@article{AppelHardaker2021, author = {Appel, Alexandra and Hardaker, Sina}, title = {Strategies in Times of Pandemic Crisis — Retailers and Regional Resilience in W{\"u}rzburg, Germany}, series = {Sustainability}, volume = {13}, journal = {Sustainability}, number = {5}, issn = {2071-1050}, doi = {10.3390/su13052643}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-233991}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Research on the COVID-19 crisis and its implications on regional resilience is still in its infancy. To understand resilience on its aggregate level it is important to identify (non)resilient actions of individual actors who comprise regions. As the retail sector among others represents an important factor in an urban regions recovery, we focus on the resilience of (textile) retailers within the city of W{\"u}rzburg in Germany to the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the identified research gap, this paper applies the concept of resilience. Firstly, conducting expert interviews, the individual (textile) retailers' level and their strategies in coping with the crisis is considered. Secondly, conducting a contextual analysis of the German city of W{\"u}rzburg, we wish to contribute to the discussion of how the resilience of a region is influenced inter alia by actors. Our study finds three main strategies on the individual level, with retailers: (1) intending to "bounce back" to a pre-crisis state, (2) reorganising existing practices, as well as (3) closing stores and winding up business. As at the time of research, no conclusions regarding long-term impacts and resilience are possible, the results are limited. Nevertheless, detailed analysis of retailers' strategies contributes to a better understanding of regional resilience.}, language = {en} } @article{JobBittlingmaierMayeretal.2021, author = {Job, Hubert and Bittlingmaier, Sarah and Mayer, Marius and von Ruschkowski, Eick and Woltering, Manuel}, title = {Park-People Relationships: The Socioeconomic Monitoring of National Parks in Bavaria, Germany}, series = {Sustainability}, volume = {13}, journal = {Sustainability}, number = {16}, issn = {2071-1050}, doi = {10.3390/su13168984}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-245061}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Questions about park-people relationships and the understanding and handling of the conflicts that may result from the creation and management of national parks in the surrounding area are prerequisites for both successful park management and sustainable rural tourism development. This paper analyzes the roles that research may play in relation to park-people relationships in the context of the two oldest German national parks located in Bavaria. The different fields of action of national parks are used to identify the potential for conflict, using detailed case studies from the Bavarian Forest and Berchtesgaden National Parks using quantitative population surveys carried out in 2018. The overall attitude towards both national parks is overwhelmingly positive, with trust towards park administrations and the perceived economic benefits from rural tourism being the attitudes most strongly correlated to the overall level of park-people relationships. Nevertheless, some points of contention still exist, like the ecological integrity approach towards strict nature conservation and related landscape changes (e.g., deadwood cover). A comparison over time shows in both cases that the spatial proximity to the protected area negatively influences people's attitudes towards the parks, but less so than in the past. Recommendations for national park management include communicating proactively and with greater transparency with locals and decision-makers, to identify conflicts earlier and, where possible, to eliminate them. Furthermore, developing a standardized method to monitor park-people relationships in Germany is a must and would benefit integrated approaches in research and management based on conservation social science.}, language = {en} }