Across the country, government agencies, NGOs and communities are coming together to manage their forests to reduce the risk of wildfire in the wildland urban interface. However, to have long-term impacts, communities must have the foundation necessary to continue these efforts after special programs have moved on or outside funding has been exhausted. Social capital may be one important component in sustaining wildfire preparedness as actions to increase wildfire preparedness are affected by decisions made at the individual and the community level. This study focuses on the essential components of social capital that are crucial in affecting community participation in wildfire preparedness and mitigation. In order to understand these relationships, a pilot study was developed to explore how perceptions of community preparedness efforts vary geographically in different ecosystems, forest types and USDA Forest Service regions at the national scale. Additionally, the study explores differences in perceptions of community preparedness between stakeholder groups, such as residents, fire officials, land managers, business/community leaders, and environmental advocates. Since preparedness involves both individual actions at the residential scale, as well as community actions such as planning and zoning, separate survey instruments were developed for local residents and community and government agency leaders. The study also analyzed the effect of variables like place attachment, past experience and previous involvement with wildfires, length and type of stay in the community, and affiliation with local organizations on creation or enhancement social capital as well as wildfire preparedness in the community in terms of change in defensible space actions, and change in people’ attitudes, understanding and outlook towards mitigation efforts over the years. This research has incorporated a mixed methods approach integrating both quantitative and qualitative research techniques because of the dual aspect of the research questions regarding the measure of social capital as well as the level of preparedness in the communities. Results from the pilot study conducted in six communities across the United States are discussed as the final outcome of this larger national scale project. Ultimately, the study provides insights about the underlying community variables that influence community preparedness actions and awareness about wildfire.

The shift from centralised conservation to Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) was the highlight of the conservation discourse across the world during the late 1980s and early 1990s. CBNRM efforts were believed to have the potential of successfully merging biodiversity conservation simultaneously with local development efforts. However, the increasing critiques against the applicability of CBNRM interventions in different contexts is threatening the viability of the approach. Extant literature on CBNRM interventions focuses on the theoretical aspects of such efforts at the expense of the practical and context specific elements. This thesis intends to fill such a gap in literature by focusing on the practical and contextual elements of an example of this approach in Zanzibar. In an attempt to conserve the isles' natural forests, Zanzibar has adopted Community-Forest Management Areas (CoFMAs) bordering its natural forests. In this study, focus is placed on Pete's CoFMA, a village bordering the isles' last remaining natural forests- Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park (JCBNP). Pete provides an ideal site due to the conflict that exists between residents and the CoFMA intervention. By using the political ecological framework, this study is able to examine the political, social, historical and economic elements that play a significant role in the practice of CBNRM efforts. Narratives from residents are relied on to elucidate on such elements in relation to the existence of the CoFMA in Pete Village. Narratives gathered through interviews and participant observation concluded that while CoFMAs have been set up with the optimistic goal of conserving the forest and providing development to community members; in practice, the conservation intervention has proved otherwise. In spite of the achievement of some developmental goals, the overall findings indicate that the CoFMA has failed to protect the forests and its natural resources from degradation. At the same time, community members are facing difficulties to live a sustainable life.

Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) continue to decline due to habitat loss, poaching and conflict with humans. Yet, developing effective land conservation strategies for elephants is difficult because there is little information available on their foraging ecology, habitat use, movements and home range behaviors. Using the lead animal technique, 14 free-ranging, tame elephants at the Seblat Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) were observed for 4,496 hours to describe their foraging ecology and diet. The majority of their daily activity was feeding (82.2 ± 5.0%), followed by moving (9.5 ± 4.0 %), resting (6.6 ± 2.1%) and drinking (1.7 ± 0.6%), and individual activity budgets varied among individuals for all activities. At least 273 plant species belonging to 69 plant families were eaten by elephants and five plant families of Moraceae, Arecaceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, and Euphorbiaceae were most commonly consumed. Elephants browsed more frequently than grazed, especially in the wet season. Levels of crude protein, calcium, phosphorus and gross energy in plants eaten by elephants in Seblat appeared adequate for meeting the nutritional requirements. Home range size of an adult female elephant in the SECC during 2007–2008, was 97.4 km2 for the MCP and 95.0 km2 for the 95% fixed kernel. There were no relationships between average monthly elephant home range sizes or movement distances with rainfall. Distances to rivers and ex-logging roads had little effect on elephant movements, but vegetation productivity, as measured by the Enhanced Vegetation Index, did affect elephant movements. We used resource selection and compositional analysis habitat ranking approaches to describe adult female elephant habitat use in the SECC. The elephant used medium canopy and open canopy forests more than expected; however, during the day closed canopy forests were used more than at night. Locating and capturing wild elephants in tropical rainforest environments are difficult and high-risk tasks. However, using tame elephants improves the search efficiency of finding wild elephants in dense forests and reduces risks to staff and target elephants. Use of experienced veterinarians and standing sedation techniques also greatly reduce the risks of elephant injury while immobilizing elephants.

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Yes / Extractive economies can use the natural resource dividend for infrastructure and sustainable development though this involves overcoming many challenges. The original contribution of this chapter is to see BRICS as natural resource rich economies that have not yet signed up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). The paper reports original analysis of relationship between resource dependence and human development index for the period 1990 to 2015 which suggests that non-resource rich countries tend to have higher values of HDI than resource rich countries. Using in depth case studies of two countries that have joined EITI (namely Norway and Mongolia) and two emerging economies that have not joined the EITI (Botswana and Chile) and one of the BRICS (namely Brazil), this chapter highlights some of the successes and challenges in using the natural resource wealth to transform economic and social development outcomes. Governance indicators of these cases suggest that transparency initiatives can be helpful but they should be part of a larger programme of transparency and institutional development. The analysis highlights that the links between extractive economies, policies, institutions and human development outcomes are complex and require long term policies and commitments. Three specific policy issues for BRICS are identified. / UNDP, FCO

Previous research has not specified the puzzling occurrence of the low prevalence of natural resource management (NRM) in intrastate peace- and ceasefire agreements. The purpose of this thesis is to address this gap by applying the theoretical perspectives on high natural resource abundance. High natural resource abundance produces conditions for poor economic management, which may serve as a possible explanation of the low prevalence of NRM. The result of the study indicates a negative correlation between high natural resource abundance and an inclusion of NRM in intrastate peace- and ceasefire agreements. Thus, the hypothesis “If a high level of natural resource abundance exits, there is a lower probability of an inclusion of NRM in intrastate peace- and ceasefire agreements” is upheld. Since the assumptions of the theories do appear to hold, the thesis offers findings that further our understanding of the low prevalence of NRM in intrastate peace- and ceasefire agreements.

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / Most rural communities in developing countries are involved in various natural resource exploitation programmes to improve their livelihood status. The main objectives of the research were to assess the contribution of fish conservation as a strategy towards improving the livelihood status of people in Maranda Ward 9 in Mwenezi, Zimbabwe, and to ascertain the challenges in fish conservation and access to fishing activities. In this research, a questionnaire, interviews, focus group discussions and observations were used to gather information. In the administration of the questionnaires on the village households, 80 households were used as research subjects drawn from a 10% sample size for each of the 10 villages. Purposive sampling was also used for selecting respondents for the interviews and focus group discussions. Secondary data sources used include data from the Parks and Wildlife Authority on recorded cases of fish poaching. The researcher discovered that the fish conservation project improved the livelihood status of the people. Food security was improved through supplementary purchases of food using money derived from the selling of fish. A decrease in school dropouts and improved income are some of the indicators of improved livelihood status of the people. However, there is still a need for continuous support to the programme from various external institutions such as universities, research institutions, financial institutions and Rural District Council. These institutions play a significant role in community development through educational support, training and development, financial support and in creating a favourable environment for economic development in rural areas. There is also a need for continuous monitoring and evaluation of all project activities to assess improvements in rural livelihoods and also compare the actual performance of the IGPs with the desired performance. The deviation makes a platform for corrective actions towards improving the lives of rural people

Social-ecological change has driven smallholder farmers throughout the world to employ a diverse array of adaptation strategies. Social, economic, and cultural factors along with environmental changes have been widely studied as determinants of adaptation decision-making. Increasingly, scholars are also examining the role of values in these decisions. Many have posited that adaptation to social-ecological change will necessitate tradeoffs of these values; however, little empirical work has been done to identify and examine these tradeoffs. In response to this gap, we first identify how farmers and fishers adapted to multiple social-ecological stressors in northwestern Pakistan. Second, we investigate how social-ecological factors, perceived changes, and perceived costs influence adaptation decision-making and adaptive capacity. Third, we examine the role of and tradeoffs between values in adaptation decision-making. Based on our findings, we posit that in addition to the identification of values, it is also necessary to examine values as they relate to one another, change over time, and are embedded in multi-scalar processes. This will allow us to more fully understand the factors that influence adaptation decisions and support more equitable strategies that align with stakeholders’ diverse values.