www.protectedareasmanagement.org www.protectedareasmanagement.org
www.protectedareasmanagement.org
 
Overall Management of Protected Areas
[Everything in bold is required]
ABOUT YOU
The results of this study will be of public domain. However, the identity of the respondents will not be disclosed and their contact information will not be shared with anyone. Occasionally, with his or her permission, I may contact a respondent to ask for further clarification on any of the answers. Respondents will receive a message to acknowledge their participation.
If you wish, you may check the consent form approved by the Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board, University of Calgary. Answering this questionnaire indicates that you agree to participate in the research.
 
Name:
 
Years of experience in this field:
 
Position:
 
Organization:
 
Country:
 
Name of the Protected area or organization:
 
Category:
IUCN
I Strict Nature Reserve
Ib Wilderness Area
II National Park
III Natural Monument
IV Habitat/Species Management Area
V Protected landscape/seascape
VI Managed Resource Protected Area
Biosphere Reserve
Other
 
In which State or Province is the park:
 
CONTACT INFORMATION
Street Address
Address Line 2
City
Postal Code
Province
Country
 
E-mail:
 
Area Code and telephone:
 
Do you want to keep the name of your organization anonymous?
 Yes  No 
 
Do you wish to remain anonymous?
 Yes  No 
 
Would you like to receive information about the results of the study?
 Yes  No 
 
[In this questionnaire, the term "park" refers to any category of protected area. I encourage you to use the spaces provided if the available options do not reflect what you wish to share and to expand on your responses.]
 
Ecosystem-based Management
Monitoring, Performance and reporting
Legislation
Staff
 
ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT
 
Please indicate which of the following activities are permitted inside your park.
Agriculture
Aquatic activities
Boating or sailing
Canoeing or rafting
Education or interpretation
Fishing
Golf
Grazing
Harvesting of medicinal/edible plants
Hiking, camping, ecotourism
Hunting or trapping
Logging
Mining
Oil and gas exploration and extraction
Paragliding and similar
Recreational use – motorized (e.g. all terrain vehicles, off-road vehicles)
Recreational use- non motorized (e.g. mountain biking)
Rock climbing/mountain climbing
Sacred/religious uses
Scientific research/collect
Scuba diving/snorkelling/swimming
Skiing
Snowmobiling
Water extraction/Generation of electricity
Wildlife observation and photography
Other
Other
 
Is your park being managed according to the principles of ecosystem-based management?
 Yes  No 
If No, why? Please click here to continue
 
 
If Yes, for how long has the park followed an ecosystem-based management approach?
Less than two years
Two to five years
Five to ten years
Ten to twenty years
More than twenty years
 
What level of priority would you give to the following to make management more effective and efficient in your park?
Addressing stakeholders’ values and needs High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Considering different levels and/or scales (time, space) when evaluating management alternatives High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Consulting with visitors, business, residents, or other agencies High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Defining the park's vision, goals and objectives High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Generating information about the park's ecosystems and their function High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Identifying, modelling and selecting management alternatives High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Implementing conflict resolution mechanisms High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Improving communication between the park and its neighbours or stakeholders  High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Improving monitoring, auditing, and evaluation programs High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
improving the implementation of management actions High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Incorporating stakeholder and institutional factors in analysis of management alternatives High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Increasing awareness among neighbours, stakeholders and public in general of goods and ecological or other services provided by the park  High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Increasing educational programs for visitors, residents or other stakeholders High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Making park management more collaborative and integrated in a regional context High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Making park management more interdisciplinary High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Making research more proactive, adaptive, flexible, and responsive to park management needs High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Managing visitor use High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Promoting mutual understanding of how the activities of the park and the community affect each other  High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Promoting partnerships with other land managers or possible sponsors High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Setting benchmarks and parameters to understand and assess the health of the park ecosystems High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Sharing information and resources with neighbours and other land managers or agencies High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Other   High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Comment
 
What factors have facilitated implementing ecosystem-based management in your park?
Agency support
Changes in policy or agency structure
Funding and sponsorship
Interest from local people
Involvement of academic institution
Involvement of non-governmental organizations
Other
Other
Comments
 
What factors have made it difficult to implement Ecosystem-Based Management in your park?
Inadequate political context or agency structure
Insufficient funding and sponsorship
Lack of interest form local people
Limited involvement of academic institutions
Limited involvement of non-governmental organizations
Limited support from upper levels of authority
Other
Other
Comments
 
How would you describe your experience regarding interagency cooperation?
 Not Satisfactory  Fairly Satisfactory  Satisfactory  Very Satisfactory 
Please comment on your experience regarding interagency cooperation
 
How would you describe your experience regarding organizational/institutional change?
 Not Satisfactory  Fairly Satisfactory  Satisfactory  Very Satisfactory 
Please comment on your experience regarding regarding organizational and or institutional change.
 
What changes would you suggest to in the following aspects to facilitate the incorporation of ecosystem-based management principles into park management? Please specify in the spaces provided.
Building relationships and or partnerships
Communication
Funding
Implementation
Information
Monitoring
Policy
Training
Other
Other
None (Please comment below)
Comments
 
MONITORING, PERFORMANCE, AUDITING AND REPORTING
 
Does your park have a management plan (or something equivalent that guides park management)?
Yes (approved and implemented)
There is a draft
No. Please click here to continue
If there is no management plan or similar, please comment on whether there is a need for it or on how the direction for park management is defined.
 
Approximately, what proportion of the objectives in the management plan has indicators and targets associated with them?
None
1 to 25%
26 to 50%
51 to 75%
76 to 99%
100%
 
Which of the following items are measured through indicators and targets? If possible, indicate the most important indicators for each aspect.
Biological effectiveness or ecological integrity
Consideration of local and traditional knowledge and perceptions
Financial sustainability
Institutional capacity
Legal status
Operations, facilities, and their environmental performance
Sensitivity: national sovereignty, rights of local and indigenous people
Social effectiveness
Support from, and participation of, local communtites, Aboriginal People or First Nations
Sustainable development
Other
Comments
 
 What indicators are (or would be) the most useful for evaluating management performance in your park?
 
If you have a conservation plan for your park, approximately what proportion of the objectives and actions that it identifies has indicators and targets associated with them?
None
1 to 25%
26 to 50%
51 to 75%
76 to 99%
100%
 
Are there monitoring programs for your park?
 Yes  No 
If No, please click here to continue
 
Who is in charge of monitoring?
Academics
Foreign academic institutions
Non-Governmental Organizations
Other agencies’ staff
Park Staff
Volunteers
Other
Comments
 
What is the main purpose of these monitoring programs?
Compliance with regulations
Contribution to knowledge of the biology or ecology of species or groups of species
Contribution to knowledge of the functioning and structure of ecosystems and ecological processes
Providing information on threats to, or the condition of, resources for management purposes
Other
Comment
 
Approximately, what percentage of monitoring programs has been designed specifically to help in decision-making regarding management alternatives for the park?
None
1 to 25%
26 to 50%
51 to 75%
76 to 99%
100%
 
Does monitoring include measures to evaluate management effectiveness?
 Yes  No 
 
Are there established processes to audit monitoring systems?
 Yes  No 
 
1
Do you report on management effectiveness?
 Yes  No 
 
If Yes, for which of the following effectiveness areas do you have established auditing and /or evaluation and reporting procedures?
Environmental  Auditing/Evaluation  Reporting  Both 
Financial Auditing/Evaluation  Reporting  Both 
Management  Auditing/Evaluation  Reporting  Both 
Risks, emergencies, safety Auditing/Evaluation  Reporting  Both 
Social Auditing/Evaluation  Reporting  Both 
Sustainability Auditing/Evaluation  Reporting  Both 
Other   Auditing/Evaluation  Reporting  Both 
 
At what level do you report?
At park level
At program level
Other
Comments
 
Does the park report to other entities?
Yes
To sponsors
To the public
To upper levels of administration
Other
No
Comments
 
Does evaluating management effectiveness have real or potential benefits for your park?
 Yes  No 
 
If Yes, please check the benefits you have perceived to date or you expect. If No, please comment on why not.
Identifying issues beyond management’s control
Identifying issues under management’s control
Improving opportunities for funding or sponsorship
Improving planning
Improving stakeholders’ support
Promoting accountability
Promoting better management practices
Reporting on achievements
Setting priorities
Other
Comments
 
Do you consider that you have all the necessary resources to evaluate management performance?
 Yes  No 
Why?
 
If not, what problems do you face in evaluating management effectiveness? Please specify in the available space
Inadequate political context or agency structure
Insufficient funding and sponsorship
Insufficient knowledge about the park ecosystems or management system
Lack of interest or support form local people, stakeholders, or the general public
Limited access to technology
Limited involvement of academic institutions
Limited support from upper levels of authority
Other
Comments
 
Do you think that a certification process for protected areas could assist in achieving social, economic, and environmental objectives?
 Yes  No 
Why?
 
Which of the following are benefits that your park could receive from such certification?
Enhancement of public image
Enhancement of relationships with stakeholders
Facilitation of access to funding and sponsors
Improvement in planning and management processes
Increased accountability and responsibility
Increased opportunities for collaboration with international organizations
Increased opportunities for collaboration with national organizations
Increased support from upper authorities
Increased visitation to the park and associated revenues
Reduced conflicts among user groups
Other
Other
Comments
 
What do you perceive as potentially negative effects of adopting a certification standard for protected areas?
Extra paperwork and bureaucracy
More control from external sources
Requirement of more personnel to comply with it
Risk that there would be no benefits at the end
Time and money availability
Training requirements
Other
Comments
 
What factors would prevent national parks from adopting a certification standard specific for protected areas?
Inadequate political context or agency structure
Insufficient funding and sponsorship
Insufficient knowledge about the park ecosystems or management system
Lack of interest or support form local people, stakeholders, or the general public
Lack of knowledge about the certification process
Lack of training for staff responsible for the certification process
Limited access to technology
Limited involvement of academic institutions
Limited staff availability
Limited support from upper levels of authority
Time constraints
Other
 
Would your park consider adopting such a standard?
 Yes  No 
Why?
 
LEGISLATION
 
Under current legislation on protected areas, how is the task of evaluating management performance treated?
It is a legislated requirement
It is encouraged to evaluate management performance
It is not consider or mentioned in current legal instruments
Please comment on specific laws, policies, regulations, etc.
 
What compliance requirements apply to the park? Please provide examples where possible.
Agency guidelines or regulations
Municipal guidelines, regulations or bylaws
Regulations created specifically for the park
State of provincial guidelines, regulations or laws
 
STAFF
 
Are there incentives to reward staff performance?
Yes
No
 
If yes, please indicate what kind of incentives and provide examples if possible.
Acknowledgements, distintions, or awards
Bonus
Economic incentives
Promotions
Other
Comments
 
Are there development programs available for employees?
 Yes  No 
If Yes, please give examples
 
Do staff members receive training?
 Yes  No 
 
If yes, please indicate what kind of training. Give examples wherever possible.
Basic education
Communication skills
Computer skills
Conservation
Courses in academic institutions
Courses prepared by the agency
Ecological integrity
Ecosystem management/management of natural resources
Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental management
Management skills in general
Participation in workshops, seminars, or conferences
Second language training
Technical training
Visitor or tourism management
Wildlife management
Other
Comments
 
What is the vision you have for the park and its role on the region five to ten years from now?
 
What key elements are needed for achieving that vision?
 
Please use this space if you have additional comments or if you would like to comment on any aspect that you think is related to this topic and was not covered by this questionaire.
 
Please, use this link if you would like to give me some feedback on this questionnaire