Promoting Inclusive Outdoor Recreation in National Park Governance: A Comparative Perspective from Canada and Spain

Abstract

While national parks (NPs) have for a long time made substantial contributions to visitor well-being, many spaces remain out of reach of people with disabilities (PwDs). This is partly due to a lack of policies that take accessibility for broader intersectional audiences into consideration. This paper evaluates governance and legal frameworks in NPs in both Canada and Spain. A decision-making framework based on intersectionality realities is proposed to assess current conditions of environmental good governance using a set of descriptors created to scrutinize laws and technical documents that can promote equitable access to NPs. To validate results derived from the regulatory evaluation, semistructured interviews with park managers were carried out. Results revealed the importance of incorporating equity discourses into policies that regulate NP networks to guarantee that all the intersectional realities for park uses are considered in their management. Furthermore, when a country develops a well-structured federal framework under which the rights of PwDs are ensured, it transcends other fields of law. Differences between the Canadian and the Spanish situation are highlighted, as well as the need for links between higher-level policies and laws and on-the-ground implementation, with NP management plans playing an important role.

Assessment of barriers for people with disability to enjoy national parks

“…Pavement and slope were chosen as structural constraints while distance traveled , the distance from the visitor center , and the weather was more likely to not be perceived as barriers than perceived as them, in agreement with other studies ( Zhang et al, 2017 ; Corazon et al, 2019 ). These two barriers can be addressed with adequate planning based on the different intersectional realities, accompanied by adequate maintenance, in short, by good governance ( Aguilar-Carrasco et al, 2022 ). Taking into consideration that “ occasionally ” is the most likely frequency, it seems there is something more than physical constraints since there is not a statically significant difference between PwMD who never or often go to any natural location.…”

“…On the other side of the Atlantic, according to the data provided from Europarc-Spain’s statistics on 2017, one million 72 visitors visited Spanish NPs ( Farías-Torbidoni et al, 2020 ). Considering the growing importance and the complexity of tourism in those areas, national policies must ensure nature-based tourism that is equitable for all people taking into consideration its conservation for future generations through good governance ( Chikuta et al, 2021 ; Aguilar-Carrasco et al, 2022 ).…”

Scoping review of adult-oriented outdoor play publications in Canada

“…By definition, all studies focussed on adults 18 years and older (some also included children/families) and were written by authors from Canadian institutions or were works that studied a Canadian population. Sixteen studies included data from both Canadian and international populations, [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] and in one, a Canadian research team analyzed data exclusively from international populations. 42 Sample sizes varied substantially and ranged from an auto-ethnographic reflection by one individual involved in a community gardening project 45 to 147 000 data points on zoo visitors over 16 years.…”

Examen de la portée des publications sur le jeu à l’extérieur chez les adultes au Canada

“…Par définition, toutes les études portent sur des adultes de 18 ans et plus (certaines incluent également des enfants ou familles) et ont été rédigées par des auteurs d'établissements canadiens ou étudiaient une population canadienne. Seize études comprennent des données portant à la fois sur des populations canadiennes et internationales [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] et, dans l'une d'entre elles, une équipe de recherche canadienne a analysé des données portant exclusivement sur des populations internationales 42 . La taille des échantillons varie considérablement selon l'étude et va de la réflexion auto-ethnographique d'une personne participant à un projet de jardinage communautaire 45 à 147 000 points de données sur les visiteurs d'un zoo sur 16 ans 46 .…”