associations across four different land uses. Closed forests and riparian areas, which occurred in different parts of the landscape, supplied high levels of multiple ES. Furthermore, co-produced farming goods and services that supported local livelihoods and conservation-oriented ecosystem services coincided in these four habitats. Together, these habitats provided a diverse array of ES across the landscape, indicating that stakeholders benefited from a multifunctional landscape. At the same time significant trade-offs were found in the supply of forage cover against most other ES, especially tree-based goods and services. These trade-offs revealed conflicts between agricultural land and neighbouring open forests and riparian areas, as well as opposed service demands among beneficiary groups. To address these trade-offs, stakeholders agreed on enhancing forest benefits in order to support both local livelihoods and conservation goals.

Diagnóstico ambiental participativo con jóvenes de una Reserva Ecológica municipal para el diseño de una propuesta de educación ambiental no formal

La participación social en la gestión de las áreas naturales protegidas (ANP) es un aspecto fundamental para el correcto funcionamiento del suelo destinado a la conservación de los recursos naturales. En el proceso de participación social es trascendente involucrar a las nuevas generaciones, por lo que en este trabajo se realizó un diagnóstico ambiental participativo (DAP) con 16 jóvenes de la localidad Dzoyaxché, Mérida, Yucatán, que viven dentro la Reserva Ecológica Cuxtal (REC). Se trabajaron cuatro fases metodológicas y un eje transversal, que permitieron conocer la problemática socioambiental. Se reconocen 17 problemas principales integrados en ocho ejes. Los resultados se utilizaron para diseñar un Plan Intercultural de Educación Ambiental no formal para jóvenes de la REC, el cual quedó integrado por seis líneas de acción: 1) Formación y capacitación; 2) Producción de material didáctico intercultural; 3) Generación de proyectos; 4) Investigación; 5) Seguimiento y evaluación; 6) Articulación de esfuerzos. El Plan fue aceptado por los participantes y desarrollado bajo principios de la interculturalidad, con una metodología participativa que permitió que los jóvenes se involucraran en todo el proceso de trabajo y se motivaran para desarrollarlo en su comunidad y en la Reserva.

Remote Sensing in Forest Management

Abstract Forest management, as a component of the management of natural protected areas, has the mission to adopt the most effective measures in relation to climate change. The forest management activity is based on management plans drawn up for a period of 10 years, a period appreciated, until recently, to be sufficient for management plans to be considered up to date. Their updating is done with the data provided in field by the rangers through direct observations and measurements, but the accuracy of these data is complemented by data obtained through modern technologies. Analyses of the distribution of forest vegetation, its composition and its evolution, both in time and in the area, and last but not least, the technical measures for implementing the most effective treatments for preserving its health, the optimal structure and biomass production is made using the latest technology, such as Free Open Source Software and GIS. Recent services provided free of charge by some remote sensing operators make it possible to adopt the most appropriate technical measures, real-time tracking of their implementation and expected results. This paper aims to bring to light some of the most useful free remote sensing services and how to use them.

¿Sirven las evaluaciones para aprender? Influencia de las evaluaciones sobre las decisiones de manejo en un Área Natural Protegida

El artículo presenta un análisis de la arquitectura de evaluación de la Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP). La finalidad es reconocer factores que promueven e inhiben el uso de evaluaciones para dirigir la toma de decisiones de los guardaparques que administran un Área Natural Protegida (ANP) en el centro de México. Para acceder a la información se utilizaron técnicas de investigación etnográfica, las cuales facilitaron la interacción con el personal de la dependencia para entender el proceso social que influye en la producción y uso de evaluaciones. Se identificó que los guardaparques interactúan con tres tipos de evaluación. Ninguna es utilizada para identificar el impacto de sus acciones. Aun así, su interacción con las evaluaciones les permite identificar aspectos susceptibles de mejora en su manejo del ANP. Algunas barreras a superar se relacionan con el margen de maniobra de los guardaparques para implementar cambios. Por un lado, debido a limitaciones presupuestales que inciden en su capacidad operativa y, por el otro, por las consecuencias negativas de un enfoque evaluativo que exige demostrar resultados cuantificables en el corto plazo.

Dynamics of land use and land cover in a Mexican national park

To understand the dynamics of land cover at the Parque Nacional Cofre de Perote, the rates of change in land use were compared at two different scales during the period 1995-2004. At the meso scale, these patterns were studied throughout the entire Parque Nacional Cofre de Perote, which is one of the 60 priority mountains of Mexico, and an important natural protected area of the country located in the state of Veracruz. At a micro scale, the work was focused in ejido El Conejo, located within the boundaries of this national park. Federal government digital orthophotos were used to determine changes in nine categories of land use. In both, the meso- and micro-scale, it was found that the predominant land cover categories are agriculture and forest. The probabilities of land cover change at both scales are low and essentially the same for most land use categories, reflecting both small gains in forest cover park-wide as well as the effectiveness of the ejido in managing natural resources within the park. The authors consider that the findings of the study may be applicable to the broader situation of national parks in Mexico and, finally, the importance of integrating local stakeholders in the management of natural protected areas is discussed.

Dynamics of land use and land cover in a Mexican national park

Abstract To understand the dynamics of land cover at the Parque Nacional Cofre de Perote, the rates of change in land use were compared at two different scales during the period 1995-2004. At the meso scale, these patterns were studied throughout the entire Parque Nacional Cofre de Perote, which is one of the 60 priority mountains of Mexico, and an important natural protected area of the country located in the state of Veracruz. At a micro scale, the work was focused in ejido El Conejo, located within the boundaries of this national park. Federal government digital orthophotos were used to determine changes in nine categories of land use. In both, the meso- and micro-scale, it was found that the predominant land cover categories are agriculture and forest. The probabilities of land cover change at both scales are low and essentially the same for most land use categories, reflecting both small gains in forest cover park-wide as well as the effectiveness of the ejido in managing natural resources within the park. The authors consider that the findings of the study may be applicable to the broader situation of national parks in Mexico and, finally, the importance of integrating local stakeholders in the management of natural protected areas is discussed.

Conservación de la naturaleza y áreas naturales protegidas en territorios de los pueblos originarios de la frontera sur de México

El presente ensayo analiza el establecimiento, decreto y manejo de las áreas naturales protegidas (ANP) por parte de las instituciones oficiales en territorios ocupados por pueblos originarios. Se plantean de manera general los problemas y beneficios de la política ambiental en torno a las ANP y de la ocupación histórica de áreas de alto valor ecológico que aún cuentan con remanentes de ecosistemas originales y de su biodiversidad.

The end of the idyll? Post-crisis conservation and amenity migration in natural protected areas

The 2008 economic crisis and the introduction of austerity policies and values after the crisis are transforming the management of natural protected areas in the global North. Communities of amenity migrants living in these areas have been impacted by such issues as budgetary cuts and state disinvestments in conservation. Important threats to their expectations of an alternative life in a natural idyll are changing the attitudes of amenity migrants towards conservation and rural regions. In this paper, I analyse the main changes in their livelihood and lifestyles in two different natural parks in Spain. The main goal of this analysis is to stimulate a debate about the social impacts of new conservation strategies in the post-crisis context, with particular attention to multi-functional, post-productive rural spaces such as amenity destinations.

GIS Fuzzy Expert System for the assessment of ecosystems vulnerability to fire in managing Mediterranean natural protected areas

A significant threat to the natural and cultural heritage of Mediterranean natural protected areas (NPAs) is related to uncontrolled fires that can cause potential damages related to the loss or a reduction of ecosystems. The assessment and mapping of the vulnerability to fire can be useful to reduce landscape damages and to establish priority areas where it is necessary to plan measures to reduce the fire vulnerability. To this aim, a methodology based on an interactive computer-based system has been proposed in order to support NPA's management authority for the identification of vulnerable hotspots to fire through the selection of suitable indicators that allow discriminating different levels of sensitivity (e.g. Habitat relevance, Fragmentation, Fire behavior, Ecosystem Services, Vegetation recovery after fire) and stresses (agriculture, tourism, urbanization). In particular, a multi-criteria analysis based on Fuzzy Expert System (FES) integrated in a GIS environment has been developed in order to identify and map potential “hotspots” of fire vulnerability, where fire protection measures can be undertaken in advance. In order to test the effectiveness of this approach, this approach has been applied to the NPA of Torre Guaceto (Apulia Region, southern Italy). The most fire vulnerable areas are the patch of century-old forest characterized by high sensitivity and stress, and the wetlands and century-old olive groves due to their high sensitivity. The GIS fuzzy expert system provides evidence of its potential usefulness for the effective management of natural protected areas and can help conservation managers to plan and intervene in order to mitigate the fire vulnerability in accordance with conservation goals.

Analysis of the Network of Protected Areas in China Based on a Geographic Perspective: Current Status, Issues and Integration

With the continued growth of protected areas (PAs) in China in terms of the number, coverage and varieties of protected objects, how to efficiently manage the protected areas to ensure both resource protection and environmental protection has become a crucial research question. By applying a geographic perspective in an analysis of the development and evolution of protected areas in China, this paper presents the results of an analysis focused on the status and the types of current approaches to the management of natural protected areas to reveal the problems that exist in their management and to further explore an integration strategy for the protected area network. It proposes that the future management of protected areas should prioritize their legal status, the sustainable livelihood of individuals living in close proximity to them, and the establishment of a unified database to achieve grid and information management of the protected areas.

Redes sociales y Áreas Naturales Protegidas en la Zona Metropolitana de Monterrey, Nuevo León

A partir del análisis de las dinámicas de interacción entre actores sociales clave, vinculados a la gestión de las áreas naturales protegidas y a la protección de los servicios ambientales hidrológicos en la Zona Metropolitana de Monterrey (ZMM), Nuevo León, se analizan las acciones que se llevan a cabo para lograr los objetivos de conservación. Se utiliza el análisis de redes para comprender la estructura y densidad de las relaciones sociales establecidas y su influencia en la definición de la gobernanza ambiental actual en la región, lo que permite destacar la existencia de alianzas estratégicas en materia de conservación y al mismo tiempo la falta de comunicación en otros sectores.

Mapping ecological vulnerability to fire for effective conservation management of natural protected areas

The challenge for conservation managers is to ensure the long-term sustainability of an area by preserving its ecological and cultural values against predictable and unpredictable natural and human pressures and, at the same time, ensuring the fruition of the environmental resources. This research proposes an integrated use of GIS–based Decision Support System (DSS) with a conceptual linear model of vulnerability to foster conservation strategies in protected areas, by identifying: (1) the most vulnerable areas, requiring specific protection measures to enhance the natural features, as well as the prevention of natural and human risks; (2) the most effective management interventions to reduce system vulnerability to fire. The development of such a tool has been tested on the natural protected area of Torre Guaceto, through the selection of suitable indicators that enable discrimination among different levels of sensitivity and pressures, in order to provide evidence of its potential utility for the management of protected areas and the mitigation of their vulnerabilities. The results highlight that the most vulnerable areas are represented by contiguous patches of wetlands, the load of fuel at wetlands-agricultural lands interface areas, and the small patches of century-old forests, Mediterranean maquis and coastal dunes. On the basis of the results it is desirable that future researches on vulnerability should not only consider the “of what to what”, but also consider “for who, where and when” with a focus on the spatial and temporal scale dimensions of vulnerability.

The possible combined effects of land-use changes and climate conditions on the spatial–temporal patterns of primary production in a natural protected area

Multifunctional landscapes are characterized by various functions and values that sustain directly or indirectly the quality of human life, through the provision of natural capital flow. Primary production (PP), representing a measure of the solar energy captured by the system and available to drive its functioning, is recognized as a fundamental supporting service. Several biophysical modification and conversion altering the primary production are due to land-use change. Natural protected areas with a sustainable management of land-use could be able to guarantee the persistence of structure and processes (primary production) fundamental for the provision of natural capital. In this context, the aims of this paper are to investigate the spatial–temporal patterns of PP variability (1986–2010) in the Natural Protected Area of “Torre Guaceto” (southern Italy), taking into account land-cover change and climate conditions and looking at PP as a supporting service able to guarantee natural capital flow. In dealing with this issue, this paper aims at testing whether NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) integrated with NDII (Normalized Difference Infrared Index) can be suitable surrogates for the assessment of shifts in the spatial–temporal dynamics of PP, useful to explore possible feedbacks related to conservation management choices in supporting natural capital flow. Therefore, the assessment of the complex spatial–temporal dynamics of natural vegetation has been performed by using NDVI and NDII. The results showed that after the establishment of the Natural Protected Area of “Torre Guaceto” in 2000, there has been an increase of NDVI that could represent an increase of PP. However, since PP depends also on water content, measured by NDII, a Pearson correlation analysis between NDII and land Surface Temperature (TS) has been carried out, demonstrating that low level of PP in 2005 was not imputable to climate conditions but to the worse quality of vegetation associated to the wetland due to aging phenomenon. In conclusion, to make the conservation management more effective it is not enough to identify and quantify the major landscape transformations and the underlying causes, but rather to detect the capability of new landscape patterns, in terms of configuration and composition, to sustain ecosystem services. The analysis of conservation management based on NDVI and NDII, used as surrogate to detect the maintenance of PP, appears to be very promising in order to develop better strategies for the adaptive management of natural protected areas.

Environmental Concern, Regional Identity, and Support for Protected Areas in Italy

Two field studies examined the relations between environmental concern, regional identity, and support for the institution of natural protected areas. Multiple regression (Study 1, N = 316) and structural equation modeling (Study 2, N = 157) were performed to assess the role of general and specific proenvironmental attitudes and regional identity in predicting participants’ support for two new protected areas in Italy. As expected, results show the positive role of general and specific proenvironmental attitudes, as well as the positive role of regional identity, in predicting support for the protected areas considered. Implications of the results for the enhancement of public levels of consensus in the designation and management of natural protected areas are discussed.