COVID-19 and protected areas: Impacts, conflicts, and possible management solutions.

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 devel

SUBMITTER: Jones N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8250896 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul-Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature