Questions about park–people relationships and the understanding and handling of the conflicts that may result from the creation and management of national parks in the surrounding area are prerequisites for both successful park management and sustainable rural tourism development. This paper analyzes the roles that research may play in relation to park–people relationships in the context of the two oldest German national parks located in Bavaria. The different fields of action of national parks are used to identify the potential for conflict, using detailed case studies from the Bavarian Forest and Berchtesgaden National Parks using quantitative population surveys carried out in 2018. The overall attitude towards both national parks is overwhelmingly positive, with trust towards park administrations and the perceived economic benefits from rural tourism being the attitudes most strongly correlated to the overall level of park–people relationships. Nevertheless, some points of contention still exist, like the ecological integrity approach towards strict nature conservation and related landscape changes (e.g., deadwood cover). A comparison over time shows in both cases that the spatial proximity to the protected area negatively influences people’s attitudes towards the parks, but less so than in the past. Recommendations for national park management include communicating proactively and with greater transparency with locals and decision-makers, to identify conflicts earlier and, where possible, to eliminate them. Furthermore, developing a standardized method to monitor park–people relationships in Germany is a must and would benefit integrated approaches in research and management based on conservation social science.

The article investigates large protected areas from a governance research perspective. The analytical focus is on regional governance regimes of selected large protected areas in Austria and Switzerland. The analysis characterizes structures and patterns of regional governance regimes. Also, the kind and quality of cooperation between the actors is assessed. The article contributes to a deeper understanding of the regional governance of protected areas. Drawing from the empirical findings some recommendations are made for a more efficient management and organization of large protected areas.

Nationalparke stellen die weltweit älteste und bekannteste Flächenschutzkategorie dar. Sie haben eine bipolare Aufgabenstellung. Im Vordergrund steht der für die Fachplanung Naturschutz relativ junge Prozessschutz. Für das eine lange Kulturlandschaftsgeschichte und vergleichsweise hohe Besiedlungsdichte aufweisende Mitteleuropa ist er wegen der Landnutzungskonkurrenzen und raumfunktionalen Konflikte schwierig umzusetzen. Daneben dienen Nationalparke dem Naturtourismus. Wie sonst soll die „Wildnis“-Idee den Menschen nahegebracht werden? Nationalparke stellen für periphere, strukturschwache ländliche Räume potenzielle Motoren einer endogenen Regionalentwicklung dar. Diese basiert vor allem auf dem wirtschaftlich komplex vernetzten Naherholungs- und Fremdenverkehr – in Zukunft mehr noch als heute. Denn der demographische Wandel wird dort zu erheblichen Bevölkerungsverlusten führen. Chancen eröffnen sich gerade in dünn besiedelten Regionen. Dort sollten Raumplanungsinstitutionen proaktiv mit dieser Thematik umgehen und somit helfen, langfristig regionale Identitäten neu zu schaffen. Um die derzeit bestehenden Lücken bei Moorlandschaften, Fließgewässern und Auen, Buchen- und Mischwaldgesellschaften sowie auf offener See hin zu einer repräsentativen Abdeckung der mitteleuropäischen Naturräume zu schließen, wird die Zahl von maximal 20 Nationalparke in Deutschland als Richtwert erachtet. Insbesondere größere zusammenhängende Waldgebiete und ehemalige Truppenübungsplätze stellen Potenzialräume für künftige Nationalparke dar. Sowohl aus naturschutzfachlicher Sicht als auch aus Perspektive des Besuchermanagements sollten bestehende und künftige Nationalparke unbedingt größer als 10.000 ha sein. National parks are the oldest and most popular category of protected areas worldwide. They focus on two main issues: firstly the protection of nature, undisturbed natural processes and the conservation of biodiversity. Due to the long history of cultural landscapes and the comparably dense population of Central Europe multifold conflicts in land use evolve. Therefore this target is difficult to achieve. Secondly nature tourism is a goal of national parks – last not least to make the idea of wilderness tangible. Being situated in structural weak regions of the rural periphery, national parks can be seen as instruments for regional development. Outdoor recreation and tourism offer this possibility, especially in sparsely settled regions with further declining population figures. Spatial planning institutions should care for this development, thus creating new regional identities in lagging areas in the long run. 20 national parks are claimed to be sufficient for Germany. They are to fill the blank gaps on a representative map of Central Europe’s biomes, including moorlands, riverine forests, beech- and mixed deciduous forests as well as marine environments. Especially large interconnected woodlands and former military training areas offer possibilities for future declarations of national parks. In order to fulfill the requirements of nature protection and visitor management national parks should cover an area of at least 10,000 ha.

The journal “eco.mont” – Journal of protected mountain areas research – was published for the first time in June 2009. The journal was founded as a joint initiative of the Alpine Network of Protected Areas (ALPARC), the International Scientific Committee on Research in the Alps (ISCAR), the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) and the University of Innsbruck. The journal aims to highlight research on and management issues in protected areas in the Alps without excluding other protected mountain areas in Europe or overseas. Its target audiences are scientists from all related disciplines, managers of protected areas and interested individuals including practitioners, visitors, teachers, etc. The journal presents peer-reviewed articles in English by authors who research protected mountain areas and management issues within these areas. It's published twice a year as a collaboration of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Press – responsible for the e-version – and Innsbruck University Press – responsible for the print version.