Tourism stakeholder awareness of climate change and energy scarcity scenarios for protected areas: A case study of the glaciers, Westland National Park, New Zealand

Abstract

Amid dramatic land-use change since the mid nineteenth century, Protected Areas (PAs) have grown exponentially, both in terms of geographic coverage and their natural and social significance. The demands on parks and protected areas now extend from their original conceptions as repositories of scenic grandeur and recreational parklands - emerging in the late 20th century as both last bastions of ecological integrity and tools for economic development. With such expanding roles, the PA concept is widely accepted and promoted. But can PAs continue to be all things to all people - especially in the face of important global developments?