Nationale parken in transitie : governance-implicaties van een veranderend beleidskader

The national parks are going through a period of transition. Since January 2013, when the decentralisation ofnature policy began, the national government has abandoned many of its responsibilities, except thedelineation of national park boundaries. The provinces were free to decide whether or not to take over thesenational government tasks, which resulted in a diversity of commitments. Where provincial governmentcommitment was lacking, the park authorities sought closer integration into the regional economy andregional society and looked for new forms of financing. As a result, there are now large differences betweenthe national parks. Most of the national park organisations are simply trying to survive. A motion and asubsequent amendment in Parliament laid the foundation for the launch early in 2015 of the World ClassNational Parks Programme (Nationale Parken van Wereldklasse), with a contest for the most ambitiousinternationally oriented park. Among the organisations involved are the Ministry of Economic Affairs and theprovincial governments. The new ambitions created by this contest stand in stark contrast to the actualsituation on the ground.