Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to present the images, discourses and narratives surrounding the Serra Calderona Natural Park that have been promoted by the natural park itself and the local administration, in detriment of the local perceptions that have been, for the most part, excluded from the new narratives.

Paper long abstract:

The patrimonialization of nature, through protective measures such as the declaration of Natural Parks, entails a spatial and conceptual reconfiguration of a territory, as it introduces a new official interpretation that contributes to the establishment of a new identity of the protected area. The Serra Calderona Natural Park, located in the Valencian Community, Spain, was declared the 15th of January of 2002, including within its limits 14 municipalities. As a consequence of its declaration, the identity of this area, already viewed by the residents of the nearby cities as a place to practice different nature-linked recreative activities, has shifted to be determined by external perceptions rather than by local ones. The knowledge and experiences of the local inhabitants have been excluded from these narratives, or located in the past, and the leisure activities are presented as the main form of interaction between people and Serra Calderona.

The aim of this paper is to present the images, discourses and narratives that have been institutionally promoted through the natural park itself and the local administration over its nearly two decades of existence. With these objectives in mind, a content analysis of the different promoting materials usen by the park has been carried out, as well as a study of the use that the different municipalities included in the natural park make of its link with it.