Privately protected areas in increasingly turbulent social contexts: strategic roles, extent, and governance

Abstract

This paper considers increasing global reliance on privately protected areas (PPAs) and associated nature-based tourism (NBT). A targeted literature review was guided by three research questions, which sought to understand how neoliberal concepts and dynamics manifest in private forms of conservation; how private forms of conservation have manifested in Chile; and, how Chileans’ attitudes towards their government’s neoliberal policies might affect their expectations of PPAs. The search strategy resulted in 284 resources. Three dimensions of neoliberal approaches to PPAs emerged from the data each highlighting specific vulnerabilities: a loss of the social embeddedness of nature; an imposition of global, capital dynamics; and conflicting discourses and assumptions. Results suggest that, in order to improve long-term support and integration of PPAs and NBT, greater attention needs to be given to social well-being outcomes (including equity and justice concerns), building of social capital, and the preservation of local identities and histories. Additionally, regional and PPA-specific land-use planning needs to incorporate greater public engagement, cross-jurisdictional coordination, and transparent and inclusive decision-making.

Keywords:

• Protected area management
• private land conservation
• market-based conservation
• neoliberalism
• nature-based tourism
• Chile

Disclosure statement

No potential conflicts of interest are reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Chile's National Research and Development Agency (ANID) under ANID's Regional Program R17A10002.

Notes on contributors

William Thomas Borrie

Bill Borrie is an Associate Professor in the School of Life and Environmental Science at Deakin University, Australia. His research interests are focused on the meanings, experiences, and management of parks and protected areas. Dr. Borrie’s writings on wilderness have raised issues of technology and wilderness, the ‘disneyfication’ of wilderness, the difficult notion of primitiveness, the role of wilderness as a sanctuary, and on the measurement, monitoring, and management of quality visitor experiences. Dr. Borrie has conducted research in Yellowstone National Park; the Bob Marshall Wilderness complex; the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge; the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness; the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and Petrified Forest National Park. He has a Ph.D. in Forestry from Virginia Tech and a B.S. and M.S. in Forest Science from the University of Melbourne, Australia. Dr. Borrie is a Fellow of the Academy of Leisure Sciences.

Trace Gale

Trace Gale is Ph.D. in Forest Resource Science, West Virginia University, USA; M.B.A. from Villanova University, USA. Currently, she is a resident researcher and serves as the coordinator of the Human – Environmental Interactions line of research, for the Center for Patagonia Ecosystem Investigation (CIEP), Coyhaique, Chile. Dr. Gale’s research focuses on the intersection of conservation and development, especially in relation to leisure, recreation, authentic experiences, sustainable food systems, and protected areas. The projects she develops include three common components: (1) complex social-environmental systems (SES) and the vulnerabilities they face, (2) opportunities for students and local actors to explore the intersection of biophysical and social processes, and (3) collaborative approaches that support the development of strong partnerships between private industry, non-profit organizations, government, and the public. Her results support theoretical advances and decision-making related to the planning and management of protected areas, conservation, and sustainable development based on heritage resources, in Chile and around the world.

Keith Bosak

Keith Bosak currently serves as a Professor in the Department of Society and Conservation at the University of Montana, USA. Dr. Bosak is the Director for the MS degree option in International Conservation and Development (ICD) and the Director for the Protected Area Management Distance Education Program (PAMDEP) graduate certificate. He also directs the International Seminar on Protected Area Management (ISPAM) in conjunction with the US Forest Service International Programs. Dr. Bosak’s research interests are broadly centered on the intersection of conservation and development, and as such, he often studies nature-based tourism and sustainable tourism in the context of development and protected areas. He has conducted research on ecotourism and environmental justice in India, scientific tourism in Chile, and Geotourism in Montana. Aside from tourism, Dr. Bosak has conducted research on climate change impacts and adaptations among tribal populations in the Himalaya, private protected areas in Chile, and conservation and development initiatives in Montana. Dr. Bosak also conducts workshops on protected area planning and management around the world.