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Even though geographers and psychologists have written extensively about the diverse ways in which people-place bonds are articulated across space, there has been little work on the extent to which perceptions of nature protection both influence and are influenced by the strength of place attachment. Therefore, this paper explores the attitudes and opinions of local residents towards nature protection and place attachment in two East and Central European (ECE) national parks: Šumava in the Czech Republic and Pelister in the Republic of Macedonia. Our analysis is based on expert interviews and a standardised questionnaire survey undertaken in both areas in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The research results emphasise that that local residents maintain a strong place attachment to the protected areas in which they live, regardless of the strictness and quality of the environmental management regime in them. It has also become evident that local residents do not distinguish among the different activities, roles and types of care for the national park undertaken by the authorities, despite the existence of divergent local conditions. In more general terms, the paper hopes to demonstrate the benefits of using a multi-method, geographically aware approach towards the study of nature protection practices.

Abstract:The Sumava National Park (NP), the largest protected area of its kind in Central Europe, is as interesting as it is problematic (historical development, conflicts between regional development and landscape protection). In order to evaluate the success of the Park's policies, local park inhabitants' attitudes were assessed over a ten-year period. Two surveys (N = 181 and N = 200) were conducted in August, 1998 and 2008. The questionnaires consisted of 43 queries from three thematic areas; (a) socio-demographic data, (b) environment and nature conservation, and (c) sustainable tourism and local development. The comparison of the results 1998 with 2008 showed that the Park inhabitants perceived living in the Park as improving and the scheme for nature conservation as either "optimal" or "more strict". The surveys also showed the loss of job opportunities as the most prevalent local concern. In a cluster analysis based on perceptions of (a) the Park, (b) the environment and (c) Park Administration, subjects were divided into four opinion groups ranging from "optimists" to "grumblers". The most "positive (optimistic)" group saw little connection between the Park's existence and job losses, while the most "negative" group saw a strong connection in that regard.

The present article aims to describe perceptions and awareness of local residents in two categories of the Sumava region protected areas–National Park (NP) and Protected Landscape Area (PLA). The survey explores perceptions of individuals on nature protection, protected area management, tourism and related issues. Differences between these two research areas are also explored. Standardised personal interviews were conducted during the summer season of 2008. The study took place in six municipalities in NP (Borova Lada, Srni, Prasily, Kvilda, Horska Kvilda and Modrava; 183 questionnaires in total) and in three municipalities in PLA (Kasperske Hory, Hojsova Straz and Cachrov; 138 questionnaires in total). According to the results of the study, there were more natives and indigenous residents in NP than PLA. Similarly, local people in NP were working more often in the public sector and less in the private sector and they had more benefits from tourism. Residents in PLA were less informed about Administration activities, more satisfied with topical nature conservation level and against expansion of NP to their place of residence. Also, a significant finding of the study is that residents (especially in PLA) were supportive of some forms of participatory management. They are interested in the advancement of the area, mostly in the form of improvement of tourism-related facilities. They love this region and also call for better communication with NP/PLA Administration.

The involvement of local people in protected area management a key factor in the sustainable and efficient protection of wildlife, and an economically preferable approach for the effective everyday care and protection of the environment. This paper aims to explore the community participation and protected area management challenges faced by national park authorities in developing countries, through a case study of the Pelister National Park in the Republic of Macedonia. The paper focuses on the multiple social, economic and political expressions of flexibility in national park management at the local scale. These examinations are based on field research in Pelister, executed in the summer of 2006, and involving 20 in-depth interviews with local policymakers, nature protection experts and local inhabitants, as well as a questionnaire survey of 140 residents of three villages in and around the park (Nizhepole, Malovishta and Brajchino).