The attitudes of stakeholders on the management of protected areas: views of the local people and visitors to the Prespa Lakes National Park, Greece

Protected areas are characterized by great ecological significance, due to the rarity of their fauna and flora, their biodiversity, as well as the geomorphologic formations. The integrated management of such areas requires appropriate planning in order to address any potential problems, which is why the opinions and preferences of visitors have a significant impact on the decisions taken by those responsible for the management of National Parks. The present research was carried out using a structured questionnaire, addressed to the local people and visitors of the Prespa Lakes National Park. Its objective was to examine the attitude of stakeholders regarding the protection – conservation of nature and the development of the region. More specifically, 236 questionnaires were collected from local residents and 400 questionnaires from visitors. The initial results have shown that the locals want the future growth of the region to focus mainly on tourism and agriculture. They believe that the development of the tourism sector will help to improve their financial situation. As regards visitors, they were very satisfied with the natural ecosystems of the area, and the rich fauna and flora; on the other hand, they were totally dissatisfied with the lack of public restrooms.