Co-management of protected areas to alleviate conservation conflicts: Experiences in Norway

This paper addresses the perceptions of actors of protected areas in Norway about a co-management regime at the local level. The analysis is based on quantitative data from surveys of actors of eight protected areas in northern Norway. The results show that the two strongest determinants that explai...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International Journal of the Commons
Main Authors: Gunn Elin Fedreheim, Esther Blanco
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Utrecht University Library Open Access Journals (Publishing Services) 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.18352/ijc.749
https://doaj.org/article/43d538b2d3ff4a3f9dac44d0c17a67e4
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Summary:This paper addresses the perceptions of actors of protected areas in Norway about a co-management regime at the local level. The analysis is based on quantitative data from surveys of actors of eight protected areas in northern Norway. The results show that the two strongest determinants that explain actors' initial support of the governance change as a means to alleviate conflict are (i) the relationship of actors to the protected areas in terms of knowledge of the protected areas and mental modes on conservation and (ii) the economic relevance of the areas for them. Traditionally, other sociocultural variables such as indigenous background (Sámi), age, and gender have been considered relevant and were also identified as significant attributes that define preferences for conservation management alternatives. We build on the quantitative findings on actors’ perceptions to develop a broader discussion on the relationship of the new management model for protected areas implemented and conflict resolution on land conservation in the country.