ABSTRACT
Protected areas are complex social-ecological systems;thus, they were unavoidably impacted by COVID-19. Spain is one of the most diverse countries in terms of biodiversity in the European Union and the second most visited country in 2019 and third touristic destination worldwide. Understanding the effects of the pandemic in Spanish protected areas is very important to discuss new possibilities on how to drive sustainable development on these conserved spaces and how to manage them in the event of external shocks and uncertain scenarios. Therefore, the aim of this study is to have a better understanding of the effects and opportunities of the pandemic on Spanish protected areas. To address this concern, a qualitative analysis is conducted based on an assessment of secondary literature and relevant interviews. Picos de Europa national park was chosen as case study because of its unique features. This study shows the drawbacks of the pandemic in Picos de Europa in terms of management operations, drastic fluctuation of visitors, loss of tourism revenues, vulnerability of neighboring communities, missed opportunities in conservation and education and pressure on nature. On the other hand, it poses opportunities in terms of technology, innovation, fundings, lessons learned, rise in educational and conservation activities and more awareness on the environment and rural surroundings. This study suggests that is difficult to find a win-win solution that includes the targets of nature conservation, viability of local economies and tourism activities in Picos de Europa. Ideas for management options that focus on dealing with the negative outcomes of the pandemic are suggested. © 2022, Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The article analyzes how managers of Catalonia's protected natural areas responded to extraordinary increases in the numbers of visitors during the post-lockdown stage and easing of restrictions implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported by the digital media. A systematic review of 105 news published between May and December 2020 was conducted. The results suggest that actions have been mainly focused on responding to the immediacy of the situation were implemented;these involved short-term solutions linked to the management of carrying capacity and entry to natural protected areas. Actions taken related to information and environmental education were delayed, and actions for managing visitors flows within natural protected areas were scarcely reported by the media. Our study is a first step for the identification and characterization of the strategies implemented by the entities managing protected natural areas and their ability to address the avalanche of visitors. Additionally, it reduces the existing research gap in studies of the impact of COVID-19 on the management of protected natural areas.
ABSTRACT
During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, management authorities of numerous Protected Areas (PAs) had to discourage visitors from accessing them in order to reduce the virus transmission rate and protect local communities. This resulted in social-ecological impacts and added another layer of complexity to managing PAs. This paper presents the results of a survey in Snowdonia National Park capturing the views of over 700 local residents on the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions and possible scenarios and tools for managing tourist numbers. Lower visitor numbers were seen in a broadly positive way by a significant number of respondents while benefit sharing issues from tourism also emerged. Most preferred options to manage overcrowding were restricting access to certain paths, the development of mobile applications to alert people to overcrowding and reporting irresponsible behavior. Our findings are useful for PA managers and local communities currently developing post-COVID-19 recovery strategies.