Classed conservation: Socio-economic drivers of participation in marine resource management

Abstract

Conservation organizations often adopt the normative value of “whole community” participation, predicated on the idea that broad community involvement across categories of identity and social stratification will lead to more successful project outcomes. Analysis of intra-community social stratifications in relation to participation in conservation is important to the pursuit of environmental justice as well as improved efficacy of a given conservation intervention. While a large body of literature broadly examines intra and inter-community dynamics in relation to community-based conservation, few have specifically quantified how wealth influences one’s participation in community-based conservation initiatives, especially in the marine realm. To address these questions, we interviewed people living near marine conservation initiatives in Madagascar. Using a principle component analysis, we created an asset-based wealth index and showed that both knowledge of and participation in marine conservation was positively correlated with wealth. Specifically, three of the four participation categories were statistically correlated with wealth, including involvement in any element of the conservation project, involvement in decision-making, and in enforcement. However, wealth was not significantly correlated with participation in monitoring. Ultimately our research highlights the importance of understanding underlying drivers of participation in community-based conservation. If the poorest in a community are underrepresented in local participation, the conservation initiative will not only be unjust, but will also likely be less effective.