Governance of Protected Areas Based on Effectiveness and Justice Criteria: A Qualitative Study with Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Coding

Javier Orozco-Ospino (), Gloria Florez-Yepes and Luis Diaz-Muegue
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Javier Orozco-Ospino: Faculty of Engineering and Basic Sciences, Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina, Valledupar 200005, Colombia
Gloria Florez-Yepes: Faculty of Accounting, Economic and Administrative Sciences, Universidad de Manizales, Manizales 170001, Colombia
Luis Diaz-Muegue: Faculty of Engineering and Basic Sciences, Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina, Valledupar 200005, Colombia

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-22

Abstract: Effective and fair governance of protected areas (PAs) is essential for their ecological and social sustainability, particularly in contexts of high biodiversity and sociopolitical tensions. This study assessed the governance system of the Serranía del Perijá Regional Natural Park (SPRNP) in Colombia using criteria of effectiveness and justice, through a qualitative methodology grounded in thematic analysis. The research was based on semi-structured interviews and a focus group, with intentional coding supported by artificial intelligence using ATLAS.ti 25 software, which enhanced efficiency and pattern recognition in the construction of a semantic network. This AI-assisted coding approach represents an innovative methodological contribution to the qualitative assessment of PA governance. The findings highlight centralized governance, weak community participation, limited institutional presence, and power asymmetries that undermine equity in decision-making. The exclusion of the Yukpa people from the PA declaration process illustrates broader challenges of Indigenous recognition in Latin American governance contexts. Based on these findings, the study proposes three prospective governance scenarios—community-centered, inter-institutional coordination, and public–private articulation—which offer practical pathways for transforming governance. The study concludes that achieving more equitable and inclusive governance requires institutional strengthening, power redistribution, and the recognition of local knowledge. A viable solution may emerge from an adaptive combination of the proposed scenarios.

Keywords: protected areas; governance; effectiveness; justice; qualitative analysis; artificial intelligence-assisted coding (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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