Community Action and Tiger Conservation: Assessing the Role of Social Capital
TL;DR: In this article, the authors studied the social capital in two villages bordering Corbett Tiger Reserve, India and found that social capital of local communities is a significant determinant of potential for community action to support or oppose tiger conservation outcomes.
Abstract: Tiger conservation often requires local-level support to avoid facing serious political challenges. In order to address the political challenges, the social capital of communities can be utilized to create community action and to help understand local dynamics. We studied the social capital in two villages bordering Corbett Tiger Reserve, India. Our results indicate that social capital of local communities is a significant determinant of potential for community action to support or oppose tiger conservation outcomes. Our results also indicate that specific components of social capital (solidarity, reciprocity and cooperation, networks, and mutual support) were critical in this potential community action. Further, the data suggest that the decline of social capital was led by the financial disparities created by unplanned growth of tourism outside the reserve boundaries. We suggest that policy and management interventions should consider social capital of local communities and ways in which it may support ...
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the results of an exploratory study into how different forms of social capital embedded within community-based social networks may affect innovation in small-holder farming systems to better support food security in the Caribbean.
Abstract: This paper presents the results of an exploratory study into how different forms of social capital embedded within community-based social networks may affect innovation in smallholder farming systems to better support food security in the Caribbean. Focusing on two rural communities in the small island developing nation of Saint Lucia, our results indicate the strong presence of interpersonal agricultural knowledge networks operating to: 1) facilitate farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange; 2) increase farmer access to information; and 3) connect farmers to sources of support. In both communities, ‘peer farmers’ were reported as being the primary source of new agricultural knowledge for farmers, with government ‘extension officers’ the secondary source. Comparative social network analysis reveals how different forms of social capital within the two agricultural knowledge networks can affect self-reported farmer innovation in different contexts. Based on these findings we identify a number of opportunities for policy initiatives to better support, coordinate and enhance innovation opportunities among smallholder farmers in the Caribbean with a view to building their adaptive capacity in the face of environmental change. The findings provide important evidence and insights relevant to the governance of domestic agricultural systems and regional food security programming in the Caribbean.
62 citations
Cites methods from "Community Action and Tiger Conserva..."
...For example, social capital has been used to assess the barriers and opportunities for rural community collective action (Rastogi et al. 2014; Rahman et al. 2015); to improve understanding of agricultural innovation in smallholder farming systems (van Rijn et al. 2012); to help design more…...
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TL;DR: It is suggested that compensation schemes and livestock management strategies were more effective tools for addressing conflict than either direct interventions (lethal removal or translocation of animals) or community interventions (e.g. education, ecotourism, local management).
Abstract: Conservation of big cats (Panthera spp.), a taxonomic group including tigers, lions, jaguars, leopards and snow leopards, is a daunting challenge. As expanding human populations across Panthera range countries exacerbate competition for land and prey, conflicts between humans and big cats are inevitable. Through a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature published from 1991 to 2014 and indexed in Web of Science and Google Scholar (186 articles), our study explored the current state of knowledge regarding human-Panthera conflict and potential solutions, examining variables such as spatial and temporal distribution of research, methods used to study conflict, evaluation of interventions, and management recommendations. Our synthesis revealed several key data gaps and research needs. More studies could utilize diverse data collection approaches to focus on both the ecological and socio-cultural context for conflict. Additionally, only 21% of articles included in the review evaluated conflict mitigation interventions, and few of these yielded conclusive results. Success ratios suggest that compensation schemes and livestock management strategies were more effective tools for addressing conflict than either direct interventions (lethal removal or translocation of animals) or community interventions (e.g. education, ecotourism, local management). More studies should systematically evaluate the efficacy of conflict mitigation strategies, many of which are consistently recommended without empirical support. Results highlight trends and opportunities that can be used to inform future research and management efforts focused on human-Panthera conflict, ultimately enhancing the potential for coexistence between humans and carnivore species worldwide.
59 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors use a stated preference approach for measuring tolerance, based on the Wildlife Stakeholder Acceptance Capacity (WSC) concept, to explore villagers' tolerance levels for tigers in the Bangladesh Sundarbans, an area where, at the time of the research, human-tiger conflict was severe.
Abstract: Fostering local community tolerance for endangered carnivores, such as tigers (Panthera tigris), is a core component of many conservation strategies. Identification of antecedents of tolerance will facilitate the development of effective tolerance-building conservation action and secure local community support for, and involvement in, conservation initiatives. We use a stated preference approach for measuring tolerance, based on the ‘Wildlife Stakeholder Acceptance Capacity’ concept, to explore villagers’ tolerance levels for tigers in the Bangladesh Sundarbans, an area where, at the time of the research, human-tiger conflict was severe. We apply structural equation modeling to test an a priori defined theoretical model of tolerance and identify the experiential and psychological basis of tolerance in this community. Our results indicate that beliefs about tigers and about the perceived current tiger population trend are predictors of tolerance for tigers. Positive beliefs about tigers and a belief that the tiger population is not currently increasing are both associated with greater stated tolerance for the species. Contrary to commonly-held notions, negative experiences with tigers do not directly affect tolerance levels; instead, their effect is mediated by villagers’ beliefs about tigers and risk perceptions concerning human-tiger conflict incidents. These findings highlight a need to explore and understand the socio-psychological factors that encourage tolerance towards endangered species. Our research also demonstrates the applicability of this approach to tolerance research to a wide range of socio-economic and cultural contexts and reveals its capacity to enhance carnivore conservation efforts worldwide.
57 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the role of institutional arrangements in four National Parks of the Indian Western Himalaya at varying altitude through multiple case study analysis using qualitative methods and concluded that a three-tier setup involving local communities and civil society organizations, supported by enabling government policies is most efficacious in mainstreaming socio-economic development of local communities, and environmental concerns in tourism management framework.
45 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide an inside look at the social relationships operating within two agricultural cooperatives in rural Senegal, focusing on self-reported innovation sharing and provisioning between members, finding that innovation was predominantly spread through formal vertical linkages (i.e., between hierarchal representatives), but was significantly controlled by key actors in leadership positions, resulting in large disparities in the innovation potential of different cooperative members.
38 citations
References
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Book•
01 Jan 1998
TL;DR: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Considerations for Getting Started and Techniques for Achieving Theoretical Integration are presented.
Abstract: Part I: Introduction to Grounded Theory of Anselm Strauss Chapter 1: Inspiration and Background Chapter 2: Theoretical Foundations Chapter 3: Practical Considerations for Getting Started Chapter 4: Prelude to Analysis Chapter 5: Strategies for Qualitative Data Analysis Chapter 6: Memos and Diagrams Chapter 7: Theoretical Sampling Chapter 8: Context Chapter 9: Process Chapter 10: Techniques for Achieving Theoretical Integration Chapter 11: The Use of Computer Programs in Qualitative Data Analysis Part II: Research Demonstration Project Chapter 12 Open Coding: Identifying Concepts Chapter 13: Developing Concepts in Terms of Their Properties and Dimensions Chapter 14: Analyzing Data for Context Chapter 15: Bringing Process Into the Analysis Chapter 16: Integrating Categories Part III: Finishing the Research Project Chapter 17: Writing Theses, Monographs, and Dissertations, and Giving Talks About Your Research Chapter 18: Criteria for Evaluation Chapter 19: Student Questions and Answers
33,113 citations
Book•
01 Jan 2008
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present strategies for qualitative data analysis, including context, process and theoretical integration, and provide a criterion for evaluation of these strategies and answers to student questions and answers.
Abstract: Introduction -- Practical considerations -- Prelude to analysis -- Strategies for qualitative data analysis -- Introduction to context, process and theoretical integration -- Memos and diagrams -- Theoretical sampling -- Analyzing data for concepts -- Elaborating the analysis -- Analyzing data for context -- Bringing process into the analysis -- Integrating around a concept -- Writing theses, monographs, and giving talks -- Criterion for evaluation -- Student questions and answers to these.
31,251 citations
01 Jan 1993
TL;DR: The seasons change; and both of us lose our harvests for want of mutual confidence and security as discussed by the authors... I will not, therefore, take any pains upon your account; and should I labour with you upon my own account, in expectation of a return, I know I should be disappointed, and that I should in vain depend upon your gratitude.
Abstract: Your corn is ripe today; mine will be so tomorrow. ‘Tis profitable for us both, that I should labour with you today, and that you should aid me tomorrow. I have no kindness for you, and know you have as little for me. I will not, therefore, take any pains upon your account; and should I labour with you upon my own account, in expectation of a return, I know I should be disappointed, and that I should in vain depend upon your gratitude. Here then I leave you to labour alone; You treat me in the same manner. The seasons change; and both of us lose our harvests for want of mutual confidence and security.
4,368 citations
"Community Action and Tiger Conserva..." refers background in this paper
...Putnam (1993) provides a widely accepted definition of social capital, as ‘‘networks, norms, and trust, that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit’’ (Putnam 1993)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors trace the evolution of social capital research as it pertains to economic development and identify four distinct approaches the research has taken : communitarian, networks, institutional, and synergy.
Abstract: In the 1990s the concept of social capital defined here as the norms and networks that enable people to act collectively enjoyed a remarkable rise to prominence across all the social science disciplines. The authors trace the evolution of social capital research as it pertains to economic development and identify four distinct approaches the research has taken : communitarian, networks, institutional, and synergy. The evidence suggests that of the four, the synergy view, with its emphasis on incorporating different levels and dimensions of social capital and its recognition of the positive and negative outcomes that social capital can generate, has the greatest empirical support and lends itself best to comprehensive and coherent policy prescriptions. The authors argue that a significant virtue of the idea of and discourse on social capital is that it helps to bridge orthodox divides among scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.
4,094 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that societies have inherent capacities to adapt to climate change, but these capacities are bound up in their ability to act collectively, and they argue that this capacity is limited by the nature of the agents of change, states, markets and civil society.
Abstract: The effects of observed and future changes in climate are spatially and socially differentiated. The impacts of future changes will be felt particularly by resource-dependent communities through a multitude of primary and secondary effects cascading through natural and social systems. Given that the world is increasingly faced with risks of climate change that are at the boundaries of human experience3, there is an urgent need to learn from past and present adaptation strategies to understand both the processes by which adaptation takes place and the limitations of the various agents of change – states, markets, and civil society – in these processes. Societies have inherent capacities to adapt to climate change. In this article, I argue that these capacities are bound up in their ability to act collectively.
2,346 citations
"Community Action and Tiger Conserva..." refers background in this paper
...We also underline that social capital is often regarded as localized, with its manifestations and properties depending on the context (Sobel 2002; Adger 2003; Mohan and Mohan 2002)....
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...…at once (Krishna 2007), for issues operating at multiple spatial and temporal levels (Brondizio et al. 2009), in situations that require societal adaptation (Adger 2003), and for the complex challenges associated with natural resource management (Pretty 2003; Pretty and Smith 2004; Adger 2003)....
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...2009), in situations that require societal adaptation (Adger 2003), and for the complex challenges associated with natural resource management (Pretty 2003; Pretty and Smith 2004; Adger 2003)....
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