Evaluating rural development in French Regional Nature Parks

Amenities and their management have become central to rural development. In France, Regional Nature Parks (RNPs) pursue sustainable development objectives by protecting and building on local resources. This paper presents an evaluation of the extent to which RNPs are associated with the development of their territories. To establish a control group, RNP municipalities located in two regions (Auvergne and Rhone-Alpes) are matched to other municipalities on the basis of amenity and spatial structure variables. Results do not show a negative impact of parks on the local economy. Moreover, the main positive effect of RNPs is on tourism accommodation and residential employment.