How Relevant is the Participatory Planning of Natural Protected Areas?

Georgiana TOTH1,2 Alina HUZUI-STOICULESCU1,3
1 NIRD URBAN-INCERC, Urbanproiect, Bucharest, ROMANIA
2 University of Bucharest, Centre for Migration Studies, Bucharest, ROMANIA
3 University of Bucharest, ICUB, Centre of Landscape-Territory-Information Systems, Bucharest, ROMANIA
E-mail: georgiana.toth@gmail.com, huzui.alina@incd.ro
Pages: 77-83

Abstract. Natural protected areas pass as a paramount accepted strategy designed for the conservation of ecosystem services and the prevention of biodiversity loss. Still, considering the insufficient planning interventions on the distribution and extent of natural protected areas, the impact of this conservation tool on local communities remains controversial in environmental policies. In addition, the success of conservation measures is most often indicated by the level of local support in maintaining natural protected areas, which is on its turn influenced by the community’s perception on the protected area’s socio-economic pressure. This paper points out significant conclusions of several empirical studies concerning the relevance of environmental education, of local community involvement in the process of planning the conservation measures in natural protected areas. These conclusions are drawn from relevant studies in this field and from strategic plans, which basically prove how participatory planning of natural protected areas could bring decisive improvements to the preservation of biological diversity, beyond solving certain specific nature and national parks related issues, mainly the restriction of ownership rights and the general access to resources. Finally, the paper indicates a possible analysis framework of the possible development of natural protected areas which is focused on the concept of ‘livelihood’.

K e y w o r d s:  natural protected areas, livelihoods, strategies, participatory planning, place attachment