The Regional Integration of Canada s National Parks: A framework for analysis

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1 The Regional Integration of Canada s National Parks: A framework for analysis Julia McCleave Department of Geography, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1 j2mcclea@fes.uwaterloo.ca Abstract It has long been recognized in the literature that protected areas do not exist in isolation from their surrounding regions. The term regional integration broadly means the integration of a protected area into its surrounding region in order to address the challenges that exist in the context of its interaction with its surrounding region. This paper introduces the concept of regional integration, presents a conceptual framework for examining regional integration, and gives a brief description of an ongoing Ph.D. research project that is examining the regional integration of Canada s national parks. Introduction It has long been recognized in the literature that protected areas do not exist in isolation from their surrounding regions (Garratt, 1984; Hough, 1988; Janzen, 1983; Zube, 1995). Early research on protected areas and their surrounding regions examined issues such as the management of conflicts between national parks and surrounding human communities (Hough, 1988) and the effects of national parks on surrounding communities (West and Brechin, 1991; Zube and Busch, 1990). This research tended to focus on the establishment of national parks in developing countries and the negative outcomes (such as physical displacement or the loss of traditional uses of natural resources) that were a result of the mismatch of a Western model of protected area management and local circumstances. Today, a vast literature details the many challenges that relate to protected areas and their surrounding regions, in both developing and developed-country contexts. From the perspective of protected areas in developed countries, some of the more common challenges include a lack of trust between protected area managers and local residents (Bissix et al., 1998; McCleave et al., 2004); a low level of communication, cooperation and coordination between government agencies within a protected area s surrounding region (Danby, 2002; Wright, 2002; Parks Canada, 2000; Beresford and Phillips, 2000); external pressures on protected areas ecological integrity due to land development, habitat fragmentation, resource extraction, toxics and pollutants and exotic species (Walton, 1998; Francis, 2003; Parks Canada, 2000, 2000; Beresford and Phillips, 2000); and overuse from recreation and tourism (Nepal, 2000; Parks Parks Research Forum of Ontario ~ 101 ~

2 Planning for Protected Areas Canada, 2000a, 2000b). The regional integration of protected areas The term regional integration broadly means the integration of a protected area into its surrounding region in order to address the challenges that exist in the context of its interaction with its surrounding region. Examples of regional integration initiatives are: Building partnerships, collaborating, and cooperating with actors within a protected area s surrounding region; Developing, participating in, and/or increasing support for local institutions; Increased public participation in protected area management and planning; The coordination of regional plans and policies; and Resolving conflicts and improving relations with local people. Regional integration can have varied or multiple goals. They might include addressing specific management problems, improving a protected area s ecological integrity, or moving towards economic or ecological sustainability in the protected area s surrounding region. Despite efforts at implementing the types of regional integration initiatives described above, regional integration problems still remain for protected areas around the world (McCleave et al., 2004; Brandon et al., 1998; West and Brechin, 1991; Wells and Brandon, 1992). Four preliminary scoping trips to national park regions in Canada indicate that the national parks of Canada are no exception. However, in depth research that focuses specifically on regional integration is sparse with most research addressing various components of regional integration such as partnerships in conservation (e.g., Stolton and Dudley, 1999; Brown et al., 2003; McNeely, 1995), or developing larger scale bioregional institutions for conservation (e.g., Miller, 1999; Gatewood, 1999; Brunckhorst, 2000). There is a notable lack of research which explores how regional integration is being carried out within the context of national parks in Canada or how the integration of national parks into their surrounding regions could be improved. Furthermore, regional integration as a concept remains unclear, under-studied, and undefined. Conceptual framework for examining regional integration A preliminary conceptual framework for examining the concept of the regional integration of protected areas has been developed (Figure 1). The framework will be constantly reviewed throughout the research process and therefore the framework as presented in this paper should be considered to be preliminary. The conceptual framework has two main components. On the left, the interactions between a protected area and its surrounding region are represented, ~ 102 ~ 2006 PRFO Proceedings

3 Regional Integration Framework, National Parks Figure 1. Conceptual framework for examining regional integration Politicized environment Approaches/Tools Conservation partnerships Ecosystem approach Bioregional initiatives Local actor participation in PA management & planning (various degrees of participation) Integration of different knowledge systems Buffer zones, links, networks Education and outreach Economic benefits Adaptive management Conflict resolution Incomplete knowledge Economic interactions Ecological interactions Protected area Complexity New paradigm of PA management Sociocultural interactions Influencing along with the context in which these interactions occur. On the right, are listed the main approaches and tools for addressing the challenges arising from the interactions on the left. There are ecological, economic, and socio-cultural interactions between a protected area and its surrounding region. The use of dashed lines denotes that the boundaries between these systems and between the protected area and these systems are fluid and ever changing. All of the interactions transpire through the governance arrangements that are in place in the protected area s surrounding region. Furthermore, all of the above interactions occur within the context of a politicized environment, incomplete knowledge, complexity, and a new paradigm of protected area planning and management.* Several protected area management frameworks have the potential to address the challenges that arise from the interaction between protected areas and their surrounding regions. The most commonly cited and used management frameworks are integrated natural resource management (Cairns and Crawford, 1991; Born and Sonzogni, 1995; Hooper et al., 1999; Lang, 1986); ecosystembased management (Agee and Johnson, 1988; Francis, 1993; Grumbine, 1994; Slocombe, 1993); and non-traditional governance types such as communitybased natural resource management (Agrawal and Gibson, 2001, 1999; Kellert et al., 2000; Worah, 2002) and co-management (Berkes, 1994, 1997; Notzke, 1995). Other common management tools include the implementation of buffer zones and education and outreach programs. * From the point of view of the manager of a government-managed protected area in the developed world, this means that a more regional, multi-stakeholder, and co-operative approach to protected area management is needed (Phillips, 2003). Parks Research Forum of Ontario ~ 103 ~

4 Planning for Protected Areas Current study The current study is examining the interactions between national parks in Canada and their surrounding regions, how these interactions have been addressed by national park managers and other actors, and how the concept of regional integration is currently defined and practiced. Five national parks and their surrounding regions have been selected as case studies for this research: Kejimkujik National Park, Nova Scotia; Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland; Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta; Mount Revelstoke National Park, British Columbia and Glacier National Park, British Columbia.* Semi-structured interviews are currently being conducted with Parks Canada employees and actors within the national parks surrounding regions. Anticipated outcomes of this study include the development of theory related to regional integration; an external perspective on the regional integration of Canada s national parks; and suggestions on how the regional integration of Canada s national parks could be improved. Preliminary results indicate that although many of the case study national parks are faced with similar regional challenges and contexts, there are quite different regional integration approaches in place across the country. References Agee, J. K. and D. R. Johnson, eds Ecosystem Management for Parks and Wilderness. University of Washington Press, Seattle. Agrawal, A. and C. C. Gibson Enchantment and disenchantment: the role of community in natural resource conservation. World Development 27(4): Agrawal, A. and C. C. Gibson, eds Communities and the Environment: Ethnicity, Gender, and the State in Community-based Conservation. Rutgers University Press, Piscataway, NJ. Beresford, M. and A. Phillips Protected landscapes: a conservation model for the 21st century. The George Wright Forum 17(1): Berkes, F Co-management: bridging two solitudes. Northern Perspectives 22(2-3): Berkes, F New and not-so-new directions in the use of the commons: comanagement. The Common Property Resource Digest 42: 1-3. Bissix, G., C. Anderson and K. Miles Parklocked? - sustainable rural development in the Northern Cape Breton Greater Ecosystem. In Linking Protected Areas with Working Landscapes Conserving Biodiversity: Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Science and Management of Protected Areas, May 1997, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta. N. W. P. Munro and J. H. M. Willison (eds). Science and the Management of Protected Areas * Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks will be treated as a single case study since they are located very close to each other and managed by the same Parks Canada office in Revelstoke, BC. ~ 104 ~ 2006 PRFO Proceedings

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