The Delphi Method as a Useful Tool to Study Governance and Protected Areas?

The Delphi method is a systematic, interactive, written method, which relies on a panel of experts. This paper seeks to discuss whether the Delphi method is an appropriate method for obtaining information about governance. In this study we used the Delphi method to assemble information from 10 professionals with vast experience in nature conservation, protected areas and governance. The purpose of this study was to get a better understanding of the scientific governance debate. Three rounds of questionnaires were sent to the selected experts. The results of this Delphi Questionnaire reveal that there is a broad common understanding of protected area governance. They also reveal insights into how individual categories of protected areas will develop in the future. However, the study also shows that specialists are not fully agreed on this point.