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Abstract:
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"Advocates of transboundary protected areas (TBPAs) often claim that the cross-border nature and large scale of these parks lead to the fulfillment of three distinct sets of goals - improved biodiversity conservation, regional economic development, and the promotion of peace between nations. However, key actors often place very different weightings on these goals, leading to very different agendas. One of the major challenges for park officials lies in balancing these goals and agendas in the governance of a transboundary protected area. By decomposing transboundary protected areas into the suite of goods and services being provided, this paper intends to offer insights into some of the challenges emergent from the diverse goals listed by park proponents and contestation between actors. Some of these goods and services may be viewed as public goods, while others are private, some are common-pool resources, and others are toll goods. Additionally, some of the challenges of managing for these goods and services stem from the scale of provision, with biodiversity conservation often seen as a global benefit, for instance, while economic development and job creation occur at a local level. Without considering the scale of effect and the type of good, governance of park resources may be misguided, counterproductive and ineffective.
"This research draws upon interviews of NGO employees, park officials, and government staff from six case studies in southern Africa to explore the principle types of goods and services provided by TBPAs. These include biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration, provision of ecosystem services, regional economic development, tourism entertainment, and improved relations between neighbors, among others. It then employs a diagnostic framework for analyzing a SES to navigate the governance dilemmas that emerge from both the complex bundles of goods and services provided and the scale of effects."
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