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Society for Conservation Biology: 2002 Annual Meeting

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Society for Conservation Biology: 2002 Annual Meeting

Society for Conservation Biology 16th Annual Meeting July 14-July 19 2002
co-hosted by DICE and the British Ecological Society


Abstracts for Conservation and People
Session One

Monday 15th July, 10.15 - 12.15, Grimond Lecture Theatre 1

Chair: Jill Sutcliffe




(BLOCK CAPITALS indicate the presenting author)


10.15 - 10.30
VANDEMAN, MICHAEL J. 2600 Camino Ramon #2E850R, San Ramon, CA 94583, USA, <mjvande@pacbell.net>.

WHAT IS HUMANITY'S PLACE IN NATURE, FROM AN OBJECTIVE (BIOCENTRIC) POINT OF VIEW?

Are humans part of nature? Clearly we are, or we wouldn't be able to interact with it. The real question is what part are we? Most texts define an exotic species as one translocated by humans to an area where it had not previously existed. (This would seem to make us, throughout most of our range, an exotic species, although this fact is never mentioned.) But the effect that the species has on its new surroundings has little to do with how it got there, and more to do with its being a newcomer. What is a native species? It is basically one that has been around a long time, i.e., not a newcomer. The question is, how long? A length of time that makes sense is the length of time that it takes for the other species in the area to evolve to adapt to the newcomer -- on the order of a million years. That would make humans native only to Africa, and everywhere else a rank newcomer (exotic species). This is not a value judgment, just biological fact, but maybe also a good indication of how we should behave: with restraint: with the manners of a guest.

10.30 - 10.45
JAGANYI , JOAN , Charles Breen, Sandile Zeka and Christian Tham, Centre for Environment and Development, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg; Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa.

RURAL COMMUNITIES AND RIVER SYSTEMS: A CASE STUDY OF BELIEFS, ATTITUDES AND REGULATION OF RESOURCE USE.

In South Africa, water is a scarce resource which requires to be managed with commitment. The new national water Act intends to conserve water resources by re-addressing past, top-down, command-and control regulatory systems by decentralizing authority to the local level.
Although ecological requirements for the management of rivers to a large extent are known, the rural population requirements and dependencies are not known. Decisions (developments and water allocations) are made with little appreciation of the needs of rural populations. Therefore communities that depend directly on river systems become highly vulnerable to disruption of the river system that provides them with life support goods and services. Since the socio-economic and cultural knowledge of river systems is limited, a holistic and effective management of the river system is unlikely under present circumstances. A conceptual model is developed for the study. The model helps us to understand the context and the system in operation and how we can influence policy. The study applies the conceptual framework in a rural community context in the Umlazi river watershed/catchment. The study suggests that knowledge of ‘belief systems and values’ and ‘institutional and power relationships’ with respect to access to and control over river resources may be helpful in promoting wise use of river systems.



10.45 - 11.00
SUTCLIFFE, JILL. English Nature, Northminster House, Peterborough PE1 1UA, UK, <jill.sutcliffe@english-nature.org.uk>.

SUSSEX COMMUNITIES: PLANTS AND PEOPLE

The Convention on Biological Diversity (1992) stressed the need for communities to be involved in protecting their local wildlife. An innovative project has been undertaken by local people in West Sussex. As a contribution to the Millennium celebrations, a group in Selsey embarked on mapping the vegetation of the Parish. This involved outreach to key stakeholders including local landowners and interested organisations. The outreach culminated in the holding of a public meeting to launch the idea. A group of interested volunteers was assembled, training in vegetation monitoring undertaken and then quality assured. The results were displayed on one large colour-coded map. This baseline map now forms a tool used by the group to protect remaining areas of habitat and species interest in dialogue with local people and special interest groups. The focus of the Parish has been tackling issues in the wider environment including the nearby geological SSSI at West Wittering, the Chichester Harbour SSSI and Pagham Harbour Local Nature Reserve. The group has drawn up a Parish Biodiversity Plan nested within county, regional and national targets. The Chichester Biodiversity Plan has used this as a model to encourage similar initiatives.



11.00 - 11.15
ROTH, ROBIN. Graduate School of Geography, Clark University, 950 Main Street Worcester, MA 01610, USA, <rroth@clarku.edu> (RR).

THE FAULT OF SPATIAL LOGIC: THE RE-ORGANISATION OF INHABITED FOREST LANDSCAPES IN NORTHERN THAILAND

In the quest to conserve forest landscapes inhabited by local farmers, Thai conservationists and government foresters are piloting a model for sustainable land use which constitutes a spatial re-organisation of local management systems. The model assumes that if local people use less land more intensively local livelihood can be maintained in one space while newly freed forestland can be conserved inside a National Park. This paper draws on qualitative and quantitative research conducted in two communities at different stages of the re-organisation. It argues that the negative outcomes outweigh the positive. Most households suffer from rice shortage and have difficulty selling any produce. Meanwhile the hardening of once-flexible management systems has contributed to less community cooperation and choice in farming activities, increased inter-community conflict and the erosion of community institutions for land allocation. Consequently, villagers are wishing to re-establish old territories, thwarting government efforts to establish a National Park. The author concludes that some of these negative social outcomes can be addressed by abandoning the effort to spatially separate people from forest and instead build partnerships of co-management where conservation and livelihood objectives are sought in the same space.



11.15 - 11.30
HOLMES, CHRISTOPHER. Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California at Davis, Davis, California, U.S.A.

PERCEIVED UTILITY OF PROTECTED WOOD RESOURCES IN WESTERN TANZANIA: CONSIDERATIONS FOR COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT.

Integration of local communities into conservation actions is considered a viable alternative to exclusionary protection of biological diversity. However, Intra-community variation in resource-use interests can influence the effectiveness of community-based conservation projects. The divergent interests within a community make understanding decision-making patterns concerning resource use necessary for effective conservation. To identify factors associated with interest in gaining access to protected wood resources in western Tanzania, I collected demographic, socio-economic and wood-use data for 240 households in three villages bordering Katavi National Park. Interest in accessing the protected wood resources was not associated with fuelwood needs, and did not fall along ethnic or demographic lines. Instead, logistic regression analysis identified material and land wealth as variables that increase households’ interest in accessing wood resources in the Park, whereas intent to move in the near future and the interaction of material and land wealth were negative influences. These results suggest that resource-use interests are largely dependent upon expected individual gains, which vary according to household needs and ability to process recourses for commercial sale. This study considers the importance of distinguishing between people’s conservation attitudes and their interest(s) in using specific resources, emphasizing the need to recognize intra-community variation in use interests.



11.30 - 11.45
HEKKALA EVON, Richard Fergusson and Joe Paulin. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, Columbia University, New York, NY 10025, USA, <erh12@columbia.edu> (EH), IUCN/SSC Crocodile Specialist Group, Florida, FL, USA (RF) and Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, NJ, USA (JP).

COMMUNITY BASED MANAGEMENT OF SACRED MALAGASY CROCODILES

Lac Ravelobe is a sacred lake located in Northwestern Madagascar. In recent years there have been several reported fatalities attributed to crocodiles and there appears to have been a significant increase since 1998. This site is known for its unique natural and cultural resources and, as such, requires special consideration for the resolution of human/crocodile conflicts. Our goals were to assess the population size, structure and distribution of C. niloticus in Lac Ravelobe and to develop recommendations for reducing human/crocodile conflicts in the area. Additionally, we attempted to collect blood samples from this and other C. niloticus populations in Madagascar to determine whether populations are genetically distinct in separate river drainages. This genetic assessment is part of a larger effort to determine the genetic status of Malagasy crocodiles with respect to their mainland African counterparts. We liased with local leaders to develop recommendations for the protection of local communities and crocodile populations in Lac Ravelobe. We recommended to Water Management Authorities that water retention at Lac Ravelobe begin after emergence of hatchling crocodiles to increase recruitment into the population. We recommended several actions intended to protect local communities while allowing them to carry out traditional cultural practices.



11.45 - 12.00
NOSS, ANDREW. WCS-Bolivia, Casilla 6272, Santa Cruz, Bolivia, <anoss@infonet.com.bo>.

ZONING THE CHACO: WILDLIFE AND THE IZOCEÑO INDIGENOUS TERRITORY

The Izoceño people of the Bolivian Chaco are receiving title to 1.9 million hectares as an indigenous territory (Tierra Comunitaria de Orígen or TCO). As a condition for receiving title, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has helped the Izoceños develop a natural resource management plan and zonification of the territory. The zonification incorporates data and recommendations from extensive research since 1996 on biodiversity, animal health (brocket deer Mazama gouazoubira, collared peccary Tayassu tajacu, cattle, goats, blue-fronted parrots Amazona aestiva), subsistence hunting (ungulates, armadillos), commercial hunting (Amazona aestiva, Tayassu tajacu, tegu lizards Tupinambis rufescens), endangered species (Chacoan guanaco Lama guanicoe voglii, Chacoan peccary Catagonus wagneri, jaguar Panthera onca), and tourism. Zonification addresses appropriate management of domestic animals to reduce disease infection and potential transmission to wildlife, identification and protection of critical habitats for prey and endangered species, delimitation of sources and sinks for subsistence and commercial hunting, control and monitoring measures, and co-ordination with third parties who occupy the TCO and exploit its resources. Zonification is consistent and compatible with management of the adjacent 3.4 million hectare Kaa-Iya National Park, which the Izoceños co-administer, promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource management across 5 million hectares of the Gran Chaco.




12.00 - 12.15
BOWEN-JONES, EVAN, Mew, Jo and Valencia, Luis; Fauna & Flora International, Great Eastern House, Tenison Road, Cambridge CB1 2TT <evan.bowen-jones@fauna-flora.org>(EBJ & JM); Fundación NYTUA, Quito, Ecuador (LV).

COMMUNITY CONSERVATION THROUGH LAND PURCHASE — LESSONS FROM THE AWACACHI CORRIDOR PROJECT, ECUADOR

The role of land purchase in conservation has been considered in different circumstances over the years. In many cases purchase has traditionally been associated with exclusion of local people. Here we examine the use of land purchase in as a means to support community-based conservation, and indicate how such purchases can be integrated into the wider conservation and development context. In particular, we investigate how land purchase can be related to long-term land rights and ownership, which typically underlie successful models of sustainable resource use. The Awacachi Corridor Reserve has recently been established in north-west Ecuador. Here core conservation areas have been purchased from communities who would otherwise have sold land to logging and oil palm companies. In addition, a series of community-managed buffer zones are being developed around the corridor. A number of social and economic benefits for local communities can be demonstrated from sale of land for conservation management compared to sale to agricultural business: