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This research explores differences in environmental worldviews and connections to the land globally and more specifically in a case study of NGOs working in the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest. The aims of this project are to investigate different environmental worldviews expressed between western NGOs and non western local NGOs and to pose these questions 1) what environmental worldviews and ethics are at play in addressing conservation globally and specifically in the Cloud Forest of Ecuador? 2) How do these worldviews influence models for conservation? 3) How do locally-run projects differ from foreign NGOs in addressing the combined needs of the environment and the people in Ecuador? I work to establish a framework for comparing the environmental worldviews of foreign environmental NGOs that of local NGOs, by researching environmental worldviews around the world as influenced by culture, society, history and religion. By using research on case studies done by Jim Igoe, Carolyn Merchant, John Schelhas and Max Pfeffer, I explore the dominant Western worldview of conservation and how its introduction of the National Park model has impacted local communities globally. By comparing this Western worldview of conservation via preservation in National Parks to the nonwestern worldview of integrative models for conservation, I hope to establish a framework for how looking at conservation from the perspective of local communities may prove more beneficial to the future of conservation projects globally. This case study centers around four main community-based conservation projects in the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest and asks how their grassroots operations differ from the Ecuadorian National Park system in their efforts to educate and support local communities. This project proposes to dissect these projects designed by local and foreign NGOs to see how they are shaped by their environmental worldviews and whether that worldview includes just the needs of the environment or takes into account the needs of the people as well. This is done through a combination of participant observation and semi-structured open-ended interviews. All data in this ethnography is qualitative and draws on three bodies of literature that serve as frames or approaches to this topic: environmental worldviews, political ecology, and environmental justice. By using these three approaches I show that the environment and ultimately efforts for conservation do not exist within a vacuum but rather lay within a broader context of beliefs, society, and history. / Graduation date: 2012

This study reports forest structure, regeneration and the soil properties from unlogged and logged forest in the Bulungan Research Forest, Malinau District, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Four sites were compared by using four 1-ha replicate plots in each of primary forest (PF), 5, 10 and 30-yr old logged forest (LF-5, LF-10, LF- 30). The tree species composition differ among forest types, as it was shown that the mean value of similarity indices for all pairs were 0.215 (for the Jaccard index) and 0.353 (for the Sorensen index). The low values for similarities among forest types were most probably caused by low numbers of species shared between each forest type. Both correlation values, r = 0.023 for Jaccard index and r = 0.031 for Sorensen index, showed no strong correlation between the similarity index (C) and the distance between forest types. This supports the use of a chronosequence approach. A total of 914 tree species with ³ 10 cm dbh were recorded from 223 genera and 65 families. There were no significant differences in mean species numbers (166 – 180/ha) among treatments. Mean density of species was lower in LF-5 and LF-10 (501/ha) than in PF or LF-30 (605/ha and 577/ha); similarly to mean basal area (LF-5, 28.5 m2/ha; LF-10, 32.6 m2/ha) vs. PF (45.8 m2/ha) and LF-30 (46.9 m2/ha). Dead wood on the forest floor was significantly higher in LF-10 (75 m3/ha) than in the other treatments. Seedlings (< 2 cm dbh) of 1,022 species were recorded from 408 genera and 111 families. The mean number of tree seedling species ranged between 170-206; the mean density of seedlings was about two-fold lower in LF-10 (2790/ha) than in the other treatments. Saplings (>2 – 9.9 cm dbh) of 802 species belonged to 241 genera and 65 families. There was a high variability in species richness across treatments (89 – 191/ha), but not in stem numbers. The Dipterocarpaceae family was dominant in all treatments, followed by the Euphorbiaceae. The soils were acidic, low in nutrients and had low to very low fertility. Both primary and logged forest areas are marginal or not suitable for sustained production of plantation crops. Logging caused soil compaction in LF-30. Although in terms of number of species and trees, amount of BA, number of saplings and seedlings LF-30 appeared to have satisfied prescriptions for a second harvest, ecologically the forest is far from mature. The Indonesian Selective Cutting and Replanting (TPTI) system may need to be revised to a 35 – 45 year cycle to ensure long-term forest productivity in terms of not only timber but other goods and ecosystem services, the value of which are never quantified in monetary terms, but can be higher than the timber revenue.

One of the primary challenges facing researchers and practitioners in their efforts to address issues of poverty and environment is the need to deepen our understanding of the logic that guides local people's decisions over resource use, particularly among the rural poor whose livelihoods depend on fragile and dynamic environments. This study seeks to identify the set of factors that influences how rainforest people respond to abrupt natural disturbances and resource scarcity through changes in livelihood and resource management practices in two rural poor communities of the Peruvian Amazon. Data were gathered through in-depth survey interviews (n=95 households) between June and December 2003 in the Amerindian community of Arica Viejo (Ucayali River) and the mestizo (ribereno) community of Roca Fuerte (Maranon River). The results reveal that socioeconomic characteristics such as forest experience and knowledge, and access to agricultural land explain striking differences among households in livelihood responses to environmental change, particularly concerning resource use behavior, resilience to disturbance, and the propensity to adopt sustainable resource management strategies.

This study was designed to capture the complexity of man-to-forest relationships in the endangered, world-renowned tropical rain forests of the Congo Basin in Africa. Their biological complexity and integrity have been challenged by human development and new knowledge is urgently needed to save these forests and the people dependent on them. The scope of the study was enormous because of the complexity of the resource, the diversity of forest-dependent people and actors. The major benefit of this research was in accessing and exposing new and quantitative information in remote settlements of the region by applying innovative methodologies and analytical techniques. These included: 1. The definition of forest-dependency based on detailed annual inventories of sources of households’ incomes, their statistical ranking and interpretation with logistic regressions, and the Kuznets ratio and Gini coefficients as introduced by the World Bank; 2. critical appraisal of the international parks in the region based on auto-financing principles and tested with contingent valuation and tax maximization techniques, such as Laffer’s curves, and leading to the development of new conservation models of financial self-sufficiency and a new formula for practical park management; 3. the critique of poaching by explaining and exposing food insecurities, especially deficient supplies of animal protein and associated malnutrition among the rural poor; 4. assessment of housing inadequacy among forest dwellers and its impact on forest regeneration and resources; 5. clarification of the impacts of timber logging by accessing detailed unpublished information from timber companies; 6. the introduction of survey-based valuation techniques as essential prerequisites to policy formulation and the sustainable management of forests; 7. proposing a flow chart that embraced the resources and stakeholders through the flow of market values and services for further exploration. Contrary to traditional beliefs; the results showed that both poor and wealthy households are equally dependent on forest resources for their livelihoods with no significant difference in consumed forest products between the 25% higher income earners and the 25% lower income households. Forests contribute over 57% of wage income in the region and forest-derived income is of a higher total value than any other source, including agriculture. Among forest foods, wild fruit and bushmeat are by far the most important. Therefore, the clearing of forests for agriculture or instituting conservation policies that completely keep local people away from forests will result in constrained access to resources of immense importance to local livelihoods. However, the findings contradict the commonly propagated views that timber harvesting in the region is directly responsible for deforestation, the loss of forest structure and biodiversity. It was shown that the harvesting of saplings and poles for housing may endanger forest regeneration and species composition of forests neighbouring the villages. The desired financing of national parks should be through internally generated revenues, requiring deliberate investments in facilities and infrastructure. The necessity to satisfy the basic needs of the forest-dependent people remains urgent. The complexity of man-to-forest relationships is beyond one study and needs to be further expanded on, in our quest to sustainable forest management based on participatory principles. Such management needs to provide for and be supported by various stakeholders including the local communities, state agencies, donors, NGOs, and commercial conglomerates. Moreover, the need to understand forest values beyond market principles is required in order to translate the concept of sustainable forest management from a theoretical concept in the Congo Basin to one that can reduce conflicts, deforestation, poverty and famine.

Indigenous forest resources are valuable to communities situated around them as they provide many different resources for their livelihoods. South Africa has only 0.5% of indigenous forest cover and most forests are surrounded by local communities who depend on them for resources. At Ongoye the forest was widely (91% of households) used for fuelwood. Community members denied harvesting the forest for either building or fencing poles, claiming they bought Eucalyptus poles from suppliers in the community. However, the harvesting intensities of pole size stems confirm that the user community does harvest timber from the forest. There is a high demand for fuelwood and pole-size stems are harvested not only for building but are cut and left to dry for later use as fuelwood. Although the harvesting intensity was greater than users were prepared to admit to, harvesting levels are thought to be sustainable. Local communities did not trade in products extracted from the forest. The use of resources was only for subsistence purposes, and therefore, forest resources were only valuable to users with respect to providing support to local livelihoods. Ensuring the protection and conservation of forest resources is critical for the survival of the user communities that are dependent upon them. Most local communities are not knowledgeable about managing forest resources adjacent to them, and the management of forest resources at Ongoye is currently in the hands of the state and also the influence of the Inkosi (local tribal chief). As part of the process of democratization post 1994, the government is devolving the management of natural resources to local communities. Several models of management institutions have been proposed and tested including community forest management (CFM), state forest management (SFM), and participatory forest management (PFM). Current trends are towards participatory management institutions. Using questionnaires, I determined that users preferred PFM over both SFM and CFM. However, the local community was in favour of more state involvement in the PFM than expected. Given a choice between CFM and SFM, the user community was more favourably disposed toward SFM. This was because they viewed CFM as vulnerable to resulting in open access to resources without any control. The devolution of powers to local communities can create problems in local governance. For most areas surrounding forest resources, traditional authorities are the important 'governing' leaders. In South Africa, events post 1994 have created tensions between democratically elected and hereditary governance institutions. On the one hand democratic institutions are supposed to be created at the local level, and on the other the constitution recognizes the existence of hereditary institutions. There is a power struggle over who the legitimate authority at the local level is between democratically elected councilors and chiefs. At Ongoye, the local chief was very powerful and had strong views on the ownership and control of Ongoye. He had a positive influence on maintaining current low to moderate levels of use of forest resources. However, because there are several dangers associated with concentrating power over management of natural resources in one individual, I recommend that a participatory natural resources management institution be developed that acknowledges the important role of the Inkosi, but also tempers his influence, so that continuity of management principles is maintained should traditional leadership changes hands. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

Selon des thèses développées au cours des années 1990 et 2000, le développement économique constitue à la fois la source et la solution aux problèmes environnementaux. Au sujet des forêts, les transitions forestières (c’est-à-dire le passage de la déforestation à la reforestation) documentées dans certains pays développés seraient causées par des dynamiques universelles intrinsèques au développement et à la modernisation des sociétés. Nos travaux ont porté sur l’application de cette vision optimiste et controversée à l’évolution des superficies forestières en Thaïlande. S’appuyant sur une recension de la littérature, sur des données secondaires ainsi que nos travaux de terrain dans la région de Phetchabun, la thèse offre les apports suivants. Elle démontre que contrairement à l’idée répandue en Thaïlande, le ralentissement de la déforestation a été suivi par une expansion forestière substantielle entre environ 1995 et 2005. Ce regain forestier est lié à la disparition presque complète de l’expansion agricole, à l’établissement de plantations sylvicoles et, surtout, à l’abandon de terres agricoles. Cet abandon agricole découle d’abord et avant tout de la faible et incertaine rentabilité de l’agriculture dans certaines zones non irriguées. Ce phénomène s’explique, entre autres, par la dégradation des sols et par l’incapacité des agriculteurs à contrer l’impact des transformations économiques internes et externes à la Thaïlande. L’accroissement de la pression de conservation n’a pu contribuer à l’expansion forestière que dans certains contextes (projets de reforestation majeurs appuyés par l’armée, communautés divisées, terres déjà abandonnées). Sans en être une cause directe, l’intensification agricole et la croissance des secteurs non agricoles ont rendu moins pénibles la confiscation et l’abandon des terres et ont permis que de tels phénomènes surviennent sans entraîner d’importants troubles sociaux. Dans un contexte d’accroissement des prix agricoles, notamment celui du caoutchouc naturel, une partie du regain forestier aurait été perdu depuis 2005 en raison d’une ré-expansion des surfaces agricoles. Cela illustre le caractère non permanent de la transition forestière et la faiblesse des mesures de conservation lorsque les perspectives de profit sont grandes. La thèse montre que, pour être robuste, une théorie de la transition forestière doit être contingente et reconnaître que les variables macro-sociales fréquemment invoquées pour expliquer les transitions forestières (ex. : démocratisation, intensification agricole, croissance économique) peuvent aussi leur nuire. Une telle théorie doit également prendre en compte des éléments d’explication non strictement économiques et souvent négligés (menaces à la sécurité nationale, épuisement des terres perçues comme arables et libres, degré d’attachement aux terres et capacité d’adaptation et résilience des systèmes agricoles). Finalement, les écrits sur la transition forestière doivent reconnaître qu’elle a généralement impliqué des impacts sociaux et même environnementaux négatifs. Une lecture de la transition forestière plus nuancée et moins marquée par l’obsession de la seule reforestation est seule garante d’une saine gestion de l’environnement en respect avec les droits humains, la justice sociale et le développement durable. / Recent popular ideas and theories portray economic development as both a cause and a solution to environmental degradation. Concerning forest cover, many authors view forest transitions (the passage from deforestation to reforestation) as resulting from near-universal causal dynamics linked to economic development. The thesis evaluates the validity of these controversial ideas and their relevance to the Thai case. Based on an analysis of secondary literature and official data as well as extensive fieldwork in Phetchabun region, the thesis makes the following points. Contrary to the dominant view, forest cover did expand significantly between ~1995 and 2005. Forest regrowth is linked to the near-interruption of agricultural expansion, the establishment of forest plantations, and, most importantly, agricultural abandonment. The latter derives first and foremost from the declining and currently uncertain profitability of agriculture in non-irrigated zones. These agricultural problems are linked to declining soil fertility and the incapacity of some farmers to counter the impact of rapid economic changes occurring within and outside Thailand. Conservation efforts contributed to forest expansion only in some contexts (ex.: military-backed projects, divided communities, land already abandoned). Agricultural intensification and the growth of non-agricultural sectors made land confiscation and agricultural abandonment less distressing and allowed these land transformations to occur without leading to major social troubles. Since 2005, part of the forest regrowth has been lost to the rubber boom. This illustrates both the potentially non-permanent nature of the forest transition and the limited power of forest conservation in the face of major politico-economic interests. A robust forest transition theory must be contextually-bounded and recognize that forest transitions can be encouraged, blocked or countered by the same frequently invoked macro-social variables: economic growth, agricultural intensification, and democratisation. It must also take into account neglected causal factors, such as geopolitical threats, the resilience of agrarian systems, the perception of land scarcity and the degree of attachment to the land and an agrarian life. Typically, social distress, violence and, in some cases, negative environmental impacts have accompanied forest transitions. Human rights, social justice and sustainable development principles require that a more nuanced view of forest transitions be adopted.

This creative project consists of the design of a Master Plan for the Mbaracaju Forest Reserve, a 143,000 acre site in eastern Paraguay which is part of the devastated Atlantic Forest , an area requiring urgent conservation action. This creative project adresses site inventory and analysis, programming, land uses, site specific facility development guidelines, and three Master Plan Alternatives. The Master Plan seeks to support environmental preservation, sustainable development, and environmental education. The hypothesis of this project is that preservation and environmentally sound use of the Reserve are possible through a Master Plan that responds to the sensitivity of the various areas and its management, and to an activities program oriented towards global preservation. The Incorporation of the traditional inhabitants of the land as active participants in the Master Plan will serve as an example for Paraguay and for the world. This Master Plan, which will promote environmental preservation and biological diversity, will benefit the inhabitants of the Reserve, of Paraguay, and from around the world. For this report to the Graduate Office at Ball State University there are included the major aspects of the Master Plan. It is important to clarify that the whole report, which has 200 pages, is available in the lybrary of the College of Architecture and Planning. / Department of Landscape Architecture

This study examines how Tagbanua responses to changes in conservation approaches have shaped forest access and use in relation to the political economy of a buffer zone village on Palawan Island, the Philippines. A recent shift from "fences and fines" to "devolved" conservation at Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Cabayugan has been lauded in government and non-governmental circles to support Tagbanua livelihoods while preserving the rain forest. Concurrently, however, the Tagbanua have adjusted to migrants dispossessing them of land, controlling the trade in forest products, and the means of agricultural production. Given that conservation and local resource access and use now intersect, this study asks whether "community-based" conservation can fulfill its own objectives while addressing older disparities in social relations of production and exchange. / A history of national park and cadastral zoning has restricted Tagbanua access to forest resources while supporting settler migration onto public lands. The two-way process of park zoning and migrant control over trade and productive resources has become interrelated and shaped the evolution of conservation in Cabayugan from 1971-2001. Although older "fences and fines" criminalized traditional resource uses, such as swidden (kaingin), and supported state interests in expanding paddy rice cultivation (basakan ), newer community-based approaches have carried on this agenda. Going against its purported benefits, such conservation has supported the livelihoods of dominant households, both politically and economically. Over time, these households have used political economic opportunities to build on and influence how projects support their livelihoods, which has exacerbated socio-economic differences between both social groups. As a result, conservation practitioners have continued to tie into and support wealthier households' production, while fulfilling the state's agenda of curbing swidden. Confined to unequal trade and restrictions over swidden, Tagbanua livelihoods remain vulnerable and have difficulty sustaining paddy rice. With few options to reinvest, they fail to access those socio-political and economic networks that enable participation in projects that support more lucrative cultivation. Despite good intentions, current attempts by state practitioners and non-governmental organizations at livelihood development for conservation have proven to be more divisive than effective.

A degradação ou conservação das florestas tropicais dependem, em grande parte, da ação humana no meio ambiente. O presente estudo tem como objetivo geral avaliar de forma integrada os efeitos do uso da terra em fragmentos florestais na bacia do rio Corumbataí. Destaca-se, neste estudo, a importância do uso da interdisciplinaridade envolvendo, no caso, conhecimentos das Ciências Agrárias, Humanas e Biológicas. Sob tal perspectiva, este estudo pode ser considerado uma somatória de esforços visando à compreensão dos fatores de degradação ou conservação dos recursos naturais renováveis na bacia do rio Corumbataí. Os métodos utilizados envolvem o sensoriamento remoto (por meio da classificação de imagens de satélite) e sistemas de informações geográficas (SIG), para coleta e organização de informações sobre a cobertura do solo, bem como dados primários, para coleta e organização de dados do uso da terra. Os dados primários foram obtidos a partir do Levantamento Cadastral das Unidades de Produção Agropecuária ? LUPA, realizado pela Coordenadoria de Assistência Técnica Integral ? CATI. Para este estudo, as coberturas do solo estão relacionadas com a ocupação da superfície do solo, tais como água, floresta e plantação. O uso da terra está relacionado com os fatores socioeconômicos e tecnológicos, que podem determinar a conservação ou a degradação dos fragmentos florestais. A análise dos resultados está baseada na correlação entre uma série de variáveis que representam a variação ou não na conservação dos fragmentos florestais e os indicadores do uso da terra ocorridos no período de estudo. Os resultados encontrados demonstram existir diferenças regionais na bacia do Corumbataí em termos de: nível educacional do produtor rural, mão-de-obra utilizada nas UPAs, condição socioeconômica do produtor rural e, ainda, tecnologias utilizada nas UPAs. Análises realizadas evidenciaram que o emprego da tecnologia agropecuária nas UPAs contribui para a conservação dos fragmentos florestais na bacia do Corumbataí. / The degradation or preservation of the tropical forest depends mostly of human action on the environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the land use effects on forest fragments of the Corumbataí river basin, SP, by using integrated analysis. The present study emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach involving human, agrarian end biological sciences. In this way, the present study intends to understand the forces driving degradation or preservation of the natural resources of the studied area. The methods involve remote sensing (satellite images) and geographic information systems for collecting and organizing information related to land cover. In addition, land use data were also collected by using primary data and surveys. In this study, land cover is related to forest and plantations while land use is related to socioeconomic and technological factors that can lead to deforestation or conservation of the forest fragments. The analysis were based on the relationship among variables representing changes on the areas of the forest fragments and land use indicators from the period covered by this study. The findings revealed regional differences in the Corumbataí river basin in terms of: farmer?s educational level, rural worker employment, farmer?s socioeconomic status as well as farm technology. The results indicated that forest conservation in the Corumbataí river basin is mostly related to the use of technology in the farms.