An Assessment of Perceptions of Different Stakeholder Groups on National Parks: Case of Kure Mountains National Park

Abstract

Just as in other fields, participation of stakeholders are gaining importance in the management of protected areas. The expectations of each stakeholder group can be different. Irreversible damages can be inflicted on natural resources, if administrations of protected areas are not able to balance these different expectations and reflect them evenly on management of parks. Stakeholders' interests on natural resources around them and their level of knowledge on these resources affect their level of participation in processes of planning and managing natural resources. This study has been carried out in Bartin, one of two provinces that home Kure Mountains National Park. Aim of this study is to reveal the views of four different stakeholder groups in the province on Kure Mountains National Park and, considering these views, put forward recommendations to guide the park management. These groups are public sector, private sector, non-governmental organisations, and village headmen. Different surveys have been prepared for each group. In wake of these interviews conducted and surveys carried out, views of these groups on national park management, expectations from the national park, process of PAN Parks, restrictions brought, legal rights provided, and alternative sources of income have been found out and differences and similarities between approaches of these four different stakeholder groups have been examined. According to the findings, the stakeholder group that is least happy about the establishment of the national park is village headmen. Most of whom interviewed stated that the national park does not attract the attention of people living in Bartin and Kure Mountains National Park has been failed to be promoted to local community or the nation. Also in the study, by interpreting the findings, recommendations have been developed to guide the management of Kure Mountains National Park, which has been incorporated into the PAN Parks system on May 2012.