Researchers examine impact of parks on communities

17 March 2010, The Montreal Gazette
URL: http://www.montrealgazette.com/travel/Researchers+examine+impact+parks+communities/2688418/story.html

Montreal: It's a side to national parks that the average camera-toting tourist likely wouldn't see.

The creation and management of such protected areas can bring major costs to nearby communities, from higher costs of living for residents to loss of cultural traditions or hunting and fishing rights, says Grant Murray, Canada Research Chair at Vancouver Island University for Coastal Resource Management.

National parks can bring plenty of benefits for communities as well, he said. The trick is striking the right balance between social, environmental and economic management.

Murray is the main investigator for the Canada-Africa Research Alliance, an international group of researchers working on a five-year study called the Protected Areas and Poverty Reduction project. The group is looking at ways to reduce poverty and increase sustainability in communities near national parks and protected areas in Canada, Ghana and Tanzania.

With the group one year into their research, VIU is hosting a pair of lectures starting this week on issues surrounding national parks and poverty.

Murray stresses that national parks are valuable for both the environment and nearby residents. "There's a reason why there's an increasing number of them around the world. But they also have a lot of costs," he said.

Despite their obvious differences, researchers have found similarities between parks in Canada, Ghana and Tanzania when it comes to issues surrounding poverty. The parks can change the economic opportunities for communities in the area.  For example, industries based on resource-extraction would be limited while new opportunities in tourism could open up.

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is one of two Canadian parks examined for the project.

Dan McDonald, professor of First Nations Studies at VIU, points out that since many aboriginal communities are located close to land protected by the park it limits the type of industrial economy activity that can take place, such as mining.  But there's also potential for these communities to develop their own tourism and they can often take advantage of job opportunities within the park.

Although not directly involved with the research project, McDonald will be speaking about the relationship between First Nations and parks on April 1.

Murray hopes that once the Protected Areas and Poverty Reduction project is complete, different parks will be able to share information on how to better balance both social and conservation issues.

Two discussions about poverty and protected areas will take place on Thursday and on April 1. Go to www.viu.ca for information.