Das Projekt "Globalization, Tourism and Nature Conservation in National Parks of Malaysia" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Zürich, Geographisches Institut durchgeführt. Malaysia is not only economically a leading country in Southeast Asia but also has an influential role concerning nature conservation in the region and world-wide. Processes of globalization (i.e. tourism, world economy, climatic change, cultural change etc.), however, change the context of nature conservation and the conditions under which the administration of National Parks has to operate. The research project sees National Park as arenas, where different and changing groups (i.e. foreign and domestic tourists, park administrators, local people etc.) meet and interact. Depending on the nature of these interactions, people (and institutions) can either benefit or they are faced with problems and constraints, especially if there are different notions about nature, conservation and what should or should not be done in National Parks. The proposed research project focuses on the following questions: - What are the concepts of nature and conservation of the different actors, groups and institutions that are interacting in the context of national parks? - What are the effects of the globalized paradigm of conservation on a local, regional and national level? - Is there a conflict of interest between tourism, the local use of environment and conservation needs? An important issue in the research project is to combine perspectives of outsiders (i.e. foreign tourists, visitors, researchers) with the one of insiders (i.e. domestic tourists, institutions, researchers). Therefore, a close collaboration with Malaysian institutions is planned. The project wants to contribute to a better understanding of notions about nature and its conservation in a rapidly changing globalizing world.