In most socioeconomically wealthy countries, a high quality of life is associated with a high consumption of natural resources. It is, therefore, essential to define what constitutes sustainable quality of life—that is, quality of life that is simultaneously high as well as ecologically and socially sustainable. This issue was addressed in a study on the promotion of sustainable quality of life in rural regions of Switzerland. We interviewed 90 people with the intention of developing a concept of sustainable quality of life. The concept that emerged from our research consists of nine components: social relations and equality; nature and landscape; education and knowledge; participation, identification, and collective emotions; living; mobility; health and safety; leisure and recreation; and income and employment. Each component is formulated in an integrated way, combining social, environmental, and personal aspects. The concept provides a basis for managing regional development and promoting sustainable quality of life in rural areas. In this regard, we propose starting points in the areas of social relations and equality, nature and landscape, and education and knowledge.

Biosphere reserves and nature parks are protected areas that aim to combine nature conservation with human-development goals. These areas provide ideal environments for promoting and testing sustainable ways of living. The goal of this study was to determine how park management can best contribute to the quality of life of residents. The article presents the results of a survey in Switzerland of 2,409 residents of a biosphere reserve and two regional nature parks on the provision of quality of life. The results indicate that the quality of life in the parks is generally high. The identified dimensions that constitute this quality of life, their perceived importance, and the needs expressed by residents suggest that park management can help to increase and safeguard extant conditions by offering activities that improve health, social relations, and sustainable mobility. Awareness of how park management can contribute to the quality of life of park residents sustainably enables the setting of new priorities that have joint outputs that can be positive for both nature and people.

Rural regions in Europe are often structurally weaker than urban areas and are subject to strong socio-economic development. At the same time, they offer opportunities for a high quality of life and sustainability. The key question of this article is how quality of life in high-income countries can be achieved more sustainably. Little is known about the perception of the rural population itself on the reconciling of high quality of life with sustainability. Thus, based on a concept of sustainable quality of life, qualitative interviews with 90 rural residents were conducted to ask them which factors benefit sustainable quality of life. In the perception of the interview participants, a change in attitudes and values would be a starting point for shaping many other areas to enhance sustainable quality of life; social and legal norms should provide reference points for individuals and economic actors; infrastructure should support individuals in their ecological behaviour; and the economy should serve the common good. We derive four strands of recommendations for decision-makers from these results: the enhancement of education on applicable environmental behaviours, equal access to renewable energies and local productions and services.

In Switzerland, Regional Nature Parks are required to undergo an impact assessment after ten years of operation, in order for the federal government to award the Park of National Importance label for a further ten years and for the government, relevant canton and communes to continue to provide financial support for the park's operation. To this end, is there a convenient way of identifying and holistically assessing the impacts of park management activities on the goals of the parks and the overarching targets of parks policy in Switzerland? Based on experience gained from the evaluation of three Regional Nature Parks, we have developed a framework model for the holistic evaluation of such parks and present it here for discussion.

Regional nature parks in Switzerland are, for the most part, protected areas that aim to promote sustainable development and residents’ well-being. In recent years, research on regional nature parks and comparable protected areas has focused on questions regarding local populations’ acceptance of such areas, their governance, and their economic effects. However, we know surprisingly little about the impact of protected areas on environmental resource use and life satisfaction, two essential ingredients of sustainable regional development. In this study, we survey people living in and around three regional nature parks in Switzerland on their resource use and life satisfaction (gross sample n = 3358). We propose a novel measurement of resource use based on vignettes describing different lifestyles, which we validate against the carbon footprint obtained for a subsample of our respondents. With these indicators, using multiple regression analyses, we test several hypotheses derived from the literature on the relationship between resource use and life satisfaction in and around protected areas. Contrary to our expectations, we do not find differences in resource use or life satisfaction, or the relationship between resource use and life satisfaction, across park and non-park regions. We discuss potential explanations for our findings and their implications for nature park authorities and future study designs.