scholarly journals Community-based conservation with formal protection provides large collateral benefits to Amazonian migratory waterbirds

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0250022
Author(s):  
João Vitor Campos-Silva ◽  
Carlos A. Peres ◽  
Joseph E. Hawes ◽  
Mark I. Abrahams ◽  
Paulo C. M. Andrade ◽  
...  

Populations of migratory waterbirds are facing dramatic declines worldwide due to illegal hunting, habitat loss and climate change. Conservation strategies to reverse these trends are imperative, especially in tropical developing countries, which almost invariably allocate insufficient levels of investment for environmental protection. Here, we compared the effectiveness of sustainable-use Protected Areas (PAs) and Community-based Conservation (CBC) arrangements for the conservation of migratory waterbirds that breed on seasonal riverine sandy beaches in Brazilian Amazonia. We modeled local population responses of four migratory waterbird species on 155 beaches along a ~1,600 km section of a major tributary of the Amazon, as a function of community enforcement, official protection status, human pressure and landscape features. We show that 21 community-protected beaches within the study area host more than 80% of all sampled birds. Black Skimmers showed the most dramatic response, with breeding numbers 135-fold larger in CBC arrangements compared to beaches with no official protection status. The same pattern was observed for nesting Large-Billed and Yellow-Billed Terns. For the Near Threatened Orinoco Goose, PA status was the strongest predictor of local population size. These dramatic results demonstrate the value of protected refugia, achieved through the concerted action of participating local communities, to support breeding populations of key waterbird species. This highly-effective and low-cost conservation model can potentially be replicated in other regions of the developing world experiencing increasingly intensive exploitation of riverine natural resources.

1998 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
LISA M. CAMPBELL

'Sustainable use' of wildlife resources and 'community based conservation' are two themes recurrent in contemporary statements of wildlife conservation policy, and their use is in response to a perceived 'deep conservation crisis' which has in part arisen from exclusionary and restrictive conservation practices. The extent to which the legal harvest of marine turtle eggs in Ostional, Costa Rica, is an example of sustainable use and community based conservation is evaluated in this paper. Field research using in-depth interviewing and a household questionnaire was undertaken in Ostional during 1994 and 1995, to investigate local perceptions of the egg harvesting project, both positive and negative. Socio-economic benefits from, and legal and administrative structures supporting, the project were found to be fundamental to community support for a limited egg harvest and allowed for community participation in, and control of, resource use. Participation and control were key to local support for conservation of nesting marine turtles and their eggs. Attempts to use wildlife sustainably must be considered on a case by case basis, to account for the biological nature of the wildlife resource and environment in question and for local socio-economic, political and historical conditions. Nevertheless, some of the lessons learned from the attempt to implement sustainable use and community based conservation in Ostional may be more widely generalized, and may help inform other efforts to reconcile wildlife conservation objectives with local development needs.


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 40-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jocelyn Müller ◽  
Iro Dan Guimbo

Although there is a pressing need for conservation in Africa and a push for such actions to be directed by the community, there is still much conflict both in academia and on the ground regarding the success and methods of community-based conservation. Employing key-informant interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation, we look at how one community has perceived the conservation actions in their village, Boumba, Niger, and the neighbouring national park, Park-W. This study examines local perceptions of the goals, priorities and methods of conservation in Park-W and the Boumba region. We demonstrate that while participants expressed positive alignment with perceived conservation goals, they did not agree with conservation priorities and felt strongly against the methods.  Reframing conservation discourse in the terms of sustainable-use or adaptive management may serve to help translate much of the conservation ethic to local realities. We argue that for local conservation to be culturally sustainable, programmers of conservation must engage the community on their own terms, and recognize the value of local perceptions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-65
Author(s):  
Juan José Del Valle Coello

Starting in the 1980’s, an increasing number of international actors have advocated for a change in wildlife and resource conservation strategies, arguing for practices allowing for greater local management in a model known as “community-based conservation.” Focusing on Tanzania, a country known for its expansive wildlife and game reserves, this investigation examines the adoption and implementation of legislation allowing for locally-administered Wildlife Management Areas (WMA’s). This paper first documents the processes motivating the introduction of WMA legislation in Tanzania, then details the legislation’s contents themselves and attempts to evaluate the social and political results as best it can, using a combination of sources including previously conducted research, promotional materials, and NGO publications.Major aspects of legislation include the following: villages themselves choose to enter into WMA agreements with investors; investors collect the revenue and deliver it to the federal government, which in turn distributes it to villages and wildlife conservation programs; and village residents themselves determine how to allocate the revenue they receive. Results have been mixed; while many villages have benefitted from income received from participation in wildlife management, there have also been instances of coercion into participating, disputes between villages regarding WMA practices, and there has been a general lack of transparency in income collection and distribution. Furthermore, it is unclear to what extent recent legislation has actually given a greater degree of control to local government.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-72
Author(s):  
Abigail Mary Moore ◽  
Samliok Ndobe ◽  
Jamaluddin Jompa

The endemic Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) is an Indonesian conservation priority with Endangered species. The goal of this research was to develop a site-based conservation concept appropriate from a bio-ecological viewpoint, based on the unusual characteristics of this species, in particular: (i) mouthbrooder with direct development, leading to reproductively isolated stocks and fine scale genetic structure; (ii) high level of reliance on habitat, in particular symbiosis with benthic animals providing protective micro-habitat. Methods used include review and analysis of published literature and unpublished data, including an analysis using the Marxan spatial planning software. We suggest several policy options and identify research needs, including: (i) base P. kauderni conservation (protection, rehabilitation and sustainable use) on stocks as the basic management unit; (ii) use data on P. kauderni genetic stocks in the zonation of the proposed Banggai Archipelago marine protected area (MPA); (iii) undertake further research to identify stocks/stock boundaries; (iv) apply the "BCF gardens" concept to fine-scale rebuilding of P. kauderni populations and enabling sustainable use through micro-habitat rehabilitation, with a community-based approach supported by a multi-phase scientific research program. The outputs from this study should support efforts towards sustainable management of the Banggai cardinalfish, particularly in the context of strategies to develop and manage an effective sub-national MPA. Keywords genetic stock; habitat/micro-habitat rehabilitation; community-based conservation; marine protected area; Marxan


Bothalia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abubakar Bello ◽  
Sirajo Jamaladdeen ◽  
Muhammad T. Elder ◽  
Samaila S. Yaradua ◽  
Sulaiman S. Kankara ◽  
...  

Background: The loss of biodiversity in Nigeria is escalating alarmingly. However, there is generally a paucity of information as to what taxa are endangered because of a dearth of functioning conservation agencies in Nigeria.Objectives: The aim of this research is to record the endangered medicinal and other economic plant species in the Sudan Savanna vegetation in Katsina and to provide an assessment of the various threats faced by these plants.Method: Medicinal plants were identified through oral interviews with traditional medical practitioners within the study area. Conservation statuses were assessed using a bespoke data collection and assessment form; the data were then evaluated using the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List categories and criteria.Results: A total of 169 species belonging to 62 families were recorded. Of these, 43 taxa were reported to be used for ethnomedicinal practices. It was found that more than half (108) of the 169 species were threatened with extinction and one taxon (Xeroderris stuhlmannii [Taub.] Mendonca Sousa) qualifies as being Extinct locally. Threats recorded include overexploitation (24%), agriculture (15%), deforestation and desertification (12% each), invasive plants (11%), urban residential development (7%) and erosion (6%).Conclusion: Most of the plants are already under threat and require urgent conservation measures. The data point to the critical need for further research into conservation strategies and a more sustainable use of threatened plants. We recommend that the Nigerian government should establish a national Red List agency and ensure effective protected area management and community-based natural resources management.


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