Navigating the Balance: The Role of National Parks in Ecological Conservation and Socioeconomic Development, 2nd Edition
A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Land Socio-Economic and Political Issues".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 March 2026 | Viewed by 2294
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sustainable development goals; residential energy consumption transition; natural resource management; ecological economics; biological and cultural diversity; shared socio-economic pathways scenarios; peak carbon emissions and carbon neutral pathways
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: ecological economics and regional sustainable development; environmental policy and management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The diverse climatic, locational, and historical contexts of national parks necessitate a nuanced understanding of their conservation challenges and priorities. Since the 1980s, the trade-offs between ecological preservation and regional economic development have sparked extensive debate, underlining the complex interplay between environmental conservation and human well-being. This Special Issue seeks, therefore, to highlight the importance of identifying the key factors in the diverse natural environments of national parks and to understand the socioeconomic impacts of conservation policies on local communities. National parks have historically faced challenges in balancing ecological protection with the socioeconomic needs of adjacent communities, often leading to conflicts that affect both the parks' conservation goals and the quality of life of local residents.
Following the success of our first edition, this Special Issue continues to explore the intricate balance between preserving natural environments and fostering socioeconomic welfare within and around national parks. Building on this foundation, this second edition seeks to delve deeper into innovative and forward-looking solutions and aims to both highlight the key factors in the diverse natural environments of national parks and understand the socioeconomic impacts of conservation policies on local communities.
We are looking for contributions that assess and improve National Park protection, both broadly and in detail. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- The socioeconomic impacts of national parks on local communities;
- Strategies for balancing conservation efforts with regional economic development;
- The influence of political, economic, and cultural traditions on national park policies and practices;
- Innovations in governance and management models;
- Interdisciplinary and integrative approaches;
- Global and comparative perspectives;
- Historical, current, and future perspectives on the role of national parks in societal and economic systems.
We encourage contributions in the form of original research articles, reviews, case studies, and perspective pieces that shed light on the multifaceted role of national parks in ecological and socioeconomic systems.
Dr. Fanglei Zhong
Prof. Dr. Lihua Zhou
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land 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 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- sustainable development goals
- national parks
- mode of management
- socioeconomic development
- conservation
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