Economic and non-economic benefits of protected areas were assessed in 58 national parks in the Dinaric Arc of Europe, involving over a thousand local people and identifying major economic benefits from tourism, rural development and water. The study used the Protected Area Benefits Assessment Tool in stakeholder workshops in all the parks studied. The results are being applied to improve protected area management and enhance collaboration with local stakeholders. The Dinaric Arc includes parts of eight countries in south-eastern Europe. While being one of the continent's most important areas for biodiversity conservation, it is under intense pressures from development and many of the region's protected areas are underfunded and undervalued. Understanding the full range of values and benefits of protected areas to stakeholders provides a good basis for developing management and policy responses and has proved popular with both governments and donor organizations. The results suggest that protected areas already provide significant economic benefits to local people in the region, often in places with few other options, and that further utilization of many ecosystem services is possible without undermining protected area objectives and effectiveness.