Quality management in protected areas is currently a topic of intense national and international debate among nature conservationists. Why is the development of a quality management strategy – which is a tried and tested instrument to increase efficiency in the business world – relevant for the National Nature Landscapes and in particular for the German national parks? National parks are of considerable global importance for the conservation of the national and international nature heritage. They represent an internationally acknowledged form of protected area and are listed as an independent category by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). German national parks differ in terms of their development history, size, and starting conditions. The administrations of the national parks are subordinate to the individual German laender, which explains some of the differences relating to the financial frameworks and the staffing arrangements.
