Special Issue "Sustainable Development in Natural Protected Areas"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Martí Boada
Institut de Ciencia i Tecnologia Ambiental, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Edifici C Campus de la UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
Website: http://icta.uab.cat/investigacion/grupos.jsp?id=11
E-Mail: marti.boada@uab.cat

Guest Editor
Dr. Carles Barriocanal
Institut de Ciencia i Tecnologia Ambiental, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Edifici C Campus de la UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
Website: http://icta.uab.cat/investigacion/grupos.jsp?id=11
E-Mail: carles.barriocanal@udg.edu

Dear Colleagues,

This issue of Sustainability wants to be a scene of scientific reflection on the exemplify experience of the role of the natural spaces protected in the 21st century in the field of the conservation and of the dynamic of the local communities. Protected areas are destinations that preserve natural, cultural and historical heritage and fulfill an important social function. At the same time, some of the new uses related to recreational activities within their boundaries may represent potential threats.
Historically, when institutions declare protected areas, they usually base their decision on two main environmental objectives: the fact of the area being a representation of natural regions and cultural heritage and its function as a preserver of biodiversity and cultural diversity, protecting species and their habitats. Nowadays, it is clear that also social and economic implications have to play an important role on the sustainable management of the ecosystem dynamics and protected areas in order to make compatible the multiple land uses.
Landscapes are the expression of the natural, cultural and social history of the inhabitants of a territory. This must be born in mind at the moment of determining the sustainability of a protected area. Despite of recognize the significance of the natural values of a territory they do not have to conceal the social significance of the communities that live (i.e. indigenous population) and of the users proceeding from the urban systems.

Prof. Dr. Martí Boada
Dr. Carles Barriocanal
Guest Editors

Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are refereed through a peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed Open Access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 500 CHF (Swiss Francs). English correction and/or formatting fees of 250 CHF (Swiss Francs) will be charged in certain cases for those articles accepted for publication that require extensive additional formatting and/or English corrections.

• Ecosystem services
• Protected areas
• Management of landscapes
• Sustainable development
• Social and economic implications

Type of Paper: Article
Title: Worlds Apart: Local Networks, Natural Actors, and Practitioners in Rural Development in Southern Honduras
Author: Brian J. Gareau
Affiliation: Department of Sociology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA; E-Mail: gareau@bc.edu
Abstract: This paper explores the importance of incorporating the realities of alternative networks into preliminary analyses of rural development. Cultural theory is examined, because it provides a base upon which rural development can identify difference in worldviews based on difference in sociological conditions and environmental phenomena. Actor-oriented theory problematises the ideal types of cultural theory, providing a means of give-and-take between actors of different networks. Actor-network theory breaks down the structuralisation of actor-oriented theory, so nature becomes as ‘active’ an actor as people and community. Actor-network theory brings nature and society together, perceiving the two as mutually inclusive and constitutive. Actor-network theory also encourages us to see the frequency of tropical storms in Honduras as a series of actors that have played a significant, consistent role in shaping the mode of ordering of impoverished Honduran peoples. This paper concludes by exploring how alternative, agroecological networks established in a protected area in southern Honduras with ‘strong’ natural actors can be re-ordered by incorporating autonomy and resiliency into the network.

Type of Paper: Article
Title: Changes in Local People’s Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Management Issues and Tourism in the Sumava National Park and Biosphere Reserve Over a Ten Year Period (1998-2008)
Authors: Tomas Gorner ^1,2, Klara Najmanova ¹ and Martin Cihar ¹
Affiliations: ¹ Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benatska St., Prague, 12801, Czech Republic; E-Mails: tomas.gorner@nature.cz (T.G.); ciharm@gmail.com (M.C.)
² Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection of the Czech Republic, Kaplanova St., Prague, 14800, Czech Republic
Abstract: The Sumava National Park is the largest protected area of its kind in the central Europe.  While it is also one of the most interesting, it is a relatively problematic territory. In order to evaluate the success of the Park’s policies, local park inhabitants‘ attitudes were assessed over a ten-year period. Two surveys (N = 181 and N = 200) were conducted in August, 1998 and 2008. The questionnaires consisted of 43 queries from three thematic areas; a) socio-demographic data, b) environment and nature conservation, and c) sustainable tourism and local development. The 2008 results showed that the Park inhabitants perceived the Park as improving and the scheme for nature conservation as either „optimal“ or „more strict“. The surveys also showed the loss of job opportunities was the most prevalent local concern. In a cluster analysis based on perceptions of a) the Park, b) the environment and c) Park Administration, subjects were divided into four opinion groups ranging from „positive“ to „negative“. The most „positive“ group saw little connection between the Park‘s existence and job losses, while the most „negative“ group saw a strong connection in that regard.