scholarly journals Discourses of Decentralization: Local Participation and Sámi Space for Agency in Norwegian Protected Area Management

2021 ◽  
pp. 61-93
Author(s):  
Elsa Reimerson
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
Protected Area Management ◽  
Local Participation ◽  
Indigenous Lands ◽  
Asymmetrical Power ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Area Management

This chapter analyzes the 2010 reform of Norwegian protected area management, which provided new arenas for influence for the Indigenous Sámi over protected areas on their lands, to explore how discourses of decentralization and participation in nature conservation shape the space for agency of Indigenous peoples. The results show that the discourses governing the reform articulate the relationship between Sámi rights and protected areas in relation to several different concepts, problem representations, and proposed solution, each with potentially different consequences for Sámi participation and influence. The construction of the concept of “participation” in the discourse of protected area management makes it possible to integrate into a system modelled after traditional, centralized organizational structures that prioritize conservation objectives over Sámi rights without fundamentally challenging relationships of power, divisions of responsibilities, or objectives for management. The paper concludes that the Norwegian discourse provides arenas for Sámi influence and participation that could serve as an example for protected area governance and management on Indigenous lands elsewhere, but that the failure to radically reconsider the principal assumptions of protected area discourses risks upholding or reinforcing asymmetrical power relations and colonial stereotypes.

scholarly journals Measuring benefits of protected area management: trends across realms and research gaps for freshwater systems

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1681) ◽  
pp. 20140274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa M. Adams ◽  
Samantha A. Setterfield ◽  
Michael M. Douglas ◽  
Mark J. Kennard ◽  
Keith Ferdinands
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Impact Evaluation ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
National Park ◽  
Protected Area Management ◽  
Time Lags ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Freshwater Systems ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Area Management

Protected areas remain a cornerstone for global conservation. However, their effectiveness at halting biodiversity decline is not fully understood. Studies of protected area benefits have largely focused on measuring their impact on halting deforestation and have neglected to measure the impacts of protected areas on other threats. Evaluations that measure the impact of protected area management require more complex evaluation designs and datasets. This is the case across realms (terrestrial, freshwater, marine), but measuring the impact of protected area management in freshwater systems may be even more difficult owing to the high level of connectivity and potential for threat propagation within systems (e.g. downstream flow of pollution). We review the potential barriers to conducting impact evaluation for protected area management in freshwater systems. We contrast the barriers identified for freshwater systems to terrestrial systems and discuss potential measurable outcomes and confounders associated with protected area management across the two realms. We identify key research gaps in conducting impact evaluation in freshwater systems that relate to three of their major characteristics: variability, connectivity and time lags in outcomes. Lastly, we use Kakadu National Park world heritage area, the largest national park in Australia, as a case study to illustrate the challenges of measuring impacts of protected area management programmes for environmental outcomes in freshwater systems.

scholarly journals The Importance of Partnerships for Effective Protected Area Management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjam de Koning ◽  
Oliver Avramoski
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Protected Area Management ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Clear Vision ◽  
Communications Skills ◽  
To Come ◽  
Area Management

Protected areas work in complex environments in which they have to liaise with governments, scientific and civil society organizations, volunteers, local stakeholders, visitors, and funders. This requires next to thematic expertise on conservation, among others legal, management, financial, administrative and communications skills and capacities. Especially the smaller protected areas struggle to efficiently operate in all these specialized fields and often lack enough in-house capacity and resources. This chapter highlights the lessons learned and evolvement of various forms of partnerships in different countries on different continents (collaborative arrangement in Laos and different formal and informal arrangements in the Western Balkans). Core to the success is to build sufficient capacity within the protected area management authorities so they understand the priorities and the resources needed to fund, manage and implement these priorities. Specialized skills and capacities needed for effective protected area management are limited in most countries and it is inefficient and too expensive to build this capacity in-house. Having a clear vision on what needs to be done and building a strong cooperation between partners through effective communication is the key to success to come to more effective protected area management either on a national, regional or transboundary level.

scholarly journals Hitchhikers’ guide to the legal context of protected area management plans in South Africa

Bothalia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magda Goosen ◽  
Andrew C. Blackmore
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Protected Area Management ◽  
World Heritage Convention ◽  
Legal Context ◽  
The World ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
National Environmental ◽  
Area Management

Background: Although formal protected areas in South Africa date back to the turn of the 19th century, requirements for protected area management plans only became mandatory a century later. Prior to the promulgation of the World Heritage Convention Act 49 in 1999, and subsequently the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act 57 in 2003, requirements for management plans were voluntary, and guidance to the plan’s content was fragmented across an array of international, national and provincial policy instruments.Objectives: As there has been little academic debate on the relevance and content of protected area management plans, an improved understanding of these plans, and the role they play in biodiversity conservation, is required.Method: This article explores the evolution of the management plan, revisiting its historical and current legal context at international and national scales.Results: Despite being the principal legislative framework for management plans, the World Heritage Convention Act and the National Environmental Management Protected Area Act did not consolidate the plethora of management plan requirements, and hence did not bring clarity when these conflicted or were ambiguous.Conclusion: Legal provisions for management plans are highly fragmented. This risks plans not being complete, falling short of the requirement to ensure that protected areas fulfil the purpose for which they were established. A consolidation of relevant provisions, as well as emerging best practices is recommended. This may require the revision of South Africa’s environmental law, to provide greater clarity on the contemporary understanding of the contribution of protected areas to conservation and the well-being of people (viz. the ‘purpose’).

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 Monitoring and Assessment of Protected Areas’ Management Capacities in the Republic of Serbia

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikola Banjac ◽  
Rado Maksimović ◽  
Katarina Dragaš ◽  
Jelena Ivetić
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Protected Area Management ◽  
Management Effectiveness ◽  
Aggregate Function ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Area Management

The necessity to measure the effectiveness of the management of protected areas has been widely recognized. This paper aims to show a realistic state of affairs in protected area management in the Republic of Serbia on the basis of the results of managers’ monitoring and their obligations stipulated by law. It will also answer questions on which form of management is optimal, by means of a proposed assessment model. The research has been performed on a sample of 30 sensu stricto protected areas, managed by 21 different managers. For the purpose of ranking and comparing the degree of protected area management effectiveness, the use of a normalized aggregate function (scoring) has been introduced. Results show that about half of the analyzed protected areas have no adequate management in terms of legally prescribed management criteria, as well as that management effectiveness is related to several external factors. The authors conclude that meeting all criteria stipulated by law, and the existence of professional staff represent fundamental factors for the effective management of protected areas.

scholarly journals Protected Area Governance and Its Influence on Local Perceptions, Attitudes and Collaboration

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 310
Author(s):  
Jesse Sey Ayivor ◽  
Johnie Kodjo Nyametso ◽  
Sandra Ayivor
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Protected Area Management ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Local Perceptions ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Area Management

Globally, protected areas are faced with a myriad of threats emanating principally from anthropogenic drivers, which underpins the importance of the human element in protected area management. Delving into the “exclusive” and “inclusive” approaches to nature conservation discourse, this study explored the extent to which local communities collaborate in the management of protected areas and how the governance regime of these areas influences local perceptions and attitudes. Data for the study were collected through stakeholder interviews, focus group discussions as well as a probe into participating groups’ collective perceptions and opinions on certain key issues. A total of 51 focus group discussions were held in 45 communities involving 630 participants. The analysis was done using qualitative methods and simple case counts to explain levels of acceptance or dislike of issues. The results showed that the objectives of state-managed protected areas, by their nature, tend to exclude humans and negatively influence local perceptions and attitudes. This, in addition to human-wildlife conflicts and high handedness by officials on protected area offenders, affects community collaboration. The study concluded that for protected area management to be effective, effort must be made to positively influence local perceptions and attitudes by promoting “win-win-win” partnerships among all stakeholders.

PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA: A REVIEW

2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan Abdulaziz ◽  
Foziah Johar ◽  
Mohammad Rafee Majid ◽  
Nasiru Idris Medugu
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Developing World ◽  
Protected Area Management ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Management Effectiveness ◽  
International Union ◽  
Hybrid Framework ◽  
Area Management

Nigeria like other countries has experienced rapid increase in number and sizes of protected areas in the last century. As a result, a number of policies, agencies and departments were established to ensure proper protection and management of these areas. To ensure management effectiveness, frequent evaluation is necessary. This paper is a review of relevant literatures on protected area management effectiveness and collaboration in management. The findings of the review indicated that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) framework is the most widely used for assessing management effectiveness of protected areas. However, a limitation of the framework is its deficiency to integrate collaboration and motivation. These factors play vital roles in effective management of protected areas through promoting wildlife conservation particularly in developing world. Therefore, this paper proposes a hybrid framework for evaluating protected area management effectiveness, consisting of the IUCN framework, collaboration and motivation to be used in subsequent assessment of protected areas. 

scholarly journals Quantifying the effects of diverse private protected area management systems on ecosystem properties in a savannah biome, South Africa

Oryx ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew F. Child ◽  
Michael J. S. Peel ◽  
Izak P. J. Smit ◽  
William J. Sutherland
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Protected Area Management ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Ecosystem Properties ◽  
Private Protected Areas ◽  
Management Intensity ◽  
Area Management

AbstractThe effects of management on ecosystem diversity, structure and function must be understood for the sustainable integration of conservation and development. A potential source of experimentation and learning in ecosystem management is the array of private protected areas worldwide. Autonomous management systems can be seen as natural experiments, presenting an opportunity to explore the consequences of manipulating ecosystem properties. By quantifying management diversity and developing an index of management intensity we assessed the ecological correlates of private protected area management within the savannah biome in South Africa. Management intensity is positively correlated with herbivore density, predator density and ecotourism lodge density and negatively with herbivore community heterogeneity, reintroduction success and primary productivity at the local protected area scale. However, these trade-offs are tantamount to functional diversity as different management systems play unique roles in the regional socio-ecological and socio-economic systems, which range from animal production centres high in commercial value to low density areas that may sustain landscape processes. Furthermore, fenced private protected areas are necessary to safeguard rare species that cannot sustain viable populations in altered ecosystems. Thus, when considered at the regional scale, a private protected area network that constitutes a patchwork of management systems will create a coincident conservation and production landscape. We suggest that maintaining management heterogeneity will provide net benefits to biodiversity and potentially galvanize locally sustainable, wildlife-based economies.

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