Abstract

Understanding local perceptions and equity concerns of new protected areas (PAs) is essential in ensuring support for conservation. We investigated local perceptions of a proposed national park (NP) in the Făgăraș Mountains (FM), Romania, to understand how PA perceptions can inform equitable establishment of new PAs. Using mixed methods (56 interviews, 644 questionnaires), we compared perceptions of locals near an existing private PA (n = 217) to locals in other parts of the FM (n = 427). Overall, locals perceive benefits and restrictions related to the proposed NP. Locals anticipate tourism benefits and increased environmental protection, but also increased human-wildlife conflicts. Understanding perceptions of proposed PAs can inform equitable planning and management, as local concerns can be identified and addressed. Our results show that a highly context-dependent, equitable approach to conservation, including early involvement of local populations and even distribution of benefits, is a critical point in building trust and good relations with locals.

摘要

了解当地对新保护区 (PA) 的看法和公平问题对于确保支持保护至关重要。我们调查了当地对罗马尼亚 Făgăraș 山脉 (FM) 拟建国家公园 (NP) 的看法，以了解 PA 的看法如何为公平建立新的 PA 提供信息。使用混合方法（56 次访谈，644 份问卷），我们将现有私人公共保护区附近当地人的看法 ( n  = 217) 与 FM 其他地区的当地人 ( n = 427）。总体而言，当地人认为与提议的 NP 相关的好处和限制。当地人期待旅游收益和环境保护的加强，但也增加了人类与野生动物的冲突。了解对拟议保护区的看法可以为公平规划和管理提供信息，因为可以确定和解决当地关注的问题。我们的研究结果表明，高度依赖于环境的、公平的保护方法，包括当地居民的早期参与，甚至利益的分配，是与当地人建立信任和良好关系的关键点。