Parks

Aims & Scope

We aim for PARKS to be a rigorous, challenging publication with high academic credibility and standing.

But at the same time the journal is and should remain primarily a resource for people actively involved in establishing and managing protected areas, under any management category or governance type.

We aim for the majority of papers accepted to include practical management information.

We also work hard to include authors who are involved in management but do not usually find the time to report the results of their research and experience to a wider audience.

We welcome submissions from people whose written English is imperfect as long as they have interesting research to report, backed up by firm evidence, and are happy to work with authors to develop papers for the journal.

PARKS is published with the aim of strengthening international collaboration in protected area development and management by: • promoting understanding of the values and benefits derived from protected areas to governments, communities, visitors, business etc; • ensuring that protected areas fulfil their primary role in nature conservation while addressing critical issues such as ecologically sustainable development, social justice and climate change adaptation and mitigation; • serving as a leading global forum for the exchange of information on issues relating to protected areas, especially learning from case studies of applied ideas; • publishing articles reporting on recent applied research that is relevant to protected area management; • changing and improving protected area management, policy environment and socio-economic benefits through use of information provided in the journal; and • promoting IUCN’s work on protected areas.

Metrics & Ranking

Abstracting & Indexing

Journal is indexed in leading academic databases, ensuring global visibility and accessibility of our peer-reviewed research.

• Scopus
• Google Scholar
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)

Subjects & Keywords

Journal’s research areas, covering key disciplines and specialized sub-topics in Environmental Science, designed to support cutting-edge academic discovery.

Licensing & Copyright

This journal operates under an Open Access model. Articles are freely accessible to the public immediately upon publication. The content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), allowing users to share and adapt the work with proper attribution.

Copyright remains with the author(s), and no permission is required for non-commercial use, provided the original source is cited.

Policy Links

This section provides access to essential policy documents, guidelines, and resources related to the journal’s publication and submission processes.

• Aims scope
• Homepage
• Oa statement
• Author instructions
• License terms
• Review url
• Board url
• Plagiarism url
• Apc url
• License

Plagiarism Policy

This journal follows a plagiarism policy. All submitted manuscripts are screened using reliable plagiarism detection software to ensure originality and academic integrity. Authors are responsible for proper citation and acknowledgment of all sources, and any form of plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, will not be tolerated.

For more details, please refer to our official: Plagiarism Policy.

APC Details

The journal’s Article Processing Charge (APC) policies support open access publishing in Environmental Science, ensuring accessibility and quality in research dissemination.

This journal does not charge a mandatory Article Processing Charge (APC). However, optional open access publication may incur fees based on the publisher’s policies.

Explore journals without APCs for alternative publishing options.

Most Cited Articles

The Most Cited Articles section features the journal's most impactful research, based on citation counts. These articles have been referenced frequently by other researchers, indicating their significant contribution to their respective fields.

• Unpacking equity for protected area conservation

  Citation: 143

  Authors: Kate, Phil, Adrian, Barbara

• Tourism in protected and conserved areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic

  Citation: 126

  Authors: Anna, Steve, David, Ana, James R., Clara-Jane, Kelly, Hery, Katherine, Elizabeth, Glen, Delphine, Yu-Fai, Ante, Robin, Dominik, James, Mahmoud, Veronica, Thiago, Anne-Kathrin

• Editorial Essay: COVID-19 and protected and conserved areas

  Citation: 101

  Authors: Marc, Nigel, Wendy

• New Steps of Change: Looking Beyond Protected Areas to Consider Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures

  Citation: 86

  Authors: Harry D., Valentina, Ashish, Fred

• A review of evidence for area‐based conservation targets for the post‐2020 global biodiversity framework

  Citation: 75

  Authors: Stephen, Harvey, Dan, Kathy, Trevor, Jane

• Privately protected areas: advances and challenges in guidance, policy and documentation

  Citation: 69

  Authors: Heather, James, A., Kent, Brent A., Juan, Tracey L.

• Nature needs half: a necessary and hopeful new agenda for protected areas

  Citation: 60

  Authors: Harvey

• Finding space for wildlife beyond national parks and reducing conflict through community based conservation: the Kenya experience

  Citation: 59

  Authors: David, John, John

• Progress towards the CBD protected area management effectiveness targets

  Citation: 52

  Authors: Lauren, Fiona, Neil D., Ivon C., Jonas, Toby R., Jessie, Christoph, Susanne, Nanna, Camilo, Mark, Marc

• Impacts of COVID-19 on protected and conserved areas: a global overview and regional perspectives

  Citation: 45

  Authors: John, Nigel, Mónica, Stanley, Stuart, Penelope, James, Susan, Thomas N.E., Minsun, M.K.S., Scott, Paula, Claudine, Allan, Mike