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Communities Inside or Near 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:
 
Position:
 
How many years have you been living in the area?
 
Community you represent
 
Country:
 
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 community 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.]
 
About your community
Park Management
Environmental Assessment
 
ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY
 
Which of the following activities contribute to satisfy the needs of your community?
Agriculture
Cattle grazing
Fishing
Forestry
Harvesting of medicinal/edible plants
Hunting/trapping
Mining
Oil/gas exploration and extraction
Provision of services for tourists
Other industries
Other
Which of the above-mentioned activities provide for most of the employment in the community?
 
What is the location of your community in relation to a park?
It is inside a park
It borders on a park or other protected area
It is less than 50 km from a park
It is more than 50 km from a Park
Please give the name of the park and the state or province where it is located.
 
How effective are the following means of communication between the park and your community?
Informal visits to individuals or groups Very Effective  Effective  Not Effective  Not Applicable 
Invitation to open houses to comment on management plans Very Effective  Effective  Not Effective  Not Applicable 
Participation in advisory groups formed by park and stakeholders Very Effective  Effective  Not Effective  Not Applicable 
Posting notices in local newspapers or newsletters Very Effective  Effective  Not Effective  Not Applicable 
Posting notices or information on a web page Very Effective  Effective  Not Effective  Not Applicable 
Presentations to community/council meetings Very Effective  Effective  Not Effective  Not Applicable 
Submitting reports to the community Very Effective  Effective  Not Effective  Not Applicable 
Other    Very Effective  Effective  Not Effective  Not Applicable 
Comments
 
From the following lists of resources, please indicate those that are present inside the park and that are accesible for your community.
Forests Accessible  Not Accessible  Do Not Apply 
Grasslands Accessible  Not Accessible  Do Not Apply 
Medicinal or edible plants Accessible  Not Accessible  Do Not Apply 
Minerals Accessible  Not Accessible  Do Not Apply 
Sacred sites Accessible  Not Accessible  Do Not Apply 
Transportation routes Accessible  Not Accessible  Do Not Apply 
Water Accessible  Not Accessible  Do Not Apply 
Wildlife Accessible  Not Accessible  Do Not Apply 
Other    Accessible  Not Accessible  Do Not Apply 
Other    Accessible  Not Accessible  Do Not Apply 
Please comment on restrictions or loss of access to any of the above-mentioned resources that your community has experienced in relation to the creation of the park.
 
What are the main issues of concern for your community in relation to the park?
 
PARK MANAGEMENT
 
Is your community interested in participating in park management?
 Yes  No 
Why or why not?
 
How satisfactory is the collaboration between park authorities and your community?
Very satisfactory
Satisfactory
Fairly satisfactory
Not satisfactory
There is not collaboration
Please, comment on what would make this collaboration more satisfactory for your community.
 
Please indicate which level of prority would you give to the following to improve the relationship between park management and your community.
Addressing community values and needs High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Consultating communitites regarding park management alternatives that may have effects outside the park boundary High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Having more contribution of the park to the economy of the region High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Implementing conflict-resolution mechanisms High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Improving communication between the park and the community  High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Making park management more collaborative High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Making research and planning proactive, adaptive, and flexible High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Participating in conservation of biodiversity or natural resources High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Participating in defining the park’s vision, goals and objectives High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Participating in identifying and selecting management alternatives High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Participating in implementing management actions High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Participating in monitoring and evaluating programs High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Participating in planning High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Promoting educational, training, or sustainable development programs for communities 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 
Sharing information and resources High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Understanding how the park ecosystems function High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
Other    High  Medium  Low  Not Applicable 
 
How is your community affected by decisions made regarding the use of resources in the park? Please specify
Incidents with visitors
Incidents with wildlife
Restrictions on access to the park
Restrictions on the use of resources
Other
Comments
 
In your opinion, do the decisions made by the community affect the park? Yes  No  Do Not Know 
If yes, how ?
 
In which ways does your community benefit from the presence of the park?
Access to resources
Employment by business or tourism operators
Employment in the park
Guiding
Leases
Opportunities to educate visitors on the culture of the community and to generate some income from it
Opportunity to sell products made by people from the community
Provision of services to visitors
Other
There are no benefits
Comments
 
What information from the park management authority is most relevant to your community?
Activities allowed inside the park
Inventories
Legislation
Management plans
Monitoring or research programs
Resource management or conservation projects that could be implemented together with adjacent landowners or communities
State of the resources
Threats
Other
Comments
 
What issues should be addressed to increase the park’s contribution to both the welfare of neighbouring communities and sustainable development within the region?
Economic
Environmental
Social
Other
Comments
 
How would you/your community like to be involved in the decision-making process at either the park, local or regional level?
Advocate/watchdog group Park  Local  Region 
Consultant Park  Local  Region 
Manager Park  Local  Region 
Owner Park  Local  Region 
Partner Park  Local  Region 
Sponsor Park  Local  Region 
Other  Park  Local  Region 
Comments
 
If there is opposition from your community to the existence of the park, why is it so?
 
What would you recommend that park managers do to improve park's relationships with local communities?
 
What vision do you have for the future of your community?
 
What role does the park have in achieving that vision?
 
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
 
Has ther been an environmental assessment involving the park(s) your community is in or nearby?
 Yes  No 
Please explain briefly what the purpose of assessment was.
 
What was the position of the community regarding the project or activity?
Oppose it
Support it
Uncertain
 
What was the final decision about the project or activity assessed?
Approved
Rejected
Under review
 
Was your community satisfied with the results of the review processes and the final decision?
 Yes  No 
Why or why not?
 
What deficiencies have you observed in the assessment process?
An assessment is conducted even if it is not needed
The final decision is based on the results of the assessment; however, the decision is not respected or implemented fully
The final decision is not based on the results of the assessment
The project is approved based on mitigation measures or recommendations; however, the measures/recommendations are not properly implemented or do not have adequate follow up.
The project is rejected; however, the proponent implements different phases of it on a piecemeal basis.
The results of the assessment are not objective
Other
Other
Comments
 
If you were satisfied with the results of the assessments, which of the following contributed to your satisfaction?
Appropriateness and feasibility of mitigation measures or recommendations
Collaboration among proponents, stakeholders, and communities
Consultation with the community during the assessment
Objectivity of the assessment
Participation of an interdisciplinary team of experts to carry out the assessment
Participation of the community during the review process
Participation of the community in the assessment
Specification of mitigation measures and follow-up as conditions to aprove the project
Support of responsible authorities
The final decision was based on the results of the assessment and input from the review process
Other
Other
Comments
 
Do you think that environmental assessments are effectively used to improve management of parks and natural resources in your region?
 Yes  No 
What do you think is needed to improve the usefulness of environmental assessments for managing natural resources in your region?
 
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