Community-based conservation

Community-based conservation is a conservation movement that emerged in the 1980s, also in response to escalating protests and subsequent dialogue with local communities affected by international attempts to protect the biodiversity of the earth. These contentions were a reaction against 'top down' conservation practices, imposed by governments or large organisations and perceived as disregarding the interests of local inhabitants,^[1] often based upon the Western idea of nature being separate from culture. The objective of some community-based conservation initiatives is to actively involve some members of local communities in the conservation efforts that affect them, incorporating improvement to their lives while conserving nature through the creation of national parks or wildlife refuges.^[2]

Members of a group involved in Community based grassland conservation

A more radical understanding of 'community conservation' highlights the conservation value of the historically careful, sustainable and in many ways protective interaction of human communities with their natural environments. In this light, Indigenous Peoples and local communities have the capacity of being 'custodians' of their 'territories of life'.^[3] This capacity comes to life depending on a combination of factors, some of which are intrinsic to the communities themselves and others depend on their ecological, economic and political context. In particular, State governments, international agencies and the private sector need to allow and support communities, rather than impeding them in their custodian role. Colonialism, neo-colonialism, economic growth 'at all costs' and perennial war are the true enemies of Nature. Empowered, aware and self-determined communities are her natural allies. The clearest example is offered by the hundreds of community members killed, and the thousands maimed and oppressed, every year, as they try to defend ther environments from extractive and destructive imposed developments.^[4]

History

The conflicts that led to the growth of community-based conservation are indicative of the historical connection between European colonialism and 'classical' (or 'conventional') conservation. The classical 'national park' model of conservation, first established through the creation of Yellowstone National Park in 1872 and Yosemite National Park in 1890, aimed to preserve what European settlers perceived as 'pristine natural wilderness'. This perception largely ignored the widespread anthropogenic changes to these landscapes generated by indigenous land management, and also justified the expulsion of those indigenous peoples.^[5] This 'classical' conservation model created protected areas throughout the many countries, especially in the global South, based on a highly exclusionary model of protectionism, with an estimated 20 million people displaced from their land.^[6]

The conventional conservation model has been prominent for decades^[7] and can still be identified today in some countries of both the Global North and Global South. Only in 1975 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) issued a first statement recognizing that "traditional ways of life" (presumably those of Indigenous Peoples and traditional local communities) are capable of conserving nature.^[8] This was followed by about three decades of field—based struggles, policy debates and publications arguing for and against engaging communities in conservation. Finally, the World Parks Congress in Durban (2003) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Kuala Lumpur (2004) openly recognized that communities had crucial capacities and roles to play in governing protected areas. Several IUCN Resolutions went later into more details and the World Parks Congress in Sydney (2014) enshrined the idea that communities govern and manage their 'conserved areas'-- which possess no less dignity and conservation values than official protected areas. The discovery of 'community conservation' has been described as punctuated by these events^[9] regardless of the fact that only some conservation advocates and practitioners are fully aware of related issues and arguments.

Strategies

One strategy of community-based conservation is co-management or joint management of a protected area. Co-management combines local peoples’ traditional knowledge of the environment with modern scientific knowledge of scientists.^[10][11] This combination of knowledge can lead to increased biodiversity and better management of the protected area.

Building collaborations that promote diversity, inclusivity, and cultural sensitivity enhance institutional and social dynamics. These elements help in managing power dynamics and addressing diverse objectives and perspectives of various stakeholders. Examining partnerships that Foster Diversity, the analysis of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Equator Initiative (EI) projects for integrating biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation, suggests that effective conservation initiatives often involve a range of 10-15 collaborators.^[12] These stakeholders include a combination of local and national NGOs, government entities at different levels, international agencies, and academic institutions. These partners play a role in supporting conservation projects by providing financial support, capacity building, networking opportunities, innovation, technical training, and community health services.

Assessing the role of community participation using a study of community involvement in vegetative-based conservation control sedimentation rates in the Wonogiri Reservoir and surrounding areas published in the Journal of Environment and Earth Science.^[13] Examining the methodology used in research, involved a survey with 300 respondents from five villages in the area of the Wonogiri reservoir. Data collection techniques included questionnaires and Focus Group Discussions. The analysis involved validity tests, reliability tests, multicollinearity tests, correlation tests, T-tests, and F-tests etc. to understand the influence of the five capitals and government incentives on farmers' conservation decisions. The research methodology outlined in the article could serve as a useful guide for conducting similar studies in other regions facing similar environmental challenges. The emphasis on the role of government incentives in motivating public participation in conservation efforts was a community concern in all regions.

Ecological and community impacts

Positive ecological outcomes are evident in areas like the Naibunga Conservancy, Kenya, where community-based conservation efforts were implemented indicating significant ecological benefits such as increased biomass productivity and improved soil nutrient content in conserved areas.^[14] Community impacts include better access to education, healthcare, improved community management, and sustainable use practices, including seasonal grazing zones, as well as food security through distributed resources like meat and firewood.

Relevance in research

Journal article from Journal of Suboptimal Lands titled Community Based Peat Conservation is relevant to researchers interested in environmental conservation, peatland ecosystems, carbon storage, and community involvement in conservation efforts.^[15] It provides valuable insights into the importance of protecting peatlands and engaging local communities in conservation initiatives. Researchers could further explore the effectiveness of community-based conservation strategies, the economic benefits of peatland conservation, and the long-term implications of land degradation on peat ecosystems.

Emerging constraints

The challenges and controversies in horizon scanning reveal a complex landscape of environmental and social issues. With growing violence against environmental human rights defenders and the unpredictability of human migration patterns, the urgency of addressing these issues becomes apparent.^[16] Horizon scanning efforts encountered difficulties in balancing novelty with plausibility, impact, and pervasiveness, particularly concerning topics less familiar to collaborators. Moreover, the under-representation of economic and legal expertise in the collaboration underscores the need for diverse perspectives in assessing emerging trends. Discussions often veered into debates over the nature of identified trends and their potential impact, highlighting the nuanced nature of horizon scanning. Amidst these challenges, the significance of community-based conservation emerges as a multifaceted approach that benefits both nature and people. It underscores the inseparability of conservation efforts from ethical considerations and aims to balance biodiversity conservation with human well-being. Ultimately, community-based conservation stands as a strategy for addressing the interconnected crises facing our planet.

See also

• Community-based management
• Conservation reserves and community reserves of India
• Communal wildlife conservancies in Namibia
• Conservation community
• Indigenous and community conserved area
• Communal Wildlife Conservancies in Namibia