Conservation and tourism: The importance of local communities in the governance of protected areas

As global conservation concerns intersect with surging tourism interest in natural landscapes, the intricate interplay between preservation and visitor demands on protected areas comes into focus. This study delved into the complexities of harmonizing conservation and tourism in these regions, aiming to offer practical insights for sustainable coexistence. Its primary goal was to ensure both biodiversity preservation and socio-economic wellbeing within this delicate balance. At its core, this thesis addresses a central inquiry: What complexities arise in balancing conservation and tourism development within the governance frameworks of protected areas? Illustrated through a case study of the Wulingyuan World Heritage Site, this research dissects these intricacies across three critical dimensions in the interface of conservation and tourism: governance; socio-cultural considerations; and political-economic dynamics. Through a conceptual analysis of the literature in the field of protected area governance, I classified the governance approaches in the literature according to their perspective on human-nature relations. Accordingly, I proposed a research method for understanding the key processes that influence how protected area governance happens in real life, and which and whose values come to influence decisions made about protected areas. Following this approach, the study uncovered that the governance of Wulingyuan is rather fragmented, both structurally and in terms of content, leading to major coordination difficulties. The research findings showed that residents’ sense of place and place meanings were diverse, varied over time, and were affected by changes to their livelihoods and the economy that resulted from increased tourism. Moreover, the thesis explored the process of tourism-induced green land acquisition, unveiling that the expropriation of land by local government and the acquisition of use rights over land for tourism development have increased the rent gap and enabled accumulation of potential land value predominantly by the government, although private actors and local communities also received a share. Addressing these intricacies, I argue that, to achieve equilibrium between conservation and tourism interests, a balanced governance paradigm for protected areas needs a coalescent approach. Such an approach needs a governance system that systematically incorporates local stakeholders’ opinions into the decision-making process, bolstered by adaptively engaging the senses of place of local communities, empowerment of vulnerable groups, and innovative funding mechanisms dedicated to conservation pursuits. By adopting this approach, the potential to cultivate socio-economic benefits while upholding environmental integrity and community welfare within protected areas is underscored.