中美目的地发展实验室（U.S.-China Lab for Destination Development）是一个聚焦自然保护地与社区可持续发展的中美联合科研平台，依托中国旅游研究院武汉分院与美国科罗拉多州立大学人文视角自然资源系的跨学科研究团队共同构建。实验室聚焦国际自然保护联盟（IUCN）保护地分类体系中的第一类（荒野地）与第二类（国家公园）保护地，重点关注环境治理与门户社区的共生发展与韧性提升。
研究团队综合运用自然资源管理、可持续旅游、地方经济学、社会心理学等多学科理论与方法，系统性探讨保护地与周边社区之间的交互机制。目前核心研究区域包括中国的神农架国家公园、普达措国家公园、三江源国家公园，以及美国的黄石国家公园、洛基山国家公园、科罗拉多大峡谷与Badlands国家公园等。主要研究议题涵盖门户社区的适应性治理转型、人兽冲突的预警与干预机制、户外休憩系统建设以及资源的可持续利用策略等。
作为兼具科研功能与政策咨询能力的智库型机构，实验室致力于推动旅游目的地的科学发展、社区福祉的整体提升与生态保护的协同共赢。同时，实验室积极拓展全球合作网络，与国际旅游研究机构、高等院校、政府部门及企业深度联动，促进户外休闲与人类福祉领域的知识创新与政策实践转化。
The U.S.-China Lab for Destination Development is a collaborative research platform dedicated to advancing sustainable development in and around nature-based protected areas. Jointly established by the Wuhan Branch of the China Tourism Academy and the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at Colorado State University, the lab brings together a cross-disciplinary team of scholars and practitioners from both countries. The lab’s research focuses on environmental governance and community resilience within the context of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Categories I and II protected areas, namely wilderness areas and national parks. Particular emphasis is placed on the socio-ecological dynamics between these protected landscapes and their adjacent "gateway communities".
By integrating theories and methodologies from natural resource management, sustainable tourism, regional economics, and social psychology, the research team systematically investigates the interactions between conservation areas and local communities. Current priority research sites include Shennongjia National Park, Pudacuo National Park, and Sanjiangyuan National Park in China, as well as Yellowstone National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, the Grand Canyon, and Badlands National Park in the United States.
Key research themes include adaptive governance in gateway communities, human–wildlife conflict management, sustainable outdoor recreation systems, and resource-based livelihood transformation. These investigations aim to generate actionable insights that support biodiversity conservation alongside community wellbeing.
Functioning as both a research institution and a strategic think tank, the lab is committed to promoting scientific destination development, enhancing local prosperity, and achieving harmony between ecological preservation and socioeconomic advancement. Furthermore, the lab aspires to expand its global network through collaborat.
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