Conservation Strategies, Protected Areas, and Ecotourism in Costa Rica

The overarching goal of this survey was to identify the challenges of ecosystem services assessment and mapping in Russian and Bulgarian mountain protected areas in the context of post-socialist transformations, new conservation paradigms and climate change. The Altai Mountains in Russia and the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria were selected as key mountain territories for comparison due to their similar characteristics: agriculture, forest exploitation, tourism activities, etc. Both in Bulgaria and in Russia, perceptions of the protected areas functioning have been changing, facilitated by global shifts. Thus, the concept of ecosystem services has now been actively introduced in nature and biodiversity conservation policies. Based on WDPA data the emergence of different types of protected areas in Russia and Bulgaria was determined. Key problems of assessment and mapping of ecosystem services in Russian and Bulgarian mountain protected areas were recognised, mainly related to the shortage and quality of baseline data. At the same time, there were also some specifics for the two countries due to their size and national legislation. Like many other mountainous regions in the world, the Rhodopes in Bulgaria and the Altai Mountains in Russia are flagships in the improvement of nature conservation strategies. These regions often participate in a variety of international conservation programmes and are constantly expanding the range of protected areas. It is generally accepted that the Altai Mountains and the Rhodopes are not only centres of biodiversity richness in their countries, but also hotspots of a variety of ecosystem services.

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ANALYZING TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL TRENDS IN MANAGEMENT PLANS OF FEDERAL PROTECTED AREAS IN BRAZIL

Oecologia Australis ◽

10.4257/oeco.2021.2504.05 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (04) ◽

pp. 846-854

Author(s):

Alessandro Ribeiro Morais ◽

◽

Mariana Nascimento Siqueira ◽

Roniel Freitas-Oliveira ◽

Daniel Brito ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Protected Area ◽

Sustainable Use ◽

Management Plan ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Effective Management ◽

Management Plans ◽

Group A ◽

The Creation ◽

Group B

Protected areas are the most frequently used tool for the mitigation of threats to biodiversity. However, without effective management, the creation of new protected areas may be ineffective. In Brazil, protected areas must have both a governing body (consultative or deliberative council) and an official management plan. Here, we analyzed general trends and patterns in the approval of the management plans for Brazilian federal protected areas. We considered all federal protected areas, and compiled data on (i) the year the area was created, (ii) the type of protected area (integral protection vs. sustainable use), (iii) year its management plan was approved, (iv) year in which the management plan was revised after its approval, (v) total area (in hectares), and (vi) the biome in which the area is located. We stablished three groups of protected area: 1) Group A: protected areas created prior to 1979, 2) Group B: protected areas created between 1979 and 1999, and 3) Group C: protected areas created between 2000 to the present time. Finally, we tested whether time for the approval of the management plan suffered a simultaneous effect of the type of biome and type of categories of protected area (strictly protected vs. sustainable use areas). We found 211 (63.17% of the 334) protected areas with management plan. On average, the time taken for the creation and approval of a management plan far exceeds the deadlines (5 yrs.) defined under current Brazilian law. All Brazilian biomes are poorly covered by protected areas with effective management plans, with the highest and lowest value observed in the Pantanal (100%) and Caatinga (46.42%), respectively. Our results suggest that the effectiveness of many federal protected areas in Brazil can be reduced considerably by the lack of a management plan, with deleterious consequences for the country’s principal conservation strategies.

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Expert knowledge assessment of threats and conservation strategies for breeding Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl across Europe

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270920000349 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-18

Author(s):

DARÍO FERNÁNDEZ-BELLON ◽

JOHN LUSBY ◽

JULES BOS ◽

TONIO SCHAUB ◽

ALAN MCCARTHY ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Habitat Management ◽

Expert Knowledge ◽

Prey Availability ◽

Active Management ◽

Conservation Strategy ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Conservation Threats ◽

The Impact ◽

Hen Harrier

Summary Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus and Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus are open-country birds of prey with overlapping distributions. Although both species face similar conservation threats across their ranges, work to date has largely been undertaken at a national scale with few attempts to collate and assess factors relevant to their conservation at an international scale. Here we use an expert knowledge approach to evaluate the impact of conservation threats and the effectiveness of conservation strategies for each species across Europe. We report results of responses to a questionnaire from 23 Hen Harrier experts from nine countries and 12 Short-eared Owl experts from six countries. The majority of responses for both species reported declines in breeding numbers. The perceived impact of threats was broadly similar for both species: ecological factors (predation, extreme weather and prey availability), changes in land use (habitat loss and agricultural intensification) and indirect persecution (accidental nest destruction) were considered to be the greatest threats to breeding Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl. Short-eared Owl experts also highlighted lack of knowledge and difficulties associated with monitoring as a major conservation challenge. Despite broad-scale similarities, geographical variation was also apparent in the perceived importance of conservation threats, with some threats (such as direct persecution, large-scale afforestation or habitat degradation) requiring country-specific actions. Implementation of different conservation strategies also varied between countries, with the designation of protected areas reported as the most widespread conservation strategy adopted, followed by species and habitat management. However, protected areas (including species-specific protected areas) were perceived to be less effective than active management of species and habitats. These findings highlight the overlap between the conservation requirements of these two species, and the need for collaborative international research and conservation approaches that prioritise pro-active conservation strategies subject to continued assessment and with specific conservation goals.

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Protected areas and economic welfare: an impact evaluation of national parks on local workers' wages in Costa Rica

Environment and Development Economics ◽

10.1017/s1355770x14000461 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 283-310 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Juan Robalino ◽

Laura Villalobos

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Protected Areas ◽

National Parks ◽

Impact Evaluation ◽

Individual Level ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Level Data ◽

Pre Treatment ◽

Matching Techniques ◽

Robust Evidence

AbstractThe number of protected areas around the world has significantly increased. However, the effects of this policy on the wellbeing of local households are still under debate. Using pre-treatment characteristics and household surveys with highly disaggregated geographic reference, we explore how national parks affect the wages of local workers in Costa Rica. We use matching techniques to control for the endogenous location of parks. We find that parks' effects on wages are, on average, positive and significant, but the magnitudes vary. Wages close to parks are higher for local workers living near tourist entrances. However, there is no robust evidence of positive effects for those close to parks but far away from tourist entrances. With our individual-level data, we also show that the positive effects on local households might not be as large as suggested by previous studies that use aggregated level data containing both local and immigrant households.

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Review of: Transboundary Protected Areas: The Viability of Regional Conservation Strategies

Mountain Research and Development ◽

10.1659/0276-4741(2004)024[0187:rotpat]2.0.co;2 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 187-187

Author(s):

Lawrence S. Hamilton

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Transboundary Protected Areas ◽

Regional Conservation

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Conservation strategies for Africa's large mammals

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rd01070 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 459 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

J. Hanks

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

National Parks ◽

Economic Value ◽

Sustainable Land Use ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Large Mammals ◽

Isolated Populations ◽

African Mammals ◽

Wide Range

Africa’s large mammals are conserved for their aesthetic, scientific and economic values. Many of these species face a gloomy future precipitated by a combination of factors directly and indirectly influenced by the activities of man, including habitat loss, overexploitation, poor management of designated protected areas, and the vulnerability of small isolated populations. Africa’s designated protected areas and biodiversity hotspots are also under threat, highlighting the importance of embracing community participation to address accelerating poverty and malnutrition. Innovative strategies are required for the conservation of Africa’s mammals, such as the integration of a wide range of species in the production landscape, including the farming community. Transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) have been established with the combined objectives of conserving biodiversity, creating new jobs in the tourism and wildlife industry, and promoting a culture of peace. These areas extend far beyond traditional national parks, providing opportunities for integrating large mammals into sustainable land-use practices, at the same time as addressing some of the continent’s more pressing socioeconomic needs. Research on African mammals will inevitably have to change direction to accommodate the growing threats and changed circumstances. Priorities will include the identification of corridors associated with TFCA establishment, the determination of the economic value of certain species in consumptive use programmes, research on contraception as a management option in restricted areas, and further work on the indirect use value of species. There will also be worthwhile opportunities to be pursued with ex situ conservation programmes, but these need to be focussed more efficiently.

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Cercopithecine and Colobine Abundance Across Protected and Unprotected Land in the Greater Mahale Ecosystem, Western Tanzania

International Journal of Primatology ◽

10.1007/s10764-019-00118-6 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (6) ◽

pp. 687-705 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Edward McLester ◽

Lilian Pintea ◽

Fiona A. Stewart ◽

Alex K. Piel

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Human Activity ◽

Riparian Forest ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Red Colobus ◽

Papio Anubis ◽

Forest Reserves ◽

Black And White ◽

Chlorocebus Pygerythrus ◽

Western Tanzania

AbstractMost primates live in unprotected land where abundances and threats may differ from those in protected areas. We therefore need to establish population densities in both unprotected and protected areas to effectively inform conservation planning. The Greater Mahale Ecosystem in western Tanzania is a region of mixed protected status with seven cercopithecine and colobine species: blue (Cercopithecus mitis doggetti), red-tailed (C. ascanius schmidi), and vervet (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) monkeys; ashy red colobus (Piliocolobus tephrosceles); black-and-white colobus (Colobus angolensis); and olive (Papio anubis) and yellow (P. cynocephalus) baboons. These species may be threatened by increasing human activity; however, except for ashy red colobus, no data on local abundances are available. We walked over 350 km of line transects in legally protected (Village Forest Reserves) and unprotected general land between August 2011 and October 2012 to estimate densities of primates and human activity. Primate densities were consistently low across the Greater Mahale Ecosystem. Blue and red-tailed monkey and ashy red colobus densities were especially low compared to populations in predominantly forested landscapes. Primate and human activity densities did not differ significantly inside and outside of reserves. Low primate densities could be natural responses to the lower proportions and quality of riparian forest habitat in the region. High levels of human activity and the absence of significantly higher primate densities in reserves suggest unprotected land could provide important refuges for primates in the Greater Mahale Ecosystem. This result further reinforces a broad need to include unprotected areas in primate conservation strategies.

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Determinants of local people's attitude toward conservation and the consequential effects on illegal resource harvesting in the protected areas of Sulawesi (Indonesia)

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892909990178 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 157-170 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

TIEN MING LEE ◽

NAVJOT S. SODHI ◽

DEWI M. PRAWIRADILAGA

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Land Rights ◽

Forest Resources ◽

Conservation Education ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Resource Extraction ◽

Mixed Effect ◽

Biodiversity Crisis ◽

Indonesian Archipelago ◽

Conservation Attitudes

SUMMARYThe exploitation of tropical forest resources is a key driver of the current biodiversity crisis, and it is pivotal to understand human attitudes toward conservation and resource harvesting. This paper investigates effects of interactions, perceptions of protected areas (PAs) and sociodemographic variables on conservation attitudes, and the correlates of illegal resource extraction among 660 households from 33 villages bordering eight PAs on Sulawesi (Indonesia). Mixed-effect multiple regression analyses showed that the most important predictors of the support for PAs included the degree of involvement in management, presence/absence of PA-human conflict, perceived sustainability of forest resources and length of residency in Sulawesi. Notably, active participation in community management by transmigrants and the reconciliation of land-rights conflicts for natives may promote favourable conservation attitudes. Ordination and correlation analyses also revealed that the extent of illegal resource harvesting activities, such as hunting and logging, were significantly influenced by a negative conservation attitude and past conflict with PA establishment. Garnering support for PAs through conservation education and resolving land-rights disputes could potentially alleviate illegal resource extraction. The disparity in resource extraction patterns among the villages across all PAs confirms the importance of adopting site-specific conservation strategies that may make PAs across the biologically unique yet critically threatened Indonesian Archipelago more effective.

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