A conceptual framework for understanding the accessibility of protected area benefits
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24218985 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Valeria Y Mendez Angarita (0000-0002-0117-5799, The University of Western Australia), Matthew Navarro (0000-0003-2778-5322, The University of Western Australia), Abbie A Rogers (0000-0002-7611-7593, The University of Western Australia), Graeme S Cumming (The University of Western Australia) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-12-31 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ecosystems and People (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2639-5908 • E-ISSN: 2639-5916 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/26395916.2026.2736662 |
| OpenAlex | W7220731127 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 63 |
Protected area (PA) management for biodiversity conservation involves controlling which resources are made accessible, and to whom. PA accessibility is not only central to the long-term effectiveness of PA management but also for the equitable distribution of PA benefits. Despite its importance, information about PA accessibility is fragmented. Conservation currently lacks a cohesive framework that explains (i) what is required for different individuals to derive PA benefits and (ii) how conservation institutions can create opportunities to access these benefits. To address this gap, we draw on ideas from healthcare to conceptualise and define access as the set of available opportunities to benefit from PAs. Our framework defines PA access as a process that involves first perceiving PAs as sources of benefits and then having opportunities to seek, reach, use and engage with services that ultimately generate an individual or collective benefit. We describe the elements of the framework drawing parallels with conservation literature and illustrate its application using a case study examining PA accessibility for two stakeholder groups. The framework proposes a way of explicitly integrating individuals’ socio-economic positionality into access analysis, revealing how access management decisions and other accessibility features create differential opportunities at each of these steps. Assessing PA management outcomes through the access framework makes implicit access barriers visible and identifies specific intervention points for improving equity in PA access.
Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · Land Use and Ecosystem Services · Socioeconomics of Resources and Conservation
The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods for Social-Ecological Systems
Guidelines for applying protected area management categories
Uncovering Ecosystem Service Bundles through Social Preferences
Applying the ecosystem services concept to poverty alleviation
A global assessment of the social and conservation outcomes of protected areas
The links between biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being
Patient-centred access to health care
Factors affecting psychological commitment and loyalty to parks and other forms of protected areas in Canada
Stakeholder perspectives on socio-economic challenges and recommendations for better management of the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area in South Africa
Spatio-temporal access to protected areas from Australian significant urban areas
Who visits U.S. national parks (and who doesn’t)? A national study of perceived constraints and vacation preferences across diverse populations
People working with nature
Towards an integrated framework for understanding social-ecological interactions
Perceptions, preferences and barriers
If you build it, they will come
Disabling barriers—Coping with accessibility of nature in Biosphere Reserves
Access and allocation in global biodiversity governance
Social-ecological contributions of protected areas to their surroundings
Beyond “benefits”? Looking at ecosystem services through the capability approach
The Ipbes Conceptual Framework — connecting nature and people
Ecosystem services and nature’s contribution to people
Access for whom? White environmentalism, recreational colonization, and civic recreation racialization
Strengthening conceptual foundations
Access to Ecosystem Benefits
Access as the Means for Understanding Social-Ecological Resilience
World Heritage and local change
Access to marine ecosystem services
Coproduction of ecosystem services as human–nature interactions—An analytical framework
Spatial justice in public open space planning
Visitors’ Satisfaction and Loyalty toward Protected Areas
Emerging Geographies of Conservation and Indigenous Land in Australia
Elasticity in ecosystem services
Nature’s contributions to people
Postscript
The Capability Approach
The role of socio-demographic characteristics in mediating relationships between people and nature
Accessible nature
A Framework to Analyze the Robustness of Social-ecological Systems from an Institutional Perspective
A Theory of Access
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |