Collection of papers drawing on insight from over 50 case studies and synthesising them into lessons to guide park management in transitional economies where the challenges of poverty and governance can be severe. The central message is that parks are common property regimes that should serve society. It analyses and sheds light on the crucial questions arising from this perspective. If parks are set aside to serve poor people, should conservation demands over-rule demands for jobs and economic growth? Or will deliberately using parks as bridgeheads for better land use and engines for rural development produce more and better conservation? The issue that arises at all levels is that of accountability, including the problematic linkages between parks authorities and political systems, and the question of how to measure park performance. This book provides vital new insights for park management, regarding the relationship between conservation and commercialization, performance management, new systems of governance and management and linkages between parks, landscape and the land-use economy.