Managing National Parks and Protected Areas

Instructor: Wayne Freimund

The U.S. takes credit for having the first national park in the world. That idea has flourished world wide and has taken on many different forms. According to the United National Environmental Program:

The global conservation estate has grown enormously since the first UN List was published in 1962 with just over 1,000 protected areas … to 102,102 sites covering 18.8 million km2. … Of the total area protected it is estimated that 17.1 million km2 constitute terrestrial protected areas, or 11.5% of the global land surface (IUCN 2003).

Approximately 25 percent of this land is designated as a National Park.

Within the U.S. the National Parks have existed within many social contexts and eras. They have enjoyed times of generous funding and others of neglect. Demands for our national parks have both deepened and grown more diverse. Within the U.S., the National Park system receives a number of visitors nearly equal to the national population each year. How the NPS has responded to those demands while maintaining a leadership role within the Conservation community world wide is an interesting story that is relevant to other categories of protected areas.

This course will be equally divided into four sections. First, we will examine the emergence of the National Park system. Second we will look at a series of contemporary issues in national park management. These issues will have a bent toward visitor management. Third, we will compare the NPS managerial response to trends in other parts of the world including other developed countries and developing countries. Finally we will look at the potential for the National Park idea within the next 10-20 years. Here we will examine the possibility of national park conservation as an agent for cultural transformation.

Themes within the course will be

Parks as part of complex and dynamic social–ecologic systems
The role of cultural forces (including governance structures) in constructing ongoing tensions between conservation and access.
Perennial issues of funding and strategies for constituency building
Quality in visitor and community relationships with management
The role of science, planning, courts and expert judgment in management

How To Apply Graduate Degree Programs Courses Scholarships Faculty Current Graduate Students Society & Conservation Grads Ecosytems & Conservation Sciences Grads Forest Management Grads Featured Projects Info for Current Students Contact Us Announcements PhD or Masters level Non-market Valuation Research Opportunity	Managing National Parks and Protected Areas Instructor: Wayne Freimund The U.S. takes credit for having the first national park in the world. That idea has flourished world wide and has taken on many different forms. According to the United National Environmental Program: The global conservation estate has grown enormously since the first UN List was published in 1962 with just over 1,000 protected areas … to 102,102 sites covering 18.8 million km2. … Of the total area protected it is estimated that 17.1 million km2 constitute terrestrial protected areas, or 11.5% of the global land surface (IUCN 2003). Approximately 25 percent of this land is designated as a National Park. Within the U.S. the National Parks have existed within many social contexts and eras. They have enjoyed times of generous funding and others of neglect. Demands for our national parks have both deepened and grown more diverse. Within the U.S., the National Park system receives a number of visitors nearly equal to the national population each year. How the NPS has responded to those demands while maintaining a leadership role within the Conservation community world wide is an interesting story that is relevant to other categories of protected areas. This course will be equally divided into four sections. First, we will examine the emergence of the National Park system. Second we will look at a series of contemporary issues in national park management. These issues will have a bent toward visitor management. Third, we will compare the NPS managerial response to trends in other parts of the world including other developed countries and developing countries. Finally we will look at the potential for the National Park idea within the next 10-20 years. Here we will examine the possibility of national park conservation as an agent for cultural transformation. Themes within the course will be Parks as part of complex and dynamic social–ecologic systems The role of cultural forces (including governance structures) in constructing ongoing tensions between conservation and access. Perennial issues of funding and strategies for constituency building Quality in visitor and community relationships with management The role of science, planning, courts and expert judgment in management
College of Forestry and Conservation, The University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812 Phone: 406-243-5521 \| Fax: 406-243-4845 Email: request@cfc.umt.edu