Conditions for the management of carrying capacity in the parks of Parks&Benefits

Growth in the number of visitors is an upcoming problem in nature parks. Nature parks are at the same time facing increasing demand, falling public appropriations and receding focus on their conservation functions. To ensure a balancing of nature protection and economic utilization the concept of carrying capacity has received increasing attention among park-authorities all over the world. Carrying capacities understood as limits or standards not to be exceeded to protect a supporting landscape system are not scientifically determined sizes. They are a result of political decision processes among stakeholders, balancing use and protection preferably based on scientific and/or experiential cognition. The conditions for the management of carrying capacity for the 8 nature parks in the EC Baltic Project Parks&Benefits are analysed in the report.
1. Part focus on the methodology, concentrated on the comparison of the common conditions related to the international nature protection obligations in the parks, primarily expressed through the management under the EU Natura2000-program.
In part 2, a comparison of the 8 parks concerning extent, land use composition, population in and around the park, visitorestimates, and information on the related Natura2000 sites are presented, together with a comparative summary of carrying capacity problems, being dealt with in the 8 parks.
In part 3 a comparable description of the land cover conditions, the conservational goals and carrying capacity problems of the parks are presented in detail.