This MLA seminar provides an overview of protected area (PA) models for the conservation of nature - from national parks that exclude most human uses, to community-managed protected areas where sustainable human uses are encouraged - and their social and environmental impacts and implications. We use case study examples from the United States, East Africa, and Latin America to compare and contrast models across settings. Selected examples include classic National Parks in the U.S. (e.g., Yellowstone and Yosemite) and East Africa (Tarangire and Meru), multiuse PAs with human residents and their active resource use (Pt. Reyes National Seashore and Peru's Manu National Park), Indigenous and community conserved areas (ICCAs such as the Menominee Forest in Wisconsin and Kuna Yala in Panama), and community-based conservation of forests and wildlife in the U.S. and Tanzania.
4 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
This MLA seminar provides an overview of protected area (PA) models for the conservation of nature - from national parks that exclude most human uses, to community-managed protected areas where sustainable human uses are encouraged - and their social and environmental impacts and implications. We use case study examples from the United States, East Africa, and Latin America to compare and contrast models across settings. Selected examples include classic National Parks in the U.S. (e.g., Yellowstone and Yosemite) and East Africa (Tarangire and Meru), multiuse PAs with human residents and their active resource use (Pt. Reyes National Seashore and Peru's Manu National Park), Indigenous and community conserved areas (ICCAs such as the Menominee Forest in Wisconsin and Kuna Yala in Panama), and community-based conservation of forests and wildlife in the U.S. and Tanzania.
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.