How conceptions of equity and justice shape national park negotiations: The case of Parc Adula, Switzerland

Abstract

This article engages with conceptions of equity and justice in protected area negotiations and ties in with recent scientific discourses on the importance of social equity for successful biodiversity conservation. I follow the question of how conceptions of justice shaped discussions surrounding a national park project in Switzerland, Parc Adula. The project was rejected in a public vote in 2016. Drawing on qualitative interview data, this article analyses park negotiations and sheds light on a plurality of senses of justice. Whereas Parc Adula as a bottom-up project based on direct democracy already respected just procedures, perceptions of (in-)justice still informed day-to-day discussions and disputes. Thus, I argue that understanding justice as a process that reveals itself in disputes, and acknowledging its plurality, can help understand struggles over conservation and regional development.