Giving voice to people living in protected areas. An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Protected areas represent a critical component of conservation efforts globally, serving as safe zones where ecosystems, species, and natural landscapes can be preserved. They play a significant role in maintaining biodiversity by limiting human activities that may disrupt habitats or exploit resources unsustainably. Objectives: Within the framework of the Endangered Landscapes Programme (ELP), a program managed by a team working under the direction of the Executive Director of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, the current research conducted by Natura 2000 Coalition Romania, seeks to provide a comprehensive idiographic analysis of the lived experiences of individuals residing in a protected area, employing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as the methodological framework. IPA is a systematic qualitative method that examines how people sense their significant life experiences. Approach: The study was conducted on a sample of five participants between 34 and 75 years old. Each participant was interviewed based on a semi-structured interview and their transcripts were further analyzed using the interpretative phenomenological analysis. This method implied analyzing the experiential responses and their meanings line by line, followed by the identification of the emergent themes from the experiential material, focusing on similarities and discrepancies within each case and between all instances. Results: Six themes emerged from the experiential material provided by the participants: profound connection with nature, protected areas’ impact on the community, the importance of ecological education and information, over-tourism, and sustainable development challenges. Based on the “verbatim†content obtained, there could be outlined Implications: We believe that this type of approach provides new insights regarding the real experience of people who live in protected areas, based on first-hand information from people who went through the experience.