Influence of Tangible Ecosystem Goods Encroachment on Host Community Well-being: A Case of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

The study was set out to investigate how encroachment on ecosystem tangible goods improves the host community well-being. The problem was that over harvesting of the tangible goods resulted in the degradation of the ecosystem and thus affected the quality and quantity of the tangible goods harvested and thus negatively affected the host community's wellbeing. The study had threefold objectives and these were; to describe the ecosystem destruction trends; to determine the driving forces behind the encroachment of the park ecosystems and, to ascertain the different ecosystem tangible goods harvested from the park. The literature of the study focused on local community wellbeing and encroachment as well as the causes of rampant encroachment of the ecosystems both in unprotected areas and in protected areas. The methodology of this study was majorly descriptive and considered the population of 40 households and a sample of 32 households as well the household used as a sampling unit. The results indicated that encroachment on ecosystems occurred and as a result the ecosystem size dwindled over the past three decades. Also, the results revealed that the major cause of this encroachment was scarcity of land and poverty. Whereas the most demanded ecosystem resources were timber and fuel wood. It was concluded that because there was no wellbeing amongst the host community due to poverty and scarcity of land, they were forced to encroach on the ecosystem resources. It was therefore recommended that the park and host community should find mechanisms to empower the host community in order to minimize encroachment rates.

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Food security and livelihoods of post-resettlement households around Kanha National Park

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0243825 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (12) ◽

pp. e0243825

Author(s):

Amrita Neelakantan ◽

Ruth DeFries ◽

Jessica Fanzo

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Protected Areas ◽

National Park ◽

Central India ◽

Well Being ◽

Host Community ◽

Household Level ◽

Forest Dependency

Globally, conservation efforts have moved millions of people out of protected areas since the 1970s, yet quantitative studies on post-resettlement well-being remain a challenge due to poor documentation. Since 2008, the Indian forest department records demographic and financial details at the household level under standardized guidelines for resettlement. Here, we examine the food security of approximately 600 households’ post-resettlement from Kanha National Park (KNP) in central India between 2009 and 2014. We compare food security of resettled households with host community households with a total of 3519 household surveys, conducted over three seasons within one year. We measure food security using food consumption scores (FCSs), coping strategies index (CSI) and household hunger scale (HHS). Food insecurity is widespread in the landscape, with over 80% of households reporting poor or borderline FCSs year-round. Additionally, we recorded food insecurity increases in monsoon for all households regardless of resettlement status. Results indicate that resettled households are comparable to their host community neighbors in FCS and all households use mild coping strategies to combat food insecurity. While widespread, food insecurity in the KNP landscape is not acute with very few (<10) reports of severe hunger (as measured by the HHS). Almost all foods are market bought (>90%) and sometimes supplemented by gathering locally prevalent greens or from kitchen gardens (forest dependency for food was negligible). Accruing assets and diversifying incomes from non-labor avenues would alleviate food insecurity for all households. The patterns of market dependence and food security associated with diversified stable incomes around protected areas is in contrast with many studies but is likely to occur in similar human-dominated landscapes.

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Repenser Le Rôle Des Institutions De Conservation De La Nature À L’ère De La Globalisation En Afrique: À Propos Du Parc National De La Salonga (RDC)

European Scientific Journal ESJ ◽

10.19044/esj.2017.v13n11p92 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 92

Author(s):

Mampeta Wabasa Salomon

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

National Park ◽

Local Community ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Central Africa ◽

The Other ◽

African Countries ◽

Republic Of The Congo ◽

Contemporary Management

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the protectionist conservatism influenced by colonialism, which exploited African countries for the prosperity of the colonizing countries, still has a high visibility in the Salonga National Park (PNS). If, in theory, the Central Africans seem to free themselves from the colonial powers on their land, in practice they are still there. The hostility of settlers who have become neo-colonists to the development of Central Africa remains intact, he adds (Ndinga, 2003). This reflects a "logic from above" that has disregarded local values. Yet, in the era of sustainable development and globalization, African protected areas appear to be essential tools for States to reposition themselves in a complex set of actors with the aim of capturing and using the new environmental rent (Giraut, Guyot, & Houssay-Holzschuch, 2003). This is a "bottom-up logic", placing people at the heart of all activities and aiming to reorganize their long-term relationships with the environment. From these two logics, a third "logic from the other side" emerges, reflecting a collective awareness of the fragility of the planet. The restoration of the rights of Africans in the various national frameworks constitutes a major challenge for the contemporary management of African protected areas. Because the protected areas inherited from the different colonial systems must accompany the change in management methods and the redefinition of their functions in order to better serve the local community in the long-term.

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Conservation narratives and conflicts over protected areas in post-socialist Romania

Journal of Political Ecology ◽

10.2458/v27i1.23481 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 84-104

Author(s):

Marie Louise Aastrup

Keyword(s):

Political Ecology ◽

Protected Areas ◽

National Park ◽

Local Community ◽

Participant Observation ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Governmental Organizations ◽

Non Governmental Organizations ◽

Local Decision ◽

Post Communism

Environmental protection is never a controversy-free endeavor. Conflicts arise over land ownership, use, and access. Political ecologists have paid extensive attention to protected areas, especially in relation to power, rights, and marginalized peoples. This article draws on political ecology to examine a new proposed national park in the context of post-communism and neoliberalization in Romania. Using mixed-methods (semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and participant observation), this research investigates conservation narratives as articulated by different actors (environmental non-governmental organizations, local decision-makers, and local community members) with various levels of involvement in the proposed national park. Three chief narratives can be observed pertaining to tourism, restrictions, and deforestation. These narratives are embedded in the history and socio-economic context of the area, but also reveal the agendas of different actors regarding landscape values. Assessing these narratives, this research reveals how actors position themselves and the points of contention among the different actors in the brewing conflict that the national park represents.Keywords: Political ecology, conservation, conflict, power

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African Biomes

Ecology ◽

10.1093/obo/9780199830060-0112 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Anthony R.E. Sinclair ◽

Rene L. Beyers

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

National Park ◽

Human Impacts ◽

Niche Partitioning ◽

Central Africa ◽

Ecosystem Dynamics ◽

Human Populations ◽

Vegetation Types ◽

North West ◽

The Past

Africa has a great diversity of environmental conditions. It is bisected by the equator so that the seasons are six months out of phase north and south of it. There are tropical forests on the west side as well as in the center of the continent. In roughly concentric rings out from the forest, there are progressively drier vegetation types from woodland, savanna, and grassland to desert. There are several major rivers flowing north, west, and east. Africa has also been the center of evolution of many large mammal groups. It has a high diversity of birds and insects. It is also the origin of the human species, and humans have influenced and modified the landscape for hundreds of thousands of years. Humans evolved there over the past four million years. The environment and the biomes that result from it in turn shaped the evolution of humans. Over the Pleistocene (past two million years), the environment swung from warm and wet to cool and dry several times, and consequently the biomes changed in extent from continuous forest (that stretched from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean) to dry savanna and desert with only small patches of forest in West and Central Africa. These changes that were connected to the ice ages of temperate regions affected human populations. In the past millennium, human numbers have increased and migrations have moved peoples southward through the forests of Central Africa and into eastern and southern Africa. These movements have modified the biomes through grazing pressures on grasslands and agriculture in savanna. In the 20th century, forests were modified through deforestation. Wildlife conservation and ecotourism are prominent in Africa. There are several large protected areas especially in eastern and southern savanna Africa, with some less-known areas of forest reserves. Scientific studies on these protected areas over several decades describe the biology and ecosystem dynamics perhaps better than any other continent. There are scientific syntheses on the Kruger National Park, South Africa, and the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Both highlight how the whole ecosystem changes over time with climate change, human population increases, disease outbreaks, and other disturbances. The following sections first cover the vegetation types that are called Biomes; two abiotic environmental factors, climate and fire (Climate Variability and Patterns of Drought and Fire); prominent animal groups characteristic of Africa (Large Mammals, Primates, and Birds); dominant processes such as herbivory, predation, niche partitioning, facilitation, and migration (Herbivory, Predators and Predation, Niche Partitioning, Facilitation, and Migrations); and finally the expansion of human impacts on biomes and the related aspects of traditional livelihoods and conservation (Traditional Human Livelihoods and Conservation). Social and political history also modify human impacts but are not covered in this review.

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Perceptions of safety among visitors to China: feeling safe in an unfamiliar environment

Safer Communities ◽

10.1108/sc-03-2020-0011 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Yongguang Zou ◽

Rob I. Mawby

Keyword(s):

Fear Of Crime ◽

Local Community ◽

Well Being ◽

Host Community ◽

Content Type ◽

Safety Issues ◽

Tourism Sector ◽

English Speaking ◽

Perceptions Of Safety

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address four questions: Firstly, how do tourists perceive safety from crime, specifically from robbery or violence, alongside other safety concerns? Secondly, are those who are concerned about crime also concerned about other threats to their well-being? Thirdly, how are their perceptions of safety affected by their perceptions of the local community? Finally, how are their perceptions affected by their personal and touristic characteristics? Design/methodology/approach Findings Firstly, tourists did not generally see crime, specifically robbery or violence, as a problem; secondly, there was only a weak relationship between concern about crime and concern about other threats to their well-being; thirdly, in contrast, their perceptions of safety were strongly affected by their perceptions of the local community; and finally, their perceptions were affected by their personal and touristic characteristics, but not necessarily in the ways suggested by earlier research. Research limitations/implications The research sample was small and the questionnaire short. Only English-speaking visitors were included. Practical implications The tourism sector needs to appreciate role of local people in engendering feelings of safety. Social implications The attitude of the local community and their relationship with tourists is fundamental to helping visitors feel safe. Originality/value This is the first criminological paper to compare fear of crime with the other safety issues confronting tourists and to relate these concerns to relationships with host community.

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Community caregivers' perspectives of community well-being in a mining community

Health SA Gesondheid ◽

10.4102/hsag.v22i0.1061 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 22 ◽

pp. 316-324 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Vicki Koen ◽

Elizabeth Hermina Ryke ◽

Martha Jacoba Watson ◽

Elize Sonja Van Eeden

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Data Collection ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Local Community ◽

Well Being ◽

Multidisciplinary Research ◽

Mining Communities ◽

Community Wellbeing ◽

Mining Community

Mining communities throughout the Southern African Development Community are faced with numerous challenges impacting on their wellbeing. As part of an integrative multidisciplinary research project, this study sought to explore aspects that affect community wellbeing in the informal Bekkersdal mining community in South Africa from the perspective of local community caregivers. An explorative-descriptive qualitative study including 22 mainly female (91%) participants who were purposively sampled was conducted. As part of data collection, participants answered a series of open-ended questions in a questionnaire and kept journals. Thematic analysis was used to analyze that data. The results indicate aspects that either promote (contribute to) or hinder community wellbeing.

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Crop Protection and Its Effectiveness against Wildlife: A Case Study of Two Villages of Shivapuri National Park, Nepal

Nepal Journal of Science and Technology ◽

10.3126/njst.v16i1.14352 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sudip Pandey ◽

Siddhartha Bajra Bajracharya

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

National Park ◽

Management Practices ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Crop Protection ◽

Buffer Zone ◽

Well Being ◽

Economic Loss ◽

Crop Damage

A complex relationship between the residents and protected areas continue to be an obstacle to successful conservation of protected areas. Conflicts between park authority and people living around the park pose a threat to conservation. Moreover, crop depredation due to wildlife incurs a severe economic loss to communities living in the close vicinity of the park, affecting the livelihood and well-being of locals. Many studies have been carried out emphasizing the identification and quantification of crop damage, but studies highlighting the means used for the crop protection and their effectiveness are limited. This paper examines frequency of the crop damage by wildlife and efficacy of utilized management practices in Shivapuri National Park (SNP). Altogether 132 households were visited in two buffer zone villages namely, Sikre and Jhor Mahankhal of Shivapuri National Park, Nepal. The study suggested that crop depredation by wildlife was a function of several factors, namely, distance of the farmland from the park, size of the crop raiding animals, frequency of their attacks on the farmland, and the type of crops. Five different measures were identified by the communities which they regularly used to prevent crop damage. Both traditional as well as modern means were used by households to guard crops from invading wild animals. The means of crop protection from wildlife differed according to the type of animal and crop being protected. Biofencing and trenches were effective for the small animals. Watch tower “Machans” and throwing flaming sticks and making noises were the most effective and safest means of crop guarding from all kind of animals. Though crop guarding was intensive, no means were found to be able to prevent crop damage completely. Thus, site specific management strategies as well as technical and financial support from donor organizations would be most useful to minimize crop loss.Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 16, No.1 (2015) pp. 1-10

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Exploring Creative Tourism Potential in Protected Areas: The Kruger National Park Case

Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research ◽

10.1177/1096348020983532 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 109634802098353

Author(s):

Jan-Albert Wessels ◽

Anneli Douglas

Keyword(s):

Data Analysis ◽

Protected Areas ◽

National Park ◽

Local Community ◽

Cultural Tourism ◽

Kruger National Park ◽

Current Debate ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Convenience Sampling ◽

Tourism Potential

Creative tourism strategies are often adopted by destinations as a result of its appeal to policy makers, without a serious assessment of tourists’ needs. Although there are significant cultural and heritage resources in and on the periphery of the Kruger National Park (KNP), these resources seem to be inadequately harnessed. The aim of the article is thus to explore the potential of creative tourism as a medium to harness cultural and heritage resources in the KNP by measuring the importance of local community (cultural tourism) elements to tourists when visiting the KNP. Convenience sampling is used to distribute questionnaires to tourists, and 201 responses are used in the data analysis. The results indicate that respondents have a neutral opinion regarding the importance of local community aspects, and recommendations are made to exploit the untapped potential for creative tourism. This study adds to the current debate on creative tourism by assessing its role in protected areas.

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Examining Linkages among Livelihood Strategies, Ecosystem Services, and Social Well-Being to Improve National Park Management

Land ◽

10.3390/land10080823 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 823

Author(s):

Siyuan He ◽

Louise Gallagher ◽

Qingwen Min

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Cultural Values ◽

National Park ◽

Well Being ◽

Livelihood Strategies ◽

Ecological System ◽

Sustainable Livelihood ◽

Social Ecological ◽

The Impact

This research examines perceptions of ecosystem services (ES) and social well-being in the Wuyishan National Park, China. This study analyses the importance of and linkages between them based on the impact of new designation of protected areas on this social-ecological system. Realisation of rural well-being is critical to park-people relations in populated protected areas, and effective resolution is needed to achieve positive conservation outcomes. We conducted 372 structured interviews with community members with different livelihood strategies. Key findings from the research include: (1) the importance of provisioning (e.g., tea, rice, timber) and cultural ES (e.g., local culture, eco-tourism) is related to both current livelihood necessity and future development pursuit. (2) The perceived material well-being is higher than spiritual well-being, and high social well-being is closely related to high-income groups and those that think highly of cultural services, i.e., those engaged in non-agricultural activities (e.g., tourism) and tea cultivation. (3) Cultural values are better preserved in tea and rice cultivation and tourism, but in general, they are not incorporated to improve social well-being. The results suggest that Protected area (PA) management of local communities must seek cultural valorisation for differentiated livelihood strategies for rural people’s sustainable livelihood and stability of the social-ecological system.

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Sustainability of Wildlife Tourism: Tourist Perceptions on Threats to Wildlife Tourism in Two State Protected Areas in Zimbabwe

African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure ◽

10.46222/ajhtl.19770720-139 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 895-911

Author(s):

Chiedza Mutanga ◽

Edson Gandiwa ◽

Never Muboko ◽

Oliver Chikuta

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

National Park ◽

Local Community ◽

Policy Decision ◽

Local People ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Environmentally Conscious ◽

Illegal Hunting ◽

Wildlife Tourism ◽

People Participation

The study sought to determine tourist perceptions on the threats to the sustainability of wildlife tourism using a case study of two state protected areas in Zimbabwe. Using close-ended questionnaires, we collected data from 128 tourists in December 2015. Results show respondents generally perceived all the seven tested threats as serious, i.e., illegal hunting, destruction of wildlife habitats, human-wildlife conflict, lack of involvement of local people in national park tourism, lack of benefits from the national park to local communities, negative attitudes towards tourism by local residents, and poor local community and national park relationships. Moreover, respondents generally had similar perceptions on the impacts of the threats on the sustainability of wildlife tourism regardless of their gender, age, level of education and income. We conclude tourists are more environmentally conscious and well informed of the threats to wildlife tourism in Zimbabwe, which may indicate willingness to support conservation. It is thus necessary for park management to promote local people participation in ecotourism, enhance innovative law enforcement measures as well as motivate tourists to participate in conservation. Results could help broaden policy decision-makers' knowledge base in response to sustainable wildlife tourism development challenges.

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