Relationship between local residents' perceptions, attitudes and participation towards national protected areas: A case study of Phou Khao Khouay National Protected Area, central Lao PDR

This study analyses local residents' perceptions, attitudes and participation towards national protected areas. These three factors are highly correlated, and can affect residents' willingness or unwillingness to manage forests in their areas. The primary objective was to determine whether local participation in managing national protected areas was significantly influenced by their perceptions and attitudes. Questionnaire surveys were carried out with 405 households living in four villages in the southern periphery of Phou Khao Khouay National Protected Area, central Lao PDR. Results showed that most respondents held favourable perceptions and attitudes towards the National Protected Area. By employing structural equation modelling, it was also found that there were strong positive connections between their positive perceptions, attitudes and participation. These factors need to be taken into consideration to enhance local participation in national protected area management and to achieve sustainable biodiversity conservation in Lao PDR. Moreover, multivariate analysis indicated that residents in villages that run ecotourism projects and those with higher incomes had stronger positive perceptions, attitudes and participation towards the national protected area. In order for local residents to effectively manage the national protected area, their participation needs to be fostered and encouraged through developing local income streams, such as ecotourism. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.