Reply: Protected areas and property rights in Thailand

1999 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER VANDERGEEST
Keyword(s):  
Property Rights ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Common Property ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Local People ◽  
Nature Protection ◽  
Buffer Zones

Dearden et al . (1998) have suggested that my arguments for backing away from zealously pursuing the expansion of protected areas in Thailand (Vandergeest 1996) means giving benefits to local people with no consideration for the wider community or future generations. Let me begin my response by reminding readers of my central argument: that the driving force behind the rapid expansion of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in Thailand was primarily the forest department's need to find new ways of controlling territory and legitimizing budget allocations, rather than nature protection per se. This bureaucratic need was the outcome of widespread occupation of reserve forests, due to both reservation of occupied areas and new migration into demarcated reserved forests, as well as the 1989 ban on legal logging in Thailand. In its rush to convert reserve forest to protected area status, the forest department demarcated as national parks and wildlife sanctuaries many areas occupied and used by local people, producing a situation in which most protected areas in Thailand are surrounded or partially occupied by an alienated local population who feel that their legitimate property rights have been appropriated. The rapid expansion of protected areas in Thailand is thus hardly something that the international conservation community should be celebrating. Nor will ongoing problems with local people be fundamentally resolved through development projects, buffer zones, and participatory conservation alone, although these kinds of projects often have important benefits. I suggested that a more appropriate direction would be to degazette and allocate to households land clearly claimed and occupied by rural households, which I estimate to be about 20% of protected areas. I also suggested that some land gazetted as protected area could be managed as common property, and that conservation could be much more aggressively pursued outside of protected areas.

Property rights in protected areas: obstacles to community involvement as a solution in Thailand

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Vandergeest
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Community Forest ◽  
Buffer Zones ◽  
Rural People ◽  
Community Property ◽  
Forest Tenure ◽  
The Government

SummaryConflicts between local people and managers of protected areas (PAs) have often undermined conservation goals in Asia. Since the 1970s, conservation planners have tried to address these problems by incorporating rural development into PA planning. More recently, many conservationists have argued for increasing community involvement in PA management, and for allowing traditional resource uses inside PAs. Based on research in Thailand I make three arguments regarding obstacles to implementing the new approach.In Thailand, laws governing Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks enacted in the early 1960s were premised on the idea that human use and nature preservation were incompatible. Rapid expansion of these PAs in recent years has produced endemic conflict with rural people claiming resources inside PAs. To address this problem, the Thai Royal Forestry Department has cooperated with NGOs providing development assistance to rural people living in buffer zones outside of some PAs. I argue that this approach has met limited success because the main source of conflict is not poverty but claims on resources inside PAs.The second argument is that the Forestry Department has resisted changes to laws making local use inside PAs illegal because these laws are important for consolidating the Department's control over territory and in justifying increasing budgetary allocations. In addition, by redefining itself as an organization devoted to strict defence of forests, the Department has obtained the support of many urban environmentalists. The third argument is that the community forest approach taken by a recent draft Community Forest Bill is an important first step in that it implicitly recognizes community property. At the same time, this approach will also fail to address key problems because it is based on a notion of the traditional village, and does not allow for the commercial nature of rural forest use or the household-based nature of forest tenure.I suggest that the new expansion of PAs be halted, that land claimed by rural households be taken out of PAs, and that the government recognize community management rights in areas that remain classified as protected. More generally, the goals of conservation would be better achieved by replacing an approach based on the rapid expansion of PAs with one promoting conservation outside PAs.

scholarly journals Protecting Nature and Displacing People

Refuge ◽  
1997 ◽  
pp. 28-31
Author(s):  
Peter Vandergeest
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Local People ◽  
Rural Populations ◽  
Environmental Groups ◽  
Nature Protection ◽  
The World ◽  
Displacement Effects

We usually think that national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and other areas reserved for the protection of nature are good things but the displacement effects of protected areas have made them highly controversial in many parts of the world. However, many environmental groups see an expanded protected areas system as central to the preservation of both biodiversity and the "charismatic megafauna" which are the basis of their funding drives. Based on a discussion of the historical roots of protected areas, the globalization of nature protection and local people in conservation, this article offers alternatives to the displacement of rural populations in the name of nature conservation.

Protected Areas: offering security to whom, when and where?

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALICE B. KELLY ◽  
A. CLARE GUPTA
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Context ◽  
Term Management ◽  
Over Time

SUMMARYThis study considers the issue of security in the context of protected areas in Cameroon and Botswana. Though the literature on issues of security and well-being in relation to protected areas is extensive, there has been less discussion of how and in what ways these impacts and relationships can change over time, vary with space and differ across spatial scales. Looking at two very different historical trajectories, this study considers the heterogeneity of the security landscapes created by Waza and Chobe protected areas over time and space. This study finds that conservation measures that various subsets of the local population once considered to be ‘bad’ (e.g. violent, exclusionary protected area creation) may be construed as ‘good’ at different historical moments and geographical areas. Similarly, complacency or resignation to the presence of a park can be reversed by changing environmental conditions. Changes in the ways security (material and otherwise) has fluctuated within these two protected areas has implications for the long-term management and funding strategies of newly created and already existing protected areas today. This study suggests that parks must be adaptively managed not only for changing ecological conditions, but also for shifts in a protected area's social, political and economic context.

scholarly journals Συμμετοχική και προσαρμοζόμενη διαχείριση

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Βασιλική Κλεφτογιάννη
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Local People ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Environmental Pressures ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
Primary Sector ◽  
Management Policies

The aim of this study was to examine the applicability of successful participatory and adaptive management in the protected area of Axios-Loudias-Aliakmonas estuaries, based on local people‟s perceptions in relation to protection, as well as on main elements considered to be critical for successful participatory processes. Participatory and adaptive management of protected areas includes involvement of stakeholders in decision making and the ability to adjust management policies to emerging needs, associated with complex and dynamic socio-natural systems. The area of the Axios-Loudias-Aliakmonas estuaries is protected under national, European and international environmental legislation. Simultaneously, the area is one of the most dynamic agro-ecosystems of Greece. Agriculture and fishing/mussel culture are well-developed activities of the primary sector of economy resulting in a number of environmental pressures on the protected area. Until recently, there was no substantial institutional protection of the area. The Common Ministerial Decision designating the area protected, pending for several years, was finally published in 2009. This delay was considered associated with reactions of the local people to potential restrictions imposed on their professional activities. The first part of this study attempts to record perceptions of the local population regarding important issues related with the protected area and explore how they are influenced by age and education of respondents, their economic dependence on it and distance of their residence from its borders. Using a questionnaire, the survey was conducted to a total sample of 822 respondents. The first part reveals a strong spatial variation in the views of local people, which requires special management policies. In general, a positive attitude towards protection was recorded, although there was a part of respondents that expressed negative attitude to protection, associated exclusively with economic interests. This study coincided with a pilot application of adaptive management in the area by the Managing Authority of Axios-Loudias-Aliakmonas estuaries. The Managing Authority applied an evaluating method of the main environmental threats to the area by a group of experts. Given the absence of stakeholders of the primary sector from this process, we decided to explore their views regarding threats by applying a similar approach. To this aim, ten focus groups were formed, seven representing agricultural cooperatives and three representing fishing cooperatives. The results of the second part show that stakeholders of the primary sector tend to underestimate specific threats related to their professional activities. However, most groups recognized the wetland‟s value; also, in a number of cases, their assessment of threats approached the experts‟ assessment. It appears that the conditions for implementing participatory and adaptive management in the region are generally favorable, provided the effective tackling of issues which incite conflict or impede management efforts. Important among them are the disparity between different regions and the association of professional activity and financial interests with the attitude to protection. Active and effective involvement of major stakeholders in early decision making stages, that is the process of participatory and adaptive management itself, can help in addressing these issues.

scholarly journals ASSESSMENT OF THE VALUE OF PROTECTED AREAS IN SERBIA, ON THE EXAMPLE OF APPLICATION OF PA-BAT METHOD AND TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

2020 ◽  
pp. 285-299
Author(s):  
Milica Dobričić ◽  
◽  
Goran Sekulić ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Special Reference ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Economic Assessment ◽  
Methods Of Evaluation ◽  
Range Of Values

This chapter discusses the importance of evaluating ecosystem services by showcasing the Protected Areas Benefit Assessment Tool (PA-BAT), which has been applied in seven Dinaric Arc countries, and has gathered information on a range of values and benefits that protected areas provide. The PA-BAT results presented here include data for protected areas in Serbia (national parks Tara, Djerdap, Fruška gora and Kopaonik, Landscape of exceptional features of Vlasina and Special Nature Reserve of the Upper Danube) and economic assessment of 22 protected area values with special reference to tourism and recreation. This chapter gives a brief overview of other analyzes and initiatives for assessing the value of ecosystem services related to protected areas in Serbia. This chapter aims to contribute to a better understanding and promotion of the concept of ecosystem services in tourism and other sectors using PA-BAT and other methods of evaluation of protected area services.

scholarly journals Nature protection across countries: Do size and power matter?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Germán Baldi
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Nature Protection ◽  
The Face ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Limited Spectrum ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Effective Growth

AbstractProtected areas are one of the most effective tools for nature conservation. Consequently, almost all countries have agreed to set increasingly demanding goals for the expansion of their protected area systems. However, there is a large disparity among countries, and research on the cultural drivers of differences remains quite unexplored. Here, we explore the relationship between protected extent and a limited spectrum of socio-economic characteristics, making focus on size and power features. Protected areas under strict conservation categories (I to IV, IUCN) were considered for 195 countries, and relationships were modeled by means of LOESS regressions, violin plots, and a random forest ensemble learning method. Larger and more powerful countries (in terms of land area, gross domestic product, or military expenditure) protect less and in relatively smaller units than smaller and less powerful countries. Out of the twenty most extensive countries of the world, only two exceed 10% of protection. This situation is problematic since an effective growth of the global protected area network depends on the willingness of larger and more powerful countries. We propose different hypotheses a posteriori that explain the role of size and power driving protection. These hypotheses involve direct mechanisms (e.g., the persuasive capacity of large countries) or mechanisms that mediate the interactions of some others (e.g., tourism contribution to GDP and insularity). Independently of mechanisms, our results emphasize the conservation responsibilities of large and powerful countries and contribute to envision conservation scenarios in the face of changes in the number and size of countries.

scholarly journals Predicting Attitudes towards Protected Area Management in a Developing Country Context

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 99
Author(s):  
David Mwesigye Tumusiime ◽  
Patrick Byakagaba ◽  
Mnason Tweheyo ◽  
Nelson Turyahabwe
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Protected Area Management ◽  
Local People ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Material Benefits ◽  
Socio Economic Factors ◽  
Area Management

Biodiversity conservation through use of protected areas relies significantly on the attitudes of local adjacent communities. Some studies suggest that attitudes are often shaped by the associated positive and negative externalities and socio-demographic and economic characteristics of local communities living adjacent to protected areas. The current study sought to identify useful predictors of local attitudes towards protected area management. It was conducted at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda where several interventions in form of benefits to improve local people’s attitudes towards the park have been implemented for the last 30 years. The study examined the extent to which these benefits can influence local people’s attitude towards management of the Protected Area (PA). A household survey was conducted among 190 randomly selected respondents and Generalised Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) fitted where the dependent variable was a binary “Good” or “otherwise” response to how the respondent considered own relationship with park management. Socio-economic attributes of the respondents were used as control variables. The importance of cost variables (e.g. crop raiding) was also examined. The study found that only direct and material benefits were consistent predictors of a positive attitude towards management. Non-material and indirect benefits as well as the socio-economic factors and costs did not influence the attitude of local communities towards management. It can be concluded that positive attitude towards protected area management is determined by access to direct and material benefits by local communities and not socio-economic factors or costs incurred. Interventions intended to influence local communities to have a positive attitude towards management ought to emphasize direct and material benefits.

scholarly journals Landscape Changes in Protected Areas in Poland

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 753
Author(s):  
Anna Zbierska
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Nature Protection ◽  
Natura 2000 Network ◽  
Buffer Zones ◽  
Legal Forms

Land-Use Cover Changes (LUCCs) are one of the main problems for the preservation of landscapes and natural biodiversity. Protected Areas (PAs) do not escape this threat. Poland is among the European leaders in terms of the variety of landscapes and the share of an area designated as a protected area. However, as many as 78% of the habitats have poor or bad conservation status based on EEA reports. This article analyzes the LUCCs between 2000 and 2018 in various types of the Polish legal forms of nature protection areas and the European Natura 2000 network within the country. The research material was: the data of Corine Land Cover (CLC), the Central Register of Nature Protection Forms, and high-resolution layers, such as HRL and orthophotos. The results were compiled according to the CLC class and forms of protection. The matrix of transformations showed that the most frequently transformed CLC class was 312 (coniferous forest). It was transformed into class 324 (transitional woodland shrubs). The changes in PAs were usually smaller than in the surrounding buffer zones, which may indicate their effectiveness. The exception was the areas of the European Natura 2000 network. The scale of land-cover flows (LCFs) changed within particular forms of protected areas, though afforestation and deforestation predominating in all area types. National reserves and parks were the most stable in terms of land cover structures. However, human settlements increased around the protected areas, potentially increasing threats to their ecological integrity.

scholarly journals Assessment of losses to the local population due to restrictions on their ownership rights to land and property assets: The case of the Tunkinsky National Park, Russia

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251383
Author(s):  
Lyudmila Maksanova ◽  
Taisiya Bardakhanova ◽  
Natalia Lubsanova ◽  
Darima Budaeva ◽  
Arnold Tulokhonov
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Local Population ◽  
The Social ◽  
Actual Damage ◽  
Ownership Rights ◽  
The Impact

The impact of protected areas on local communities is the subject of intense discussions as part of the implementation of the global ecosystem protection agenda. Conflicts between the interests of environmental protection and the needs of socio-economic development become particularly acute when large areas of land are taken out of economic circulation as a result of organizing protected areas. In this case, there is an urgent need for detailed and reliable information about the social impacts of such land withdrawal on the well-being of the local population. An analysis of the methodological approaches widely presented in the literature, used to assess the social impact of protected areas, testifies to the insufficiency of completed and practically applicable methodological guidelines for the areas with significant restrictions for people who form part of the protected landscape. In this study, we understand the cost estimate of the social impact of national parks on the local population as a quantitative calculation of the losses due to restrictions on their ownership rights to land and property assets. The methodological approach consists in considering the category of losses as a sum total of the actual damage and lost profits. The assessment algorithm includes three stages: systematization of social impacts on citizens, development of indicators and data collection, and calculation of actual damage to the population and lost profits. The assessment is performed using the example of the Tunkinsky National Park located in the Tunkinsky municipal district of the Republic of Buryatia, a region of the Russian Federation, where there are 14 rural settlements with a population of more than 20,000 people. The results of the calculations show that the losses of the rural population due to legal restrictions on the registration of land dealings amount to 170.4 million USD. Taking into account the potential amount of administrative fines and the value of property subject to demolition, the losses amount to 239.2 million USD. It is more than an order of magnitude greater than the amount of own revenues of the Tunkinsky municipal district in 2011–2019. The results obtained demonstrate the real picture of the impact of restrictions on the rights of local people to land within the boundaries of national parks and are useful for developing measures to account for their interests and include protected areas in the socio-economic development of regions. The methodological approach developed by the authors can be used in other national parks, where it is necessary to optimize the policy of improving land use for local residents.

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