Cross-Boundary Stewardship in Protected Area Centered Ecosystems: Perceptions of Success and Characteristics of Cooperative Engagement

Tarver, Ryan

ABATRACT: The legal boundaries of protected areas, such as national parks are established and enforced by humans. Therefore, jurisdictional boundaries are ultimately have human meaning but not necessarily ecological relevance as natural phenomena such as watersheds and wildlife habitat often extend beyond a jurisdictional boundary. When considering the extent of natural system, we find that protected areas only make up part of a given ecosystem. The result is a large expanse of lands that fall under a various ownership types that include both publicly and privately designated tracts of land. This presents a management challenge when attempting to manage at the landscape-scale. Therefore, this research aims to explore cooperation among, and between the various actors living and working within a protected area-centered ecosystem (PACE). Through interviews with public land management officials, we found that successful cooperation is comprised of two overarching components: (1) Process (the ways in which success is achieved) and; (2) Outcome (measures, or evidence of successful cooperation). Additionally, a survey conducted among private landowners provided findings that suggest cooperation is correlated to shared objectives and shared beliefs about the need for cross-boundary management activities. Finally, this research suggests that the majority of private landowners are willing to work with public agencies and organizations and the importance of peer-to-peer communication in fostering cooperative engagement at the public-private interface.