Abstract

Information about the factors associated with conservation participation by local communities is important to garner support and involvement within a natural protected area. This research examined how residents’ natural resource dependency and other social, economic, and access-related variables predict conservation participation. Data were collected based on a stratified random sampling of households from Gaurishankar Conservation Area Project (GCAP)—a newly designated mountainous protected area in Nepal. Analysis was conducted via an ordered logistic regression model. Higher levels of participation were observed among households that comprised of a larger family size, belonged to a higher caste/ethnicity, resided in higher elevations, and noted frequent visits and interactions with park management staff. However, natural resources dependency (i.e., income and fuelwood fodder) lacked a statistically significant relationship with conservation participation. Similarly, the economic dimension (i.e., land holdings and total livestock unit) was not a significant predictor of participation. Overall, key findings suggest that conservation participation at GCAP needs to be improved with multiple outreach activities, especially to resource-dependent households. More specifically, it is important to ensure equitable access so that locals can participate in programs that provide alternative resource use options, skills development, and trainings for income generation activities.

Highlights

  • Local communities that are in close proximity to parks and protected areas in developing countries are usually highly dependent on natural resources for subsistence living [1,2,3,4]

  • The HH average annual income was reported as US$2620, of which 30% was earned from income sources related to Gaurishankar Conservation Area Project (GCAP)

  • Our finding suggests that communication with GCAP management authority through outreach programs can positively influence participation

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Summary

Introduction

Local communities that are in close proximity to parks and protected areas in developing countries are usually highly dependent on natural resources for subsistence living [1,2,3,4]. Given the challenges of governance and management of natural resources, there has been a shift in conservation policies in numerous developing countries which have led to reforms and/or transfer of management authority to more localized institutions [12,13,14,15,16]. Such localized policy reforms are often operationalized as decentralization or devolution [4,12,17,18,19]. Decentralization involves transfer of decision-making authority to lower levels of government, whereas devolution involves transfer of rights and responsibilities to local user groups [12]

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