Benefit-sharing Mechanisms Research Articles

The Legal Regime of the Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction in the BBNJ Agreement and Lessons Learned for Space Law

As a result of the discussions on ocean pollution in recent years, the ‘Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction’ (also known as the BBNJ Agreement) was signed on 4 March 2023. One of the most notable aspects of the Agreement in question is that it imposes certain responsibilities on states in a region that are not subject to the sovereignty of any state, while states may extend their jurisdictional authority to these regions only in the case of certain exceptions such as registration.This development can serve as a significant illustrative record of the interaction between environmental protection and state accountability in places like Antarctica or outer space, which are also not under state jurisdiction. This study addresses the lessons learned from the BBNJ Agreement for the environmental protection of outer space by examining benefit-sharing mechanisms, area management tools, and environmental impact assessment in the BBNJ Agreement and makes suggestions on how to strengthen the protection of the space environment through these mechanisms.

Mangrove-Based Carbon Market Projects: 15 Considerations for Engaging and Supporting Local Communities

Mangroves provide numerous ecological, social, and economic benefits that include carbon sequestration, habitat for biodiversity, food, recreation and leisure, income, and coastal resilience. In this regard, mangrove-based carbon market projects (MbCMP), involving mangrove conservation, protection, and restoration, are a nature-based solution (NbS) for climate change mitigation. Despite the proliferation of blue carbon projects, a highly publicized need for local community participation by developers, and existing project implementation standards, local communities are usually left out for several reasons, such as a lack of capacity to engage in business-to-business (B2B) market agreements and communication gaps. Local communities need to be engaged and supported at all stages of the MbCMP development process to enable them to protect their ecological, economic, and social interests as custodians of such a critical ecosystem. In this paper, we provided 15 strategic considerations and recommendations to engage and secure the interests of local communities in the growing mangrove carbon market trade. The 15 considerations are grouped into four recommendation categories: (i) project development and community engagement, (ii) capacity building and educational activities, (iii) transparency in resource allocation and distribution, and (iv) partnerships with local entities and long-term monitoring. We expect our study to increase local participation and community-level ecological, social, and economic benefits from MbCMP by incorporating equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms in a B2B conservation-agreement model.

Carbon emission reduction initiatives: Lessons from the REDD+ process of the Asia and Pacific region

Carbon emission reduction through land use management and forest-based initiatives such as REDD+ depends on multiple factors, including awareness programs, capacity building and inclusive design, and equitable and transparent benefit-sharing mechanisms. Even after a couple of decades of discussion over the REDD+ process, there have still been many contested issues that need to be resolved. Taking the case of three countries in the Asia and Pacific Region ― Vietnam, Nepal, and Fiji, ― at different stages of the REDD+, we have mapped the countries’ progress toward emission reduction program and its benefit-sharing mechanism, documented the perceived impact of a capacity building program and provided the stakeholders’ perspective on the performance of REDD+ program. Our study shows REDD+ participating countries are implementing various REDD+ capacity-building programs, but having a different level of impact from the stakeholders’ perspective. Multilevel governance presents challenges for REDD+ outcomes, as REDD+-related policies and legislations are constrained within the forest ministry but not in other sector ministries, leading to both vertical and horizontal coordination issues. Much emphasis has been given to the technical content of capacity-building programs but little has been done to enhance the functional capacity of REDD+ implementers, especially of Indigenous People and Local Communities. The decision-making process on emission reduction benefit-sharing is neither transparent nor inclusive. Although various social safeguard mechanisms are proposed by the studied countries, there is still a huge gap in understanding the impact capacity building programs in inclusive decision-making, and equitable benefit sharing for Indigenous people. REDD+ stakeholders perceived that REDD+ can be a promising financial tool for developing countries and also contribute to non-carbon benefits, but the prospects of benefit-sharing plans are not fairly inclusive. Increasing transparency and accountability through digital platforms, raising the carbon price from $5/tCO2, adopting unified safeguards, and strengthening horizontal and vertical collaboration at all levels are pivotal for the REDD+ program to generate manifold environmental and livelihood benefits in the Asia and Pacific Region.

Interplays between the BBNJ Agreement and the Antarctic Treaty System on the Southern Ocean bioprospecting

The Southern Ocean is witnessing an increasing prevalence of bioprospecting. Within the context of the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), bioprospecting issues have been discussed over years, while a consensus on the specialized regulation of related activities remains elusive. On June 20, 2023, the BBNJ Agreement was formally adopted, featuring specific provisions addressing marine genetic resources (MGRs). This paper explores the interplay between the BBNJ Agreement and the ATS to promote the management of bioprospecting in Southern Ocean. It begins by discussing the relationship between the ATS and the BBNJ Agreement under the theory of institutional interplay, then delves into the evolutionary of the Southern Ocean bioprospecting discussions under the ATS, and examines the regulatory stipulations pertaining to MGRs in the BBNJ Agreement. It concludes that although there is a competitive relationship between the two on bioprospecting issues, this does not preclude the possibility of beneficial interplays. The ATS can gain insights from the access and benefit-sharing mechanisms for MGRs and the information exchange regimes of the BBNJ Agreement, thereby expediting the establishment of a legal framework governing Southern Ocean bioprospecting within the ATS.

Benefit Distribution Mechanism of a Cooperative Alliance for Basin Water Resources from the Perspective of Cooperative Game Theory

At present, global water resource security is facing serious threats, and the construction of a cooperative, open, and mutually beneficial water resource community is a potential solution to the global water resource crisis and water resource hegemony. Previous studies on the formation and beneficial distribution of water resources in cooperative alliances have more often focused on the idea that participants take all of their water resources when they join a cooperative alliance (i.e., a crisp cooperative alliance), while fewer studies have focused on participants including different proportions of their water resources and joining multiple cooperative alliances (i.e., fuzzy cooperative alliances), and even fewer comparative studies concern the use of different benefit-sharing mechanisms. In this paper, in order to improve the efficiency of water use, allocate water resources more optimally, and generate higher returns for water users in a given basin, we propose the establishment of a traditional crisp and improved fuzzy cooperative alliance for water resources in the basin from the perspective of cooperative game theory; we examine the water resource allocation mechanism within the alliance based on the principle of priority; we construct a benefit allocation mechanism for the cooperative alliance based on the core, least core, weak least core, and Shapley value method; and we carry out empirical research using the example of the Tarim River Basin. Our findings are as follows: (1) A cooperative alliance based on the perspective of cooperative game theory can effectively improve overall benefits and individual benefits, and a fuzzy cooperative alliance is more effective than a crisp cooperative alliance in improving the overall water benefits of the region. (2) The participants in the fuzzy cooperative alliance can obtain more benefits than in the crisp cooperative alliance, and the benefit distribution mechanism of the cooperative alliance helps the participants to determine the object of cooperation while maintaining the sustainable existence of the alliance. (3) The different methods of benefit distribution within the cooperative alliance directly affect the overall water benefits of the region. (4) The different methods of benefit distribution directly affect the stability of the alliance, and the players in the game have heterogeneous preferences for different distribution schemes. The resource-sharing mechanism and benefit distribution mechanism of a water resource cooperative alliance have good applicability as solutions to the problem of water resource optimization and allocation in river basins, and they may provide policy references for the efficient use of water resources and optimization of water resource allocation and management in areas with a shortage of water resources, such as arid and semi-arid zones.

The influence of conservation policies and legislations on communities in Tanzania

Benefit-sharing mechanisms have been instrumental in securing the support of local communities living on the edge of protected areas, and in resolving human-wildlife conflicts. Understanding how current conservation policies influence benefit-sharing and the management of human-wildlife conflicts is vital for designing strong mechanisms to achieve both conservation and ethical community outcomes. Here we examined how benefit-sharing and human-wildlife conflicts are acknowledged and addressed within the current conservation policies (wildlife policies, legislations, regulations and strategic plans) using the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem (GSE) as a case study. The fourteen policies focusing primarily on wildlife conservation in Tanzania are analysed. We also drew on the findings of three studies conducted during 2021 and 2022 documenting community interactions with wildlife and adjacent protected areas. These studies covered the types of benefit provided by various conservation institutions to local communities, the effectiveness of benefit-sharing mechanisms, and the conservation-related losses incurred by communities. The study uncovered a wide range of benefits provided to local communities in the form of social amenities, livelihood support and employment. However, the losses and costs experienced are far greater than these benefits. Integrating these findings with policy analysis, we identified that the main limitations reducing the impacts of benefits in motivating positive conservation behaviours to be: losses of livestock and crops were more than four times the value of benefits/compensation offered to communities; a lack of details and clarity of benefit-sharing mechanisms; benefit/conservation rates that have not been indexed against inflation and; shortcomings in implementation. To achieve conservation outcomes, we recommend revising the conservation policies and legislation across the country in collaboration with local communities who experience the impacts of conservation in their day-to-day life. We also propose a coordinated approach for all conservation institutions managing wildlife to address widespread human-wildlife conflicts across the country effectively and to achieve better conservation outcomes rather than leaving that task to a single organization (i.e. Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority).

A reflective analysis of China's energy policy from the perspective of systemic energy justice principles

The idea of energy justice has been reflected and implemented in China’s energy policy system over years. However, the existing normative basis of energy justice remains imperfect. China’s special political system and Confucian concept of justice, and its particular focus on energy security, have made its energy transition practices highly efficient but also prone to violating recognition, distributional and procedural justice, resulting in a victim structure that sacrifices the few for the well-being of the many. It is essential to introduce energy justice to achieve sustainable development of China’s energy system and policy transformation in the new era, as energy justice will provide insights for policy stakeholders regarding how to address complex and interrelated energy production and acquisition issues. In doing so, the first step is to comprehensively examine the existing energy injustice in China’s energy life cycle and then apply systemic energy justice to optimise China’s future energy policies. Specifically, policymakers should first reaffirm recognition justice by recognising energy rights, including the fundamental rights of energy vulnerable groups and the natural environment together with the rights of consumers as energy producers. Secondly, procedural justice should be strengthened from three perspectives, namely decision-making participation, information disclosure and judicial relief. Thirdly, distributive justice can be effectively promoted by establishing benefit-sharing mechanisms, setting fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory energy prices, and developing compensation mechanisms between regions.

Assessment of forest cover change, key drivers of change and perception of locals in Birendranagar Municipality, Surkhet District, Nepal

Land use and land cover change has an immense impact on the global environment and ecosystem and is mostly connected with human activities such as conversion of forest into agricultural land and settlements. Forests are changing globally in quantity and quality, and in both increasing and decreasing trends. For the Birendra Nagar Municipality, this study evaluated LULC dynamics, the conversion of forest cover from 2000 to 2020, as well as community perceptions on forest cover change, its drivers. Landsat images of 2000 and 2020 were used for LULC dynamics and for forest cover change detection Using software GIS 10.8. Questionnaire survey, key informant survey, field observation and secondary data were acquired from journal articles, reports, District Forest office, books, and various other sources to find out drivers of forest cover change and perception of locals. It was found that 1146 ha of forest area, 280.53 ha of water bodies, 752.62 ha of barren land were lost between 2000 and 2020. However, 1147.74 ha of settlement area and 1032.40 ha of agricultural land was gained.Net forest cover decreased overall by 4.67%, however, some areas within the municipality experienced an increase in forest cover namely Ward 11 and ward 16 of Municipality shows Highest positive and Negative Forest cover change in terms of Area. Expansion of agriculture land and settlements with the encroachment of forest area, haphazard infrastructure development, illegal timber harvesting and low regeneration capacity of land responsible for the reduction of forest, along with Community forestry approach, plantations programs, promotion of agroforestry practices, fuel transition were responsible drivers for improvements of forest cover. Water cycle disruption, Increases Natural hazard, Temperature rises, shortage of wood for fuel, extinction of indigenous species were the most perceived negative impacts of the forest cover reduction whereas income generation Activities, support biodiversity, easy to collect fuel wool and fodder and others including purifying air quality, increasing aesthetic beauty were the most perceived positive impacts of the forest cover improvement in the study area. Most of the locals have a holistic understanding of forest cover change. Strengthening forest protection, improving soil and water conservation structures, awareness creation, enrichment planting, Promote Alternate Energy Resources and Equitable benefit-sharing mechanism are possible solutions perceived by locals.

An appraisal of people's participation in the joint forest management programme in the Kashmir Himalayas

People's participation in decision-making processes in the domain of forest management has been acknowledged as an effective mechanism for improving livelihoods and forest conditions. The present study makes an attempt to ascertain the participation levels and identify the factors influencing the people's participation in Joint Forest Management (JFM) programmes in the Kashmir Himalayas. The study is based on primary data, with a sample size of 434 households collected through a two-stage random sampling survey. The Participation Index (PI) was used to measure people's participation across different stages: planning, implementation, and monitoring. The determinants that influence the level of participation are then analyzed through the Binary Logistic Regression Model (BLRM). The findings indicate that the people's participation at the planning stage was 47.93%, at the implementation stage 54.38%, and at the monitoring stage 49.46%, indicating an overall moderate level of participation. The BLRM depicts that among the selected variables, gender, marital status, years of schooling, land holding size, income from forest, distance from the market, training, knowledge, and information have a significantly positive influence, while age, distance from the forest, restrictions on charcoal/timber harvesting, and a lack of incentives were found to have a significant negative influence on the people's participation in the JFM programme. Therefore, policy reforms should be reoriented to improve the organizational structure of forest management groups and implement fair benefit-sharing mechanisms, which are crucial for enhancing the participation of local communities in forest management initiatives.

Feasibility of the BBNJ Agreement to regulate bioprospecting in the Southern Ocean

This paper investigates the potential regulatory frameworks applicable to marine bioprospecting in the Southern Ocean and considers the activity could potentially fall under the purview of both the Antarctic Treaty System and the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement. Through a comparative analysis, this paper discerns the overlap of application and divergence in rules between the two regulatory frameworks, particularly concerning the specific provisions for regulating marine bioprospecting. This includes dissecting differences in the rules regulating the procedures for access to marine genetic resources and the associated benefit-sharing mechanisms. By synthesizing the SWOT analysis and strategic analysis, this paper identifies the internal and external factors influencing the application of the BBNJ Agreement to bioprospecting regulation within the Southern Ocean. It concludes that, due to the priority application of ATS and the region`s unique geopolitical context, the BBNJ Agreement may encounter challenges in the direct implementation and governance of marine bioprospecting. The principle of not undermining should be observed to harmonize application with ATS. Meanwhile, the BBNJ Agreement may contribute to a self-revolution of the ATS in regulating marine bioprospecting, particularly in the aspect of mechanisms for equitable benefit-sharing.

Judicial Judgment Standard of Generative Artificial Intelligence and Training Data from the Perspective of Fair Use

With the development of generative artificial intelligence, text and data mining has been put into more applications. However, as a technology for collecting and processing a large number of other works, it faces copyright infringement under the current legal system. As a step in the operation of artificial intelligence, text and data mining is to collect and process existing works and information to realize the behavior of knowledge "reproduction", thus promoting the utilization of knowledge and social innovation. Meanwhile, copyright exemption should be provided for its fair use system. The fair use system in the United States can give full play to the autonomy of judges in specific cases and flexibly identify fair use exemptions, while the copyright exception in Europe clarifies that text and data mining activities should be exempted under specific circumstances. Learning from both, China can not only break the closed fair use system, but also build an evaluation system of artificial intelligence infringement and benefit-sharing mechanism, so as to provide scientific norms for fair use and improve the development of artificial intelligence and big data industry in China.

Exploring Ways and Mechanisms for Farmers' Cooperatives to Participate in Rural Public Services

From the perspective of the path and mechanisms of rural integration, this article explores the logic behind the integration of cooperatives into rural governance, using the Hongyuan Farmers' Cooperative in Binchuan County, Dali City, Yunnan Province, as a case study.By leading villagers in development initiatives and embedding itself culturally and socially, the cooperative uses its organisational advantages to promote the healthy economic growth of villages and foster harmonious livelihoods among villagers. Through specific benefit-sharing mechanisms, the cooperative provides governance resources to the village collective, thereby strengthening the community's governance capacity. As the development of the farmers' cooperative progresses, the joint development of rural economic and public governance goals leads to the gradual formation of a new rural governance community.Practical experience shows that integrating the institutional strengths of farmers' cooperatives into rural governance, coupled with internal and external policy management, reshapes the governance structure of different rural governance units. This becomes a new direction for promoting the modernisation of rural governance systems and governance capacities. In essence, this article highlights how the cooperative, by integrating itself culturally and economically into the village, not only promotes economic growth but also empowers villagers to live harmoniously. Moreover, the incorporation of the cooperative's institutional strengths into rural governance redefines the structure of rural management units, suggesting a promising way to modernise rural governance systems.

Decoupling REDD+ understanding of local stakeholders on the onset of materializing carbon credits from forests in Nepal

REDD+1 is an economic incentivizing mechanism aimed at reducing or offsetting of carbon emissions in forests, while realizing multiple benefits alongside climate action. Engaging local stakeholders is crucial for its sustainable implementation and benefit-sharing mechanism. This study focuses on the knowledge and understanding of local-level stakeholders about REDD+ and its associated attributes, revealing significant knowledge gaps between areas with and without REDD+ ​pilot activities. For this, we conducted the semi-structured questionnaire interviews (n ​= ​136), key informant interviews (n ​= ​27), and focus group discussions (n ​= ​4) with local-level REDD+ ​stakeholders (LLRS) comprising both inside and outside of pilot project districts in three provinces of Nepal, by adopting the concept of socio-ecological systems (SES). Data were analyzed using a generalized linear model (GLM) and visualized through Sankey diagrams. The results indicate a poor understanding (29%) of LLRS on the REDD+ ​process, its relationship with forests, concerns among stakeholders, and its potential significance. The perception of REDD+ ​knowledge, mechanisms, and benefits significantly (p ​< ​0.05) varied across study areas, age groups, genders, professional backgrounds, educational levels, ownership of private forests, and types of household energy sources used among respondents. Despite receiving readiness funds, stakeholders’ comprehension of the REDD+ ​process remains limited, indicating suboptimal policy implementation. Knowledge gaps were influenced by social background, voices and choices, and the fear of REDD+ ​disrupting traditional practices among the LLRS. The study emphasizes the need to redress the concerns of LLRS by considering their social backgrounds and traditional practices through informed and participatory decision-making, enhance communication, transparency, and inclusive forest governance. The findings show that current external support has not sufficiently enhanced capacity among LLRS, suggesting the need for sufficient and sustainable support through national policy and financing mechanisms. Further, the study identified extremely poor REDD+ ​-related knowledge dissemination within communities, exacerbating challenges in implementation and benefit-sharing mechanisms, revealing the simplification of its process is essential. The study advocates for revising REDD+ ​-related policies to optimize benefits, ensure smooth implementation, realize fair and equitable carbon credits from forests, and foster shared responsibility and ownership among all stakeholders in climate actions through improved forest governance.

The Future of Access and Benefit-Sharing: What Next after the Adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework and Decision on Digital Sequence Information?

Recent decisions at the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) on access and benefit-sharing (ABS) fundamentally shift how ABS will work in the future. The key ABS challenges that now lie ahead will be to integrate digital sequence information into a functioning benefit-sharing mechanism compatible with the Nagoya Protocol, to address the difficult task of measuring benefit-sharing now required by the Global Biodiversity Framework, and ultimately to address the long-term challenges of the Nagoya Protocol’s bilateral ABS approach. The relevant COP15 decisions do not provide simple and quick answers to these challenges. However, they do lay the groundwork for change and could form the basis for the further development of effective access and benefit-sharing.

CBD상 디지털서열정보의 활용과 이익분배에 관한 국제논의 동향과 제언

CBD상 디지털서열정보의 활용과 이익분배에 관한 국제논의 동향과 제언

Positive Impact of Environmental Governance Policies on Watershed Economy: A Case Study of the Taihu Lake Watershed

This paper seeks to investigate how environmental governance policies positively influence the regional economy within the context of the Taihu Lake Watershed. It will specifically delve into the practical measures taken for policy implementation and their resulting outcomes. This paper extensively examines the Taihu Lake Watershed through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature. It consolidates prior research focusing on how environmental governance policies affect the regional economy within watersheds. The study reveals that environmental governance policies have positively influenced the economy of the Taihu Lake Watershed. Policy implementation has not only advanced economic development but also enhanced public consciousness regarding environmental conservation, contributing to ecological system enhancement. Effective environmental governance policies can drive economic growth within watersheds, raise public consciousness regarding environmental preservation, and facilitate ecological system enhancements, thereby contributing positively to the sustainable development of watersheds. The insights derived from this research hold relevance for shaping environmental governance policies and economic development strategies in various regions. To further promote sustainable watershed development, it is crucial to optimize environmental governance policies, improve policy execution, foster collaboration between departments, and establish efficient benefit-sharing mechanisms.

What Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Are Available under the Plant Treaty and Where Is This Information?

Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) are the building blocks upon which global food and nutrition security depend and are key to plant breeding for more resistant crops, but how available are they? To understand what PGRFA are available under the mechanisms created by the International Plant Treaty’s access and benefit-sharing, we conducted a comparative analysis of the five largest sources of pooled global data concerning PGRFA, including data conserved by and available to users under the Plant Treaty’s access and benefit-sharing (ABS) mechanism. These data sources were the registry of notification letters maintained by the Plant Treaty Secretariat and four international PGRFA databases: Genesys, European Search Catalogue for Plant Genetic Resources (EURISCO), World Information and Early Warning System on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (WIEWS) and Global Information System on PGRFA (GLIS). Our analysis revealed that a comprehensive and consistent overview of the PGRFA available under the Plant Treaty’s ABS conditions is not available. The GLIS is the most logical longer-term candidate to promote the provision of up-to-date and comprehensive snapshots of what PGRFA the Plant Treaty framework make available, primarily because it provides a mechanism (digital objective identifiers) to link together information from a range of information sources, including Genesys, WIEWS and EUEISCO and other online publications, and data sets concerning PGRFA in the multilateral system. Successful adoption of the GLIS could be promoted by creating novel incentives endorsed by the Governing Body to encourage Contracting Parties, Article 15 organizations, and individuals to share information about the materials they are making available under the Plant Treaty, in addition to the capacity-building for some GLIS users that is also necessary. These incentives could be included among the package of measures currently being considered by the Plant Treaty’s Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-Sharing.

On the design of bail-in-able bonds from the perspective of non-financial firms

To prevent black swan events such as the financial tsunami or COVID-19 from crashing overall economic systems, governments provide bailouts to too-big-to-fail financial institutions and non-financial firms such as airline companies with tax payers’ money. To avoid unfair bailouts, using bail-in-able bonds to absorb an issuing bank’s losses and to fulfill capital requirements such as BASEL III has been widely studied. Without capital adequacy requirements, non-financial firms also issue bail-in-able bonds because the embedded loss-absorbing mechanism can cut debt repayments down to reduce bankruptcy risk and thus increase the overall benefits of these firms’ claim holders. However, bond investors require higher rewards to compensate for their potential losses once this mechanism is triggered. In addition, unlike financial institutions, which are strictly regulated, such a mechanism may induce non-financial issuers to take on excessive risk to benefit themselves at the expense of their debt holders. To investigate how the issuances of various (non)-bail-in-able bonds influence the equity and the existing debt holders’ benefits from a non-financial issuer’s prospective, we develop novel quadrature pricing formulas based on the structural credit risk model. We find that while non-bail-in-able bonds can be wise choices for low-leverage issuers, bail-in-able bonds with benefit-sharing mechanisms allowing investors to share issuers’ upside profits can efficiently suppress interest expenses and circumvent the asset substitution problem for high-leverage issuers. If the value of an issuer (such as an oil shale firm) mainly depends on the value of that asset (such as oil), issuing a bail-in-able bond referring to the asset could be a wise choice. Otherwise, issuing a bond referring to the issuer’s stock price could provide timely fund injections and low interest expenses for a high-leverage public firm.

Benefit Sharing from Maasai Manyatta Visits

Summary Cultural Manyatta, a tourist attraction in Dagurugurueti village, was designed as a way of sharing tourism revenue with the Maasai community. Through in-depth interviews with local leaders and local communities, this case study presents the benefit-sharing experiences of local communities from the cultural Manyatta visits. The local communities indicate that there are concerns relating to limited funds and unequal revenue distribution from cultural Manyatta visits entrance fees paid by tourists. They point to the need for benefit-sharing mechanisms that create a large and equitable share of tourism revenues for all stakeholders. Information © The Authors 2023

Perception of local communities on protected areas: lessons drawn from the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT A study targeting the Bale Mountains National Park in Ethiopia was conducted to gain a deeper understanding of local communities’ opinion on benefits and disbenefits of protected areas and existing benefit-sharing mechanisms and to suggest future research for development direction related to the management of protected areas. Household surveys, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were tools used to collect data. The results obtained through the analysis of the factors affecting the attitude of local communities on the park and its management demonstrated that efforts should be concentrated on improving communication with local communities and short-term economic benefits as well as identifying the reasons for the unhealthy relationships and addressing them. These issues can partly be addressed through creating and supporting effective and functioning multi-stakeholder platforms for dialogue and co-production of knowledge, continuous meetings and awareness-raising campaigns and integrating more income-generating activities. The results also suggested that park management and government authorities use their authority to decide how local communities should participate in Bale Mountains National Park management initiatives. Such a top-down approach affects the sustainability of the efforts to conserve protected areas because local stakeholders lack incentives to participate. This also leads to inadequate understanding of the complex relationships between people and protected areas they depend on and the inability to tailor management responses to specific needs and conditions. The study discussed the implications of the results for future planning and management of protected areas and forwarded recommendations for policy and future research for development directions.