Protected areas are no longer only sites of conservation. In many contexts, they have become contested spaces where security risks, environmental protection, and local livelihoods intersect. From trafficking and illegal resource extraction to the presence of armed groups in remote border regions, national parks are increasingly shaped by dynamics that go well beyond conservation policy.  

This report examines how these pressures are managed in practice through three case studies in Benin, Brazil, and Nepal.

It shows that outcomes depend not only on enforcement capacity, but on how security actors, conservation authorities, and communities interact within broader governance systems.  Across all three contexts, a central challenge emerges: managing trade-offs between territorial control and community presence, enforcement and legitimacy, and conservation objectives and livelihood realities.

Approaches that prioritise one dimension in isolation risk undermining long-term effectiveness.  The analysis highlights three distinct governance models, ranging from security-led to participatory and integrated approaches. Each offers specific strengths, but also reveals important limitations. Taken together, they show that sustainable outcomes depend less on any single model than on how competing objectives are balanced in practice.  

For practitioners and international partners, the report provides a structured way to think about protected areas as hybrid governance spaces. It identifies key entry points for strengthening coordination, accountability, and community engagement, and argues for moving beyond sectoral approaches.  As environmental and security challenges continue to converge, understanding how to govern these spaces becomes increasingly important.