Showing papers in "Human Ecology in 2023"
TL;DR: The authors found that participants and stakeholders holding beings-focused views tend to propose more allowing directives, those endorsing ecosystem-focused perspectives lean to choose balancing directives, and those inclined to human-focused stances prefer controlling directives.
Abstract: Abstract The resurgence of wolf populations in Germany is causing controversies regarding their management policies. Through 41 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, we found that respondents favored the management directives predicated on the narratives they entertained, i.e., beliefs about wolves and nature more broadly. We identified 18 narratives that ranged from the extreme of “beings-focused, harmony-oriented, and wolf-favoring” extreme through “ecosystem-focused, conservation-oriented, and wolf-ambivalent” to another extreme of “human-centered, dominion-oriented, and wolf-critical” extreme. The 24 directives aim to allow, balance, and control wolf behavior. Narratives and directives correlate: participants and stakeholders holding beings-focused views tend to propose more allowing directives, those endorsing ecosystem-focused perspectives lean to choose balancing directives, and those inclined to human-focused stances prefer controlling directives. Thus, our research allows wildlife managers to understand better why people endorse or oppose specific management options and devise effective communication strategies by working with the underlying narratives.
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TL;DR: In this paper , the authors reconstruct the settlement history of two families that lived on two islands in the Kwando River and the adjacent riverbanks in today's Mudumu NP, and describe the circumstances that led to the designation of a national park in this region and the subsequent conservation-induced displacement.
Abstract: Abstract The Zambezi Region of Namibia is known for its vast conservation landscape, which is part of the world’s largest transboundary conservation area – the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA). Less known are the settlement histories of the communities displaced from their villages during the planning and implementation of this conservation landscape. We reconstruct the settlement history of two families that lived on two islands in the Kwando River and the adjacent riverbanks in today’s Mudumu NP, and we describe the circumstances that led to the designation of a national park in this region and the subsequent conservation-induced displacement. The evicted families increasingly protest and legally contest estrangement from their ancestral land, which is now a protected area. We argue that current nature-conservation efforts can succeed only if issues of past and present environmental injustices are comprehensively addressed.
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TL;DR: In this article , the authors developed a framework for community-based environmental peacebuilding (EPB) and tested it in post-conflict settings in the department of Cesar, Colombia.
Abstract: Abstract In conflict studies, environmental peacebuilding (EPB) has become an established concept to explain how environmental cooperation among opposing parties provides a platform for peacebuilding. EPB literature has been shaped predominantly by political science perspectives, initially with a focus on interstate conflicts, and ecological dynamics have received little attention to date. Building on the Social-Ecological Systems Framework (SESF), we develop a framework for community-based EPB and test it in post-conflict settings in the department of Cesar, Colombia. We use a qualitative mixed-methods approach, with 26 semi-structured interviews, six focus group discussions, and a World Café session with 30 participants. Our findings show that in six cases communities self-organize to access, conserve, and defend water and land resources while striving to achieve recognition of their civic rights by state actors. A central outcome of cooperation within and among communities is the (re)construction of collective and territorial identities and increased social cohesion. However, community-based EPB does not contribute to improving relations between communities and the private sector or the state, thus failing to strengthen actor relationships that are essential for Colombian peacebuilding. Despite limitations of this exploratory analysis, our approach proves fruitful for integrating ecological aspects in the understanding of EPB. To further develop the EPB concept, future research should look to other disciplines to diversify the understanding of key terms like resource value, cooperation, and peace.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors investigate the case of Diné firewood harvesters and identify where interventions might be most effective in facilitating self-determination and sustained firewood harvest.
Abstract: Abstract Climate-induced drought jeopardizes future access to sufficient energy sources for many people reliant on firewood, especially those underrepresented in forest management decision-making. To identify where interventions might be most effective in facilitating self-determination and sustained firewood harvest, we investigate the case of Diné firewood harvesters. Using data from surveys, interviews and participant observations, we articulate who uses firewood and why, what the costs of firewood are, and who imposes those costs. Reducing both the cost and need for firewood for the Diné and others would support energy sovereignty by facilitating sustained access to firewood.
TL;DR: The authors reviewed Büscher's book The Truth about Nature: Environmentalism in the Era of Post-truth Politics and Platform Capitalism (2021) and found that it is a good book to read in the 21st century.
Abstract: Abstract This article reviews Bram Büscher’s book The Truth about Nature: Environmentalism in the Era of Post-truth Politics and Platform Capitalism (2021).
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors present the results of an extensive meta-analysis including an archaeological, ethnohistoric, and scientific/regulatory literature review of Indigenous and commercial fisheries harvesting records to track the early historic collapse of these fisheries.
Abstract: Abstract Since its establishment as a Euro-Canadian settlement in the mid-nineteenth century, the marine ecology surrounding Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, has been negatively impacted by urban development, habitat destruction, poor fisheries practices, and pollution. Focussing on forage fish – herring, smelt, and eulachon – we present the results of an extensive meta-analysis including an archaeological, ethnohistoric, and scientific/regulatory literature review of Indigenous and commercial fisheries’ harvesting records to track the early historic collapse of these fisheries from about 1885–1920 CE. We identify significant reductions in the major forage fish fisheries around Vancouver within decades of the initial Euro-Canadian settlement. These severe negative effects occurred long before scientific description of local ecosystems had begun, and the magnitude of these effects went generally unrecognized and/or are poorly understood. We argue that this is a case of the shifting baseline syndrome (SBS): each generation of researchers mistakenly assumes that modern ecological conditions they encounter approximate their natural pre-contact state.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors examined how marine aquaculture and co-management approaches that integrate traditional institutions can support food sovereignty for more equitable blue food systems and found that several benefits associated with food sovereignty are derived from co-managed village fish reserves.
Abstract: Abstract “Blue” (aquatic) food systems have a vital role in providing nutrition, livelihoods, and food security for coastal communities, but addressing and evaluating issues of equity and social resilience continue to challenge small-scale fisheries management. We examine how marine aquaculture and co-management approaches that integrate traditional institutions can support food sovereignty for more equitable blue food systems. Interviews with stakeholders in 11 fishing communities in Samoa indicate that several benefits associated with food sovereignty are derived from co-managed village fish reserves. Reserves support biodiversity health and are a source of culturally valued seafoods that build food security, social capital, and sustainable livelihood opportunities for women. Local values, food systems, providers, and consumers are centered, though traditional hierarchies present challenges for equitable decision-making. Our findings demonstrate how incorporating food sovereignty into the operation and evaluation of fisheries co-management can aid in addressing equity and resilience.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors surveyed hunters from Texas, USA, to investigate how hunters perceive CWD-related health risks to and on behalf of their family members, and how this exchange may influence their hunting behaviors.
Abstract: Perceived hunter health risks associated with chronic wasting disease (CWD) are well-documented at the personal level, yet little research explores how such risk dynamics function at the household level. To address this gap, we surveyed deer hunters from Texas, USA, to investigate how hunters perceive CWD-related health risks to and on behalf of their family members, and how this exchange may influence their hunting behaviors. We then situated our findings within family systems theory (Kerr & Bowen, 1988) to better understand family dynamics related to hunting. Results revealed CWD-related perceptions and behaviors are not statistically different among hunters with a partner, child, or both. Although respondents were concerned about eating CWD-positive meat, they were neutral regarding choosing to not hunt in or eat meat from CWD zones because of CWD concerns. Viewing our findings through a family systems theory lens provides wildlife agencies with insights about employing results in communications and outreach.
TL;DR: In this paper , an ethnographic study in the Okavango Delta of Botswana, where 18,000 elephants share territory with 16,000 people, examines how resettlement decisions and settlement policies impacted vulnerability to elephants.
Abstract: Abstract Throughout the world, people resettle to reduce vulnerability to potentially dangerous wildlife, including elephants. In turn, they may become subject to development policies and practices that can either exacerbate or alleviate their vulnerability. Our ethnographic study in the Okavango Delta of Botswana, where 18,000 elephants share territory with 16,000 people, examines how resettlement decisions and settlement policies impacted vulnerability to elephants. We found that people who came into regular conflict with elephants frequently relocated from cattleposts to villages. Although people historically resettled near family, in 2015 a newly introduced “first-come, first-served” residential plot allocation policy spatially separated families within the village, creating further vulnerability for households relying on kinship networks. We found that government planning that incorporates locally available strategies, such as the ability to access support from kinship networks, may reduce vulnerability for those forced to resettle by elephant encroachment on their land.
TL;DR: The authors assessed perceptions of Leucosidea sericea , a woody plant that is increasing in density such that it may threaten rangelands among agropastoralists whose livelihoods rely on livestock (56%) and crop farming (36%) in Vuvu, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Abstract: Abstract We assessed perceptions of Leucosidea sericea , a woody plant that is increasing in density such that it may threaten rangelands among agro-pastoralists whose livelihoods rely on livestock (56%) and crop farming (36%) in Vuvu, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Using semi-structured questionnaires, we asked 198 respondents about the spread of the species in the last few decades, and its impact on the availability of graze for livestock. Responses indicated that L. sericea started spreading in the 1950s, with marked increases in 2011–2020, particularly in the mountainous areas used for grazing as well as by rivers and village residences. Respondents suggested that livestock were the main biological agent of seed dispersal, and livestock ownership had increased dramatically in recent years, with a preference for sheep (a minimum of 120 per household). Overall, respondents indicated that L. sericea encroachment negatively affected their community.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors present a case study of the first modular homes for people experiencing homelessness in Cambridge, England, drawing on longitudinal interviews with the six residents occupying these homes, finding that the physical features of the homes, coupled with wrap-around support services, yielded positive short and mid-term outcomes for occupants, including improved management of their substance use and money, skills development and readiness for employment, social relations, and a burgeoning sense of community, safety, and security.
Abstract: Abstract In England, provision of temporary accommodation for people experiencing homelessness has often entailed using traditional construction approaches to deliver housing. However, recent experiments are using modular homes to provide temporary accommodation, accompanied by support services for people experiencing homelessness. Given the early nature of these trials, it is unclear what impacts these modular homes have on their occupants and how these projects in turn impact surrounding residents and businesses. We present a case study of the first modular homes for people experiencing homelessness in Cambridge, England, drawing on longitudinal interviews with the six residents occupying these homes. We found that the physical features of the homes, coupled with wrap-around support services, yielded positive short- and mid-term outcomes for occupants, including improved management of their substance use and money, skills development and readiness for employment, social relations, and a burgeoning sense of community, safety, and security. These positive outcomes have spurred wider interest, including the incorporation of modular homes as alternative temporary accommodation in the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy of Cambridge City Council, alongside a growing research interest in modular homes and other new schemes by the national government. We argue for further empirical studies of the impacts of different modular home projects, including those that admit more diverse resident cohorts and offer different accommodation types to establish a clear methodology for future modular homes projects in England and beyond.