WISO300730 Applied nationalpark planning

Type
Lecture
Semester hours
2
Lecturer (assistant)
Organisation
Law
Offered in
Sommersemester 2026
Languages of instruction
Deutsch
Content

The lecture will be held in blocks. If interested, an excursion to the lecture can be organized (not mandatory).
There are currently six national parks in Austria, with a new one in the making. They all correspond to the second-highest protection category as defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). There are more than 6,000 national parks worldwide, but not all of them deliver what they promise. Why is that? What distinguishes a national park from other categories of protected areas, and how is a national park created in the first place? What steps are necessary, and what defines a national park?
These questions will be addressed in the lecture. To make this as clear as possible, the characteristics of national parks will be compared with those of a second important category in Austria: nature parks. Often mentioned in the same breath, the two categories differ significantly. So what are the differences between our six national parks and the 48 existing nature parks?
Together, we will work out the differences between the two categories of protected areas in terms of their planning, implementation, and management.
International comparisons help to sharpen the picture and classify the Austrian approaches.
If there is interest, an excursion to a national park and a nature park can be organized at the end of the lecture, during which the two approaches to protection can be observed on site.

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Previous knowledge expected

Basic knowledge about nature conservation, the biodiversity crisis, and international challenges.
Objective (expected results of study and acquired competences)

What a national park is, or what constitutes a national park.
How it differs from other protected areas.
What steps need to be taken to designate a new national park.
How international guidelines are implemented nationally.
The expected competence is:
Knowledge of and ability to apply the solutions and management methods identified and developed.
You can find more details like the schedule or information about exams on the course-page in BOKUonline.