"What is a national park for?” - Principles of worth in a Swiss national park project.
Annina Michel, University of Zurich (CH)
In this presentation ideas, perceptions, and rationales of national parks are discussed. The Swiss national park project ‘Parc Adula', which was recently rejected in a popular referendum, serves as a unique case study. Data from qualitative research engaging with different actors' opinions are contrasted against scientific and policy-oriented definitions of national parks. Resorting to a framework from pragmatic sociology, the analysis of justifications provided by actors within the Parc Adula negotiations helps to understand perceptions of national parks and underlying ideas of worth.