Governance Decision-Making Tool
Types of Designation
What types of designation are available?
The questions under this theme are all about deciding upon the costs and benefits of pursuing a new designation for an area. Before assessing these costs and benefits, however, it is of course important to be familiar with the different types of designation available. This enables a decision to be made as to which would be most suitable or beneficial to a given area. Here, we are focusing on designations for large areas – rather than, say, local nature reserves. On this scale, the various types of national and international designation include the following:
National Parks
National Parks are protected areas designated by national government, and are predominantly government-funded. They usually aim towards the conservation of a valued landscape, and usually employ a government-linked National Park Authority (or similar) to facilitate this. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies National Parks as “large natural or near natural areas set aside to protect large-scale ecological processes”, although unlike the various UNESCO designations explored below, their designation by national governments means that not all National Parks conform to this definition. In countries such as the UK, for example, National Parks cover areas of extensive human use, and aim towards mediation between these and the protection of nature.
Regional Parks
Like National Parks, “Regional Park” is a term whose meaning differs considerably across national contexts. In many countries, Regional Parks are similar to National Parks in that they are protected areas recognised by governments, but which operate at a more local level. However, in Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and France, for example, Regional Parks tend to be large areas that contain protected areas, such as one or more National Parks. In these contexts, they also tend to be bottom-up processes of voluntary cooperation that are not themselves formally designated by government as protected areas. Regardless of how they are distinguished, Regional Parks can create a new identity for a region that will attract greater numbers of visitors, yet also put in place a governance structure that enables stakeholders to come together and decide upon strategies for managing the issues associated with increased visitor numbers.
Snaefellsnes in Iceland, a partner within the SHAPE project, provides an example of a recently-established Regional Park.
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
Designated by UNESCO through its Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme, Biosphere Reserves are areas that are internationally recognised for both biodiversity conservation and the promotion of sustainable ways of life among local populations. The Biosphere Reserve designation can be beneficial in terms of its focus on the sustainable development of a region as a whole, as opposed to the conservation of one small site within that region. Unlike National Parks, Biosphere Reserves are not entirely “protected areas”, but always include one or more such areas within them.
The SHAPE project involved a number of Biosphere Reserves: Wester Ross and Galloway and Southern Ayrshire in Scotland, Nordhordland in Norway, North Karelia in Finland, and Manicouagan-Uapishka in Quebec, Canada.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
UNESCO World Heritage Sites are a range of over 1,000 sites recognised by UNESCO for natural, cultural or scientific heritage. Selection criteria are diverse, and include “to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius, and “to contain superlative natural phenomena”. World Heritage Sites are managed by national governments, but the international list of sites is maintained by the World Heritage Program administered by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee.
UNESCO Global Geopark
The Global Geoparks Network (GGN) is managed by UNESCO’s Ecological and Earth Sciences Division, and emphasises areas of geological significance. This is with a view to the promotion of awareness and conservation of the planet’s geological heritage via unique areas of interest, as well as to the economic development of these areas.
North-West Highlands Geopark in Scotland provides a good example of an area with this designation.
Natura 2000 Site
Natura 2000 is a large network of areas focused on nature conservation across the European Union. The network places emphasis on the protection the continent’s most valuable and threatened species and habitats, and follows the EU’s Birds Directive and Habitats Directive. Sites are therefore selected on the basis of the presence of particular species. While designated by the European Union, national governments are responsible for the management of Natura 2000 sites, and responsibility is then often passed on to regional or local authorities.
Private Conservation Area/Privately Protected Area
Private conservation areas and privately protected areas are areas of land under private ownership that are managed for the purposes of conservation. They are defined as privately protected areas when they meet the IUCN definition of a “protected area”, and private conservation areas when they do not. Many such areas can be found in Scotland, whose uplands are primarily made up of privately-owned “estates”. Some of these are owned by conservation-focused NGOs such as the John Muir Trust, and others by private companies focused on “rewilding”, such as Wildland Ltd.
This report, produced as part of the SHAPE project, provides more information on these designations, and their typical governance structures.