title: Engaging knowledge mobilization to enhance decision making in parks and protected areas
Creators: name: Young, Alexandra
Publisher: name: Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: Recreation areas

description: When someone takes a quiet moment to just do nothing but sit looking out towards the sea, to watch the wind blow through an ancient tree, or to listen to the children laughing as they run free, they experience the essence of why parks and protected areas are so cherished. Parks and protected areas are treasured around the globe by many nature lovers, travellers, researchers, and nearly anyone who cares about a sustainable green earth for generations to come. Parks and protected areas are important for that reason as well as for the protection and conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity within and around these areas. Sitting on a park bench to take that quiet moment for oneself can be quite healing and enlightening in the right area. These areas are important but also need to be managed effectively and sustainably. Understanding the management of these areas allows researchers to provide information on how to improve and conserve protected areas further, and to address certain aspects that may be outdated or are no longer serving management for whatever reason. In order to efficiently address management in parks and protected areas, knowledge mobilization is utilized to allow a full, interdisciplinary understanding of the approaches to management. Management of protected areas tends to be informed mainly by anecdotal information and traditional practice rather than using more supportable evidence including natural sciences, social sciences, and local and traditional knowledge. These areas of information help managers make well-balanced, evidence-based decisions. For the purposes of this study, knowledge mobilization encompasses components of social sciences, natural sciences, local and traditional knowledge, and academic knowledge. This study examines knowledge mobilization as applied decision making in the management of protected areas. This study focuses on a location along the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, encompassing four main organizations: Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Tla-o-quiaht Tribal Parks, Clayoquot Biosphere Reserve, and the Municipality of Tofino. These organizations focus on protected area management within the same distinct areas, and it was important to address all four organizations in order to secure a full understanding of knowledge mobilization and management. The question surrounding the study was as follows: “What are the barriers and enabling conditions that impede and contribute to effective knowledge mobilization for parks and protected area decision makers, and how do they apply to different types of knowledge: natural sciences, social sciences, local and community knowledge, and academic and expert knowledge?” This question was derived from a case study network based out of the University of Alberta, which this study is part of. Qualitative semi structured interviews were an appropriate approach for this study due to the importance of developing personal relationships with participants and conducting the interviews in person and in community. This allowed for direct quotations to be used to illustrate the strength of the data collected from participants throughout the study. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis guided by an abductive approach and a pragmatic epistemology. The most common barriers which are important to note include the time, effort, and understanding that it takes for managers to appropriately understand and interpret information as well as barriers related to the cost of conducting research or including certain types of information that may be costly to obtain. The most common enablers found in the study included the importance of developing and maintaining solid, trusting relationships with community members, stakeholders, and all parties involved. Another enabler was the vast amount of access available to information either online, through networks, and through documentation, including academic studies, student researchers, and Parks Canada networks, among many others.