CATS will hold the Tourism Online Forum Series (TOFS) vol.29 on Wednesday, January 17. Anyone is welcome to attend. We look forward to your participation.
Communities and Protected Areas:
The Case of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park
Abstract:
The main aim of protected areas is biodiversity conservation, yet those areas are getting increasingly popular among tourists. Previous research indicates that creating protected areas strengthens management initiatives, which in turn causes park-people conflicts around the resources. This study explores community development within China's newly established Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, focusing on the relationship between residents' individual development and attitudes towards park construction. Utilizing a qualitative multi-method approach, including participant observation, field notes, 16 interviews, and three Ketso workshops with ten residents, we identified three themes: tourism development, social welfare, and heritage policies. These themes underscore economic tensions between the national park and the community. The findings contribute insights into factors influencing park-people conflicts and offer policy recommendations. While the study suggests using quantitative methods for further empirical support in future research, it highlights the growing challenge of balancing biodiversity conservation with the increasing popularity of protected areas among tourists.
Keywords: Park-people conflict, Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, community development, protected areas, tourism management, Ketso
Hosted by: Hokkaido University, Center for Advanced Tourism Studies (CATS)
Date/Time: Wednesday 17 January 2024 | 18:00-19:30(JST)
Venue: Online (Zoom Webinar)
Language: English
Capacity: 50 persons
Participation fee: Free to join (pre-registration system)
Speaker: Dr. Yana Wengel
Bio:
Yana Wengel is an associate professor at Hainan University- Arizona State University Joint International Tourism College, China. Yana takes a human geography lens on social sustainability, international development and tourism. Her interests include volunteer tourism, tourism in developing economies, nature-based tourism and mountaineering. Her current projects are focused on nature-based tourism, visitors' experience in protected areas and leisure experiences of patients with an eating disorder. Yana is interested in creative methodologies for data collection and stakeholder engagement. She is a co-founder of the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® research community.
Moderator: Dr. Meng Qu
Registration:
Please register at the URL below. Application deadline is Tuesday, January 16, 2024.
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_g6VkcH9FRlCM6MsrHcM6TQ
Contact:
Hokkaido University, Center for Advanced Tourism Studies (CATS)
online-forum(at)cats.hokudai.ac.jp
※Please replace the (at) part with @.
