CHARACTERIZING PROTECTED AREA SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS USING MENTAL MODELS
Protected areas in the US are increasingly recognized as social-ecological systems with interdependence and complexity that require balancing priorities of diverse stakeholders with PA management objectives into the decision-making process. As a result, management agencies have moved from a traditional protected area management paradigm of ‘nature for itself’ toward one of ‘people and nature’ founded on resilience, interdisciplinarity, and stakeholder engagement, particularly in communities that are adjacent to protected areas. While management priorities are increasingly extending beyond protected area boundaries, there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to more inclusive conservation of protected area systems. To lay a foundation for incorporating distinct community perspectives into protected area decision-making processes, we utilize a tool, fuzzy cognitive mapping, to elicit individual ‘mental models’ to understand how distinct residents characterize the region surrounding Denali National Park and Preserve. This participatory modeling tool can elucidate how distinct residents understand the region where they live. Outlining the differences in viewpoints across local communities adjacent to a protected area can lay groundwork for more inclusive management decisions that respond to the need for long-term conservation strategies, multiple competing viewpoints, and sustainability.
Inclusive conservation in Denali, Alaska
This research is part of a larger project funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Park Service focused on understanding the values of local communities and connections that form between people and places in the region surrounding Denali National Park and Preserve. Our specific aim is to establish a process for ‘inclusive conservation’ that incorporates multiple viewpoints into decision-making about resource management.
Publications
Johnson, D.N., van Riper, C.J. (in preparation). Elucidating social-ecological perceptions of Interior Alaska: A fuzzy cognitive mapping approach. Target Journal: Ecology and Society.
Presentations
Johnson, D.N., van Riper, C.J. (2019). Conducting a social-ecological inventory in the Denali Region of Alaska. Paper presentation at the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Oshkosh, WI. (PDF)