ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the sources, extent, and effects of threats to the resources of a selected international sample of national parks. The survey data suggest that threats reported to parks in countries at different stages of economic development varied in status, location, and cause, both generally and at the subsystem level. Parks in more-developed countries reported the highest percentage of documented threats. World Bank data were used to classify national parks. Those in countries with 20 percent or less of their labor force in the agricultural sector were categorized as "more developed," those in countries with more than 20 percent and less than 80 percent as "developing," and those with 80 percent or more as "less developed". A majority of the respondents were involved in day-to-day park operations. Although 87 percent of the parks in less-developed countries cited conflicting demands as a threat, only 41 percent of those in developing and 52 percent in developed countries reported such a threat.
