Protected Areas

History

The earliest protected areas were probably local, often communally and informally designated sites consisting of areas that had cultural, spiritual, or subsistence value. Similar areas remain in the traditions and practices of many peoples around the world today. For centuries there were also areas protected for the maintenance of specific resources, usually for societal elites, e.g., the game, timber, or furbearer reserves established in many parts of Europe and Asia over the last 1,000 years and more.

The modern history of protected areas is usually seen as beginning in the early to mid-19th century with the development of major urban parks in cities such as London, New York, and Montreal. They [Page 1442]were seen as benefiting urban populations, fostering social improvement and public health.

These areas served as places to exercise and take in the fresh air as well as backdrops for cultural events. By the mid-19th century, the public called for areas to be set aside to serve as large parks that would protect scenic and natural wonders such as Niagara Falls, Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Banff. In the 1860–80s, the United States, Canada, and Australia would become some of the first countries to establish state or national provincial parks. The parks were not only a way to enjoy the outdoors but were great opportunities for tourism. The timing was just right as the newly completed railroads provided tourists a way to reach these destinations.

The late 19th and early 20th centuries also saw the first wildlife and migratory bird sanctuaries, which were often tied to early conservation efforts and then later to the Canada/U.S. International Migratory Bird Convention of 1916. It was a time of national and state park growth as well as the beginning of wildlife research and a strengthened conservation focus for many protected areas. This emphasis was picked up again after World War II and the postwar growth period of the 1950s. North American–style parks were created in a few places in the early 20th century, notably in many parts of south and east Africa. But it was not until the post–World War II era—when European colonies gained independence and the influence of the environmental movement grew—that they became a global phenomenon. Beginning in the late 1960s, most national parks were strongly protectionist of biodiversity and exclusionary of people.

Special Types

Other types of protected areas have also developed since the 1960s, paralleling the growth in environmental and other preservation movements, including historical and cultural movements. Most national and subnational jurisdictions have protected area systems that preserve historic resources. Some have special protected areas for indigenous people and their traditional cultures, e.g., Brazil and Australia. Many European nations have protected areas that include human populations and their traditional activities, scenery, and wildlife, sometimes called working landscapes. Examples include many British national parks, U.S. coastlines, and Canadian rivers. Other areas, such as the Russian zakazniks, are focused on sustaining particular resources and their traditional uses, e.g., furbearers, trees, or reeds. Still other areas aim to offer strict protection of important features and resources, such as ecological reserves in Canada or zapovedniks in Russia.

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