ABSTRACT
A protected area is an area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means. Nevertheless, protected areas are increasingly being viewed in the context of regional development expressly for the sake of achieving conservation objectives. The idea of combining conservation and regional development is gaining impetus, particularly in the discussion of sustainable development. This chapter shows how this re-evaluation of the connexion between conservation and regional development came about and what the theoretical approaches to this integrative view are. It also clarifies what opportunities exist for integrating the goals of conservation and regional development and where the limits to this lie and also looks at how regional policies support this integration. Finally, the challenges to protected areas and to research on protected areas will be outlined in the context of the discussion on regional development.
