Cultivating Partnerships between Destination Management Organizations and Land Managers to address outdoor recreation impacts and conservation goals

Outdoor recreation brings economic vitality to regions across North Carolina, but increased environmental pressures on the state’s natural resources creates conflicts between users and land managers. As natural resource areas continue to be promoted as top tourist attractions, it's important that land managers and destination management organizations work together to consider impacts. Partnerships that expand beyond individual silos may be the key to building value for conservation initiatives (e.g., decreasing visitor pressure, not allowing certain types of recreation in particular areas) on public lands. While there is an established research base extolling the benefits of partnerships, there is a lack of research on cultivating partnerships between destination management organizations and public land managers. This comprehensive literature review examines destination management organization and public land management relationships as a way to provide sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities that enable communities to continue to reap the benefits from their natural spaces.