the range of natural, societal and nature-human interactions of contemporary environmental management, especially for parks and protected areas, is seemingly infinite and is continually changing in scope and complexity. although natural processes are a significant consideration toward environmental management, the field is wrought with social issues and value-based decisions being made. the development of a new recreational activities assessment framework (raaf) by parks canada provided a unique opportunity to examine a formal planning process in the field of protected areas management with a working group comprised of a diverse group of agency, academic and non-governmental participants.