Governance of China’s Potatso National Park Influenced by Local Community Participation

Abstract

Conservationists recognize that protected areas (PAs) have limited prospects without the involvement and support of local people. As a governance strategy, community participation is to implement the coordinated development of communities and protected areas. However, the effects of community participation on national park governance have rarely been tested. Therefore, the present study used a mixed-method approach that is derived from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) green list of protected and conserved areas (PCA) conservation outcomes framework, calibrated to the indigenous peoples and local communities’ (IPLCs) self-assessments about the outcomes of community participation on national park governance to explore the community participation effects. Our results show that management efficiency controls governance outcomes. Potatso National Park’s transformation from the tourism development model to national park is still ongoing, and there exists quite a few problems. We conclude that a successful national park governance as envisaged by the “ecological civilization” paradigm requires a balance of government regulation, participation of various stakeholders in decision-making and discussion, compensation, as well as sustainable access to environmental resources by the affected populations.

Insights into National Park Governance based on Global Research Trends: A Lesson for Indonesia

“…is the conservation of nature conservation and the maintenance of the ecological values embodied by each single area (Ma et al, 2023).…”

“…National park governance and operation must incorporate community participation (Ma et al, 2023). It is a more integrated and collaborative conservation and management approach that includes the more distinct and powerful national park governance and operation.…”

“…According to Risvoll, the roots of those conflicts are diverse perceptions, interests, and rights in natural resources management (Risvoll et al, 2014). Hence, an effective conflict resolution Indonesia may create a more resilient foundation for sustainable national park management which can also be termed inclusivity (Ma et al, 2023).…”