Call for papers: The Contribution of Protected Areas to Sustainability

A special issue of International Journal of Sustainable Society

The aim of the special issue is to highlight the significance and importance of protected areas for sustainability, not only in an ecological sense but taking into account the economic and social dimension of sustainable development. This includes the economic impacts of protected areas (e.g. provision of vital ecosystem services for local communities), as well as social implications (e.g. participation of stakeholders in establishment and management of protected areas). The issue looks to present the most recent developments in the scientific debate, in the form of empirical and policy oriented papers from which general conclusions for the role of protected areas for sustainability, as well as for the management of protected areas, can be drawn.

Topics include but are not limited to:

• Protected areas as "islands of sustainability" - is this concept "sustainable"?
• Participation and civil society in protected areas (including community and capacity building)
• Management of protected areas: multidimensionality, interdisciplinarity, sustainability
• Livelihood and regional development based on protected areas
• Evaluation of protected areas: sustainability and participation
• Education and information in protected areas - prerequisite for sustainable life styles?
• Benefits and costs involved with the establishment and management of protected areas, including the distribution of benefits/costs among stakeholder groups
• Valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in protected areas - connections to management and financing of protected areas
• Case-studies on sustainability in protected areas
• Tourism in PA regions - PA tourism: which is to be preferred from a sustainability viewpoint?
• Innovation for sustainability as triggered by protected areas
• Planning protected areas as an intervention towards sustainable development (intervention theory)
• Function of protected areas as model regions to test (new) concepts of sustainability

Important Dates
Abstract submission for paper proposals: 15 November 2010
Acceptance of abstracts: 30 November 2010
Submission of full paper for review: 31 January 2011
Review results communicated to authors: 15 March 2011
Final revised papers due on 15 April 2011