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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 Economic and Social Context
Session Two

Thursday 18th July, 13.30 - 15.00, Grimond Lecture Theatre 2

Chair: Andrew Millington




(BLOCK CAPITALS indicate the presenting author)


13.30 - 13.45
BALMFORD, ANDREW, Kevin Gaston, Alex James, Simon Blyth and Val Kapos.
Conservation Biology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK, <a.balmford@zoo.cam.ac.uk> (AB), Biodiversity and Macroecology Group, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK (KG), Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge, 19 Silver Street, Cambridge CB3 9EP, UK (AJ), UNEP-WCMC, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 ODL, UK (SB,VK).

GLOBAL VARIATION IN CONSERVATION COSTS, CONSERVATION BENEFITS, AND UNMET CONSERVATION NEEDS

Given the gross mismatch between conservation needs and current spending, economic as well as ecological information is central to conservation planning. Using data for 139 area-based programmes worldwide, we found that the annual costs of effective conservation vary over seven orders of magnitude, from <$0.1 to > $1M per km2. Costs are related to the extent of development, as measured by a global wilderness index (r2=0.31), and can be closely predicted from a suite of population and economic measures (overall r2=0.80). Benefits of conservation are harder to quantify, but show opposing trends, with both the total area that can be conserved for a given investment, and the density of threatened bird species, being much higher in less developed regions. Cost-benefit analysis thus indicates far greater conservation returns on money spent in developing countries, yet at present, these same countries are where the shortfall in conservation spend is greatest. We argue that substantially increased global investment in tropical conservation is urgently required if cost-effective opportunities for conservation are not to be missed.

13.45 - 14.00
MILLINGTON ANDREW, Thomas Tanner, Andrew Bradley, Juan-Mario Lazcano, Desiderio Espinoza, Mariella Leo, Carolina Casaretto, Seppo Vehkamaki and Stefan Beckmann. Department of Geography, University of Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK, <acm4@le.ac.uk> (AM, TT, AB), Centro de Biodiversidad y Genetica, Universidad Mayor San Simon, Cochabamba, Bolivia (JML, DE), APECO, Parque Jose de Acosta 187, Magdalena del Mar 17, Peru (ML, CC), Department of Economic and Management, University of Helsinki, PO Box 27, Helsinki, FIN-00014 Finland (SV, SB).

COMPROMISED CONSERVATION? EVALUTING THE SUCCESS OF MONTANE FOREST NATIONAL PARKS IN ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA AND PERU

We evaluated the functioning of three national parks in the eastern Andes in Argentina (PN Calilegua), Bolivia (PN Carrasco) and Peru (PN Río Abiseo) from the viewpoint threats to biodiversity conservation. Each park extends from the lowlands (Parana/Amazon Basins) to above treeline. We have used multiscale and multidisciplinary methods (macroeconomic analysis; policy evaluation; household, zoological and botanical surveys; and GIS) to evaluate landuse dynamics in the parks and their buffer zones; examine the effect of landuse change (disturbance) on plant and animal communities; and link landuse change to local, national and international economic and conservation policies. Each park is geographically isolated but subject to ecological disturbance by wide ranging external forces through landuse change. We identify four situations: 1.) Lowland Amazonia (Carrasco and Abiseo) deforestation linked to illegal/legal logging, world coca markets, colonisation policies; 2.) Upland Peru (Abiseo) fluctuating grazing pressure linked to labour migration between agriculture and mining sectors in response to world metal markets; 3.) Highland Bolivia (Carrasco) potato cultivation expansion in response to internal market, and fuelwood extraction due to switch from LPG to wood in free energy market; 4.) Lowland and Highland Argentina (Calilegua) unemployment accompanying economic restructuring and impact of government work programmes in rural area to alleviate unemployment.



14.00 - 14.15
BECKER, C. DUSTIN, Kansas State University & Earthwatch Institute. dbecker@oz.oznet.ksu.edu

Evolving Value for Biodiversity Preservation in Rural Ecuador

In Ecuador, tenure rights provided by the Law of Comunas 1936 places
substantial quantities of biodiverse tropical forest under local community control at a watershed level. By chronicling collective action and responses to surveys in the Community of Loma Alta, I show that local people have changed their value for tropical forests in response to scientific data and environmental education. Possession of Total Economic Value (TEV) for forest resources may be a critical foundation for community based conservation and may be evolved within a society or through cultural interaction. TEV is the sum of direct, indirect, option, and existence value. Since 1994, farm families have changed their value for highland forest from direct value, to indirect value and more recently to option value. Nature tourism, an option value associated with the forest, is rapidly becoming an interest in the community. Appreciation for nature for nature's sake, an existence value, remains rare, but appears to be on the increase, especially in older hunters and youth who desire to be naturalist guides in the community ecological reserve. Qualitative and quantitative survey results are presented to substantiate this conservation case study.



14.15 - 14.30
MICHAEL C. GAVIN. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT06269, USA, <mikegavin@yahoo.com>

TROPICAL RAIN FOREST VALUATION AND THE ROLE OF NUTRITION IN CONSERVATION

Recent research found very low local use values for tropical rain forests, concluding that further deforestation is expected without compensation programs for regional and global forest services. All previous valuation studies, however, have underestimated the value of forest food products by focusing only on market value and excluding the externality of nutritional value. I calculate the value in $/ha./yr. of intact Mauritia flexuosa (Arecaceae) dominated forests in the Peruvian Amazon as vitamin A sources using data on vitamin A content, daily vitamin requirements, sustainable fruit production, infant mortality, lives saved via vitamin supplementation, and value of statistical life. I estimate the nutritional value of M. flexuosa stands between $5000 and $10,900,000/ha./yr., far exceeding any other land use value. The results show that in some Amazonian forests economic value of forests as vital nutrient sources can be an impetus for locally based conservation. It is also evident that further research is needed on the potential of similar arguments for public health and conservation in other tropical forests.



14.30 - 14.45
BLYTH, ROBERT E., Michel J. Kaiser, Gareth Edwards-Jones and Paul J. B. Hart. School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales-Bangor, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5EY, UK, <osp818@bangor.ac.uk> (REB and MJK), School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Wales-Bangor, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK (GE-J) and Department of Biology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK (PJBH).

THE ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF A LIMITED ACCESS FISHERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OFF SOUTH DEVON.

Marine reserves are considered to be effective conservation tools in tropical waters, but to date few studies have determined the economic implications of limited access fishery management systems in temperate areas. The Inshore Potting Agreement (IPA), a fishery management system operated off the south coast of Devon, UK, was conceived and established by fishers, and has operated on a voluntary basis since 1978. In this study, an interview survey determined the economic implications of the IPA for the local, south Devon community. The results show that the system provides economic and social benefits, and detrimental effects would result if the system broke down.



14.45 - 15.00
PAGE, KARA International Resources Group, 1211 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA, <kpage@irgltd.com>

STRATEGIC ALLIANCES IN CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT —
A TOOL FOR THE FUTURE?

Why have the efforts of conservation organizations not been integrated better with those of rural development organizations for enhanced conservation and community benefits? A number of studies have shown that the combined development-conservation approach can have a stronger conservation outcome than conservation approaches operating alone. This paper outlines past efforts at integration between conservation and development NGOs, highlights key lessons from those experiences, and examines select current approaches. It focuses especially on the ways in which strategic alliances are playing a part in conservation and development work, and asks whether these alliances are a potentially important tool for conservation in the future. Case studies of alliances from Africa and Latin America are presented to illustrate this approach.