Advancing Human Dimensions Research in Parks and Protected Areas

1. Towards a Human Dimensions Research Agenda for Parks and Protected Areas R.J. Payne & Norm McIntyre School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks & Tourism Lakehead University Thunder Bay, Ontario

2. Human Dimensions Research Overview • Human Dimensions in Parks & Protected Areas • Methods • Four Research Themes • Moving Forward

3. Human Dimensions Research Human Dimensions in Parks & Protected Areas • interdisciplinary research into human behaviours in natural environments involving researchers from both the social sciences and the humanities • human dimensions of wildlife, fisheries and climate change • builds understandings of people’s behaviours in relation to environmental management and provides knowledge for environmental managers and policy makers • human dimensions research also connects to universal concepts such as fairness, justice, risk, and sustainability

4. Human Dimensions Research Methods • Delphi technique • 30 participants from academia and parks agencies • 3 rounds to achieve agreement

5. Human Dimensions Research Themes • Understanding and Managing Human Use of PPAs • Understanding human use • Population change and the use of PPAs • Perspectives of the public, politicians and parks agency employees about PPAs • Deepening the understanding of human use through qualitative methods of research • Managing human use • Carrying capacity tools • Determining “appropriate” use • Servicing recreation and tourism in PPAs

6. Human Dimensions Research Themes • PPAs in Regional Context • Collaborative management • Co-management institutions • Roles of ENGOs and local communities • Regional socio-economic linkages • Links between social and ecological systems • Trans-boundary issues • Values and benefits of PPAs • Aboriginal people and PPAs • Cooperative strategies • Policy and aboriginals

7. Human Dimensions Research Themes • Management Effectiveness for PPAs • PPA messages • Evaluation of PPA messages locally, regionally and nationally • Roles of heritage interpretation in PPAs • PPA management practices • Zoning • Calculating economic impacts • Adaptive management and visitor management • Knowledge management in PPAs • Where do managers get information? • Knowledge sharing • Data warehousing

8. Human Dimensions Research Themes • Institutional Arrangements for PPAs • Developing and applying PPA policy • Roles of science in park policy • Decision making and conflict resolution • Forms of public participation over time • New forms of PPAs • Co-existence of public and private forms of protection • Roles of Nature Conservancy of Canada, private reserves • Historical development and implementation of the biosphere reserve idea in Canada

9. Human Dimensions Research Moving Forward • Understanding the changing Canadian population • Funding human dimensions research in PPAs • Sharing human dimensions data, information and knowledge • Training human dimensions researchers