International Conservation Organizations Research Articles

Conservation and human rights: The public commitments of international conservation organizations

AbstractTo ensure the protection of both people and nature, conservation practitioners have a responsibility to integrate human rights considerations into their conservation policies and practices. Here, we (i) develop a human rights‐based scoring framework for international conservation organization (NGO) policy commitments and (ii) use this to conduct a gap analysis of policy commitments for nine NGOs, which collectively contribute approximately $1.86 billion USD annually to the global conservation budget.While progress has been made, critical gaps remain in commitments to certain rights and recognizing local groups' rights and knowledge, particularly around social development and decent work, recognitional equity, and commitments to implement human rights‐based approach principles. Given the influence of these organizations in global public discourse, more comprehensive public commitments to human rights will likely increase compliance with international law, drive organizational change, and help rebuild trust with vulnerable communities.

A study into the current state of Saiga tatarica L. populations with the use of retrospective data

The saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica tatarica L., 1766, S) is a prominent ungulate mammal species inhabiting Central Asia. Over the latter half of the 20th century, saiga populations, including the Volga-Ural (Kazakhstan) population, experienced a continuous decline. However, there was a resurgence in their numbers in the 1980s. This study aims to assess the present status of saiga populations, particularly the Volga-Ural (V-U) population, by analyzing existing retrospective data. Our findings reveal that during the 21st century, the saiga population has increased in two key regions: the Volga-Ural and Betpak-Dala (B) populations. Notably, the Northern-Western Population (NWP) habitat saw a drastic 50-fold decline in population, while other populations decreased by 2.0-5.0 times. Despite this decline, the NWP habitat exhibited higher juvenile saiga yields compared to other regions. The resurgence of saiga populations has been significantly influenced by the support of the Government of Kazakhstan, along with the effective efforts of international wildlife conservation organizations and local community engagement.

Livelihoods and human impacts in Tan Thanh mudflat, Tien Giang Province, Vietnam

Tan Thanh mudflat in Tien Giang Province is one of the important wetlands of the Mekong Delta in Southern Vietnam. International conservation organizations have proposed this area to be an important bird and biodiversity area – IBAs because of the near location to the core of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway of migratory birds and providing feeding habitats for local shorebirds and endangered migratory species such as the Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea). To understand the threats human beings have on this proposed protected wetland, we conducted a study in August 2022 to assess the impacts of local community activities on the area. We used structured interviews with a site survey and mapping as the main methods of the study. The result showed that anthropogenic causes including agrochemical overuse, solid waste pollution, frequent disturbances from clam harvesting activities and illegal wild bird catching to protect cultivated farms, caused adverse impacts on the area. The study also revealed that the local communities have not been fully aware of the responsibility of protecting wild birds and the coastal environment. We suggested that to conserve the wetland successfully, we need to do further studies to fully understand the values of the wetland services to the wild birds and local communities and then engage relevant stakeholders to find solutions for improving public awareness about the importance of the wetland and inclusively protecting the area for sustainable development.

Status of gender equality in ocean research, conservation and management institutions and organisations in Kenya

Gender equality is key to achieving the objectives of the United Nation’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. In patriarchal societies, men’s dominance has long overshadowed women’s participation in science-related fields, including ocean science. The lack of gender-disaggregated data in ocean science has made it difficult to establish the extent of gender bias across institutions and at all levels. Providing baseline data can help to address the difficulty of women accessing employment opportunities in managing coastal and marine resources. This study aims to fill the gap in gender data in ocean science in Kenya by presenting a case study on gender ratios of ocean science professionals in Kenyan research institutions. Data on the gender composition of staff were collected from a range of local to international ocean research, conservation and management organisations situated in Kenya. The results show fewer women were represented in government agencies than in nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and intergovernmental organisations (IGOs). There was also an underrepresentation of women in senior positions, with only two out of nine directors in government agencies being women. The majority of women occupied junior positions. Further research through in-depth interviews will be needed to establish the reasons for the disparities in representation and career advancement.

The Characteristics of the Main Habitats of Goitered Gazelle (Artiodactyla, Bovidae) in Azerbaijan

The goitered gazelle was widely distributed in semi-desert plains and mountain foothills of the country. In historical times the distribution and number of gazelles was depending on alluvial activity of Kura and Araxes Rivers, level of the water in the Caspian Sea, irrigation and cultivation of steppes and semideserts, persecution of the gazelles by numerous tribes and peoples that inhabited this territory etc. By the mid XX century the number of gazelles in Azerbaijan declined catastrophically and was about to be extinct. By common efforts of state and international conservation organizations it was possible to significantly restore the historical range and the number of gazelle population in the country. Our studies covered current and potential gazelle habitats with purpose to find perspective sites for reintroduction. The article is devoted to a description of main habitats of the goitered gazelle in Azerbaijan.

Transboundary conservation and nature states in the Maya Forest: International Relations, challenged

ABSTRACT Transboundary conservation is a strategy developed by international conservation organizations to safeguard biodiversity along and across borders and to enhance peace-building among nation-states and border communities. Currently, there are over 200 transboundary conservation cases worldwide, suggesting that the strategy is a significant yet under-researched area in International Relations. Based on empirical research and mapping, this article examines the relationship between transboundary conservation and international relations in the case of the Maya Forest, which refers to the tropical rainforest borderlands between Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. By analyzing transboundary conservation and its international relations, the article reveals how the strategy reinforces nature states. As a strategic complex composed of heritage sites and biosphere reserves, the Maya Forest is constructed as a shared biocultural landscape. However, national borders are simultaneously fostered by internationally adjoining protected areas to maintain the status quo. In conclusion, this strategy assists in building complex and subtle environmental international relations.

“Take Extinction off Your Plate”: How International Environmental Campaigns Connect Food, Farming, and Fishing to Wildlife Extinction

ABSTRACT The link between current dietary patterns and their adverse impact on the environment is well established. Thus, previous studies have raised concerns that environmental social movement organizations, as social change entrepreneurs, often fail to adequately make food an issue, especially animal-based foods, nor strongly advocate needed solutions, including shifting to plant-based diets. Building upon this, but specifically addressing the biodiversity crisis through a critical animal studies lens, we examine how seven international conservation organizations connect wildlife issues to human food production and consumption. Through a collective action framing analysis of social movement websites, we ascertain in what ways and to what extent these conservation organizations (1) recognize dietary choices, farming, and fishing as drivers of species loss and harm to animals, (2) suggest individual consumer solutions and systemic government and industry solutions (both voluntary and legally-mandated), and (3) appeal to motivational values that are not just anthropocentric, but also ecocentric and biocentric (showing concern for the welfare and rights of individual animals, human and nonhuman). We make strategic recommendations for including biocentric and interspecies justice perspectives in food advocacy messaging of conservation organizations to help stem the tide of mass extinction while cultivating greater respect for all types of animals.

Ranking the direct threats to biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa receives large investments in biodiversity conservation, and if these investments can be concentrated on the highest threats to biodiversity, the benefits to conservation from the investments would increase. Yet there is no available prioritization of the many direct threats to biodiversity to inform organizations developing sub-Saharan or sub-regional conservation strategies. Consequently, regional investments by funders of biodiversity conservation such as international conservation organizations, foundations, and bilateral and multilateral donors may be suboptimal. The objective of this study was to determine what are the highest direct threats to biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa and its sub-regions. To do this, we collected threat data using standardized IUCN threat categories from a Delphi consensus of sub-Saharan Africa biodiversity experts, known threats to IUCN Red-listed sub-Saharan African species, and National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans from 40 sub-Saharan African countries. After averaging the threat ranking from the three sources, the highest threats were: (1) annual and perennial crops (non-timber); (2) fishing and harvesting aquatic resources in marine and freshwater areas; (3) logging and wood harvesting in natural forests; and (4) hunting and collecting terrestrial animals. The highest-ranked sub-regional threats were hunting in Central Africa and agriculture in East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Aligning biodiversity investments to address these threats and tailoring activities to reflect local socio-ecological contexts would increase the conservation of biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa.

Identifying science-policy consensus regions of high biodiversity value and institutional recognition

Under unsustainable rates of global biodiversity loss, there is urgent need to improve area-based conservation interventions and focus on regions with the highest conservation value. Efficient conservation plans require knowledge of the most important biodiversity areas, but several global prioritization maps show incongruent definition of these areas, slowing down global conservation efforts. We developed a framework to systematically identify and combine areas of high biodiversity value from published spatial prioritization maps. We retrieved 63 articles presenting prioritization maps (out of 5137 screened) and grouped these into three separate clusters based on their underlying methodology and input data, using Multivariate Component Analysis and Hierarchical Clustering on Principal Components. By combining these maps, weighted according to their cluster characteristics, we generated a map of scientific-consensus regions with the highest overlap of independently generated biodiversity priorities. We also created a map of policy-consensus, representing regions with the highest potential to attract the interest of the international conservation organizations. While regions with the highest science-policy biodiversity consensus value are mostly located in the tropics, we found several regions in temperate areas. Alarmingly, less than one third of the top-ranked science-policy consensus regions are currently protected. Thus, there is high potential for targeting area-based conservation interventions in regions that represent consensus priorities for biodiversity conservation and have high potential for policy support. Securing these areas should be a strategic priority for implementing the post-2020 Framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, as focusing on other areas will lead to trade-offs among multiple biodiversity objectives.

Participatory Conservation of Sacred Natural Sites: A Study of Haritha Poonkavanam Project of Sabarimala, Kerala, India

Biodiversity and the environment are inextricably linked to human cultural diversity. Traditional cultures have frequently preserved or kept untouched portions of their natural surroundings. Most of these civilizations regard some locations as holy, prohibiting most or all human activities. As evidenced by the sacred mountain environment and sacred vegetation, traditional culture plays an important role in biodiversity conservation. Sacred forests are part of a long-standing practise of protecting certain geographical regions with cultural and religious importance. A number of studies have shown that sacred forests are significant refuges for biological variety, particularly medicinal plants, amid highly anthropogenic environments, in addition to their cultural value. While sacred natural sites have been effective conservation sites in the past, there are various dangers to these ecosystems now, ranging from demands for the use of timber and other forest products to agricultural clearance and general changes in cultural practises as well pilgrimage to these sacred areas. The significance of natural sacred sites, particularly sacred groves, is gaining attention in international conservation organisations such as UNESCO and the IUCN, and has significant implications for the implementation of Article 8j of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which emphasises the utilisation of traditional knowledge and practises for conservation and long-term usage. Keywords: Sacred natural sites, Cultural diversity, Biological diversity, Vana Samrakshana Samithi.

Степень изученности джейрана (Artiodactyla, Bovidae) в Азербайджане

The Goitered gazelle is the only representative of true antelopes’ subfamily in the Caucasus. It was widely distributed in semi-desert plains and mountain foothills of the country. By the mid XX century the number of gazelles in Azerbaijan declined catastrophically and was about to be extinct. By common efforts of state and international conservation organizations it was possible to significantly restore the historical range and the number of gazelle population in the country. The Goitered gazelle is one of the priority species and much attention paid to its conservation and restoration in Azerbaijan. But the ecology of this species is still not studied properly. The article is devoted to a brief overview of the main literary sources concerning various population aspects of gazelle and the level of their study in Azerbaijan.

What Is the Evidence Base Linking Gender with Access to Forests and Use of Forest Resources for Food Security in Low- and Middle-Income Countries? A Systematic Evidence Map

In nearly all parts of the world, an important part of people’s livelihood is derived from natural resources. Gender is considered one of the most important determinants of access and control over forests. It is thought that women and men within households and communities have different opportunities and different roles and responsibilities in relation to forest use. It is probable that when women have equal access to forests, better food security outcomes can be achieved for individuals and households that are dependent on forests for their livelihoods. A systematic evidence map of the evidence base linking gender with access to forests and use of forest resources for food security was undertaken. Ten bibliographic databases and 22 websites of international development and conservation organisations were searched using keywords suggested by stakeholders. Other articles were found by emailing authors and organisations to send potentially relevant publications. 19,500 articles were retrieved from bibliographic databases and 1281 from other sources. After iterative screening, 77 studies were included: 41 focussed on Africa, 22 on Asia, 12 on Latin America, 2 were global. Most indicators of food security measure access to food, measured by total consumption, expenditure, or income. Studies showed strong gender specialisation: commercial access and utilisation of forests and forest products dominated by men, whereas access for subsistence and household consumption is almost exclusively the task of women. Despite the large number of studies reviewed, limitations of the evidence base, including methodological heterogeneity, a dominance of case studies as the study design, and unequal geographical representation in study locations, make it difficult to generalise about the overall importance of gender and its effect on access to and use of forests for food security in developing countries. The critical gaps in the evidence base include geographical representation in primary research and a greater breadth of study designs to assess gender implications of access to forest resources globally.

2019 ATBC Honorary Fellows

In 1963, the Council of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation established the election of Honorary Fellows as “persons of long distinguished service to tropical biology.” This is the highest award given by the Association: To date more than 80 Honorary Fellows from over 15 countries have been elected by the Council. This year, we are fortunate to have two outstanding Fellows. On behalf of The Honorary Fellow Nomination Committee, we present the 2019 Honorary Fellows as follows: Professor Jonah Ratsimbazafy is a renowned Malagasy primatologist who has made substantial contributions to the conservation of Madagascar’s imperiled biodiversity, especially saving iconic, evolutionary unique and endemic Malagasy primates from the brink of extinction, through his research, teaching and outreach activities. His efforts in environmental protection and conservation in Madagascar has been internationally recognized with prestigious awards like the Disney Conservation Hero Award. He has been invited to present seminars worldwide. Professor Ratsimbazafy earned a Ph.D. in Anthropology from SUNY Stony Brook University, New York (2002), and is currently the President of GERP (Groupe d’Etude et de Recherche sur les Primates de Madagascar), an organization that advocates for the conservation of lemurs. He is also a Professor in the Department of Paleontology and Anthropology at the University of Antananarivo and has been a mentor for many young Malagasy anthropologists. He has been a very active researcher and has published more than 90 scientific papers. He has also been an active member of various national and international conservation organizations. He is currently serving as the Vice-Chair of IUCN’s Primate Specialist Group—Madagascar section, and as a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Primatology and the Madagascar Conservation and Development journal. He also served as Co-Chair of the Local Organizing Committee for ATBC 2019 and was one of the keynote speakers (Figure 1). Dr. Goodman received his PhD from the University of Hamburg, Germany. He is a MacArthur Field Biologist on staff for the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and has spent three decades documenting biodiversity in Madagascar as a conservation biologist in residence in collaboration with WWF. His research interests include inventories of poorly known forest areas, description of animals and their natural history in Madagascar. He has written and edited some of the most important books for natural history and biological conservation of fauna and flora in Madagascar, including Natural History of Madagascar (2003), Extinct Madagascar (2014) and most recently, a recent three volume set “Terrestrial Protected Areas of Madagascar” (2019). He has made critical contributions to education and capacity building for conservation biology in Madagascar. He is the founder of the Association Vahatra, a grassroots organization that promotes conservation of native fauna in Madagascar, while training the next generation of biologists and conservation scientists. For these activities, he has been recognized by many awards, including Conservation Leadership Award of WWF (2004), MacArthur Foundation Fellow (2005) and Leopold Prize of the American Society of Mammalogy (2018). He served as a key member of the Scientific Committee of ATBC Annual Meeting in 2019, gave a keynote presentation and was instrumental in securing funding to support the participation of Malagasy students (Figure 2).

Securing a Just Space for Small-Scale Fisheries in the Blue Economy

The vast developmental opportunities offered by the world's coasts and oceans have attracted the attention of governments, private enterprises, philanthropic organizations, and international conservation organizations. High-profile dialogue and policy decisions on the future of the ocean are informed largely by economic and ecological research. Key insights from the social sciences raise concerns for food and nutrition security, livelihoods and social justice, but these have yet to gain traction with investors and the policy discourse on transforming ocean governance. The largest group of ocean-users - women and men who service, fish and trade from small-scale fisheries (SSF) - argue that they have been marginalized from the dialogue between international environmental and economic actors that is determining strategies for the future of the ocean. Blue Economy or Blue Growth initiatives see the ocean as the new economic frontier and imply an alignment with social objectives and SSF concerns. Deeper analysis reveals fundamental differences in ideologies, priorities and approaches. We argue that SSF are being subtly and overtly squeezed for geographic, political and economic space by larger scale economic and environmental conservation interests, jeopardizing the substantial benefits SSF provide through the livelihoods of millions of women and men, for the food security of around four billion consumers globally, and in the developing world, as a key source of micro-nutrients and protein for over a billion low-income consumers. Here, we bring insights from social science and SSF to explore how ocean governance might better account for social dimensions of fisheries.

Conservation in a Crisis: Marine Resource Management Authority and Legitimacy During Political Instability in Madagascar

This study explores how the 2009 political crisis in Madagascar influenced local access to, and claims over, marine resources within marine protected areas. It focuses specifically on how different conservation actors constructed and maintained authority over each protected area. Surveys conducted in 2010 show how community-managed protected areas had a lower incidence of resource use rule infractions during the crisis than state-managed areas. Drawing from in-depth qualitative research conducted from 2009 to 2015, I argue that this occurred due to the discursive framing of 'community authority' over protected areas as well as the social relationships with, and material benefits communities received from, international conservation organisations working in the community-managed areas. In contrast, I argue that state-managed marine protected area rules were transgressed more due to the symbolic and physical ousting of state authority underpinning a fear-based relationship between the state managers and community members. Ultimately, this work points to the importance of understanding how different conservation actors construct and maintain authority over marine resources.

Leading rural land conflict as citizens and leaving it as denizens: Inside forest conservation politics in Burkina Faso

Based on an empirical study of struggles concerning access to land and political inclusion (and exclusion) in the context of a forest conservation project in rural Burkina Faso, this paper analyses environmental politics through the lens of citizenship. In Centre-east Burkina Faso, a peasant resistance to a newly demarcated forest conservation zone turns into an identity and political conflict involving an international conservation organization, the state, decentralized and customary authorities. Based on shared history and residency, a new citizenship of migrants had emerged. These new citizens, finding their given lands within the new forest conservation area, rejected the project-proposed forest boundaries, put forward their citizenship entitlements and engaged in resistance. Eventually they also found themselves in conflict with their polity, lost their claims along with their still-fragile citizenship. Consequently, they were evicted from the forest and labelled as les déguerpis, denied citizenship and became denizens. Beyond confirming the fragile, processual, nature of citizenship these findings also bear theoretical and conceptual implications, challenge the mainstream way environmental politics are analysed and suggest the need to understand political belonging and citizenship as the very basis of environmental struggles.

Factors Affecting Support for Transnational Conservation Targeting Migratory Species

International efforts to protect biodiversity depend on transnational collaboration and on public support for transnational policies to be implemented. Yet, we know little about what may compel citizens to support such transnational conservation efforts. In this paper, we design a lab-in-the-field experiment to explore how different framings and information about support shared across borders affect a citizen's conservation donations. Using a dictator game, we ask for donations from individuals in Denmark, Spain, and Ghana for the protection of natural habitats of the migratory Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus). We focus on citizens from Denmark, Spain and Ghana since these countries lie along the harrier's migratory route. We found that information affects donation behavior, albeit differently in each country. Our Danish and Ghanaian participants contributed more when (1) pre-donation information stressed that transnational collaboration is needed, and (2) they were told that a measure of their group's donation would be forwarded to other participants. In contrast, our Spanish participants donated less overall and were insensitive to the information treatments. The results document large differences across countries in supporting behavior in such transnational conservation settings and could influence how international conservation organizations organize and shape fundraising for their work.

Precious Skin

Abstract Before 2006, otter pelts, the skins of carnivorous mammals from the Lutrinae family, were considered to be among the most precious and sought-after commodities in Tibet, being used for clothing, hats, and cushions. The animal’s flesh and body parts were used as ingredients in Tibetan medicine. However, after the Dalai Lama criticised the use of wild animal furs in 2006 in response to requests from international conservation organisations, most Tibetans not only stopped wearing otter fur, but a significant number of people also set fire to pelts worth thousands of yuan. In this article, by exploring a number of Tibetan religious and historical texts, I discuss the history of otter fur in its broadest context and the change in social values indicated by the cessation of this practice and outline the history of otter fur usage in Tibet, as well as the rise and fall of the material’s trade in the country.

Peace in Colombia is a critical moment for Neotropical connectivity and conservation: Save the northern Andes–Amazon biodiversity bridge

AbstractColombia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world that has historically and is currently experiencing extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation. Here we show how the most extensive region acting as a natural corridor between the Colombian Andes and Amazon biogeographical regions, the Picachos–Tinigua–Sierra de la Macarena–Chiribiquete megacorridor, is being eroded by large‐scale agricultural expansion endangering the maintenance and connection of gene flow and biodiversity exchange. Several phylogenetic studies indicate that the complex dynamics between the Andean highlands and the Amazonian lowlands have strongly influenced the origin and maintenance of Neotropical biodiversity. We appeal for the attention of international conservation and governmental organizations to direct resources and promote projects focused on the preservation and sustainable management of this strategic Andes–Amazon bridge in both protected and unprotected areas. In the current postconflict era, Colombia has a unique opportunity to create a new social and economic paradigm based on long‐term sustainably developed landscapes and more equitable sharing of wealth. We believe improved management and conservation efforts for the Picachos–Tinigua–Macarena–Chiribiquete megacorridor would demonstrate a collective will in helping to achieve this goal.

“We Hold It in Trust”: Global Wildlife Conservation, Africanization, and the End of Empire

AbstractIn the early 1960s, the College of African Wildlife Management opened in northern Tanzania. The institution was designed to lessen the impact of decolonization by training the first generation of African wildlife wardens in the tradition of their European predecessors. The product of racialized narratives about African violence and the growth of international conservation organizations, the college could be understood as a straightforward neocolonial institution designed to perpetuate British and western influence over land and animals in East Africa. In contrast, this paper pays close attention to the circumstances and context of the college's founding, the debates over funding and control, and its institutional culture. These aspects all suggest that African governments sought to use the college as a vehicle for pursuing the Africanization of the civil service and for formalizing a contractual relationship with international organizations about mutual obligations not only to Tanzania's wildlife sector but also the country's political economy. This focus on a conservation institution created in the early days of independence demonstrates that the work of decolonization continued after independence, and that expatriate personnel and culture remained embedded in new nations, informing our narratives of decolonization, conservation, and nationalism.