Exploring narratives of human–nature connections in protected areas

Abstract Protected areas have become the most widespread strategy for nature conservation, and are currently expanding worldwide. Many of them are inhabited or close to inhabited areas, shaping and being shaped by connections between people and nature. These connections are not always positive. Social fragmentation, in the form of conflicts and disconnections from nature, represents a major challenge for biodiversity conservation in protected areas. Assessing the multiple forms of people's connections with nature has shown pivotal to the development of conservation strategies that integrate ecological and social benefits. However, understanding how people articulate the role of protected areas in shaping their connections with nature remains overlooked in the literature. We use a narrative approach to investigate connections of people to protected areas based on seven dimensions: material, experiential, cognitive, emotional, philosophical, cultural and institutional. Using five protected areas in a multifunctional landscape in Central Germany as case studies, we explored narratives of connection based on in‐depth analysis of 38 semi‐structured interviews. Our main findings highlight that: (i) Narratives allow us to describe complex human–nature connections in protected areas; (ii) the novel framework of seven human–nature connections uncovered learning, regional heritage, care, multifunctional production and collaborations as key themes to better understand people's connection to nature in protected areas; (iii) different ways of connecting to nature, such as emotional, experiential and material connections, are closely linked; and (iv) the five narratives present overlaps that point at implications for protected area policy and practice. We discuss how protected areas can contribute to a reconnection to nature by reinforcing links between all dimensions of connections; considering the complexity associated with material connections; recognizing the importance of non‐material values of protected areas; improving the articulation of multiple knowledge; and supporting collaboration and trustful relationships. We argue that, to further contribute to cultural landscapes' sustainability, protected areas should focus on creating the conditions to foster diverse human–nature connections. Narratives can thereby help to identify new alliances and put nature protection and protected areas at the core of society and landscapes, rather than isolating them in conservation niches or silos. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.