DETUROPE - The Central European Journal of Regional Development and Tourism 2025, 17(2):49-79

The Contemporary Concept of Protected Areas as a Special Form of Social Innovation

Magdalena Zduna, Bernadetta Zawilińskaa
a Department of Social and Economic Geography, Krakow University of Economics, Rakowicka 27, 31-510 Krakow, Poland

Protected areas (PAs), key elements in environmental policy, have evolved significantly in terms of spatial scope and conceptual approach. The traditional model of isolated, centrally managed conservation “islands” has shifted towards more complex structures integrated with socio-economic systems and ecological networks. Modern protected areas (new protected areas – NPAs) combine nature conservation with social, cultural and economic priorities, relying on the active participation of local communities, businesses and other stakeholders. Operating at a local level, they contribute to global sustainability goals. These changes reveal a new field of research and justify defining the contemporary concept of PAs as a particular form of social innovation (SI), adopted as the main objective of the article. The analysis follows two concurrent lines: (1) “organization – social institution – social innovation”, exploring the evolution of the NPA model, and (2) “invention – innovation – social innovation”, placing NPAs in the research tradition of innovativeness. This combined perspective enables a chronological and logical explanation of the NPA model, offering new diagnostic possibilities for PAs. The methodology includes a theoretical discussion that integrates literature review with conceptual work, using SI as an explanatory tool (explanans) to understand its diagnostic value in the context of PAs. Consequently, SI serves as an analytical category for NPAs, enabling a multifaceted diagnosis and a tool to determine both the boundary conditions for the legitimacy of NPAs and the chances of dissemination of the model. As such, SI draws a line of transposition between the two extreme models: the “Ark” Park and the “Hub” Park.

Keywords: social innovation, protected areas, national parks, sustainable development, social institution, social-ecological systems

Received: February 27, 2025; Revised: October 9, 2025; Accepted: December 23, 2025; Published: December 25, 2025  Show citation

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Zdun, M., & Zawilińska, B. (2025). The Contemporary Concept of Protected Areas as a Special Form of Social Innovation. DETUROPE - The Central European Journal of Regional Development and Tourism, 17(2), 49-79
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