Park–People Relationships: The Socioeconomic Monitoring of National Parks in Bavaria, Germany

Hubert Job, Sarah Bittlingmaier, Marius Mayer, Eick von Ruschkowski and Manuel Woltering
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Hubert Job: Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
Sarah Bittlingmaier: Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
Marius Mayer: Department of Strategic Management, Marketing and Tourism, Team SME & Tourism, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Eick von Ruschkowski: Alfred Toepfer Akademie für Naturschutz, 29640 Schneverdingen, Germany
Manuel Woltering: Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 16, 1-27

Abstract: Questions about park–people relationships and the understanding and handling of the conflicts that may result from the creation and management of national parks in the surrounding area are prerequisites for both successful park management and sustainable rural tourism development. This paper analyzes the roles that research may play in relation to park–people relationships in the context of the two oldest German national parks located in Bavaria. The different fields of action of national parks are used to identify the potential for conflict, using detailed case studies from the Bavarian Forest and Berchtesgaden National Parks using quantitative population surveys carried out in 2018. The overall attitude towards both national parks is overwhelmingly positive, with trust towards park administrations and the perceived economic benefits from rural tourism being the attitudes most strongly correlated to the overall level of park–people relationships. Nevertheless, some points of contention still exist, like the ecological integrity approach towards strict nature conservation and related landscape changes (e.g., deadwood cover). A comparison over time shows in both cases that the spatial proximity to the protected area negatively influences people’s attitudes towards the parks, but less so than in the past. Recommendations for national park management include communicating proactively and with greater transparency with locals and decision-makers, to identify conflicts earlier and, where possible, to eliminate them. Furthermore, developing a standardized method to monitor park–people relationships in Germany is a must and would benefit integrated approaches in research and management based on conservation social science.

Keywords: park–people relationships; rural tourism; Germany; Bavaria; conflicts; national parks; Berchtesgaden; Bavarian Forest (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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