Showing papers in "Environmental Conservation in 2007"

Fifty years of deforestation and forest fragmentation in Madagascar

Abstract: Tropical deforestation is a key contributor to species extinction and climate change, yet the extent of tropical forests and their rate of destruction and degradation through fragmentation remain poorly known. Madagascar's forests are among the most biologically rich and unique in the world but, in spite of longstanding concern about their destruction, past estimates of forest cover and deforestation have varied widely. Analysis of aerial photographs (c. 1953) and Landsat images (c. 1973, c. 1990 and c. 2000) indicates that forest cover decreased by almost 40% from the 1950s to c. 2000, with a reduction in ‘core forest’ > 1 km from a non-forest edge of almost 80%. This forest destruction and degradation threaten thousands of species with extinction. Country-wide coverage of high-resolution validated forest cover and deforestation data enables the precise monitoring of trends in habitat extent and fragmentation critical for assessment of species' conservation status.

Ecological and socioeconomic impacts of invasive alien species in island ecosystems.

Abstract: Minimizing the impact of invasive alien species (IAS) on islands and elsewhere requires researchers to provide cogent information on the environmental and socioeconomic consequences of IAS to the public and policy makers. Unfortunately, this information has not been readily available owing to a paucity of scientific research and the failure of the scientific community to make their findings readily available to decision makers. This review explores the vulnerability of islands to biological invasion, reports on environmental and socioeconomic impacts of IAS on islands and provides guidance and information on technical resources that can help minimize the effects of IAS in island ecosystems. This assessment is intended to provide a holistic perspective on island-IAS dynamics, enable biologists and social scientists to identify information gaps that warrant further research and serve as a primer for policy makers seeking to minimize the impact of IAS on island systems. Case studies have been selected to reflect the most scientifically-reliable information on the impacts of IAS on islands. Sufficient evidence has emerged to conclude that IAS are the most significant drivers of population declines and species extinctions in island ecosystems worldwide. Clearly, IAS can also have significant socioeconomic impacts directly (for example human health) and indirectly through their effects on ecosystem goods and services. These impacts are manifest at all ecological levels and affect the poorest, as well as richest, island nations. The measures needed to prevent and minimize the impacts of IAS on island ecosystems are generally known. However, many island nations and territories lack the scientific and technical information, infrastructure and human and financial resources necessary to adequately address the problems caused by IAS. Because every nation is an exporter and importer of goods and services, every nation is also a facilitator and victim of the invasion of alien species. Wealthy nations therefore need to help raise the capacity of island nations and territories to minimize the spread and impact of IAS.

Poor evidence-base for assessment of windfarm impacts on birds

Abstract: Concerns about anthropogenic climate change have resulted in promotion of renewable energy sources, especially wind energy. A concern raised against widespread windfarm development is that it may negatively impact bird populations as a result of bird collision with turbines, habitat loss and disturbance. Using systematic review methodology bird abundance data were synthesized from 19 globally-distributed windfarms using meta-analysis. The effects of bird taxon, turbine number, power, location, latitude, habitat type, size of area, time since operation, migratory status of the species and quality of evidence were analysed using meta-regression. Although the synthesized data suggest a significant negative impact of windfarms on bird abundance, there is considerable variation in the impact of individual windfarm sites on individual bird species, and it is unclear if the negative impact is a decline in population abundance or a decline in use owing to avoidance. Anseriformes experienced greater declines in abundance than other taxa, followed by Charadriiformes, Falconiformes and Accipitriformes, and Passeriformes. Time since windfarms commenced operation also had a significant impact on bird abundance, with longer operating times resulting in greater declines in abundance than short operating times. Other variables, including turbine number and turbine power either had very weak but statistically significant effects or did not have a significant effect on bird abundance. Windfarms may have significant biological impacts, especially over longer time scales, but the evidence-base is poor, with many studies being methodologically weak, and more long-term impact assessments are required. There is clear evidence that Anseriformes (wildfowl) and Charadriiformes (waders) experience declines in abundance, suggesting that a precautionary approach should be adopted to windfarm development near aggregations of these taxa in offshore and coastal locations. The impact of windfarm developments on bird populations must also be viewed in the context of the possible impact of climate change in the absence of windfarms.

The dual nature of parks: attitudes of neighbouring communities towards Kruger National Park, South Africa

Abstract: The attitudes of neighbouring communities towards protected areas are increasingly being considered in the establishment and management of national parks. In South Africa, more inclusive policies have been introduced which seek to involve neighbouring communities in policy formulation and management of Kruger National Park (KNP). This paper examines the attitudes of 38 communities towards KNP along its western border. A random survey of 240 households was conducted to assess attitudes towards the Park, and what factors might influence them. Attitudes were measured by responses to 12 related questions, which were transformed to construct an attitude index. Attitudes are more varied than previously reported. Notwithstanding KNP outreach programmes, many respondents had had no interaction with KNP, 72.9% had never been in the Park, and only 32.1% claimed they knew of KNP's activities. Having a household member employed by KNP, age and de jure Traditional Authority affiliation influenced more positive attitudes toward KNP. Negative attitudes were primarily linked with problems associated with damage-causing animals, including inadequate maintenance of the KNP border fence, poor animal control outside KNP and lack of compensation for affected farmers. These findings on relationships between KNP and its neighbours are relevant for many protected areas in similar contexts elsewhere.

The return of ecosystem goods and services in replanted mangrove forests: perspectives from local communities in Kenya

Abstract: Mangroves are severely threatened ecosystems, with loss rates exceeding those of rainforests and coral reefs, stressing the need for large-scale rehabilitation programmes. Not only are ecological e ...

Conservation and development in tropical forest landscapes: a time to face the trade-offs?

Abstract: It is widely acknowledged that conservation cannot be undertaken without the support and participation of local people, and that livelihood concerns and future development goals need to be at the centre of any viable conservation strategy that involves people (Pimbert & Pretty 1995; Hulme & Murphree 2001; Arnold 2002; McShane 2003; Barrett et al. 2005). Nevertheless, for several years a contentious exchange has been waging regarding the legitimacy of local peoples involvement in conservation efforts and protected areas (PAs) (Oates 1999; Terborgh 1999; Pimm et al. 2001; Wilkie et al. 2006) and the impacts of PAs on local communities (Adams 2004; Chapin 2004; Hutton et al. 2005; Brockington & Igoe 2006; Cernea & Schmidt-Soltau 2006). Yet, despite scores of publications supporting different view points, the global debate continues to be highly dichotomous, with repeated cycles of ‘irresistible dialectic’ (Redford & Painter 2006, p. 3) pitting strict conservation against human well-being. As in most disagreements, this exchange is characterized in great part by polarized one-sided presentation of arguments by conservation biologists and social scientists, where both sides selectively use information to support their viewpoints. This debate could be regarded as a regular scientific squabble with minor impacts on the world. However, it is important to acknowledge the power that such conceptual debates have in shaping policies, institutional programmes and funding streams for conservation and development efforts. Therefore, we take the opportunity in this comment to examine some aspects of this debate in further detail, and to suggest a way of examining and evaluating conservation and development outcomes.

Resources use, conservation attitudes, management intervention and park-people relations in the Western Terai landscape of Nepal

Abstract: Various conservation models have been implemented in Nepal since 1973, however their impacts on resources use and conservation attitudes are scarcely known. To address the hypothesis that conservation attitudes should improve around protected areas (PAs) with more social and economic interventions, stratified random questionnaire surveys of 234 households were conducted in two PAs in the Western Terai of Nepal: Bardia National Park (BNP), in which interventions have been more widespread for longer time periods, and Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve (SWR), in which interventions are relatively recent. Both are part of a major landscape-level conservation programme under implementation in Nepal, and both are under threat of political turmoil, uncontrolled immigration, inefficient land reform policies and unsustainable resource use. There was spatio-temporal variability in resource use patterns and dependence. People collected eight and seven types of resources in BNP and SWR, respectively, and people in BNP were more dependent on resources overall. About 72% of respondents mentioned the problem of inadequate firewood, and suggested the promotion of alternative energy and permission to collect from PAs as mitigating strategies. Of 11 attitude statements, five significantly differed between the two areas. Respondents from the BNP had more favourable attitudes about conservation than those from SWR, supporting the main hypothesis. Training received by respondents, damage by wildlife, dependence on resources and satisfaction towards user groups contributed significantly to the variation in conservation attitudes. The results suggest that the liberalization of PA management has enabled the use of resources, improved livelihoods to some extent and solicited more favourable conservation attitudes in Nepal.

Enhancing ecosystem management through social-ecological inventories : lessons from Kristianstads Vattenrike, Sweden

Abstract: In an increasingly complex, rapidly changing world, the capacity to cope with, adapt to, and shape change is vital. This thesis investigates how natural resource management can be organized and practiced to nurture this capacity, referred to as resilience, in social-ecological systems. Based on case studies and large-N data sets from UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BRs) and the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), it analyzes actors and social processes involved in adaptive co-management on the ground. Papers I & II use Kristianstads Vattenrike BR to analyze the roles of local stewards and bridging organizations. Here, local stewards, e.g. farmers and bird watchers, provide on-site management, detailed, long-term monitoring, and local ecological knowledge, build public support for ecosystem management, and hold unique links to specialized networks. A bridging organization strengthens their initiatives. Building and drawing on multi-level networks, it gathers different types of ecological knowledge, builds moral, political, legal and financial support from institutions and organizations, and identifies windows of opportunity for projects. Paper III synthesizes the MA community-based assessments and points to the importance of bridging organizations, leadership and vision, knowledge networks, institutions nested across scales, enabling policies, and high motivation among actors for adaptive co-management. Paper IV explores learning processes catalyzed by bridging organizations in BRs. 79 of the 148 BRs analyzed bridge local and scientific knowledge in efforts to conserve biodiversity and foster sustainable development, provide learning platforms, support knowledge generation (research, monitoring and experimentation), and frame information and education to target groups. Paper V tests the effects of participation and adaptive co-management in BRs. Local participation is positively linked to local support, successful integration of conservation and development, and effectiveness in achieving developmental goals. Participation of scientists is linked to effectiveness in achieving ‘conventional’ conservation goals and policy-makers enhance the integration of conservation and development. Adaptive co-management, found in 46 BRs, is positively linked to self-evaluated effectiveness in achieving developmental goals, but not at the expense of conservation. The thesis concludes that adaptive collaboration and learning processes can nurture resilience in social-ecological systems. Such processes often need to be catalyzed, supported and protected to survive. Therefore, bridging organizations are crucial in adaptive co-management.

Local law enforcement and illegal bushmeat hunting outside the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Abstract: Law enforcement is crucial to curb unsustainable and illegal exploitation of plant and animal populations. This paper investigates the temporal pattern of illegal hunting activity and factors that influence the probability of Village Game Scouts (VGSs) arresting illegal hunters outside the Serengeti National Park (Tanzania). A total of 201 patrols were conducted during nine months between December 1998 and August 1999, and 96 illegal hunters were arrested. All illegal hunters originated from local villages within 41 km from the closest protected area border. During the dry season more illegal hunters were observed and more snares found during patrols, the increase coinciding with the annual arrival of the migratory herbivores. Logistic regression models indicated that the probability of being arrested varied seasonally and large groups of illegal hunters had a lower probability of being arrested by VGSs. This study shows that routine data collection by VGSs may provide useful baseline values from which illegal hunting activities in partially protected areas can be evaluated. Moreover, VGSs should be integrated into the existing law enforcement structure and given more resources, to ensure optimal efficiency.

Psychological restoration in nature as a source of motivation for ecological behaviour

Abstract: People may behave in environmentally friendly ways because they gain psychologically from their experiences in natural environments. Psychological benefits of nature experience may also underlie concerns about personally harmful effects of environmental problems. Cross-sectional survey data from 1413 Norwegian adults were used to assess the relationship between use of natural environments for psychological restoration and ecological behaviour, as mediated by personal environmental concern. Mediation tests with hierarchical regression analyses provided evidence of partial mediation; the use of natural environments for restoration remained a significant predictor of ecological behaviour after the entry of environmental concern into the analysis. These associations held independently of age, gender, education, household income, size of community of upbringing, size of community of current residence and distance of current residence from an outdoor recreation area. Among sociodemographic variables, only gender had a significant association with the use of natural environments for restoration, suggesting that their use transcends several important social categories in Norway. In short, positive experiences in natural environments may promote ecological behaviour.

Influence of user characteristics on valuation of ecosystem services in Doñana Natural Protected Area (south-west Spain)

Abstract: SUMMARY Economic valuation of ecosystem services by stated preferences techniques is usually used by policymakers to develop environmental management practices. Critics of the contingent valuation (CV) method have argued that respondents are influenced by several factors, which mean that people do not applyeconomicmotivesinrespondingtoCVquestions. This study examines the influence of individuals’ environmental behaviour and knowledge about the good concerned on the CV results and the CV problem of benefit aggregation in order to determine the extent of the hypothetical market. Here a CV study in the Do˜ nana National and Natural Park (Spain) found that both individual environmental behaviour and knowledge influenced willingness to pay for sustaining specificecosystemservicesprovidedbythebiodiversity ofDo˜ nana.Adistance-decayfunctionwasfound,which determinedthesocialbenefitsoftheecosystemservices of Do˜ nana. The study illustrates the importance of understandingnon-economicmotivesbehindvaluesin order to obtain further information which can support decision-making in environmental management.

Farmer and professional attitudes to the large-scale ban on livestock grazing of grasslands in China

Abstract: Grasslands are the most extensive terrestrial landscapes and ecosystems in China and face growing degradation. A policy to protect the grasslands established in 2001 (the Grassland Ban Policy [GBP]), involves four management practices including grazing bans, keeping grasslands fallow, grazing rotations and rearing livestock in sheds. A questionnaire was developed and used to establish attitudes towards and beliefs about the GBP in different sectors (farming households, local officials and extension workers), assess problems with GBP implementation and identify possible solutions. Acceptance of the GBP by farmers varied from 64% in the north to 95% in the north-west region. The responses of both local officials and extension workers indicated that GBP implementation was greater in the central region than in the north-west region. Most farmers changed their livestock production system from grazing to stall feeding after implementation of the GBP, while both farmers and extension workers reported that high input costs were the most serious problem in stall feeding. Incentives need to be provided for sustainable implementation of the GBP by different stakeholders. Improved collaboration among farmers, local officials and extension workers is needed for technology transfer and policy implementation. Furthermore, the role of non-governmental organizations needs to be strengthened in implementation of the GBP.

Long-term trends in food habits of a relict brown bear population in northern Spain: the influence of climate and local factors

Abstract: SUMMARY Relict endangered populations may be especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change. A data series for the period 1974‐2003 was used to examine shifts in brown bear Ursus arctos food habits in its south-westernmostEuropeanpopulation.Thisfocused on the hyperphagic season, when bears gain the fat thatisessentialforwinterdormancyandreproduction. General climatic indicators were predictors of diet trends. Other variables potentially able to modify brownbearfoodhabitsatthelocalscalewereaccounted for by considering two areas where local conditions changed in different ways during the study period. General climatic indicators such as temperature and the winter North Atlantic Oscillation index were good predictors of some diet trends, although local factors seemed to modulate the potential response of food habits to recent climate change. Boreal and temperate fooditemsdecreasinglycontributedtobrownbeardiet, replacedbyincreasingcontributionsofsouthernfoods, which suggested that warmer temperatures might determine the occurrence of some food items in the diet of Cantabrian brown bears through effects on plant distribution and phenology. At the local scale, high cattle density in one of the study areas limited foodsourcesavailableforbrownbears.Importantfood sources for brown bears, such as heath-like Vaccinium formationsandold-growthoakforestintheCantabrian Mountains, require increased levels of protection.

Aquarium fish exploitation in western Amazonia : conservation issues in Peru

Abstract: SUMMARY The Amazon basin is a key supplier of wild freshwater fishestothemulti-billionUS$globalaquariummarket, yet limited information exists on the organization of the regional trade, its importance to local economies or conservation impacts. Through field interviews and review of government statistics, this paper describes the state of the industry in Peru, reporting on the scale and value of the trade, the nature of the fishery and the characteristics and roles of key actors in regional supply networks. An economically important industry is revealed, with 28 firms officially exporting over nine million fishes worth US$ 2.5 million to 24 countries in 2001, and involving fish species from 36 families transported from rainforest catchments up to 1100km distant from the export centre of Iquitos. Most fish are however collected close to the city, with 10 species representing >70% of trade volume. Some 10000 people earn income from the trade, among them many rural poor who depend on aquarium fish collection as a primary or supplementary source of cash income. The industry is currently undergoing an important transition towards supplying new Asian and European markets, increasing exports of species biologically unsuited to heavy exploitation as a result, and highlighting the conservation need for improved knowledge and management of the trade in Amazonia.

Sustainability of community-based conservation: sea turtle egg harvesting in Ostional (Costa Rica) ten years later.

Abstract: In 1995, a study found that the socioeconomic benefits from a legalized commercial harvest of sea turtle eggs in Ostional (Costa Rica) were substantial and widely recognized by Ostional residents. Legal and administrative structures ensured community participation in and control of resource use, and evidence indicated support for community-based conservation (CBC) was high. In 2004, the study was repeated to assess how perceptions of the egg harvest might have changed over time. There were continued high levels of support for conservation and positive perceptions of the project's impacts on the economy, environment and community. Some explanations for impact rankings have changed, with greater emphasis on the importance of conservation and awareness of how this is achieved, greater animosity towards one government agency and greater concern about the impacts of tourism on the egg harvesting project. Between surveys, a variety of social, political and economic changes have occurred. The CBC concept has been further refined and critiqued; by examining a CBC project over time, this paper considers the durability and flexibility of the incentive, legal and administrative structures associated with a successful example of CBC.

Local knowledge and environmental management: a cautionary tale from Lake Ainsworth, New South Wales, Australia

Abstract: Local knowledge is increasingly seen as a critical information source for environmental management and habitat restoration, particularly in Australia. To assess the reliability of this information source, community perceptions of the salinity history of Lake Ainsworth (New South Wales, Australia) were investigated. Lake Ainsworth is a coastal dune lake classified as ‘permanently’ freshwater, although diatom evidence indicates a saline phase that ended in the 1930s. Local accounts of the Lake's history rarely reached consensus and local perceptions frequently contrasted with alternate evidence, including that derived from historical maps and aerial photographs. Given there was an inconsistent and unreliable local perspective about a relatively simple environmental issue, calls for environmental management and restoration to be based on local priorities should be viewed with scepticism.

Effects of prescribed burning and wildfires on Orthoptera in Central European peat bogs

Abstract: Fire has become a frequent tool in nature conservation and hazard reduction, but there is still dispute about the responses of many taxa, especially concerning invertebrate populations. While the effects of fire on plants and animals have been examined intensively in prairies, savannahs and coniferous forests, wetlands have rarely been considered in this context, yet wetland ecosystems do experience periodic fires. This study examines the effects of prescribed burning and wildfires on Orthoptera in four Central European peat bogs. All species persisted on the burned plots and none experienced a massive decline in abundance compared to unburned treatments. Generally, differences in species composition and abundance were more distinct between the bogs than between the fire treatments or fire season. One threatened species, Omocestus rufipes, occurred more often in burned than in unburned samples. The abundances of Orthoptera species in the transition zone between burned and unburned plots were either uniform or step-like rather than gradual in nature, conflicting with a hypothesis of post-fire recolonization from unburned plots. This pattern supported by non-metric multidimensional scaling suggests that the vegetation structure plays a substantial role in habitat choice of these insects. Small-scale fires between February and May do not seem to represent a threat to Orthoptera species. However, in the longer term, peat bog restoration may be affected by negative vegetation responses.

Political ecology of the degradation of forest commons in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh

Abstract: Indigenous people have widely been blamed for degrading South Asia's montane forest resources through the practice of shifting cultivation, yet some studies have revealed that indigenous people used forests in a sustainable way for centuries until external intervention. The history of external intervention in the forests of South Asia is more than two centuries old. The process of degradation of forest resources requires understanding of the political and social processes that condition access, control and management of the land and resources involved. The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh, a part of the Himalayan region, underwent essentially the same socio-political and historical processes as many other countries in the region and had very similar experiences in forest management. By examination of policies and associated effects on CHT forest over the past two centuries, this paper reveals that the process of forest degradation in the CHT started during the British colonial period with the nationalization of forests, establishment of reserve forests (RFs), management of forests by government agencies and weakening of traditional institutions. The process of degradation was accelerated by: privatization of forest land for the promotion of sedentary agriculture, horticulture and rubber plantation; the construction of a hydraulic dam on the Karnafuli River; the settlement of lowland people; and the constant conflict between indigenous people and the Forest Department. The degradation of CHT forests is not only the result of traditional agricultural practices, but also of many other factors including inappropriate policies and programmes.

Spatial analysis of visitor preferences in the outdoor recreational niche of Mediterranean cultural landscapes

Abstract: Many landscapes contain traditional rural systems of high environmental value and are attractive for cultural tourism, while the traditional activities indicate sensible use of some marginal areas, whether protected or not. Recreational activities and tourism constitute new uses lending cultural and economic interest. To maintain both rural and recreational uses of landscape, links need to be established with the local population, which has a tendency to abandon such rural areas. In this study, landscapes in Central Spain were categorized using variables which described their structure and associated natural and cultural characteristics. Visitors were categorized by surveying their visit preferences. Multivariate analyses of the two sets of data determined the degree of correspondence between the type of visitors and what the landscape could ‘offer’, considering perception, preferences, potential interest in specific landscapes (‘outdoor recreational niche’) and degree of satisfaction with regard to the natural and rural characteristics of the territory. The resulting thematic maps constitute useful tools for developing planning and environmental management strategies.

A child's eye view of the insect world: perceptions of insect diversity

Abstract: Insects worldwide are undergoing unprecedented rates of decline, with many species severely threatened or already extinct. Despite their extreme diversity and functional importance in ecosystems, this extinction crisis has seldom gained media attention; endangered large mammals and birds receive much greater coverage. In the UK, where the insect fauna is relatively depauperate and well known, this bias has recently been redressed by a range of initiatives that highlighted the importance of insect conservation. This study investigated the popularity of different arthropod groups drawn by children (as part of one such event), in modern culture and in the scientific literature. Children's preference for insect groups strongly correlated with their representation in modern culture and in the scientific literature. However none of the measures of popularity of each group correlated with their abundance or conservation status in the UK. The profile of lesser-known groups therefore needs to be raised to reduce the chance that threatened taxa are overlooked for conservation action.

Biophysical and policy drivers of landscape change in a central Vietnamese district

Abstract: Conservation in a dynamic setting requires understanding the factors leading to landscape change. This study integrated traditional remote sensing and geographic information systems analysis techniques with a narrative policy analysis to assess the 1975–2004 land cover changes and their determinants in Nam Dong district (central Vietnam). Total forest cover of Nam Dong remained stable, but there were major transitions within forest and non-forest categories. Recent policy initiatives, particularly forest land allocation, have resulted in short-term benefit maximization through land speculation and illegal logging, while increased awareness of the economic potential of forests and their products have motivated people to access forests more frequently, leading to a highly dynamic landscape and increased barriers to forest conservation. This study suggests that (1) state-sponsored logging needs to be reduced, (2) forest allocation should proceed more rapidly to give farmers better incentive to improve and protect allocated forests, and (3) small-scale industry should increase. Forest conservation policy must be amended. More research is needed to link household land-use choices with policies, and determine how those choices lead to changes in the landscape.

Unofficial road building in the Brazilian Amazon: Dilemmas and models for road governance

Abstract: Unofficial roads form dense networks in landscapes, generating a litany of negative ecological outcomes, but unofficial roads in frontier areas are also instrumental in local livelihoods and community development. This trade-off poses dilemmas for the governance of unofficial roads. Unofficial road building in frontier areas of the Brazilian Amazon illustrates the challenges of 'road governance.' Both state-based and community based governance models exhibit important liabilities for governing unofficial roads. Whereas state-based governance has experienced difficulties in adapting to specific local contexts and interacting effectively with local interest groups, community-based governance has a mixed record owing to social inequalities and conflicts among local interest groups. A state-community hybrid model may offer more effective governance of unofficial road building by combining the oversight capacity of the state with locally grounded community management via participatory decision-making.

Rural household participation in illegal timber felling in a protected area of West Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract: Illegal logging is a threat to tropical forests in protected areas, yet the factors motivating it need to be better understood. Here, rural household participation in timber felling in the Barisan I Nature Reserve (West Sumatra) was described, the household contextual factors relating to this participation analysed and the importance of these activities to the household income assessed. Nearly 19% of the sampled households cut or hauled timber in the Reserve, and the demand for cash encouraged participation. Alternative livelihoods such as livestock raising and agroforestry intensification outside the Reserve could reduce the need for timber felling. Knowledge about legal status of the Reserve did not affect the odds of a household engaging in timber harvesting, but greater awareness of the Reserve resulted in lower levels of income from timber. Development policy that seeks to provide livelihood alternatives to timber felling households could reduce dependence on timber and contribute to forest conservation in the Reserve. Moreover, conservation outcomes should improve if control over the protection and enforcement of the Reserve is co-managed between the government and the local communities.

Increasing the dynamism of coastal landforms by modifying shore protection methods: Examples from the eastern German Baltic Sea Coast

Abstract: Redesign of shore protection projects in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Germany) is allowing landforms to become more dynamic after centuries of employing structures to increase stability. Current policies are designed to maintain sediment transfers, re-establish wetlands, ensure zero net loss of coastal habitat and apply the user-pays principle for restoring damaged habitat. Projects that achieve new nature-oriented goals include (1) relocating dykes landward or allowing dykes or protective dunes to erode to expose more land to episodic inundation by the sea; (2) reinstating sediment transfers from bluffs to adjacent low-lying shores; (3) increasing sediment transport rates through groyne fields; and (4) removing exotic vegetation from dunes. These actions create new habitat, add portions of the coast to the public domain, and provide a wider buffer against accelerated sea-level rise for developed lands further inland. The management actions have been relatively small in scale, applied where there has been little threat to human facilities and done to achieve specific environmental goals, but they provide examples of workable options to increase the dynamism of stabilized landforms on other exposed coasts. The need to restore natural functions while providing some stability places emphasis on a strategy of controlling dynamism rather than preventing it.

Evaluating the performance of a decade of Save The Tiger Fund's investments to save the world's last wild tigers

Abstract: SUMMARY This is the first attempt to analyse the performance of US$ 12.6 million invested by Save The Tiger Fund (STF) in more than 250 tiger conservation grants in 13 tiger-range countries. We devised a simple implementation evaluation method to assess performance on an ordinal scale using archival documents from project grant files. Performance was scored based on whether the grantee managed to achieve what they set out to do as articulated in their project proposal. On average, STF grantee project outputs exceeded their original objectives, but many confounding variables made it difficult to determine the ecological outcomes of grantees’ conservation actions. Successful projects were usually collaborative in nature with high community visibility and support, their results were disseminated effectively, and they informed policy, measured outputs, were grounded by strong sound science, supported by government agencies, attracted new donors and delivered results even when political factors created difficult working environments. The poorly performing projects were associated with one or more of the following factors: poor tracking of results, deviation from the proposal, poorly defined goals, lack of capacity, poor evaluation practices, lack of political support, weak transparency, work at inappropriate scales or purchase of high-tech equipment that was never used.

Limits of territorially-focused conservation : a critical assessment based on cartographic and geographic approaches

Abstract: This paper assesses territorially-focused conservation practice from geographic perspectives, focusing particularly on the influence of cartography. Contemporary mapping technologies and practices can favour territorial conservation approaches, perhaps at the expense of other possibilities, and may condition the flexibility and types of conservation feasible. For instance, might mapping practices lead to an emphasis on certain species, ecosystems or conservation concepts over others? How appropriate is the static idea of a mapped conservation space for fluctuating environmental conditions and changing threats? Understanding that many of the challenges outlined here are acknowledged by conservation practitioners, this paper summarizes ways in which these concerns are currently addressed in the conservation biology literature. Advances in geography and cartography might offer further solutions that could assist in confronting conservation challenges. These critiques and potential solutions identify gaps and opportunities that would benefit from increased interdisciplinary engagement across conservation, geographic and cartographic fields.

Determinants and Efficacy of Social Capital in Lake Associations

Abstract: The hundreds of lake associations in Minnesota are examples of voluntary collective action organizations. Although these groups are organized for several purposes, their main concern is environmental management and specifically the improvement or preservation of lake water quality. Social capital probably affects organizational effectiveness. Survey and biophysical data were used to examine the determinants and efficacy of social capital in lake associations. Social capital production in lake associations was associated with water quality, lake size, recreational preferences, seasonality of residents, location, information sharing, per caput budget and relations with local government. Social capital also had a significant but small positive relationship with lake water clarity. Natural resource policy makers might consider investments in social capital as part of their strategy portfolio. Although statistical analyses of the role of social capital in local environmental management using large sample sizes are promising, several measurement and methodological difficulties remain.

Storytelling as a medium for balanced dialogue on conservation in Cameroon

Abstract: In conservation efforts where genuine community involvement is aimed at, communication should be a two-way affair in which the local voice can be truly heard In developing countries especially, however, this voice tends to be smothered by the power and prestige that usually lies with the supra-local conservation agencies This paper explores how fictional storytelling, a communication medium as old as mankind, may enable local people to respond in freedom to the issue of conservation Stories that end by posing a dilemma to the audience are generally used in Cameroon to initiate discussion First trials in Cameroon used this format to tell a story of animals that found themselves at risk of extinction and sent out a delegation to the human world to plea for a ‘last home’ Although enjoyed by researchers and audience alike, this story appeared to suffer from several technical and structural shortcomings In order to overcome these, empirical research (for example the gathering of some 600 stories in the field) and theoretical considerations led to the design of a second-generation story that retained the dilemma format but carried fewer implicit messages and introduced a third, adjudicating party This story was tried out in 13 villages in Central and North Cameroon with full success, both in terms of process (the elicitation of focused and rich debate) and in terms of content (the clarity of arguments and underlying assumptions) If led by the principles developed in this paper, fictional storytelling is a worthy addition to the methodological repertoire of all conservation professionals who wish to communicate conservation to local communities in a manner that is structurally balanced and substantively open