In Canada, little is known about the governance of private protected areas (PPAs) and their contribution to the public interest. This dissertation evaluates the extent to which PPAs in Canada adhere to generally advanced principles of good governance---Direction, Legitimacy, Fairness, Performance and Accountability---and it assesses their contribution to the public interest. Findings from descriptive analysis of six case studies of Individual, Corporate, Non-Government and First Nation authorities indicate that principles are adhered to with relative vigor and visibility and that the public interest is generally advanced. The governance pattern is not strongly differentiated and it is generally uniform in strengths and limitations. [...]
