The relevance of socioeconomic interactions for the resilience of protected area networks

Ecological theory suggests that intermediate connectivity between protected areas will increase their resilience by facilitating dispersal, recolonisation, and genetic mixing. Conversely, over-connectivity may make areas less resilient to contagious perturbations such as pathogen outbreaks. In a similar manner, socioeconomic connectivity should enhance the spread of effective management strategies and the sharing of scarce resources, but over-connectivity carries the risks associated with one-size-fits-all strategies. We used network analysis to examine the topology of management collaborations and related exchanges of information and equipment in two protected area networks in South Africa using the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces as study sites. National protected areas displayed the highest degree of centrality in the Western Cape, while provincial protected areas occupied the central role in the Eastern Cape. Managers in the Western Cape were more concerned about establishing ecological connectivity between protected areas whereas tourism emerged as an important driver in the Eastern Cape protected area network. Our results support the argument that both location and network membership are important for the socioeconomic resilience of protected areas. As with ecological corridors, deliberate fostering of particular socioeconomic corridors may make the protected areas more resilient to perturbations.