Management of Protected Areas

Actions directed at saving the remaining natural resources, be it forests, biodiversity, or
whole ecosystems should be expected to increase as levels of environmental degradation increase. This expectation is consistent with the comment of Dudley et al(1999) that there is an excellent outlook for protected area increases; and with information indicating that since 1962 protection of public areas has increased tenfold(Molnar 2005). For example, most countries have already protected or are planning to protect a percentage of their resource base, and pressures from NGOs seeking maximum protection are right now strong. Conservation International reports that in 2005 it has projects in 40 countries(Seligmann 2005). Also, the conflict between social goals and preservation goals should be expected to increase as the levels of natural resources available for traditional social uses decrease. For example, as environmental stakeholders press for more resource protection, social stakeholders will press for their right to exploit their available resources, especially, sustainably. This should not be a surprise as the conflict between conservation and the people or communities affected by it is known(Wright1996; Stolton and Dudley 1999) and it is now more widely recognized(Molnar 2005).

Crime is a part of the forest setting. Crime and acts of violence make the work of forest managers more hazardous and jeopardize the safety of forest resources and wildlife. To understand and respond appropriately to current and future needs of the Forest Department to address issues related to crime and violence on forests and wild lives, it is important to interact with the stakeholders. Specific research objectives were to-gather information on what crimes are occurring, the extent of crimes, and the impacts they have on forest land management .In this study focus group discussions were applied and interviews of key informants were conducted for data collection. The study was carried in Inani National Park during July to December 2010. The Inani National Park and adjoining forest area (12,000 ha) is manned by only 18 forest guards /foresters ( of which 30 percent are physically unfit) to enforce forest law against forest illicit, wild life poaching and forest land encroachment distributed into 8 Forest Beat . On average, 2,000 law breakers enter into the forest of which only 1(one) is recorded by the Forest Department .The department cannot make significant number of arrests and very unsuccessful in prosecution of forest offences. Given this situation coupled with lack of public respect in FD, lack of ownership and participation of police, administration and politicians, lawlessness is the order of the day in the forest area. To reverse the situation strengthening Forest Department capacity is imperative towards successful forest law enforcement to ensure forest conservation.

É com prazer que cumprimos a honrosa missão de prefaciar o livro dos pesquisadores Shaji Thomas, Oriana Almeida e Elysângela Sousa Pinheiro, intitulado Projeto Agroextrativista e Gestão Participativa dos Recursos Comuns na Várzea Amazônica. Com esta obra, em tema tão relevante, os pesquisadores nos apresentam o resultado de ampla pesquisa realizada na região Oeste do Pará, dedicando atenção às comunidades de várzea do Baixo Amazonas e às estratégias coletivas de gestão dos bens comuns. Para tanto, os pesquisadores tomam como elemento catalisador o modelo de regularização fundiária expresso pelos Projetos de Assentamento Agroextrativista, apresentados como modelo especial de acesso à terra, e voltados à necessidade de integração das agendas sociais e ambientais no Brasil. Neste contexto, os pesquisadores delineiam como objetivo primaz da pesquisa a análise dos impactos trazidos por este modelo de assentamento na forma de gestão dos recursos comuns de comunidades situadas na várzea do Baixo Amazonas, segundo diferentes níveis de organização institucional existentes em cada região. O destaque para o cenário da várzea merece ser ressaltado, tendo em vista tratar-se, em geral, de um dos espaços amazônicos mais simbólicos da região, marcado pela função socioambiental, todavia, reiteradamente ignorados pelas políticas públicas e mesmo pelo Direito Agrário e Ambiental. A obra traça um percurso científico de grande relevância ao percorrer a análise histórica da gestão dos recursos comuns, desde a reflexão da tragédia dos comuns até a proposta de governança interativa dos recursos comuns, aproximando-se da realidade dos povos e comunidades tradicionais, não apenas na Amazônia, mas presentes em todo o mundo. A aproximação necessária com as questões até hoje irresolutas sobre o regime jurídico da várzea é uma das contribuições de grande relevância que encontramos na pesquisa ora publicada e que nos permite colher subsídios relevantes para o tratamento jurídico e social do tema. Posteriormente, a obra apresenta uma ampla compreensão da gestão dos recursos naturais de várzea, oferecendo-nos a várzea como um local de produção e reprodução econômica, social, ambiental e cultural, muitas vezes ignorado. É neste caminhar que os impactos da criação e implantação dos PAE na Várzea do Baixo Amazonas são avaliados, abordando seus pressupostos, sua caracterização, as políticas públicas e os desafios encontrados, até culminar como a reflexão sobre o futuro dos PAE objeto de estudo. Temos aqui, portanto, uma abordagem científica de enorme relevância para o contexto amazônico, mas também nacional, oferecendo um olhar qualificado sobre uma das políticas públicas recentes no Estado brasileiro, criadas num contexto de ansiedade pelo avanço em políticas públicas reais de sustentabilidade de justiça social. O olhar sensível dos autores nos apresenta também uma opção de postura científica necessária que utiliza a academia como caixa de ressonância da defesa de Direitos Humanos, em especial os socioambientais.

Unsustainable land uses may result in poor watershed management, increased soil erosion, poorly-planned urban development, increased runoff, and sewage pollution, creating an environmental stress gradient across coastal coral reefs. This study was aimed at: 1) Evaluating water quality within and outside the Canal Luis Peña Natural Reserve (CLPNR), Culebra Island, Puerto Rico; 2) Determining if there was any significant environmental stress gradient associated to land-based non-point source pollution; and 3) Characterizing shallow-water coral reef communities across the gradient. Strong gradient impacts associated 293 to sediment-laden and nutrient-loaded runoff pulses, in combination with non-point raw sewage pulses, and sediment bedload, impacted coastal coral reefs. Water quality showed significant spatio-temporal fluctuations (p<0.0001), largely responding to heavy rainfall and subsequent runoff pulses. Benthic community structure showed significant spatial variation along the environmental stress gradient (p=0.0002). Macroalgae, dead coral surfaces, algal turf, and low coral species richness, species diversity index (H'c), and evenness (J'c) dominated benthic assemblages across reefs frequently impacted by runoff pulses and sediment bedload. The combination of fecal coliform and enterococci concentrations were correlated with variation in benthic community structure (Rho=0.668; p=0.0020). The combined variation in salinity, dissolved oxygen and enterococci concentrations explained 75% of the observed spatial variation in benthic assemblages (R 2 =0.7461; p=0.0400). Local human stressors affected coral reefs within no-take CLPNR and risk analyses suggest it may offset its ecological benefits. There is a need to design and implement integrated coastal-watershed management strategies to address multiple land use activities, including erosion-control best management practices, watershed reforestation, and sewage pollution control.

Recientemente, en el marco del proyecto GEF/PNUD
Sistema Regional de Áreas Protegidas, se estableció una iniciativa conjunta orientada a desarrollar una herramienta para la evaluación de la efectividad de manejo en áreas
protegidas privadas de las regiones de Los Ríos y Los Lagos, como parte del proceso de discusión de un estándar para la conservación privada. Basado en el marco de referencia de la Comisión Mundial de Áreas Protegidas de la UICN,  se realizó una propuesta de adaptación del Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool a las circunstancias y factores específicos del ciclo de manejo de las áreas protegidas privadas en Chile. A partir de estas sugerencias se desarrolló la Herramienta de Evaluación de
Efectividad de Manejo (HEEM) de Áreas Protegidas Privadas, que analiza seis ámbitos que contribuyen de manera decisiva al éxito de estas iniciativas, conocidos como las “6P”: Propiedad, Permanencia, Planificación, Personal, Presupuesto y Participación. Estos aspectos se evalúan a través de 26 variables. Esta herramienta fue aplicada de manera piloto en un taller realizado entre el 22 y el 24 de mayo de 2012 en la Reserva Privada Huilo Huilo, en el que participaron más de 30 administradores y gestores de iniciativas de conservación privada.

The number of cultural parks has been steadily increasing in recent years throughout the world. But what is a cultural park? This book provides a detailed answer to this question and sets out the basis for an academic debate that moves beyond the technical narratives that have prevailed to date. It is important to open up the topic to academic scrutiny given that cultural parks are becoming widespread devices being employed by different institutions and social groups to manage and enhance cultural and natural heritage assets and landscapes. The main problem in dealing with this topic is the predominant lack of theory-grounded, critical reflection in the literature about cultural parks. These remain largely conceived as technical instruments deployed by institutions in order to solve an array of problems they must deal with. As cultural parks are generally regarded as positive and constructive tools whose performance is associated with the preservation of heritage, the overcoming of the nature/culture divide, the reinforcing of identity and memory and the strengthening of social cohesion and economic development, this book critically explores these issues through the analysis of the literature on cultural parks. In addition, it provides a novel theoretical conceptualization of cultural parks that is connected with, and underpins, a tentative methodology developed for their empirical analysis.

Con el fin de alcanzar la conservación y el uso sustentable
de los recursos, se desarrollan los siguientes programas
y subprogramas de manejo: programa de conservación
y manejo integrado de recursos naturales, con el
subprograma de conservación de la biodiversidad terrestre
y el de manejo de pesquerías; el programa de uso
público, con el subprograma de turismo e interpretación,
y el de investigación y monitoreo; programa de
educación y gestión comunitaria; y programa de administración
que incluye las actividades de control y vigilancia,
la estructura de toma de decisiones y ejecución
de medidas de manejo, finanzas y concertación.

This thesis presents a proposal to model the processes of decision making in Waraira Repano National Park management in Venezuela. This research includes the identification of key management factors, linked actors and their relationships within the management system, as well as the prioritization of strategies to improve the compliance of the conservation objectives. To achieve the purposes of the investigation, the DPSIR approach (FPEIR in Spanish) is addressed to analyze the driving forces, pressures, states, impacts and responses of the management system. The Social Network Analysis (SNA) is developed to study stakeholders and their relationships within the network. The Analytic Network Process (ANP) is used to model the decision making system.

The study includes the analysis of the management problems of national parks, with emphasis on Waraira Repano in Venezuela. It also sets out relevant factors in the management of the National Park and proposes a number of indicators to monitor main attributes of the protected area, in particular those linked to biodiversity conservation and environmental goods and services preservation.
Similarly, this thesis also studies stakeholders linked to protected area management, both internal and external to their managerial system. It also discusses the relationships among stakeholders in the National Park to document the flow of information within the management network.

Finally, the research builds a model representing the decision problem, capturing main interactions occurring in the area, taking into account their natural and social complexity. This analysis also includes the identification of key decision criteria, grouping the elements into components with common characteristics. It also analyzes relationships among elements within the network.

To achieve the research objectives, a group of experts with extensive knowledge of the protected area and their managerial programs was consulted. Using diverse methodological techniques, including focus groups, key information was gathered and validated. Data analysis was supported by using software such as Superdecissions® and UCINET®. Both computer programs provide tools to calculate and graph the results and to facilitate the analysis.

This research enables the identification of 54 relevant factors in the management of the National Park, which were prioritized after their evaluation and validation by a panel of experts. This prioritization was based on their relevance to reach protected area objectives. This dissertation also includes analysis of 64 actors and their relationships to each other, within the decision-making processes related to protected areas management.

Finally, the research establishes the decision model consisting on five clusters, which grouped 18 criteria and 7 alternatives. This model helps to prioritize the most important management strategies for this area, and it could also contribute to develop and apply similar models in other protected areas in Venezuela and the world.

Situações comumente denominadas de conflitos socioambientais tornaram--se frequentes com o avanço das frentes de desenvolvimento e do conservacionismo Anderson & Berglund, 2014) e recebem atenção crescente dos antropólogos, também no Brasil. Abordarei aqui uma faceta particular deste fenômeno, muitas vezes considerada menos crítica ou problemática, que se costuma chamar de manejo participativo em áreas protegidas. Trato do caso de um termo de compromisso (Ibama, 2006) firmado entre, de um lado, moradores e pescadores de uma vila no litoral do Amapá e, de outro, funcionários da Reserva Biológica do Lago Piratuba (RBLP daqui em diante), unidade de conservação na Amazônia brasileira. Proponho explorar as diferenças e, acima de tudo, as convergências parciais, não apenas no plano político-legal, mas no emprego de objetos técnicos e nas modificações espaciais implementadas com o termo de compromisso (doravante TC).

The overwhelming majority of government-designated protected areas in Asia have been thwarted with constraints to become effectively and equitably managed, and integrated into the broader landscapes. Significant constraints have included legal, governance, institutional, management capacities and financial aspects. In sharp contrast, the Philippines has over three decades of experience tackling the institutional mechanics of collaborative management. This paper analyzes the management arrangements of Mount Kitanglad Range Natural Park (MKRNP), one of the country's best collaboratively managed protected areas. The analysis reveals a multi-level collaborative management system, involving two landscape collaborative management bodies, 13 protected area management working groups and the resurrection of local indigenous institutional bodies-the Council of Elders and the tribal guards. Some protected area working groups are effective whilst a few working groups have broad, and sometimes overlapping, mandates. Of high concern, both the landscape collaborative management bodies have low representation of these working groups and the indigenous communities themselves. Protected area staffing levels and resources are inadequate for providing technical support to effective multi-level collaborative management. Overall, MKRNP represents an interesting example of multi-level collaborative management for protected areas and adjacent buffer zones – and generating positive attitudes and behavioral change. Recommendations are made regarding strengthening protected area management towards achieving Aichi Target 11.

The perceptions and attitude of local people towards a protected area have been identified in literature as a key factor for its success, since perceptions affect operations within the environment. The study identifies and analyses the perceptions of local stakeholders in the Slovenian Kamniško-Savinjske Alps Regional Park in designation in order to improve further stakeholder participation planning in the establishment and management of the park. Contrary to similar studies, the study is carried out on the case of the park in designation where the attitudes of local stakeholders strongly influence the process of establishment. The qualitative method of the grounded theory is used to inductively develop the theory from in-depth, semi-structured, and open-ended interviews with local stakeholders and park founders. The article discovers links between main entities influencing the perception and provides a more comprehensive descriptionof the reasons and the background of their formation. The perception of benefits, the inclusion in the park establishment and past experiences with institutions represented by founders have the most influence on the local stakeholders’ attitudes towards the park.

The article presents the views and needs of visitors on a model example of a protected landscape area Moravian Karst. It analyses their view of nature conservation as a factor in the development of tourism and recreation. The results also present the habits and activities of visitors in relation to potential and actual impacts of recreation on protected areas and ecosystems. Methodology of the work is based on a standard questionnaire survey, conducted in the summer and autumn of 2013. Together with the management of the Moravian Karst locations with intense traffic were selected. These locations were then analysed by visible manifestations and impacts of recreational activities on the site.

"RESUMEN
El objetivo de este trabajo es realizar una propuesta de Plan de Uso Público para el Parque Natural de la Serranía de Cuenca, ubicado en la Comunidad Autónoma de Castilla-La Mancha, España. Para realizar esta propuesta, y que ésta estuviera basada en la realidad social y ambiental del espacio, se ha realizado un estudio-diagnóstico del modelo de Uso Público que se ha querido implantar en este espacio natural protegido y de la situación actual en que se encuentra -marcada profundamente por el contexto de crisis económica en que nos encontramos-; se ha contado también con la participación y opinión de la administración responsable del UP en el Parque y de los diversos agentes sociales que se encuentran implicados, de una u otra forma, en su gestión. Este estudio nos permitirá, a partir de la experiencia particular de este Parque Natural, abrir un debate sobre las inercias seguidas por las administraciones autonómicas con competencias en Uso Público en los espacios naturales protegidos (ENP) y sobre la necesidad de crear y ampliar el espacio disponible para la participación social en la gestión de los ENP, en especial dentro del Uso Público. Para ello, se ha realizado, además, una exhaustiva revisión de la bibliografía existente sobre la materia, así como de la legislación, normativa y planes de aplicación en el caso del ENP que nos ocupa.

Palabras clave: Uso Público, Plan de Uso Público, Espacios Naturales Protegidos, Parque Natural, Planes de Gestión, Serranía de Cuenca, Participación Social, Educación Ambiental, Información Ambiental, Interpretación Ambiental, Programas de Voluntariado, Conservación, Valores Naturales, Cultura Tradicional, Prácticas Agroambientales Sostenibles."


"ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to develop a public use plan proposal for the Serranía de Cuenca natural park, located in the Castilla-La Mancha autonomous community, Spain. In order to develop this proposal, to be based on the social and environmental reality, a study-diagnosis of the public use model which was to be implemented in this natural park and its current situation -strongly determined for the current economic crisis framework- was carried out. This study has counted on the participation and opinion of the administration in charge of the public use in the natural park and the different social actors, which are involved in diverse ways in the management of the natural park. This study will allow us, from the particular experience of this natural park, opening the discussion about the inertia of autonomous community administrations having competencies in protected natural areas public use and about the need of creating and enlarging the room for social participation in the management of protected natural areas, particularly regarding public use. To that aim, a thorough review has been carried out, including literature on the topic, legislation as well as plans and programs of the natural park under study.


Keywords: Public Use, Public Use Plan, Protected Natural Areas, Natural Park, Management Plan, Serranía de Cuenca, Social Participation, Environmental Education, Environmental Information, Environmental  Interpretation, Voluntary Work Programs, Conservation, Natural Values, Traditional Culture, Sustainable Agri-environment Practices."

Utilizando el enfoque de revisión sistemática, se evaluó la efectividad
de las áreas protegidas para preservar las poblaciones de oso andino,
reducir su cacería y la pérdida y degradación de su hábitat a lo largo de la cordillera de los Andes. Se realizó una búsqueda extensiva y sistemática de información en tres tipos de fuentes: instituciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales tanto nacionales como internacionales; investigadores, estudiantes, técnicos con experiencia en la especie; y bases de datos de buscadores electrónicos. De 10.206 referencias localizadas, para la revisión se eligió 45 artículos de los cinco países andinos. La mayor parte provino de Venezuela (23,9%) y Perú (19,6%), seguidos por Ecuador (17,4%), Colombia (15,2%) y Bolivia (13%). La evidencia encontrada fue muy escasa para determinar el grado de impacto de las áreas protegidas sobre la conservación de la especie. La evaluación cualitativa sugiere que las áreas protegidas no parecen estar siendo efectivas para la conservación del oso andino. El meta-análisis indicó un efecto positivo leve (magnitud del efecto total = 0,32), lo cual indica que las áreas protegidas tienen poco efecto en favorecer al oso andino. Con respecto a la cacería, el efecto resultó negativo (magnitud del efecto total = - 0,25), sugiriendo que las áreas protegidas no son efectivas para aminorarla. Respecto a si las áreas protegidas son efectivas para proteger el hábitat del oso andino, la evidencia indica tendencias opuestas pero el efecto conjunto de los estudios analizados (magnitud del efecto total = 0,43), señala que éstas han favorecido el mantenimiento y/o recuperación de la cobertura vegetal, aunque sus márgenes y/o zonas de amortiguamiento han sido degradadas.

A newsletter in Marathi with news, information and analysis on wildlife and conservation in the state of Maharashtra, India. Published by Kalpavriksh with support from the Duleep Matthai Nature Conservation Trust. Editor: Reshma Jathar; Associate Editor: Pankaj Sekhsaria

News and information on wildlife and protected areas from India and South Asia. Published by Kalpavriksh and the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), IIT Bombay with support from the Duleep Matthai Nature Conservation Trust. In it's 27th year of non-stop publication.
Vol. XVII, No. 4, August 2021 (No. 152)

News and information on wildlife and protected areas from India and South Asia. Published by Kalpavriksh and the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), IIT Bombay with support from the Duleep Matthai Nature Conservation Trust. In it's 27th year of non-stop publication.

Contribution/Originality: This study is one of the few studies that investigate plant diversity, regeneration and soil properties across PAs in Sierra Leone. The research contributes to the existing literatures in PAs and their ecosystem characteristics. The article concludes that; PAs in Sierra Leone plant diversity and richness and regeneration ability is low.

The management effectiveness of protected areas is a critically important consideration for their conservation success. Over 40 different protected area management effectiveness (PAME) data collection tools have been developed to systematically assess protected area management effectiveness. Many of these assessments have recently been collated into the Global IUCN Protected Area Management Effectiveness (PAME) database. We use the PAME database together with and the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) to assess current progress towards the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) 2010 and 2015 targets for PAME, which call for at least 30 per cent and 60 per cent of the total area of protected areas to have been assessed in terms of management effectiveness, respectively. We show that globally 29 per cent of the area protected has been assessed and 23 per cent of countries have reached the 60 per cent target. In addition 46 per cent of countries have reached the 30 per cent target. However, analytical results show that there are biases in the type of protected area assessed; protected areas with larger areas, and protected areas designated as National Parks (IUCN category II) are much more likely to have conducted a PAME assessment. In addition there is a paucity of PAME assessments from Europe and North America, where assessments of protected area management may already be integrated into protected area planning and monitoring systems, creating a challenge for reporting to the CBD. We further discuss the potential and limitations of PAME assessments as tools for tracking and evaluating protected area management, and the need for further assessment tools to address the 'equity' elements of Target 11 of the CBD.

Markovi Kuli is an area with an exceptional weathering landscape, located on the southwestern branches of Babuna Mountain, north of Prilep. Several ridges extend to northwest and southeast from an ENE-WSW oriented main ridge, with prominent peaks in Edinak (1303), Lipa (1392) and Zlatovrv (1422) as the highest one. It is a host to a vast variety of weathering landforms (cliffs, pillars, weathering pits, tafoni etc.), mainly due to the specific geological composition of the area, where Proterozoic metamorphic rocks are intruded by Late Paleozoic granitoid rocks. In addition, the landform development is also controlled by the local climate conditions. As a result of its geomorphological significance, in 2004 Markovi Kuli was placed on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage, and in 2006 it was proclaimed as a Monument of Nature within the network of protected areas in Macedonia. However, despite its geodiversity being the cornerstone of its significance, not many geomorphological studies have been made. Considering that, and especially the necessity for the effective protection of the area, detailed inventory of geo-forms including their micro-relief features, determination of the types, intensity and importance of the contemporary weathering processes, as well as assessment of the human impact is needed. As part of that, latest GIS and RS technologies should be used, providing long-term monitoring of this important geo-complex.
Keywords: Markovi Kuli, geodiversity, weathering, protection

Preliminary results of research component of the project!
With the current project, special attention is paid to the southern part of this site, that is, on the hill (inselberg) Markovi Kuli (945 m) that rises north of Prilep. In addition, using the most modern approaches (drone imaging, 3D modeling, visualization, etc.), mapping, classification, inventorization, and analysis of forms were performed. Also, within the preliminary research, an explanation of the landscape origin and the main contributing factors was given.
The project activities began in October 2018, when several field inspections were carried out, accompanied by detailed aerial/terrestrial photo recording of the site. Drone recording was used for producing of 15 cm digital elevation model and 10 cm orthophoto as a basis for the three-dimensional visualization on the area. With the drone and field mapping, more than 500 characteristic forms are identified from which 50 are evaluated in details: the Markovi Kuli primary inselberg, 9 secondary inselbergs, 18 tors, 23 boulders, as well as numerous micro-forms including weathering pits, tafoni, alveoli, flared slopes, etc. In December and January, detailed inventory of mentioned landforms, with their location (coordinates, altitude), basic morphological (position, shape, structure), morphometric (size, height), and other relevant data (a type of vegetation, degree of degradation, etc.), was compiled. Also, a series of profiles has been made and the most representative photos are added for each form in the inventory. All of that is included as a database of the Markovi Kuli geographical information system (GIS) as a tool for monitoring the changes of the landscape that will occur in the future. During March and April, several field visits to the site followed, especially on its west side, with a dozen high-quality 360-degree photo panoramas prepared for a good visual inspection and a "virtual tours" of the site. This is of particular importance for the popularization and presentation of the Markovi Kuli site which is not well known abroad.
The results of the research have shown that the process of active formation of denudation forms of Markovi Kuli is still taking place today. In that sense, numerous "fresh" broken boulders and pieces of rocks have been recorded. Analyzes also indicate that some of the large forms have a primary or initial origin with a form obtained when granite magma is imprinted in older gneisses. The smaller forms that are the most common on the site, began to be created below the surface with underground weathering complemented by selective erosion of exogenous agents. Thus, in the period from tens to hundreds of thousands of years, the numerous phenomena that we see on the surface today have been shaped. All of these findings, as well as the inventory of forms, have been elaborated in detail in an appropriate study, which provides recommendations for sustainability, future monitoring, preservation, geotouristic activities, etc. Particular attention in the project was addressed also to the cultural values, and this part of the activities was carried out by the members of the Institute of Old Slavic Culture from Prilep. The past human presence in this area is recorded in dozens of locations, dating from the Neolithic (6000 BC) until the late Middle Ages. Certainly, the remains of human activities on the hill Markovi Kuli, confirmed by the late Eneolith to the present, are of crucial importance here representing an example of exceptional interaction between nature and the humans.
According to our information, this is for the first time in our country, that inventory and analysis of geo-landscape with such dimensions are largely made with drone-based remote sensing. Apart from the research, the project envisages activities that will provide better conditions for sustainable tourism, with offers that will additionally attract attention. In the same time, the project is paying great attention to the necessary measures for protection, since numerous landforms are degraded with graffiti, inscriptions, waste dumping, etc.

The number of cultural parks and heritage areas is increasing in Europe and the United States. Those are spreading over other areas where the economic sectors related to tourism and leisure gain weight. Heritage areas or parks are heterogeneous initiatives that place cultural heritage at the heart of spatial planning policy and economic development, aiming at the reinvention of large territories and local community participation in planning. Their relevance stems from their potential influence on the territorial configuration of broad regions and their impact upon the articulation of traditional protected areas. Notwithstanding this, they have attracted scant academic attention so far.

The flows of ecosystems services provided by Natura 2000 sites depend in a complex way on many variables related to ecological (chemical, physical, biological) and socioeconomic processes, which interact at different levels in the scales of time and space. It is not practical to understand the full complexity of these relationships, especially on the basis of the data usually available for these sites. However, a system dynamics (SD) approach makes it possible to distinguish major variables and their cause-effect relations, and to visualise their recurrent dynamics.Here we propose simplified models of the systems underlying the various ecosystem services. These models have various aims:
 to represent the main variables involved in site management and in the process of reproduction of the ecosystem service
 to understand and visualise any feedbacks between possible management measures and system variables
 to reveal any implicit assumptions that would be deleterious for the aims of enduring development and protection of biodiversity in Natura 2000 sites
 to sustain collaboration promoting convergence of ideas, knowledge, interests and positions, based on discussion between stakeholders
 to facilitate the definition of management problems and strategies from new, possibly intersectoral perspectives (e.g. tourism, landscape ecology, conservation of biodiversity)
 to provide managers with a body of knowledge on which to develop specific models for their sites and to simulate management scenarios.

Comprehensive volume on all aspects of protected areas (including community conserved areas, private protected areas) including ecological, social, economic, political issues. With 169 authors and 5 editors, possibly largest number of contributors to a conservation book ever.

Protected areas are widely considered essential for biodiversity conservation. However, few global studies have demonstrated that protection benefits a broad range of species. Here, using a new global biodiversity database with unprecedented geographic and taxonomic coverage, we compare four biodiversity measures at sites sampled in multiple land uses inside and outside protected areas. Globally, species richness is 10.6% higher and abundance 14.5% higher in samples taken inside protected areas compared with samples taken outside, but neither rarefaction-based richness nor endemicity differ significantly. Importantly, we show that the positive effects of protection are mostly attributable to differences in land use between protected and unprotected sites. Nonetheless, even within some human-dominated land uses, species richness and abundance are higher in protected sites. Our results reinforce the global importance of protected areas but suggest that protection does not consistently benefit species with small ranges or increase the variety of ecological niches.

Understanding the relationship between local people and protected areas (PAs) is essential for improving the management of these areas. The local peoples’ perspectives
of their relationship with PAs were analyzed based on secondary data. We focused on five Federal Coastal-Marine PAs in the state of Santa Catarina and five analytical domains: economic, environmental, spatial, organizational and cultural. We analyzed 21 studies that together contemplated all domains. Fishing was the most important economic activity for
local peoples. For all PAs, negative environmental impacts were registered. Conflicts in use of space, distance between local people and PAs management, and decline of fishing activity were also reported. The comparison of the analytical domains allowed us to identify gaps in the knowledge to be investigated and important points to be addressed by the managers of the PAs.

Contribution/Originality: This study is one of the few studies that investigate plant diversity, regeneration and soil properties across PAs in Sierra Leone. The research contributes to the existing literatures in PAs and their ecosystem characteristics. The article concludes that; PAs in Sierra Leone plant diversity and richness and regeneration ability is low.

Traditionally managed landscapes can play a vital role in protected area management strategies. However, such landscapes are often poorly inventoried and evaluated. Broader land use and land cover patterns may be known, but important details about site-specific land use and structural ecosystem elements and complexity that support biodiversity are often unknown. We conducted a rapid visual assessment to illustrate the relationship between traditionally managed landscapes and biodiversity conservation around a national park in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Our research question was: how does the presence of structural ecosystem elements vary with the degree of traditional land use? We conducted a rapid visual assessment based on the previously established Landscape Assessment Protocol: a field method for landscape conservation surveying, which to our knowledge is the first application of the protocol to a tropical landscape. Our results show that the presence of structural ecosystem elements was strongly and positively related to the degree of traditional land use, which is likely common across the tropics. Such rapid landscape assessments can help park managers and conservationists engage with local communities to determine and prioritise conservation needs, and to ultimately bolster the effective size of protected areas across broader landscapes.

News and information on wildlife and protected areas from India and South Asia. Published by Kalpavriksh and the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), IIT Bombay with support from the Duleep Matthai Nature Conservation Trust. In it's 27th year of non-stop publication. Our special 150th issue

A compreensão das relações entre populações humanas locais e unidades de conservação (UC) é crucial para a melhoria da gestão das áreas. As perspectivas das populações locais sobre as relações população-UC foram analisadas com base em dados secundários. Para tal, foram consideradas cinco UC Federais Marinho-Costeiras de Santa Catarina e cinco domínios analíticos: econômico, ambiental, espacial, organizacional e cultural. Foram analisados 21 estudos que conjuntamente contemplavam todos os domínios. A pesca destacou-se como atividade economicamente importante para as populações. Para todas UC foram registrados impactos ambientais negativos. Conflitos no uso do espaço, distanciamento das populações com a gestão das UC e declínio da atividade pesqueira também foram relatados. A comparação dos domínios analíticos permitiu identificar lacunas do conhecimento a serem investigadas e pontos importantes a serem trabalhados pelos gestores das UC.

The Piatra Craiului National Park is located in the Southern Carpathians, preserving one of Romania&#39;s outstanding mountain ridges. Its exceptional landscape value is given both by the geologic structure of the Piatra Craiului limestone massif, and its complex forest ecosystem. Unfortunately, on medium and long term the Piatra Craiului National Park is dealing with significant difficulties in attempting to preserve the forest and ecosystem services it provides, despite its legal status as a protected area. This essential ecosystem services offer must counterbalance and even prevail in designing the strategic interest and future management of this natural resource. The study bases on the analysis of the contradiction between the National Park&#39;s purpose and objectives, on one hand, and economic interests in the area, on the other hand. It brings arguments and explains the causes that underlie the different forest exploitation on the northern and southern sides. The research met...

The article presents habits and activities of visitors to the Moravian Karst PLA in relation to potential and actual impacts of recreation on protected areas and ecosystems. Methodology of the work is based on a standard questionnaire survey, conducted in the summer and autumn of 2013. The objectives of the survey were to find recreational activities, habits and preferences of visitors to PLA Moravian Karst in relation to nature and landscape protection and secondary also regional development. The length of stay in the summer and autumn survey differs significantly. In autumn there are the most frequent one day trips, and if tourists stay for several days, then usually only for a weekend. While in summer they are here for a longer period of time. Visitor survey shows that most tourists do not feel limited by conservation measures.