scholarly journals Aiming for Sustainability and Scalability: Community Engagement in Forest Payment Schemes

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 444
Author(s):  
Laura F. Kowler ◽  
Arun Kumar Pratihast ◽  
Alonso Pérez Ojeda del Arco ◽  
Anne M. Larson ◽  
Christelle Braun ◽  
...  

Community-based forest monitoring is seen as a way both to improve community engagement and participation in national environmental payment schemes and climate mitigation priorities and to implement reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and foster conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+). There is a strong assumption among community-based monitoring advocates that community monitoring is a desirable approach. However, it is unclear why community members would want to participate in their own surveillance or be involved in a program likely to limit livelihood uses of forest areas and possibly even sanction them based on the data provided. This paper explores these issues by examining three communities involved in Peru’s Conditional Direct Transfer Program, in which indigenous communities are compensated for protecting communal forests through various mechanisms, including forest monitoring. The case studies focus specifically on communities that received smartphones and were trained in their use for monitoring. The results affirm the importance that benefits outweigh the costs of local participation to sustain motivation. They also point to key factors supporting the legitimacy of the program, specifically to overcome historical tensions between the state and indigenous communities. These include the nature of engagement by program implementers and the importance of building trust over time.

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (29) ◽  
pp. e2015171118
Author(s):  
Tara Slough ◽  
Jacob Kopas ◽  
Johannes Urpelainen

Despite substantial investments in high-frequency, remote-sensed forest monitoring in the Amazon, early deforestation alerts generated by these systems rarely reach the most directly affected populations in time to deter deforestation. We study a community monitoring program that facilitated transfer of early deforestation alerts from the Global Forest Watch network to indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon and trained and incentivized community members to patrol forests in response to those alerts. The program was randomly assigned to 39 of 76 communities. The results from our analysis suggest that the program reduced tree cover loss, but the estimated effects from the experiment are imprecise: We estimate a reduction of 8.4 ha per community in the first year (95% CI [−19.4, 2.6]) and 3.3 ha in the second year (95% CI: [−13.6, 7.0]) of monitoring. The estimated reductions were largest in communities facing the largest threats. Data from monitoring records and community surveys provide evidence about how the program may affect forest outcomes. Community members perceived that the program’s monitors were new authorities with influence over forest management and that the monitors’ incentivized patrols were substitutes for traditional, unincentivized citizen patrols that suffer from free riding and inhibit timely community detection of and responses to deforestation. Should our findings be replicated elsewhere, they imply that externally facilitated community-based monitoring protocols that combine remote-sensed early deforestation alerts with training and incentives for monitors could contribute to sustainable forest management.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. e051184
Author(s):  
Samantha Streuli ◽  
Najla Ibrahim ◽  
Alia Mohamed ◽  
Manupriya Sharma ◽  
Markie Esmailian ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo combat misinformation, engender trust and increase health literacy, we developed a culturally and linguistically appropriate virtual reality (VR) vaccination education platform using community-engaged approaches within a Somali refugee community.DesignCommunity-based participatory research (CBPR) methods including focus group discussions, interviews, and surveys were conducted with Somali community members and expert advisors to design the educational content. Co-design approaches with community input were employed in a phased approach to develop the VR storyline.Participants60 adult Somali refugees and seven expert advisors who specialise in healthcare, autism research, technology development and community engagement.SettingSomali refugees participated at the offices of a community-based organisation, Somali Family Service, in San Diego, California and online. Expert advisors responded to surveys virtually.ResultsWe find that a CBPR approach can be effectively used for the co-design of a VR educational programme. Additionally, cultural and linguistic sensitivities can be incorporated within a VR educational programme and are essential factors for effective community engagement. Finally, effective VR utilisation requires flexibility so that it can be used among community members with varying levels of health and technology literacy.ConclusionWe describe using community co-design to create a culturally and linguistically sensitive VR experience promoting vaccination within a refugee community. Our approach to VR development incorporated community members at each step of the process. Our methodology is potentially applicable to other populations where cultural sensitivities and language are common health education barriers.


2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1606) ◽  
pp. 3178-3190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Dougill ◽  
Lindsay C. Stringer ◽  
Julia Leventon ◽  
Mike Riddell ◽  
Henri Rueff ◽  
...  

Climate finance investments and international policy are driving new community-based projects incorporating payments for ecosystem services (PES) to simultaneously store carbon and generate livelihood benefits. Most community-based PES (CB-PES) research focuses on forest areas. Rangelands, which store globally significant quantities of carbon and support many of the world's poor, have seen little CB-PES research attention, despite benefitting from several decades of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) projects. Lessons from CBNRM suggest institutional considerations are vital in underpinning the design and implementation of successful community projects. This study uses documentary analysis to explore the institutional characteristics of three African community-based forest projects that seek to deliver carbon-storage and poverty-reduction benefits. Strong existing local institutions, clear land tenure, community control over land management decision-making and up-front, flexible payment schemes are found to be vital. Additionally, we undertake a global review of rangeland CBNRM literature and identify that alongside the lessons learned from forest projects, rangeland CB-PES project design requires specific consideration of project boundaries, benefit distribution, capacity building for community monitoring of carbon storage together with awareness-raising using decision-support tools to display the benefits of carbon-friendly land management. We highlight that institutional analyses must be undertaken alongside improved scientific studies of the carbon cycle to enable links to payment schemes, and for them to contribute to poverty alleviation in rangelands.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Caroline E. Benson ◽  
Jodi Feinberg ◽  
Amani Abdallah ◽  
Terri Lipman

Community engagement is an effective method of preparing nursing students to be influential providers for diverse patient populations. Over the course of the 2016-2017 academic year, volunteer attendance was recorded and a qualitative survey was distributed to evaluate attendance rates and retention of Community Champion volunteers, and to determine factors that contributed to the success and sustainability of the program. There was an 83% attendance rate overall at the community-based initiatives, with the highest attendance rate of 98% amongst initiative leaders. The following themes emerged from the qualitative surveys assessing retention: 1) Self motivation and enthusiasm among community members 2) diverse and interdisciplinary interactions 3) communication and organization and 4) student commitment barriers. Students with the greatest amount of experience with community engagement assumed more responsibility and dedicated the most amount of time to the program. The consistent commitment of volunteers to Community Champions has positively impacted the students’ academic careers and the sustainability of the community partnership. In order to optimize community programming, volunteer reliability, consistency and commitment are necessary.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. Pepa Ambrosio-Albala ◽  
Dr. María Mar Delgado-Serrano

Abstract Many natural resources around the world are managed by indigenous communities that are closely connected to nature and have nature-based livelihoods. These communities are particularly vulnerable to climate change and in need of adaptation strategies. Therefore, understanding how a community that is connected to nature perceives climate change is crucial. Some studies have shown that the capacity to respond to climate change vulnerability might be influenced by the social ties among community members. We used Q methodology to explore and compare climate change perceptions in two indigenous communities in Colombia and Mexico. Both of these communities are characterized by nature-based livelihoods, collective ownership of land, and community-based natural resource management. We analyzed their perception of climate change and nature, their preferred options for adaptation strategies, and the sources of information they trust. The perceptions that emerged were interpreted according to the four worldviews proposed by cultural theory. Overall, this research suggests that perceptions varied across and within local contexts, meaning that different ways of understanding and dealing with climate change coexist within the communities. The results showed that hierarchy and egalitarian worldviews (as described by cultural theory) are more common in both indigenous communities. The history and lived experiences of community-based management for both communities influence preferred adaptation options to cope with climate change.


FACETS ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 592-613
Author(s):  
Jade R. Steel ◽  
William I. Atlas ◽  
Natalie C. Ban ◽  
Kyle Wilson ◽  
Jayda Wilson ◽  
...  

Wild salmon are central to food security, cultural identity, and livelihoods of coastal Indigenous communities. Yet ongoing inequities in governance, declining fish populations, and mixed-stock ocean fisheries may pose challenges for equitable access between Indigenous fishers and other non-Indigenous fishers. We sought to understand current perceptions among Haíłzaqv (Heiltsuk) fishers towards salmon fisheries and their management. We conducted dockside surveys with both Haíłzaqv fishers and sport fishers, and in-depth interviews with Haíłzaqv fishers, community members, and natural resource managers. From these surveys and interviews we quantified satisfaction among both food, social, and ceremonial fishers and visiting recreational fishers with the current salmon fishery and associated social-ecological drivers, and characterized perceptions among Haíłzaqv people of salmon fisheries and management. Second, we synthesized community perceptions of the revitalization of terminal, communally run salmon fisheries within Haíłzaqv territory as a tool for their future salmon management. Finally, we elicited information from Haíłzaqv fishers about the barriers people in their community currently face in accessing salmon fisheries. Our findings suggest that low salmon abundance, increased fishing competition, and high costs associated with participation in marine mixed-stock fisheries currently hinder access and equity for Haíłzaqv fishers. This community-based research can help strengthen local, Indigenous-led management of salmon into the future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Dianelba Valdez ◽  
Hunter Keys ◽  
Keyla Ureña ◽  
Domingo Cabral ◽  
Francisco Camilo ◽  
...  

Community engagement is crucial for public health initiatives, yet it remains an under-studied process within national disease elimination programs. This report shares key lessons learned for community engagement practices during a malaria outbreak response in the Los Tres Brazos neighborhood of urban Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from 2015-2016. In this two-year period, 233 cases of malaria were reported—more than seven times the number of cases (31) reported in the previous two years. The initial outbreak response by the national malaria program emphasized “top-down” interventions such as active surveillance, vector control, and educative talks within the community. Despite a transient reduction in reported cases in mid-2015, transmission resurged at the end of 2015. The program responded by introducing active roles for trained community members that included door-to-door fever screening, testing with rapid diagnostic tests and treatment. Malaria cases declined significantly throughout 2016 and community-based active surveillance infrastructure helped to detect and limit a small episode of transmission in 2017. Results from qualitative research among community members revealed two key factors that facilitated their cooperation with community-based surveillance activities: motivation to help one’s community; and trust among stakeholders (community health workers, their neighbors and other key figures in the community, and malaria program staff and leadership). This experience suggests that community-led interventions and the program’s willingness to learn and adapt under changing circumstances can help control malaria transmission and pave the way for elimination.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (S1) ◽  
pp. 28-28
Author(s):  
Deepthi S. Varma ◽  
Jasmine Mack ◽  
Linda Cottler

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Depression is one of the leading causes of diseases and disability among women of all ages in the United States. Lack of resources to meet one’s daily needs, access to health care, job opportunities, and drug use significantly contribute to depression among women. This paper aimed to explore the determinants of depression among women from a large community-based sample. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: HealthStreet is a community engagement research initiative at the University of Florida that utilizes the community health worker (CHW) model to assess health concerns and conditions of community members and link them to available social and medical services and health research. From October 2011 through December 2016, CHWs assessed 8469 community members from various locations in the community such as grocery stores, bus stops, health fairs, laundromats, and others. Among these 8469 participants contacted and assessed by the CHWs, 4952 (58.5%) were women. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Of the total 8469 participants, 4952 were women and 1839 (37.1%) reported ever having depression. Mean age of women who reported depression was 44.1 years (SD±14.4). Women who were current users of 3 or more drugs were 10 times more likely (95% CI: 5.73, 18.40; OR 10.27) to report depression compared with those who did not currently use any drugs. Those who were food insecure in the past 12 months (95% CI: 1.970, 2.576; OR 2.253) were twice more likely to report depression, while never married (95% CI: 0.576, 0.771; OR 0.666), and currently unemployed (95% CI: 0.535, 0.715; OR 0.619) women were less likely to report depression. Chronic health conditions such as hypertension (41.6% vs. 33.7%), diabetes (14% vs. 10.5%), and cancer (12.1% vs. 8.3%), and comorbid psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety (54.2% vs. 10.8%) and bipolar disorder (23.8% vs. 2.8%) were significantly higher (p<0.001) among women with depression compared with their counterparts. Significantly more women without a history of depression had medical insurance (68.8% vs. 64.3%) as compared with women with depression. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Depression was associated with food insecurity and drug use. The impact of drug use continues to be a major mental health concern among community-based women. Further, these findings emphasize the importance of community engagement programs such as HealthStreet, which utilizes the CHWs’ model to link community members to social and medical services within the community, in improving the mental health of women.


Author(s):  
Christina Wasson

Online archives to preserve and share Indigenous language and culture materials emerged in the 1990s and 2000s. They were, in part, a response to concerns about Indigenous language and culture loss that gained prominence during that time period, both in Indigenous communities and in fields such as anthropology and linguistics. From an Indigenous perspective, language and culture were central to community members’ identities and exercise of sovereignty. The development of online archives was also facilitated by technology advances in the 1990s and 2000s, including more sophisticated online platforms for storing and sharing information, broader access to the internet, and digital recording technologies. Prior to the development of online archives, traditional brick-and-mortar archives had a long history of collecting language and culture materials from Indigenous communities. However, they operated in a colonial context in which their practices contributed to the subjugation of Native peoples. In response, the 1970s and 1980s saw a rise in tribal archivists and Indigenous approaches to managing Indigenous materials and collections. Concerns to treat Indigenous materials appropriately and with respect have continued with the development of online archives. One focus has been Indigenous data sovereignty. Some online archives have focused more on language and some have focused more on cultural heritage. The field of documentary linguistics has been highly active in developing language archives, with a particular concern for endangered languages. For example, Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR), Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures (PARADISEC), Archive of the Indigenous Languages of Latin America (AILLA), and The Language Archive (TLA) all include data from a large number of different languages. A smaller group of anthropologists has engaged with the development of cultural heritage archives. Anthropologists have also critiqued the colonial logics of traditional archives and theorized what a “postcolonial archive” might look like. Some cultural heritage archives have started to enact these new principles. At the same time, Indigenous communities have developed their own community-based archives, often focused on meeting the needs of community members. Although Indigenous community-based archives have generally had a solid understanding of the needs of their users, archives that collect materials from a large number of communities have not always conducted user research. A user-centered design approach to archives was initiated through a 2016 workshop funded by the US National Science Foundation. In addition, there has been a trend to integrate language and culture materials into combined archives. Participatory design may be the most appropriate approach for archive development because it recognizes and honors the sovereignty of the Indigenous peoples whose materials are included in an archive. One example of an ongoing participatory design process for an archive is a collaboration between Christina Wasson’s research team and four Indigenous communities in Northeast India. Language and culture archives offer opportunities for design anthropologists to engage in a more participatory process than is possible in most private sector work. Many archives, museums, and libraries would be open to hiring people with this expertise.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e21-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Maar ◽  
Lisa Boesch ◽  
Sheldon Tobe

Background: The Community Engagement Through Research (CETR) program matches Indigenous communities interested in exploring their own health research questions with NOSM learners seeking experience in health services research, supervised by faculty experienced in community-based participatory research.Methods: Qualitative research was conducted using key informant interviews to examine outcomes of the matching of medical students with Indigenous distributed medical education (DME) communities in NOSM’s distributed curriculum, in particular improvements for capacity for Indigenous health research in Northern Ontario.Results: Interviews showed that community-centred research was appreciated by community, students and faculty and the social accountability aspect was acknowledged.  Students and community members found meaning in the immediate applicability of the research to real community problems and felt inspired by it. The challenges that were identified were mainly related to time and resource constraints, including providing sufficient research training for learners, and the time period required for research ethics board approvals.  Conclusions: The program successfully brought together communities interested in conducting their own health research, with medical students interested in learning about and conducting health research with Indigenous communities. It is therefore an example of successful community based participatory research supporting the social accountability mandate. Challenges are mainly administrative in nature. The program has the potential to be scalable and financially sustainable. 


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