Protected areas: necessary but not sufficient

Abstract

The changing paradigm of protected area management has evolved quite significantly from the pleasuring-ground of Yellowstone through a strong emphasis on wildlife protection to a more recent acknowledgement that protected areas alone cannot guarantee the conservation of biodiversity. With strong endorsement from IUCN there have been many complementary developments that address this gap in capacity for any protected area system. While there may be concerns about the prospect of undervaluing traditional protected areas (mostly unfounded), the new directions are widely embraced as value adding the system. They come with a price. Adopting a more inclusive framework for biodiversity conservation creates many challenges for managers of traditional protected areas. This paper explores the experiences of protected area managers in adapting to the new framework and identifies the ways in which new management has to change.