Governance and Regional Development in Protected Areas of Switzerland and Austria

Abstract

The article investigates large protected areas from a governance research perspective. The analytical focus is on regional governance regimes of selected large protected areas in Austria and Switzerland. The analysis character-izes structures and patterns of regional governance regimes. Also, the kind and quality of cooperation between the actors is assessed. The article contributes to a deeper understanding of the regional governance of protected areas. Draw-ing from the empirical findings some recommendations are made for a more efficient management and organization of large protected areas.