Critics of Integrated Conservation and Development Projects (ICDPs) have argued that participatory approachesand trade-offs are key to effective development interventions for rural populations living adjacent to protected areas. Based on an actor-interface framework, this thesis explores among other things, the discontinuities and/or linkages between those formalized narratives surrounding the creation andmanagement of Mount Cameroon National Park (MCNP), and their actual implementation, where there are multiple actors with divergent rationalities and interests. Specifically, this thesis examines the experiences and perceptions of the Park’s rural populations vis-à-vis the participatory-driven socio-economic development of their rurality. Interview results show that while the socio-economic potentials of the Park’s conservation to the rural poor have been touted, the fragmented and ad hoc nature of these benefits seriously undermine their poverty-alleviating capacity for marginalized communities. Furthermore, this thesis shows that while participatory approaches may constitute a major technique for involving rural populations in decision-making processes that affect their lives, the benefits fall largely to influential local elites, and that community participation is sometimes sought only for less important decision-making activities. This thesis concludes that in order for ICDPs to contribute effectively to eliminating poverty traps for marginalized communities, development interventions must not only be the result of rural people’s expressed priorities, but development practitioners must also have the necessary training to understand poverty traps and development problems as nested issues that must be addressed in a comprehensive and holistic manner. The paper also suggests that ICDPs must develop rural people’s capacity in conservation activities such that they can benefit from ecotourism and other conservation-related employment, in meaningful ways.

Die Analyse von ländlichen Projekten erfordert exakte sozioökonomische und agroökologische Studien auf lokaler Ebene über große Räume. In dieser Studie wird eine Methodologie für die Analyse von Bodennutzungssystemen mit GIS entwickelt. Das empirische Modell charakterisiert die ländliche Bodennutzung einer Neuansiedlung im Tropenwald von Misiones, Argentinien. Das Modell verbindet mit Hilfe von GIS Informationen der Landnutzung, die aus der Satellitenbildklassifizierung extrahiert wurden, mit einzelbetrieblichen Informationen, die von offiziellen Daten und Befragungen abgeleitet wurden. Die Analyse schließt ein die Bewertung alternativer Produktionsverfahren und Wirtschaftsweisen in ihrem räumlichen und zeitlichen Bezug. Es werden Szenarien auf der Basis parametrischer Variationen entwickelt und bewertet. Die Aussagegenauigkeit und Überprüfbarkeit der Modellergebnisse wurden durch Befragungen vor Ort und Betriebsbesichtigungen getestet. Ein weiteres Szenario, definiert auf der Basis des Projektes "Grüner Korridor" wurde sozioökonomisch und ökologisch evaluiert. Die Modellierung mit GIS produziert genaue und plausible Daten der Landnutzung auf lokaler und auf regionaler Ebene und sind geeignet für Entscheidungsfindungen auf den verschiedenen Ebenen der ländlichen Entwicklungsplanung. / The analysis of rural projects requires precise socio-economic and agro-ecological investigations on a local level over extended areas. The present study develops a methodology for the analysis of agricultural systems with GIS. The empirical model characterises rural land use of a new settlement in the tropical forest of Misiones, Argentine. The model combines the GIS information on land use, extracted from remote sensing, with farming data, derived from official statistics and participatory surveys. The analysis of the agricultural system incorporates the local variations of production and capital management in space and time. On the basis of parametric variation of the model, scenarios are defined and evaluated. Precision and plausibility of the land use assessment were validated through farm visits and interviews of the farmers. A new scenario, defined on the basis of the project "Green Corridor of Misiones" was evaluated in socio-economic and ecological terms. The modelling of land use with GIS produces precise and plausible analysis results on a local and regional scale which turns out to be useful for decision-making on the different planning levels of rural development.