Multi-level Transboundary Cooperation and Insights from Italian and French National Parks: A Case Study of Partnership Between Gran Paradiso National Park and Vanoise National Park
Abstract：
In the high-quality implementation phase of national park system development, implementing ecological protection, allocating management responsibilities, innovating public value, and achieving transboundary cooperation of national parks have become a pressing issue. Through multi-level governance, this paper analyzes the governance system framework of European protected areas and focuses on the transboundary cooperation practices of Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy, and Vanoise National Park, France. The research begins with a brief analysis of the geographical distribution of the national parks in Italy and France as the background to the cooperation. And then it explores the evolutionary process of the two national parks in stages, from the practical stage to the synergy stage and then to the stage of comprehensive cooperation. Next, it analyzes the cooperation modes in terms of vertical, horizontal, and hierarchical dimensions, such as institutional subject organization, joint project promotion, and strengthening of bottom-line standards. Finally, the research summarizes the experience and lessons learned from the vertical dimension of management authority and responsibility, the horizontal dimension of goal synergy, and the hierarchical dimension of indicator setting. The purpose is to provide helpful inspiration for the transboundary cooperation of national parks with Chinese characteristics.