The Protected Landscape Approach - Centre for Mediterranean ...

14. Collaborative management of protected
landscapes: experience in Canada and the
United States of America
Nora Mitchell, Jacquelyn Tuxill, Guy Swinnerton, Susan Buggey
and Jessica Brown
Introduction
This chapter explores some of the recent collaborative management experience with conserva -
tion of protected landscapes in the United States and Canada. In both countries, national park
systems – including natural areas, historical sites and culturally significant places – were
created in the mid-nineteenth century. Both park systems began with a strategy of federal
ownership and management of nationally important places in remote western areas and for
many years this government-based approach dominated the conservation agenda (for Canada
see McNamee, 1994; MacEachern, 2001; for USA see Runte, 1979; Rettie, 1995; Sellars,
1997). However, recent innovations have extended this approach to create more diverse
protected area systems as well as a wide array of diverse management partnerships.
In both countries conservation strategies now recognise multiple values, are more inclusive,
encompass the interests of local communities and indigenous peoples, and craft collaborative
management approaches that involve all key stakeholders. These changes reflect a number of
broader trends around the world, including an expanded understanding of the values of
protected areas, both tangible and intangible (Harmon and Putney, 2003). In particular, re -
cognition of the cultural value of landscapes has redefined the relationship of nature and
culture, enhanced the conservation value of lived-in landscapes and broadened the potential
stakeholder base for conservation efforts (Rössler, 2000; UNESCO, 2003). The concept of
protected landscapes, IUCN Category V, and the concurrent evolution of a new paradigm for
conservation represent changes to protected areas thinking and practice (Beresford and
Phillips, 2000; Phillips, 2002; Phillips, 2003a; Beresford, 2003).
There has also been a growing recognition of the importance of partnerships and community
engagement – even in the oldest and most traditional parks (Tuxill, Mitchell, and Brown 2004;
Tuxill and Mitchell 2001; Sonoran Institute, 1997). The idea of stewardship – engaging people
in taking care of places they value – puts communities in a leadership role in conservation, often
referred to as community-based conservation (Brown and Mitchell, 2000a). Concurrently, the
stewards of conservation areas have become more diverse – ranging from different levels of
government and non-governmental organizations (such as land trusts), to private landowners
and communities. In some cases, community-centred conservation efforts include innovative
place-based education initiatives that lead to involving youth and cultivating the next genera -
tion of stewards. These shifts represent fundamental changes in both the conceptual framework
and conservation practice in the United States and Canada.
191