Evaluating the integration of multiple land uses in protected areas by assessing user satisfaction assists in identifying the balance between ecological protection and the socio-economic and cultural needs of local populations. Urho Kekkonen National Park in northern Lapland, Finland, provides an example of such integration through the management of reindeer herding, visitor recreation and conservation within park boundaries. Through use of questionnaires, discussions, observations and maps, the impacts and perceptions of reindeer herding, visitor recreation and park management upon each other were assessed, including their relation to conservation. Results revealed a complex co-existence of the users, based on the intensity of demand for an area and spatial location within the park, with overall benefits from the existence of the national park. Discussion of similar arctic-subarctic land use issues in Canadian parks management made apparent the many commonalities of the concerns among national parks worldwide.

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