Commercialization of Conservation Areas: Mapping the Key Policy-Governance Issues in the Current Scholarship and Outlining a Future Research Agenda

Authors

• Danis Syahroni, Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
• Ni Nyoman Bintarin Milenia, Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
• Much Taufik Tri Hermawan, Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
• Micah R. Fisher, Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, School of Communication and Information, University of Hawai`i, Honolulu, United States
• Ahmad Maryudi, Sebijak Institute - Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada, IndonesiaFollow

DOI

10.65844/2549-4333.1245

Abstract

The global expansion of area-based conservation has been accompanied by an upward trend in its commercialization, but research on this phenomenon remains fragmented and lacks a comprehensive analysis of its development. This study conducts a bibliometric analysis on 275 journal articles published between 1996 and 2024. Analysis identifies four foundational clusters in early scholarship, namely: ecotourism development; complex linkages between tourism and livelihood; neoliberal conservation and power relations; and, payment for ecosystem services (PES). The current research landscape, we identify, reveals a broader set of six policy/ governance-related thematic clusters, as follows: sustainable tourism and meaningful participation; tourism for poverty alleviation; dilemmas in the tangible contributions of tourism; resource control and power asymmetries; equity and efficiency in PES schemes; and, governance shifts of marine conservation areas. The findings demonstrate a shift from broad conceptual debates to applied and context-specific analyses, with Asia and Africa emerging as the most intensively examined regions. This review found several underexplored themes that could shape scientific inquiry in the future. They include gender, youth, and international market mechanisms (e.g., from Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and biodiversity credits), including challenges related to governance of marine conservation. By tracing intellectual trajectories, this review provides a comprehensive framework for guiding future study into the sustainability of conservation areas.

Recommended Citation

Syahroni, D., Milenia, N., Hermawan, M., Fisher, M., & Maryudi, A. (2026). Commercialization of Conservation Areas: Mapping the Key Policy-Governance Issues in the Current Scholarship and Outlining a Future Research Agenda. Forest and Society, 10(1), 108-133. https://doi.org/10.65844/2549-4333.1245
Available at: https://scholarhub.unhas.ac.id/fs/vol10/iss1/7

Pages

108-133

Received Date

6 November 2025

Accepted Date

7 May 2026