It is not only the task of nature parks to preserve the nature and environment. Furthermore, they are an important place for leisure and recreation.
Commissioned by the Ministry for Rural Affairs and Consumer Protection Baden-Wurttemberg, the IfLS pursues to answer questions like: How far do nature parks in Baden-Wurttemberg accomplish the tasks mentioned above? Which strengths and weaknesses can be identified and which restraints and potentials do exist?
The evaluation is based on legal standards and goals, which are determined in the Federal Nature Conservation Act and the Nature Conservation Act of Baden-Wurttemberg, on the one hand. On the other hand, (further) state and regional political objectives, which can be found in the acts or regulations of the nature parks themselves, will be considered. Moreover, recommendations for action (guidelines and goals), provided by the Association of German Nature Parks, will be included.
The results indicate, that nature parks in Baden-Wurttemberg have expanded their profiles beyond the traditional tasks of encouraging the development of leisure and recreation facilities bearing in mind the protection of nature and environment. The nationwide unique policy tool MEPL provides an important contribution to this effort. Nevertheless, it can also be shown that existing potentials are not fully realized due to the lack of resources.