Participation Of Local Actors Research Articles

Land use and land cover change in locally supported wildlife management areas in the Nyerere-Selous ecosystem, Tanzania

ABSTRACT Worldwide, there is conversion of natural habitats to other land cover types. These are explained by changes in land use and climate change. In Tanzania, environmental degradation happens also within and around protected areas. To mitigate the effects, wildlife management areas (WMAs) surrounding the borders of protected areas in Tanzania have been promoted. They are based on the concept of community based natural resources management (CBNRM). These WMAs have attracted adverse attention because there is a lack of active local participation and of equitable benefits for local people. Unsustainable activities have been reported in these areas. To determine the extent of these activities in WMAs in the Nyerere-Selous ecosystem in Southeastern Tanzania, the researchers did a change detection analysis using Landsat images. Analysis showed that the conditions of the vegetation within WMAs were considerably improving. Although almost all other categories of land use/cover had increased, socio-economic activities had decreased by 25% since the establishment of WMAs in 2003. This decrease is a positive sign towards attaining the goals of CBNRM.

Anthropogenic Impact and Ethnographic Study of Flora and Fauna of Silvassa Region

This research study presents a comprehensive investigation into the vegetation, floristic diversity, and anthropogenic influences within the Silvassa region. The study aims to elucidate the distribution patterns of vegetation, document the diverse flora, and understand the intricate relationships between plant species and their environment. Through a combination of participatory observation, data analysis, plant collection, interviews, and mapping, this research offers valuable insights into the botanical and ecological aspects of Silvassa. Both primary and secondary data sources were utilized to gather a holistic understanding of the area's flora and vegetation. The research methodology encompassed participation in local activities, soil property evaluation, and analysis of historical rainfall data, season-based plant collection, and ethnobotanical documentation. Interviews with local inhabitants facilitated the recording of traditional plant uses and local names. Additionally, herbarium specimens were created, rare endemic plants were cataloged, and photographic documentation of plant species and forest environments was undertaken. Group talks, field observations, and semi-structured interviews enriched the data collection process, providing qualitative dimensions to the study. However, certain limitations were acknowledged during the study

Non-optimal impacts of internet expansion on community capacity in rural areas

Population decline and aging have caused various critical problems in rural areas in developed countries, including Japan. Recently, information and communication technology (ICT) has widely spread even in rural areas. International research has been steadily increasing on the relationships between individuals’ internet use, their offline activities, and their sense of community. Previous studies have shown that ICT affects rural communities in a variety of ways such as through social capital, sense of community, place attachment, and residents’ participation in local activities. However, few researchers have examined these impacts in rural Japan, the country with the world’s most aged population and a rich ICT infrastructure. This study examined the impacts of ICT on rural community in Japan with a special focus on community capacity. The result showed that non-internet users engaged in offline local activities more actively and had a higher sense of community than did users. However, the group that actively used the internet for purposes both related and unrelated to the community also engaged most actively in offline local activities and had the highest sense of community. In contrast, the group that used the internet for purposes unrelated to the community (shopping, entertainment, etc.) did not engage in offline local activities and had the least sense of community. This study provides significant insights into how ICT should be introduced into rural areas where the ICT penetration is expected to be higher in the future.

Gender based violence (GBV) coordination in a complex, multi-crisis context: a qualitative case study of Lebanon’s compounded crises (2019–2023)

BackgroundSince 2019 Lebanon has faced multiple compounded crises. Political and social instability, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Beirut Port explosion, alongside the influx of refugees related to the ongoing Syrian conflict, have resulted in a nationwide economic emergency. In the context of the humanitarian response to the Syrian conflict, the UN and government-led gender-based violence (GBV) task force has coordinated the sub-sector since 2012. The compounded crisis, however, created new challenges for GBV coordination and service delivery, which we explore in this paper. We highlight lessons for strengthening GBV coordination in Lebanon and other complex emergencies.MethodsWe conducted 29 remote in-depth interviews, reviewed key policy documents and observed seven GBV task force meetings. We analysed and presented our findings across three key themes: context-relevant and adaptable coordination mechanisms; coordination to support GBV service delivery; and stakeholders’ roles, legitimacy and power.ResultsParallel response frameworks developed to address the multiple crises, created a complex humanitarian architecture within an increasingly challenging operating context, with some perceived inefficiencies. Positively, coordination was integrated under the established government-UN interagency system and the GBV task force maintained GBV sub-sector coordination. The task force was commended for effectively adapting to the evolving context, including working remotely, maintaining essential GBV services, assessing the compounded crises’ impact on programming and adjusting accordingly, and harmonising guidance, tools and approaches. The importance of ensuring a government co-led response was highlighted by both UN and government informants, who pointed to examples where marginalising government leadership compromised coordination effectiveness and sustainability. The participation of local actors had become increasingly important but more difficult, with the impact of the various crises, and remote modalities, challenging service delivery and staff wellbeing.ConclusionExperiences from Lebanon highlight the essential role of government leadership in coordination; the value of investing in local GBV capacity; the significance of effective national, subnational and intersectoral coordination to support service delivery and address cross-cutting GBV issues; the importance of targeted interventions to support marginalised populations; and the need to prioritize the well-being of front-line staff during crisis response. In Lebanon, and other complex crises, donors are encouraged to increase flexible, multiyear funding for GBV coordination and services, while women-led organizations should be at the forefront of recovery efforts, contributing to a more equitable society.

Energy Justice and Territory: Present and Futures of Wind Energy in Brazil

Transitioning towards renewable energy sources is crucial in mitigating climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Global energy consumption is expected to increase 50 % by 2050, meaning one of today’s main challenges is complying with those demands without tampering with the uncertainties of global climate change. To address climate change renewable energy sources are essential and wind power plays a great role in the energy matrix. Brazil is one of the front runners in the energy transition, where wind power has expanded since the early 2000’s. The state of Bahia, in Northeastern Brazil, is currently the region where wind energy is expanding the most. However, conflicts related to territoriality and justice aspects are increasing in the state due to the fast-expanding wind energy sector. This study applies document and content analysis to explore the multiple narratives regarding the wind energy expansion in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Framing theory and theories addressing power struggles and conflicts in relation to the energy transition will guide the analysis of the documents included in the material. Based on the analysis of the Bahian case, this study shows that different actors frame the matter of wind energy expansion differently depending on their positionings. Civil society and local perspectives are not present in policies and decision-making processes, including the planning and installation of wind energy parks in the studied case. The results suggest that inclusion and participation of local actors, stakeholders and the civil society is essential to ensure a just and sustainable transition to clean energy sources.

Local perceptions, opportunities, and challenges of community-based ecotourism in Gazi Bay, Kenya

Community Based Ecotourism (CBET) has the potential to both improve the conservation status of mangrove ecosystems and stimulate local economies. However, these ecotourism initiatives often fail due to a lack of active local participation, poor management and a lack of an appropriate benefit sharing scheme. This paper explores perceptions, opportunities and challenges of community mangrove-based ecotourism in Gazi Bay, Kenya. Data collected from household surveys, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were used to examine local perceptions, challenges and opportunities with respect to their participation in ecotourism as a tool for mangrove conservation. The results obtained indicated that 81.4 % of the Gazi village community was aware of the ecotourism activities being undertaken in the area with 62.8 % acknowledging the socio-economic as well as the environmental impacts of the ecotourism activities. Also, 66.0 % of the local community identified cultural traditions and local skills possessed by the community as having the potential to promote sustainable ecotourism activities in the area. For the design and implementation of any ecotourism venture and the management of mangroves to be sustainable, including that undertaken by the Gazi community, this study recommends prioritising effective local participation and capacity building. In addition, private sector involvement is essential for the mobilisation of resources to further enhance the management and conservation of mangroves in the long-term. The results provide key insights needed not only to improve the design and management of community-led marine conservation initiatives but also for ensuring that optimal conservation benefits are achieved.

Social capital in a time of uncertainty: A case study of COVID-19 in Maharashtra state, India

A novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was reported in India in late January 2020, less than 50 days after the first case was reported in Wuhan, China. Knowingly or unknowingly, almost all aspects of humankind around the world are affected, including physical, mental, and financial aspects. We set out to investigate how local communities take preventive action and have a meaningful role in dealing with these impacts of COVID-19. This community role is absolutely based on trust, regular communication, and social networking among community members. We collected data from India to determine whether the community-level response to COVID-19 during the peak phase of the pandemic (January 1st to February 1st, 2021) depended on the level of social capital. The source of information on COVID-19 is one of the significant issues during the pandemic. People prefer to depend on and trust family members, who represent the only trustworthy source of information irrespective of where they bring the information. In general, regular participation in local activities plays a major role in preventing COVID-19 at the local level.

귀농인의 경제 및 생활 만족도에 영향을 미치는 요인

The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors affecting the satisfaction of urban to rural migrants. The satisfaction of urban to rural migrants was divided into two factors, economic satisfaction and life satisfaction. A nationwide survey of 466 urban to rural migrants was conducted and a seemingly unrelated bivariate ordered probit model was estimated. The results show that the factors affecting economic satisfaction are economic motivation, migration with family, having debt, affinity with neighbors, time to participate in agricultural education, number of participation in local activities, and satisfaction with living expenses. The factors affecting life satisfaction are economic motivation, having debt, number of participation in local activities, satisfaction with living expenses, relationship with neighbors, and family support. The results also indicate that the increase in annual income improves economic and living satisfaction. The results of this study may contribute more implications and useful information to the government’s policy for urban to rural migration.

The participation of local actors in the development of the upstream Oueltana territorial municipalities, Azilal province (Morocco)

Participation has emerged as a form of development that has taken an important place in the official options of most countries. This trend has been especially reinforced with the disengagement of the State and the emergence of civil society as a development actor. The economic and social development of local communities is a major mission entrusted to them by the new charter. But the question we are asking ourselves is the following: is the community able to achieve such development on its own and without the contribution of other stakeholders? All the stakeholders in situ, such as local representatives, local authorities, civil servants, local population and entrepreneurs are supposed to contribute their part in order to achieve such development projects. Understanding the clauses of the participation of actors in development projects as well as the other actions carried out by the upstream municipalities of Oueltana (Azilal province, Morocco) enables us have a deep insight into the context and framework within which actors’ communication takes place. More interestingly, such understanding helps have a view about the types of relations that these actors hold among each other. In doing so, we could easily identify the scope of future mobilization and accountability actions so that they can finally follow the territorial development process.

Overcoming the Challenges of Sustainable Family Agriculture in Southern Brazil: Contributions to the 2030 Agenda

Concerning sustainability and food production, efforts are made by social, political, and environmental actors to enact changes in production and consumption patterns and adopt new management models and instruments. Hunger, waste, poor distribution of food, and low diversity affect many countries, and small family farmers are abandoning their activities due to the challenges which minimize the possibilities of contemplating SDG 12. Local production and SDG 12 favor access to safe and cheaper food, thereby encouraging food security and minimizing food waste. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with the participation of local actors in 16 municipalities in southern Brazil. The study took a qualitative research approach and content analysis was used as a mode of investigation. It was then possible to provide assistance to the decision-making process of local and regional public authorities in terms of development to support sustainable production and consumption. This study highlights the contribution of family agriculture to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), specifically SDG 12. The study presents guidelines and means of implementation for a more sustainable family agriculture, as well as attributes to the challenges of the sector. With this approach, it was possible to connect the problem with the solutions, classifying them by thematic axes.

FORMALIZING ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE GOLD MINING IN GHANA: THE SEARCH FOR A WORKABLE PATHWAY

Purpose –– This paper examines the process of finding an alternative pathway(s) that minimizes the environmental damage and health risks of Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASGM), while enhancing its socio-economic benefits for the country as a whole. Methods –– The study relied mainly on secondary data sources in journals, books, legislation and laws as well as policy documents, and the media reportage. Findings –– Findings from the study show the need for a tripartite arrangement comprising of a reformed legal and institutional regime underpinning ASGM, a decentralized framework that hinges on community ownership of concessions and operations, supported by government; and active involvement of local assemblies, chiefs and the local people to monitor operations together with state agencies. Conclusion/Recommendation –– The study envisages that benefits of formalizing the industry would be achieved with active local participation and strict supervision of mining operations by both national and local actors. This will bring sanity to the industry and minimize the knee-jerk reactions always used to address the challenges of the sub- sector. It is concluded that, the country stands to gain in both short- and long-terms if the formalization process is done in an inclusive manner.

Implementing bottom-up governance through granting legal rights to rivers: a case study of the Whanganui River, Aotearoa New Zealand

ABSTRACT In the context of water management, designing and implementing bottom-up governance regimes that are more sensitive to local knowledge and provide for the direct participation of local actors is of growing interest. Mechanisms that facilitate the successful devolution of authority to local actors remain a challenge, however. This article seeks to understand whether the ‘Rights of Nature’ approach could be a used as a mechanism for transferring decision-making responsibility to local actors. A case study of the Whanganui River, Aotearoa New Zealand, suggests that granting legal rights to nature does help foster more bottom-up governance by using the social norms, customs, traditions, beliefs, and values of individuals within the community to shape the decision-making framework. The analysis highlights the role that local beliefs and customs play in enabling the transfer of decision-making responsibility to lower levels of an institutional arrangement when implementing the ‘Rights of Nature’ approach.

Territorial governance for the sustainable development of Peru

The objective of this article is to analyze territorial governance as a fundamental axis for the sustainable development of peoples, as well as the participation of the State, society and the business sector in the context of public policies. The research is conceived under the qualitative-interpretive approach supported by the theory based on the bibliographic review; The following steps were carried out: first, the delimitation and categorization of the research was carried out, and the central research question was formulated, in the second instance, the information search was carried out through indexed journals in recognized databases; Finally, the content of the article was developed under the interpretive paradigm. It is concluded that, in Peru, the efficiency in the implementation of public policies is still limited. Social programs have been implemented that have not contributed to social development, showing that public management needs to be flexible, creative and efficient, with the participation of local actors, and that development requires from these actors a vision of the future with modern thoughts that promote prospective practice and continuous learning.

Food networks in migrant families: mixed methods to analyze the relationship of ingredients and food consumption strategies in Argentina

ABSTRACT This paper presents an analysis of food practice and representations of a particular migration process of rural families in South America that has moved, during the last 30 years, from Central Andean uplands to suburb lowlands in the Southern metropolitan area of Buenos Aires (Argentina). We implemented a mixed methods strategy, combining a qualitative methodology with an ethnographic perspective (including participation in local activities within both areas of interest), a quantitative approach (including database analysis with dish information), and social network analysis, which allowed us to formalize the links between ingredients, territories, local memories, and the importance of food sovereignty as well as collective identity in the context of migration. The results allowed us to identify: a) ingredient replacement in the original territory, due to the incorporation of food industry, modifying both the products consumed and the time dedicated to these activities; b) ingredient replacement in the destination territory, given the lack of access to most of the required elements to recreate family food; c) food alliances established between Jujuy migrant families and other Central Andean migrant populations; and d) the importance of a subset of ingredients and species that families try to hold in both territories.

Watching Together: Local Media and Rural Civic Engagement*

AbstractCivic engagement involves active participation in political and nonpolitical contexts in one's community. Research consistently demonstrates that sociodemographic factors, neighborhood context, community size, and media use are all important antecedents of robust civic engagement. This paper focuses on the intersection between these latter two factors. My paper draws on multiple streams of research in the rural sociology and communication literature to develop a theoretical framework where rural individuals' use of local media promotes greater civic engagement. Using data from the 2018 Local News Survey, results show that the use of local newspapers and online news websites for local news and information leads to a higher probability of participation in local activities and local groups in one's community. However, results also show that getting local news and information from traditional formats such as local TV stations may no longer be associated with an increased probability of being an active citizen in rural communities.

Civil Participation-Driven Social Capitalization-Enabled Resilience Cycle for Community-based Tourism

Community-based tourism (CBT) is flourishing in Thailand, partly credited to the active local participation and engagement-driven national policies that aim to stimulate effective uses of local resources and destination attributes for income-earning and sustainable socio-cultural and ecological development. Against this policy-grassroot synergistic backdrop and given the scare literature on the civil roles in CBT, this study examines the civil participation as an important social capitalization bridge to enable and thrust the community development and organization towards realizing CBT potentials while creating positive impacts on the economics, cultural, social and environmental domains of sustainability. In particular, a civil participation-driven social capitalization-enabled resilience cycle model, with a root taken to social capitalization structure of destination management that relates and integrates thestructural andrelational elements, and the cognitive goals, is proposed, as a key conceptual contribution to the extant literature of CBT and tourism, and is empirically supported by the neural network simulations and structural equation modeling (SEM) fitting. The samples were drawn from the agriculture- livelihood based communities who exploit community-based tourism (CBT) to supplement their earnings and help them develop socio-cultural and ecological attitudes and sustainability results. The SEM and the neural network results were well-aligned and cross-supportive, which manifests another domain of contribution in the methodological aspect in social sciences, tourism and hospitality disciplines. The resilience cycle model fit is dynamic in nature, and provides a base for the continuous development of the communities in sustainable manner

El papel del activismo socioambiental de base en la nueva ola del movimiento climático (2018-2020)

Desde final de 2018, la nueva ola de movimientos climáticos a nivel internacional representa una nueva etapa en el activismo ecologista gracias también a la participación de actores locales que se pueden reagrupar bajo el paraguas de experiencias de activismo socioambiental de base. En el presente artículo presentaremos tres elementos que caracterizan este tipo de activismo y que consideramos determinantes en el desarrollo de estrategias frente a la crisis climática: la presencia de apegos al lugar local y global; la priorización de valores altruistas y biosféricos que se refleja en prácticas proambientales; y el carácter prefigurativo de estas prácticas. La propuesta se fundamenta en los resultados de las investigaciones llevadas a cabo en los últimos dos años en que se han estudiado distintas experiencias de activismo socioambiental de base en la Ciudad de México, además de las recientes movilizaciones del movimiento climático mexicano a partir de marzo de 2019.

Social ties, spatial migration paradigm, and mental health among two generations of migrants in China

AbstractDespite emerging literature on the effects of cross‐border ties on international immigration's mental health, research concerning China's internal migrants' mental health remains scarce. After 40 years of China's “one‐child policy,” new‐generation migrants (born after 1980) have been found to have poorer mental health status. With smaller family structures, previous studies found that new‐generation migrants are more likely to be affected by migration‐related stresses, with social ties having mixed effects on their mental health. In this paper, we examine the effects of local ties (in host cities) and trans‐local ties (in the migrants' original home location) on China's rural and urban migrants' mental health by using a national‐level survey data comprising N = 16,000 participants. We focus on whether these relationships vary among the four categories of migrants—grouped according to their place of origin and date of birth. The study results show that both local and trans‐local “kinship” ties have positive effects on migrants' mental health, whereas participation in organisation or activities have negative effects. In addition, new‐generation migrants were found to have relatively poor mental health, being more easily affected by trans‐local kinship ties. Moreover, participation in local activities had more significant adverse influence on interprovincial floating migrants, who had poorer mental health than the intraprovincial group. The study deciphered underlying negative health consequences attributed to the one‐child policy and calls for intraprovincial mobility with local urbanisation. The study concludes that social integration of new‐generation migrants can act as a protective intervention aimed at enhancing the mental capital of Chinese cities.

Environmental governance and conservation. Experiences in two natural protected areas of Mexico and Costa Rica

ABSTRACT Natural protected areas are recognized as key to the conservation of biodiversity and to face deforestation. Their effectiveness requires both an integrated model and the social participation of local actors. The present study analyzes the deforestation process and its relationship with governance at the Sierra de la Abra Tanchipa Biosphere Reserve (RBSAT), Mexico, and Piedras Blancas National Park (PNPB), Costa Rica. Spatial analysis and participatory methodologies were applied in this study. Over 20 years, 37 ha were deforested in the RBSAT and 396 ha in the PNPB. Cooperation between local actors and institutions, a higher level of governance and empowerment, explains the low deforestation. Land tenure insecurity, unfinished demarcation, and weak governance are the principal threats. A management scheme combining environmental governance, the capacity for institutional management, and international cooperation would be an appropriate model for protected areas.

Experiences and challenges in collecting survey data in an ethnically diverse social housing area

Abstract Socio-economically disadvantaged groups are characterised by a higher burden of disease than the background population. Paradoxically, they are often underrepresented in health research. Failing to include socio-economically disadvantaged groups in research impairs the ability to address the social mechanisms creating health disparities. The study describes how we have tried to accommodate identified challenges from the literature in conducting a questionnaire survey in a socio-economically deprived and ethnically diverse social housing area, and which new challenges we identified. The survey is planned before, during and after the structural changes take place. Through innovative approaches, we sought to accommodate identified barriers to reaching participants. The questionnaire was translated from Danish to the seven most prevalent languages in the area, based on data from the national register. A survey corps of native speaking interviewers went door-to-door to perform face-to-face interviews. To encourage participation, we used a recruitment strategy inspired by ethnographic data collection traditions, such as local presence, participation in local activities, and graphic facilitation on invitation letters. Wave 1 and 2 had a response rate of 35% (N = 209) and 22% (N = 132), respectively. 79 respondents participated in both waves. Despite our efforts to accommodate identified challenges such as language, illiteracy, and mistrust, the response rates are low. We identified new challenges in recruiting participants including participation fatigue, frustration with the restructure process, and a feeling of limited individual gain from participation. Many challenges are associated with conducting research among socio-economically disadvantaged groups. Documenting processes and learning from experiences are important steps in including groups with lower socio-economic status in health research in order to address the underlying social mechanisms creating health disparities.