eco.mont – Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research and Management, Vol. 15 / No. 1

This article examines the influence of Biosphere Reserves’ (BRs) communication strategies on regional governance processes. We conducted semi-structured interviews with regional stakeholders in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves Engiadina Val Müstair (Switzerland) and Schwäbische Alb (Germany), and evaluated the influence of the BRs’ communication strategies on regional communication structures. Our findings show that BRs can take on the role of mediators of vested interests within regional governance. In order to achieve this goal, BR managers would be advised to adopt a comprehensive communication strategy, i. e. comprising the aspects of information, participation, coordination and cooperation. This, however, is directly dependent on the BRs’ financial and human resources.

Keywords: Biosphere Reserves, communication strategies, communication structures, communication processes, regional governance, regional development, peripheral regions, case studies

This study quantified the mountainscape transformation and identified its drivers over the last two decades in the Ado-Awaye Mountains, Nigeria, a protected mountain area in Oyo State, managed by the State government in conjunction with communal efforts. This potential mountain tourism destination is home to a suspended lake. A supervised classifier algorithm, a post-classification method, landscape metrics and indigenous knowledge (through interviews and questionnaires) were used to determine the patterns, dynamics, fragmentation and drivers of the mountainscape. The results revealed that the rock outcrop / bare ground / built-up areas and open secondary forests covered the greatest and smallest landmasses of the entire area in the study periods (2000 and 2019), both showing an increase. Mountainscape fragmentation also increased. Three categories of underlying drivers (cultural, natural and technological) contributed to mountainscape transformation and fragmentation in the Ado-Awaye Mountains. Forest restoration programmes and eco-friendly approaches are recommended to improve the destination’s serenity and mitigate the environmental impact of the underlying drivers.

Keywords: Ado-Awaye Mountains, Transformation, Fragmentation, landscape metrics

Mining data from social media platforms has become increasingly popular to explore aspects of human behaviour, including attitudes towards the natural environment or visiting protected areas. Most studies and analytical algorithms refer to digital content published in English. However, it is also useful to conduct research in other languages to complement existing international studies. Our main aim was to explore Twitter content on national parks, published between 2006 and July 2021, in German. The study also presents a differentiated analysis for tweets published in 2019 and 2020 on national parks and associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. The tweets came from German-speaking countries, but also other countries worldwide. The most frequently mentioned national parks were located mainly in mountain areas, yet terms, hashtags, emojis and topics directly relating to mountains were rare in comparison to other subjects. Tweets most frequently included words such as forest (Wald), holiday (Urlaub) and nature (Natur); messages related not only to the natural heritage and environmental protection but also to natural disasters. The Covid-19 pandemic and national parks were also a subject of discussion on Twitter, often accompanied by photographs or videos. As 85% of all the tweets studied were never retweeted, 92% never received a reply, and 74% were never assigned likes, we conclude that there is potential to improve (social media) communications by users interested in protected areas in mountainous regions.

Keywords: Twitter, German language, National Park, protected area, Mountains, Social Media, visitor monitoring, COVID-19

Birdwatching has become increasingly popular over the past two decades. Because of its potential to meet both economic and conservation needs, birdwatching tourism (or avitourism) has been considered a tool for sustainable regional development. To date, very few studies have examined the impacts of avitourism in mountainous protected areas in China. We therefore conducted a case study of the Nonggang avitourism project in Southern China to explore the impacts of the activity on livelihoods and conservation. By investigating 197 local households using a structured questionnaire, we found that avitourism has improved and diversified mountain people’s livelihoods, by providing employment opportunities, and increased household incomes. Moreover, it has supported biodiversity conservation by raising mountain people’s awareness of sustainability and their willingness to conserve biodiversity. Community participation, government support and collaboration between stakeholders are important for the success of this project. We conclude that, when implemented adequately, avitourism can support sustainable mountain development.

Keywords: birdwatching, avitourism, Sustainable development, livelihood improvement, biodiversity conservation, mountainous protected areas

During the last 30 years, a natural return of wolves has been recorded at local, national and international levels over several mountain ranges in the Alps and, more recently, in both hilly areas and plains in Europe. Accepting the natural return of wolves in human-dominated landscapes is a major challenge, especially in places where memories and experience of coexistence have been lost. After the success of the LIFE WolfAlps project, which ended in May 2018, the European Commission has approved and co-financed LIFE WolfAlps EU (2019–2024), a new project to support wolf– human coexistence at European and pan-Alpine scales. As the expansion of the wolf population knows no administrative boundaries, the presence of the species requires actions effective at local level to improve its coexistence with humans on an international scale. The new, international project works to support local communities in the prevention of wolf attacks, and decision makers in the adoption of the best possible solutions to improve management of wolves, thus improving public acceptance of their expanding distribution and populations, notwithstanding the potential risks. Concrete actions are being implemented to involve all stakeholders interested in and affected by the wolf’s presence, in order to make human–wolf coexistence possible across borders, traditions and beliefs.

Keywords: wolf, Coexistence, Alps, livestock farming, damage prevention, anti-poaching, wolf-dog hybridization

Traditional information signs are not obsolete in the 21st century but can be of value to visitors. We present our collaborative approach to creating interpretation panels. The well-developed workflow helps to design, set up and maintain all formats of onsite visitor information in the Gesäuse National Park.

Keywords: protected area, National Park, Natura 2000, visitor guidance, Austria, heritage interpretation, signs, boards