Tourism governance in protected areas: investigating the application of the adaptive co-management approach

Adaptive co-management (ACM) significantly enhances governance in protected areas, particularly through its adaptive elements that foster iterative learning among stakeholders. A study on Bangladesh's Lawachara National Park and Sundarbans East Wildlife Sanctuary found that ACM improved key governance principles such as participation, accountability, transparency, power dynamics, rule of law, and social learning. The approach successfully broadened stakeholder engagement and collaboration, with the adaptive component proving most impactful by enabling behavior change and attitude shifts toward conservation. This research provides empirical evidence for developing countries on how ACM can sustainably improve governance in nature-based tourism destinations.

Islam, Md. W., Ruhanen, L., & Ritchie, B. W. (2018). Tourism governance in protected areas: investigating the application of the adaptive co-management approach. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(11), 1890–1908. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2018.1526291