Understanding the factors underlying partnership working: A case study of Northumberland National Park, England

Abstract

a b s t r a c tAlthough rural partnership working is a well-researched area, less attention has been paid to the particular challenges in IUCN Category V protected areas. This paper explores the policy and practice of partnership working in a case study Category V area-Northumberland National Park, England. Qualitative research was conducted through documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews with a sample of 23 stakeholders involved in the management of this protected area. It was found that a convoluted institutional history has shaped the present day approach to its management. The processes driving partnership working were understood in terms of governance factors with a relatively high degree of control and behavioural factors with a relatively low degree of control. There was a tacit acceptance among actors that success was dependent upon uncontrollable factors and in particular inter-personal relations between representatives of stakeholder bodies. These findings are important for all IUCN Category V protected areas reliant upon working within stakeholder partnerships to achieve sustainable development objectives. Management bodies can benefit from examining the history of these often complex webs of relationships and the implications for communications between organisations if they are to understand the processes that underpin this form of governance.

Perception of Sustainability of Spanish National Parks: Public Use, Tourism and Rural Development

“…The beginning of the international protectionist trend dates back to 1872 when Yellowstone National Park was declared in the United States [23,24]. The objective of this first declaration was based on the preservation of natural space for the enjoyment of people, due to the devastating effect of human actions on natural resources [25][26][27]. Focusing on the European landscape, Russia, Switzerland and Spain were the first to regulate the protection of National Parks [28,29].…”

“…Nature tourism, through an adequate management model, constitutes a valuable tool through which multiple benefits can be obtained [13,19,32,53,54]. This approach represents one of the great challenges of the current panorama, that is, the search for a balance between public use for recreational purposes, the socio-economic development of the area of influence of the National Park and the conservation of the ecosystem [27,31,55]. In addition to the clear relationship between economic development and the sustainable development of a rural area, a number of other factors associated with the sustainability of that tourist destination can be distinguished.…”

Partnerships for Urban Forestry and Green Infrastructure Delivering Services to People and the Environment: A Review on What They Are and Aim to Achieve

“…It can range from involving the public by informing people and encouraging them to formulate and express their opinion in consultations or public hearings to more active forms of participation and empowerment [29]. For example, some UF partnerships achieve active co-operation, co-management and empowerment of local partners through devolution of decision making powers, responsibilities and/or funding from government institutions and programmes to local bodies [10,30,31]. Empowerment and involvement of the general public in the planning and management of urban green space triggers social interaction between residents [15].…”

“…The use of the term "partnership" in scientific literature on UF and GI is rather inconsistent. Some articles covering participatory approaches do not mention partnerships at all, though cases of partnership-working have implicitly been included [15,29], some do not distinguish between partnerships and other forms of cooperation [10,31] or use the term only for specific partnership models such as economic partnerships [39]. Though the term "partnerships" has been used to name and describe many diverse examples of co-operation in the field of UF, some clarification of the concept therefore seems necessary.…”

“…In some cases partnership is formalised through an agreement which requires participants to contribute to tasks and problem solving. The degree of formalisation of such partnership agreements may vary greatly [31]. Agreements can take the form of legally binding contracts or well-documented Memoranda of Understanding in which the areas of responsibility of the partners and the rules and obligations of engagement are explicitly agreed and documented.…”