Local Conservationists Research Articles

Sea turtle conservation in São Tomé and Príncipe: Policies, practices, and insights from a community‐based initiative

AbstractUnifying research and conservation objectives with the needs of local populations demands a profound understanding of the field. This perspective provides a brief policy and social‐cultural context for the conservation of endangered sea turtles in São Tomé and Príncipe, Central Africa. It is illustrated by initiatives implemented from the 90s to the 2000s and complemented by a community‐based intervention on Príncipe Island (2010–2014). The intervention focused on awareness‐raising, economic‐alternatives, capacity‐building, and surveillances to deter poaching, collect scientific data, and increase outreach. It contributed to reduce sea turtle exploitation, train local conservationists, and increase awareness to economic alternatives. Securing stakeholders' support is vital for success, and endeavors like this provide a cost‐effective approach, aligning biodiversity conservation strategies with local values and aspirations. Overall, this perspective underscores that failure to collaborate with those involved in wildlife subsistence livelihoods often results in delays and setbacks in reducing exploitation, while modest investments in local stewardship can efficiently improve ecosystems and human well‐being.

Poor convergence between local traditional farmers and conservationists on which species to protect locally

Abstract Locals engaged in traditional farming and possessing traditional ecological knowledge consider certain species worthy of protection, as do official nature conservationists, although the sets of taxa may not be identical. Exploring the relationship between the two sets of taxa could bring many practical benefits, yet the literature on this subject is scarce. For more efficient conservation and better engagement and knowledge co‐production with locals, it is necessary to understand the principles, preferences and worldviews of the two knowledge systems, and the drivers behind the choices of which animal species to protect. We examined which animal species traditional farmers and conservationists wish to protect, and why. We also examined whether there is a correlation between the extent of farmers' ecological knowledge and the number of species they regard as needing protection. In the case of the species that conservationists consider most in need of protection, we also enquired how knowledgeable local farmers are about these species. Our research was carried out in two adjacent protected sites in Central Europe along the Slovenian‐Hungarian border. We conducted 20 structured interviews with traditional farmers at each of the two sites (40 altogether), and 23 with local conservationists. Both conservationists and local farmers predominantly mentioned the protection of species that do not provide a tangible economic benefit to farmers and that show a declining population trend. Local farmers with greater species knowledge did not know significantly more than those with less knowledge about the species to be protected, nor did they list more legally protected species. The preliminary assumption of the conservationists was that the locals knew the species and listed the ones to be protected for essentially functional reasons (e.g. usefulness). By contrast, it was found that many more aspects (e.g. population trends, appearance) also had a significant impact. Once the boundaries between the two knowledge systems are removed, collaboration between the stakeholder groups can facilitate the protection of natural assets and local communities. We consider it the responsibility of conservationists (together with ethnoecologists and other researchers) to ensure that these preferences are properly understood for the benefit of conservation and local communities. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Lost between legislation and application: a critical reading of Czech post-war architectural conservation policies

ABSTRACT Responding to the reality of post-war architecture in Prague, threatened by demolition and harmful reconstruction, this paper employs critical discourse analysis to examine heritage legislations and documented administrative procedures. The Czech context is a relevant case to the international discussion on heritage definition as an example of the establishment of a rigid authorised discourse that turns conservation processes incoherent and self-referential, especially when evaluating post-war architecture. To safeguard post-war heritage, local conservationists have sought legal protection granted by the Act on State Landmark Conservation upon monument designation. However, designation proposals are being halted and declined to inconsistent criteria and evaluation processes. In response, this paper aims to add to the understanding of the Act and its application by revisiting raised arguments on the designation of five cases and detecting patterns in tendencies and attitudes to estimate the impact of communicated values and influences on the process. The analysis confirms the reported issues of the Act and its application. It also highlights the ideological issues at play that have resulted in a prejudiced judgement towards post-war architecture. Recommendations provided are expected to assist conservationists to strategically structure future proposals being aware of these issues and ultimately contribute to post-war heritage conservation.

Exploring attitudes to biodiversity conservation and Half-Earth vision in Nigeria: A preliminary study of community attitudes to conservation in Yankari Game Reserve

In the Half-Earth vision, conservationists, scientists, and policymakers work together with local communities without compromising the interests of wildlife and ecosystems. The vision requires decolonizing nonhuman species through marshaling ecocentric philosophy, animal sentience science, and, crucially, local communities' support. While the studies of community attitudes to wildlife are accumulating, in the context of human-wildlife conflicts, there is a shortage of data on attitudes to the Half-Earth vision in countries with growing human populations and rapidly declining biodiversity, such as Nigeria. This paper aims to address this gap by exploring community attitudes to the Half-Earth vision through a pilot study of Yalwan Bongo and Kafi, the local communities living around Yankari Game Reserve, Bauchi State in Nigeria. This paper is a review of the main issues surrounding Half-Earth, with a preliminary case study that addresses some of these issues. This case study found that community representatives stand open to dialogue with local conservationists based on the mutual benefit of wildlife protection. The surveyed villagers had a greater understanding of particular species than of contributing factors in biodiversity declines, such as growing human populations, climate change, and bushmeat hunting. Educational programs that we recommend are targeted at the empowerment of individual community members to speak against poaching, but also at the development of basic literacy, numeracy, and professional skills to counter poverty and promote family planning.

Discovery of a Pelophylax saharicus (Anura, Ranidae) population in Southern France: a new potentially invasive species of water frogs in Europe

Abstract We report the discovery of a population of the exotic North African Water Frog Pelophylax saharicus around the Etang de Berre, on the Mediterranean coast of France, about 25 km north-west of Marseille. The animals had been originally identified as P. perezi or P. kl. grafi by a combination of acoustic and morphological characters and their true identity was not revealed until three samples from one locality were included in a large-scale genomic work dedicated to the genus Pelophylax. Mitochondrial barcoding of the samples from other areas around Etang de Berre did not detect any native P. perezi or P. kl. grafi and confirmed that P. saharicus has spread to several localities, does reproduce and has been present since 2011 at least. We suggest that dedicated field work is needed as soon as possible to (i) map the extant of P. saharicus’s distribution around the Etang de Berre, (ii) establish if populations of the native P. perezi – kl. grafi system still persist around the Etang de Berre or not and (iii) check if P. saharicus has spread to neighboring areas or not. Depending on the answers to these three questions, local conservationists will need to evaluate the feasibility and relevance of any action to control the spread of this new invasive species and attempt to eradicate it.

The Development and Growth of Non-Governmental Conservation in Peru: Privately and Communally Protected Areas

While legislation for the creation of protected areas in Peru has existed since the 1960s, legislation relating to privately and/or communally protected areas (PCPAs) dates only to the early 2000s, from which point the number of PCPAs has grown rapidly. We examine the growth of PCPAs in Peru, the laws key to their creation, and the actors who have shaped them, highlighting where national-level data obscures local dynamics that have driven or sustained their growth. Combined with ethnographic research in the region of San Martín, we show that while PCPAs have spread through processes of conservation contagion, increasing legal and economic requirements, lack of support, and negative interactions with state agents are discouraging local conservationists. At the same time, the promotion of conservation as an economic opportunity is encouraging foreign interest in developing market-based projects, risking increasing exclusion of local populations and ongoing sustainability of PCPAs in Peru.

Review of Restoration Methods: Pyramids and Temples in Sudan

For future generations, comprehensive pragmatic restoration is very important for preserving and maintaining the nation’s history and heritage monuments. It requires archival documents, rigorous investigation and correct diagnosing of deteriorations before commencing on any restoration interventions. Three case studies from Sudan World Heritage Sites have been selected in order to throw light on pervious restoration problems and the methods employed. Fieldtrips and observations were carried out in addition to interviews with the National Corporation Antiquities and Museum (NCAM) staff and international directors. This article focuses on identifying the methodology needed to alleviate the problems while given more attention in protecting the authenticity aspects of the monuments. The article also seeks to highlight the need for greater awareness of the long-term maintenance of heritage monuments and sites. The study revealed that better awareness and continuous maintenance and capacity building among the local conservationists and leaders could significantly raise the effort to implement authentic restoration and sustaining conservation practice.

Biodiversity, distribution, and conservation status of Pinaceae in Puebla, Mexico

Pinaceae is the most species rich conifer family in Mexico. Here we describe the diversity and geographic distribution of the family in the state of Puebla based on revision of herbarium specimens and field exploration. 572 georeferenced records for 15 species and 1 variety were mapped. These were included in potential distribution models to predict the most species-rich regions in the state and quantify the known species distributions in 10′×10′ (latitudinal×longitudinal) cells. The conservation status of each taxon was evaluated by calculating its area of occupation and conservation category within the state. A species–accumulation curve agreed with the number of taxa employed, suggesting that the family is relatively well sampled. The resulting potential distribution models indicated that the regions of highest predicted diversity in the state correspond well to the actual diversity estimates, although in some sites more species were predicted than were recorded. The Sierra Madre Oriental and the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt were the biogeographic regions with the greatest known and potential richness. Finally, the regional evaluation of conservation status provides relevant information for local conservationists and authorities, given that 12 of the 16 taxa were determined to be at risk.

Psychographic profile affects willingness to pay for ecosystem services provided by Mediterranean high nature value farmland

Our aim was to examine how psychographic profiles affect willingness to pay for ecosystem services in Mediterranean high nature value farmland. We combined psychographic analysis and economic valuation to: i) identify different psychographic profiles based on attitudes towards the economy and environment, rural development and agricultural intensification, food quality and consumption, and agri-environmental policy; and ii) measure the economic value that the psychographic profiles assign to key ecosystem services in different agricultural policy scenarios. We analysed two populations in Spain (the general population and the local residents of the study area). We identified two psychographic profiles in each population focusing on productivist and conservationist attitudes. Respondents in all profiles were highly concerned about forest wildfires, followed by the availability of quality products for those with productivist profiles, the biodiversity maintenance for the general conservationists and a more human-intervened landscape for the local conservationists. The willingness to pay for ecosystem services altogether differed between the psychographic profiles, from 88€ of general productivists to 334€ of local conservationists. We demonstrated that attitudes concerning ecosystem services have a strong influence on their willingness to pay. We argued that psychographic differences should be considered when designing and legitimising EU agri-environmental and conservation policies.

Of Grouse and Golden Eggs: Can Ecosystems Be Managed Within a Species-Based Regulatory Framework?

Declining greater sage-grouse populations are causing concern for the future of this species across the western United States. Major ecosystem issues, including exotic annual grass invasion and conifer encroachment, threaten vast acreages of sagebrush rangeland and are primary threats to sage-grouse. We discuss types of problems facing sage-grouse habitat and argue that complex ecosystem problems may be difficult to address under the Endangered Species Act as currently applied. Some problems, such as anthropogenic development, can be effectively regulated to produce a desired outcome. Other problems that are complex and involve disruption of ecosystem processes cannot be effectively regulated and require ongoing commitment to adaptive management. We believe that historical inertia of the regulatory paradigm is sufficient to skew management toward regulatory mechanisms, even though complex ecosystem problems impact large portions of the sage-grouse range. To overcome this situation, we suggest that the regulatory approach embodied in the Endangered Species Act be expanded to include promoting management trajectories needed to address complex ecosystem problems. This process should begin with state-and-transition models as the basis for a conceptual framework that outlines potential plant communities, their value as sage-grouse habitat, and their ecological status. Desired management trajectories are defined by maintenance of an ecologically resilient state that is of value as sage-grouse habitat, or movement from a less desired to a more desired state. Addressing complex ecosystem problems will involve shifting conservation roles. Under the regulatory approach, programmatic scales define regulatory policies, and local scales focus on implementing those policies. With complex ecosystem problems, programmatic scales empower local conservationists to make decisions necessary to adaptively manage problems. Putting ecosystem management on par with traditional regulatory actions honors obligations to provide regulatory protections while maintaining the capacity of the ecosystem to produce habitat and greatly expands the diversity of stakeholders willing to participate in sage-grouse conservation.

Chasing imaginary leopards: science, witchcraft and the politics of conservation in Zanzibar

The Zanzibar leopard (Panthera pardus adersi) is (was) a little-known subspecies endemic to Unguja island. Rapid population growth and the expansion of farming in the twentieth century destroyed leopard habitat and decimated their natural prey, bringing them into increasing conflict with people. Villagers explained the growing number of attacks on their children and livestock by supposing that the leopards responsible for them were owned by witches and sent by them to do harm. Following the Zanzibar Revolution in 1964, localised efforts to act on this theory culminated in an island-wide leopard eradication and witch-finding campaign, supported by the government. By the 1990s state-subsidised hunting had brought the leopard to the brink of extinction, and most zoologists now presume it to be extinct. However, many islanders believe that leopard keepers are still active in rural Unguja and sightings of leopards continue to be reported. Beguiled by such narratives, visiting researchers and local conservationists have continued to pursue these elusive felids. In this paper we describe and analyse a series of unsuccessful “kept leopard chases”, including abortive calls by government officials for the capture and display of domesticated leopards. These quixotic efforts show no signs of abating, and the underlying conflicts of knowledge and practice remain unresolved, posing a challenge to the theory and practice of conservation not only in Zanzibar but also further afield.

Conservation′s Ambiguities: Rangers on the Periphery of the W Park, Burkina Faso

This article demonstrates the central role of ambiguity in the (re)production process of conservation practice. It argues that some current political economy as well as environmentality approaches to research conservation practice fail to capture the complexity of the lived experience of local conservationists. The article focuses on the multiple identities of rangers in interaction with other residents at the periphery of the W Park in Burkina Faso, as rangers are local conservationists who simultaneously submit to and produce conservation practices. Park rangers are village men who are recruited under the banner of community participation in conservation projects and state forestry. On a day-to-day basis, these rangers help the foresters with the management of the natural resources on the one hand, and guide tourists, especially in the hunting concessions, on the other. They occupy ambiguous positions at the crossroads of conservationist, state, political, economic, spiritual, social, and cultural practices, inherent to their conservation occupations at the lowest echelon, where residents have to transform conservation policies into practices. It is precisely this ambiguity that turns out to ensure the conservation implementation.

<p class="HeadingRunIn"><strong>Brazilian plants urgently needing conservation: the case of <em>Vriesea minarum</em> (Bromeliaceae)</strong></p>

Difficulties in identifying Vriesea minarum as well as a conflict of interest among mining companies and local conservationists are pushing this species towards extinction. Vriesea minarum was categorised as data deficient in the Brazilian official plant red list despite earlier works indicating its vulnerability. This species is restricted to the Iron Quadrangle area, Minas Gerais, Brazil, where it grows over iron rock outcrops. Here we use V. minarum to illustrate the importance of taxonomic investigation as well as the presentation of accurate distributional data in order to establish conservation strategies. We emphasize the importance of well-conserved herbaria collections and adequate type material to avoid taxonomic issues that delay the understanding of species limits. This paper presents taxonomic notes and the redefining of V. minarum based on the survey of 22 herbaria collections and fieldwork. The additional material obtained and a morphometric approach allowed us to better delimit the related taxa. The species V. ouroensis is considered to be a new synonym of V. minarum. A map showing the occurrences of populations of V. minarum, pictures of living specimens in the field, as well as its updated conservation status are provided. Historic records housed in herbaria indicate that this species has been progressively losing its area of occurrence.

Local area farming Plans — a common reality for farmers and conservationists in the Scottish Highlands?

This paper supports the need for new policy developments to produce farm conservation plans specific to local areas. It explores attitudes to land management for conservation and economic goals, and presents views of fanners and local conservationists, who are directly involved in agri‐environmental and farm woodland schemes, in three regions of the Highlands of Scotland. It reviews the current state of Scottish agri‐environmental schemes, and presents results of on‐farm workshops conducted with farmers and conservationists and discusses common management plan approaches for environmental action. It concludes that farmers and conservationists are already considering the advantages of local area planning at a local area level and agree that there should be focus on addressing local site specific issues which take into account both the whole farm and its wider environment.

Marine protected areas for whom? Fisheries, tourism, and solidarity in a Philippine community

The coastal economy of the municipality of Mabini located on the Calumpan Peninsula of Luzon has roots on one coast in the harvest of fish and on the opposite coast in the attraction of dive tourists and other recreationalists from metropolitan Manila. Marine protected areas at the base of the municipality promoted by foreign and local conservationists provide de facto illustrations of integrated coastal management. Social survey results show that MPA management and enforcement policies have both benefited and disappointed fishery and tourism constituencies. To a degree, the inherent economic advantages enjoyed by the tourism sector have marginalized the fishery sector in terms of access and control of the MPAs both sectors helped to establish in the municipality. The viability of MPAs in Mabini will depend on the abilities of leaders and managers to reconcile top-level policies of conservation and economic development with local community aspirations.

The Difficulties and Promise of an Interagency Public Information Campaign for Water Quality Issues

The following case study addresses the difficulties and promise of developing a statewide interagency public information campaign to raise general awareness of water quality issues and governmental programs to address them. Due to only moderate success of voluntary programs to curb nonpoint source pollution, agencies are looking toward information and education programs to motivate the public toward conservation behavior. One of the biggest obstacles in developing an effective information/education program is institutional barriers to interagency cooperation, mirroring difficulties local conservationists encounter in their work to restore and maintain water quality at the watershed level. Cooperation between federal agencies, and resource commitment to public information is necessary at the federal level, as well as state and local levels. Agencies involved to date include the United States Department of Agriculture-Soil Conservation Service; Wisconsin State Departments of Natural Resources, and Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and Administration; University of Wisconsin-Extension; Wisconsin Land Conservation Association.

Back from the brink

In the 1960's three well ordered national parks, Queen Elizabeth, Murchison and Kidepo, existed in Uganda. They enjoyed firm political support, a sound economic basis, and an ecological problem of too many elephants. The 1971 Idi Amin coup led to the fall of tourism and a ruined economy accompanied by a deterioration of law and order. High government officials and security officers sponsored elephant and rhino poaching in national parks. The 1980/81 aerial survey showed that both species declined markedly and that poaching was still in progress. However, efforts by the local conservationists with support from outside bodies especially UNDP and EEC salvaged the situation. The 1982 count proved that the recovery of elephant population is likely if security continues to be guaranteed.

Habitat values and endemicity in the vanishing rain forests of Sri Lanka

TROPICAL forests are among the most seriously threatened terrestrial environments, and while biologists and conservationists argue for preservation, the plunder continues virtually unabated1. In Sri Lanka (Ceylon), for example, the southern rain forests and montane forests contain a rich assemblage of endemic animals, but despite the protestations of the local conservationists, deforestation is rapidly destroying these habitats. One reason for govenment inaction in Sri Lanka, as elsewhere, may be the inability of conservationists to make an objective case for the value or uniqueness of these forests. In this paper, we propose some new approaches to this old problem.