Governance Decision-Making Tool

Types of Designation

What other designations are there within the area?

A consideration within any cost-benefit analysis ought to be the number of existing designated areas within a given region. If there are National parks and National Nature Reserves within an area, for example, are these already sufficient for attracting visitors to the region, and for ensuring the protection of key conservation areas? Or would an overarching designation for the area as a whole, such as a Biosphere Reserve, add value in terms of fostering co-operation and a larger-scale sustainable land use strategy? If there are no existing designations, however, then examples from the SHAPE project indicate that a new designation can really put areas “on the map”.