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Community based conservation issues discussed at Brazilia conference Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology July 25, 2005 Below are community-based conservation papers submitted for the conference. All descriptions are excepts from the official "Book of Abstracts" from the meeting. More abstracts. BUSH, GLENN K.; Plumptre, Andrew J.; Nampindo, Simon; Aguti, Caroline. Department of Economics, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, United Kingdom, g.k.bush((AT))stir.ac.uk (GKB); Albertine Rift Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, PO Box 7487, Kampala, Uganda, aplumptre((AT))wcs.org (AJP, SN, CA). This study examined key economic relationships between wealth and natural forest use in order to quantify the economic role of Uganda's natural forests in poverty reduction and sustainable economic development. A stratified random sample survey was employed representing forest users surrounding the four major forest types in Uganda. Gross annual household income and consumption was measured from forest and non-forest sources. Across all forest types and wealth groups, households in the target population derived 19% of their overall income from forest with 75% of the value of goods harvested from forests consumed in the home. Amongst wealth groups, poorer households obtained proportionately more of their income from forests than wealthier households, although wealthier households appropriated a greater overall proportion of the value of forest goods. Nationally, the annual contribution of natural forests to household income was calculated at approximately US$190,000,000. These results indicate that reductions in forest use, to sustainable levels, may increase poverty amongst forest users; making households wealthier will not necessarily reduce forest exploitation. Improved coordination between forest management and rural development activities is essential. The forestry sector must continue to receive central government and international assistance to be able to deliver important public goods THE CONCEPT OF COMMUNITY AND NATURE CONSERVATION PROGRAMS: EXPERIENCES FROM THE BOLIVIAN CHACO. CHICCHÓN, AVECITA; Painter, Michael. Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, USA, mpainter((AT))wcs.org (MP). The role played by conservation programs that are implemented with the collaboration of local populations is a critical issue in discussions about the relationship that exists, or should exist, between the goals of promoting economic development that contributes to improving the quality of human life and promoting the conservation of biological diversity. While there is a consensus that local participation is an important element in conservation programs, in many cases there is also dissatisfaction with the results. On the one hand, there are questions about whether such collaboration really contributes to improving the quality of life of program participants, and, on the other, there are questions about whether collaboration with local people really results in significant contributions to biodiversity conservation. Among the factors that have contributed to unsatisfactory results has been the tendency of many activities with local populations to define their actions in terms of work with communities, attributing to them levels of homogeneity and solidarity that do not exist and, which, in many cases, have not existed historically. As a result, different observers have recommended that the concept of work with communities be replaced by an institutional focus that identifies entities characterized by compatible interests and builds shared agendas based on those interests. This has been the focus utilized by the conservation program in the Bolivian Chaco, which has been jointly implemented by WCS and the Capitanía de Alto y Bajo Izozog. This program has achieved positive results related to biodiversity conservation and improving the quality of human life. Of particular importance, the program's focus has enabled it to respond relatively effectively to challenges related to both sets of issues that have originated outside of the area that is the program's geographic focus THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING YOU LIVE INSIDE A BIOSPHERE RESERVE, A COMMUNITY BASED EXPERIENCE AT EL TRIUNFO, CHIAPAS, MEXICO. CONTRERAS, OSWALDO; Butler, Paul; Perez, Fanny; Manzanero, Rafael. Natxalli AC, Tenochtitlan No. 4056, Col. Jardines del Sol, Zapopan, Jalisco, México 45050 natxalli((AT)) yahoo.com.mx. (OC) RARE 1840 Wilson Blvd., Suite 204 Arlington, VA 22201 USA (PB, RM) Dirección de la Reserva de la Biosfera El Triunfo, Palacio Federal 3er piso, 2ª Oriente Norte No. 227, Centro 29000 Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico (FP). In Latin America, people and high value natural resources coexist in Biosphere Reserves. Nevertheless, it is very common to find inhabitants don't know they live inside one. In 2000, a Conservation Education Campaign using the Rare Pride methodology at El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve strongly reached local inhabitants to increase awareness about their natural resource values, sustainable management and pride of living inside a Biosphere Reserve. This educational campaign used the Quetzal (Pharomacrus moccino) as the flagship species to reach people. A monitoring survey showed how before the implementation of the Quetzal Campaign 27% of local inhabitants (young and old) didn't know they lived inside the Reserve. After one year of implementing the Quetzal Campaign 57% of the people were aware of cohabitati ng in a natural protected area. Results show the immense usefulness of an educational campaign involving community-based social marketing. At present, the Quetzal Campaign prevails increasing local awareness for sustainable development (sustainable coffee, fire prevention, water conservation) at El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in a participatory way after a five-year nonstop program A BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY APPROACH MOTIVATES COMMUNITY-BASED CONSERVATION. LAFLAMME, MICHAEL. Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology, Oregon Health Sciences University, 3181 Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland OR (USA) laflamme((AT))ohsu.edu. Sustainable conservation requires that human communities learn to care for other species. I developed and tested a method for motivating communities to conserve endangered native fish. Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants from children to adults (n=1200) assessed native fish habitats and behavior in the field and in microcosms. A strategy involving participants in both animal behavior and ecology was necessary to increase non-material benefits for helping. This strategy enabled participants to interpret detailed fish behavioral interactions with a range of habitat qualities. The resulting understanding increased perception of: fish worldviews; human impacts on fish and microhabitats; similarities with fish physiology, behavior, and lives; non-material bene- fits in return for helping fish; social benefits among observers; and a conservation-based social identity. For example, perceptions of negative effects of runoff on fish behavior were 50% higher than perception of runoff effects on habitat. Participants developed 65 concepts about fish-human-habitat interdependence and designed effective conservation plans, resulting in a 6-step behavioral ecology model for community-based conservation planning. I am applying this model with tribal and non-tribal communities in the Columbia River Basin (USA) to reduce exposure to toxins that affect the development and behavior of fish and people.XIX Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology ABSTRACT TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE FROM CBD TO WTO: A CASE STUDY OF INDIA. KEMEPALI, LENIN BABU; Puttaiah, ET; Pattanayak, Shobhan Kumar; Krishnan, MG. Department of Environmental Sciences, Bangalore University, J.B. Campus, Bangalore, India, klenin((AT))rediffmail.com. Knowledge of medicinal and economic value of biodiversity can be said to exist at two levels in India, i. e. at society level and at individual level. The knowledge existing at society level is often put to use by the community at many times in general. However, the knowledge at individual level is offered for a cost (however nominal it may be) for instance, medicine for hepatitis. With adoption of WTO and consequent Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights, this knowledge developed over long period is threatened on account of following factors. 1. The individuals are not interested to commercialize the information and they consider this knowledge only to serve the society. 2. Generally, this knowledge is passed only to the male heir of the family. 3. the process of getting patent is to o cumbersome. Lastly, 4. So far hardly any attempt is made by the state to increase awareness of WTO and TRIPS. Similar situation is prevailing in most of the biodiversity rich nations. Unless remeidial action undertaken, we will not only loose the Traditional knowledge but also will be in receiving end on account of TRIPS INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS, CONSERVATION POLICIES, AND BUSHMEAT HUNTING IN MANU NATIONAL PARK, PERU. YU, DOUGLAS W.; Shepard Jr., Glenn; Ohl, Julia; Peres, Carlos A.; Levi, Taal. Centre for Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology (CEEC), University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK, douglas. yu((AT))uea.ac.uk. The presence of native people in nature reserves has spawned debate between those who view indigenous people as conservationists and those who see them as a threat to biodiversity conservation. We examine the people/parks polemic from the perspective of a particularly celebrated case: Manu National Park, in Peru, and present preliminary results from a recently initiated study of indigenous hunting. Manu Park suffers from a fundamental contradiction: the core area, considered closed to human interference, is home to a substantial indigenous population. However, for now, Manu's large size dwarfs its human inhabitants, likely allowing source-sink dynamics to replenish game populations. In fact, vulnerable game species are still found within a day's walk of indige-XIX Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology ABSTRACTS nous Matsigenka settlements. In this light, the parks versus people debate boils down to a single question, "How long can Manu remain big?" We are addressing this question through an interdisciplinary research project that seeks to (1) estimate the degree to which hunting is sustainable in the present, (2) scale-up catchment areas based on different scenarios of population growth and cultural change, and (3) develop, in collaboration with the major stakeholders, a management plan that is also politically and socially sustainable COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AND TRAINING TO MEET SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES IN ACRE, BRAZIL. WALLACE, RICHARD H.; Schmink, Marianne; Kainer, Karen A.; Stone, Samantha S. Tropical Conservation and Development Program, Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida, 319 Grinter Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611-5530, U.S.A, wallacer((AT))ufl.edu (RHW, MS, KAK, SSS); School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, 210 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611-0410, USA (KAK). In the state of Acre, in the southeast Brazilian Amazon located along the borders of Peru and Bolivia, nearly 90% of rainforest remains standing. Relative geographic isolation, a unique economic history linked to rubber collection, the rich cultural traditions of indigenous peoples, rubber tappers and riberinhos with livelihoods based on extractive resource use, a strong social movement, and most recently, a state "forest government" committed to sustainable use of Acre's forests, have created a promising context for reconciling biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. But many challenges remain, including a growing cattle sector, encroaching soybean frontier, increasingly competitive extractive sector and regional road building. Research and capacity-building efforts to address these challenges include crossscale analysis of policies, markets, and networks; institutions and landscape changes within different land rights systems; and the dynamics of diverse livelihood systems in local communities. InXIX Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology ABSTRACTS collaboration with Brazilian partner organizations, University of Florida researchers are focusing on the interface between macrolevel policies and markets, and community-level surveys that reveal the complex interplay of factors determining land use decisions by individual resource-users. The research seeks ways to strengthen local producers and communities to negotiate their policy and market interests with other actors NEGOTIATING FOR CHANGE: THE CASE OF THE AFRICAN GRASSROOTS INNOVATION FOR LIVELIHOOD AND ENVIRONMENT (AGILE) CONCEPT IN UGANDA. TANUI, JOSEPH; Russell, Diane; Stroud, Ann. Landcare coordinator African Highland initiative P.O.BOX 26416 Kampala Uganda Email: j.tanui((AT))cgiar.org (JT); Theme Leader Trees and Markets, World Agroforestry Centre P.O.BOX 30677, Nairobi, Kenya (DR); Program Coordinator African Highland Initiative P.O.BOX 26416, Kampala, Uganda (AS). Initiatives towards the improvement of conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in Sub-Saharan Africa have illuminated weak institutions and inadequate institutional arrangements. The paper describes the Conservation and livelihood initiatives in Kapchorwa district, on the slopes of Mount Elgon Uganda. In this area, land degradation is evidenced by soil erosion, declining soil fertility, low yields and landslides. Factors for the degradation include poor farming methods, cultivation on steep slopes, and deforestation. Land fragmentation, increasing population further exacerbate natural resource exploitation. Lack of a responsive policy formulation culture, national and local level policy mismatch and policies that disregard special interest groups create a culture of exploitation. The paper describes the case of the "Bennet" forest dwellers pushed out of ancestral domain, at logger heads with their northern pastoral neighbours, and those in the downstream watershed. Through the AGILE concept a stakeholder analysis was done and an agenda setting exercise initiated. Members underwent an appreciative enquiry process, priorities identified and partners engaged. The planning process was collaborative and a local level "reflect cycle" learning process initiated. The outcome is holistic, inclusive, and community groupings lobby for policy change. The process created champions of environmental conservation, and the initiative is community owned COMMUNITY BASED, DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF ETHNIC CONSERVATION AREAS (ECAS) IN CURARE-LOS INGLESES NEAR THE LOWER CAQUETA RIVER IN COLOMBIA. TANIMUCA, LUZ EDNA. Conservation International - Colombia (CI) Carrera 13 No. 71-41 Santa Fe de Bogota, Colombia. The highly biodiverse lower Caquetá River, faces growing pressures on biodiversity, because population growth, migration, and weak governance of local people. Two highly committed indigenous reserves, and 3 non-indigenous communities from Puré Park buffer, living below the poverty line, and having no alternative livelihoods other than fishing and hunting, seek to implement management plans in the lands they inhabit. For these initiatives to succeed and consolidate the environmental zoning of the region, we need to solve, 1) resource-use conflicts, 2) lack of non-indigenous people land rights, 3) weak governance of indigenous lands, 4) lack of incentives for local conservation initiatives, 4) no government support, and 5) lack of sustainable production projects aiming alimentary security of local communities, and decreasing impact on forest resources EFFECT OF HUNTING, SELECTIVE LOGGING AND PALM HARVESTING ON THE RICHNESS OF GAME BIRDS AND MAMMALS IN THE ATLANTIC FOREST. STEFFLER, CARLA E.; Rubim, Paulo; Galetti, Mauro. Laboratório de Biologia da Conservação, Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Caixa Postal 199, 13506-900 Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brasil, mgaletti((AT))rc.unesp.br, Instituto de Biologia da Conservação (IBC), Av. P-13, 293, Vila Paulista, Rio Claro, SP, Brasil. Medium and large animals are sensitive to fragmentation, poaching and modification of the structure of the vegetation. Few studies have been carried through in non-fragmented areas of the Atlantic forest concerning the habitat use, abundance and population size of game birds and mammals. The Parque Estadual do Jurupará, with 26250 ha of Atlantic forest is located between the Serra de Paranapiacaba and Serra do Mar and comprise an important corridor for vertebrates, however little we know on the effectiveness of protection of this protected area. This work analyzed the habitat use, population status of game birds and mammals through linetransect and traps of footprints. Species richness and abundance of game birds and mammals was higher in the logged forest than in the palmito harvested forest. From 17 game species found in Jurupará, three increased their abundance in the logged forest, six decreased and seven did not occur at the logged forest (Binomial test, F=0.99, P=0.002). Hunting pressure was high in both areas. This Protected Area works as a sink (or as a death corridor) for the game population between Serra do Mar and Paranapiacaba ECOLOGICAL FACTORS AFFECT THE SUSTANAINABLE PRODUCTION OF Chamaedorea elegans LEAVES IN NATURAL CONDITIONS. SOL-SANCHEZ, ANGEL; Campos, Jose-Joaquin; Current, Dean; Stoian, Dietmar. Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Educationl Center (CATIE). Turrialba, 7170. Costa Rica, asol((AT))catie.ac.cr. Chamaedorea elegans leaves are widely known around the world; however the followed process for producing those leaves is unknown for many people. It Include gathering, local transport, leaves selection, middlemen, and sale. A comparative study was carried out in Peten, Guatemala, along a year in natural populations of xate (Chamaedorea elegans), nine sampling plots with 45 repetition unities were established. Light, type of shade, growing and type of management were evaluated. Plots with sunlight under 52% were the worse conditions for those plants because they were burnt and did not show growth. Also, no one new plant was born there. Similarly, plots with shade over 86% showed negative effects on the population, 32% of the new plants died by fungal attacks, and 22% of old plants showed the same effect. The best results were gotten in those plots with a shade from 64% to 73% of shade, but it was those with 68% which showed the optimum characteristic for producing plants with commercial characteristic like size and color. Likewise around a year there were 29% of new plants for natural restoration. More than 600 plants were evaluated monthly COMMUNITY DEFINITIONS OF SUCCESS; DEMONSTRATING THE CONTRIBUTION OF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION ON LOCAL LIVELIHOODS ON THE ISLAND OF OMETEPE, NICARAGUA. SEPÚLVEDA, NORVIN. Fauna & Flora International, km12 ½, carretera Norte, Marena contiguo al Corredor Biológico Mesoamericano, Managua, Nicaragua, norvin.sepulveda((AT))fauna- flora.org. It is important to demonstrate that conservation measures can contribute positively to the livelihoods of local resource users. Over the past 18 months FFI have facilitated an initiative to promote biodiversity conservation and develop community based ecotourism on the freshwater island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua. Ometepe is comprised of two volcanoes connected by a wetland isthmus and its exceptional biodiversity and archaeological wealth attracts increasing numbers of tourists. Working with the indigenous communities and local partners, FFI have applied an integrated approach to conservation through local development directed at resource management, ecotourism, legislation, community organization and capacity building for conservation management. An integral component of this model is the development of a monitoring and evaluation system that combines scientific criteria with local perceptions in order to create an instrument to evaluate the process' impact. These "community definitions of success" (CDS) already indicate the positive impacts of this initiative onXIX Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology ABSTRACTS local livelihoods, by defining property ownership and indigenous rights, through capacity training, in developing basic ecotourism infrastructure and by consolidating the communities' internal organization and external alliances INTEGRATING THE HUMAN SOCIAL SYSTEM AND THE ECOSYSTEM TO SUCCESSFULLY ADDRESS THREATS TO PROTECTED AREAS . DIETZ, LOU ANN; Rambaldi, Denise M. Golden Lion Tamarin Association Garwood St., Silver Spring, MD 20901, USA, louann.dietz((AT))verizon.net (LAD). Associação Mico-Leão Dourado, C.P. 109.968, 28.860-970, Casimiro de Abreu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (DMR). The future of biodiversity depends on effectiveness of global protected areas. Protected areas are cornerstones of most biodiversity conservation strategies. A 2004 assessment of management effectiveness of 200 protected areas in 37 countries, conducted by WWF using a tracking tool developed with the World Bank and World Commission on Protected Areas, found that although legal establishment, boundary demarcation, design and objective setting, and biodiversity condition assessment were satisfactorily addressed, a consistent problem was a failure to manage relations with people, both local communities and visitors. The most critical threats to parks were poaching, encroachment, logging, and collection of non-timber forest products. To effectively address such problems, managers must both understand human behavior toward the environment and design management activities that are supported and implemented by local residents and therefore have a greater chance of success. Using a model adapted from Byers 2000, and the case study of a long-term program to protect the Atlantic Forest biodiversity in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, we demonstrate how a focus on human behavior can help managers to understand the interrelationships of the social system and the ecosystem to develop initiatives that are both successful and sustainable in addressing threats to protected areas COMMUNAL OWNERSHIP AS A TOOL IN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION: A COMMUNITY-BASED ZONING SYSTEM IN THE CENTRAL AMAZON TOWN OF SILVES. PINHO, PATRICIA; Chernela, Janet. Depart of Anthropology Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, AT Davis, 1 Shields Ave, CA, 95616, USA, pfpinho((AT))ucdavis.edu. (PP); Department of Anthropology, Latin American Studies Center, Uuiversity of Maryland Woods Hall, College Park, MD 20742, USA, chernela((AT)) umd.edu (JC). Neotropical rainforests are being devastated at increasingly rapid rates. In the Brazilian Amazon, commercial development by export agriculture (including large-scale soybean cultivation), commercial fishing, ranching, and illegal logging, not only harm undisturbed forested landscapes, but also threaten the livelihoods of the local communities that inhabitant them. In the central Amazon, the fishing villages that constitute the municipality of Silves recently initiated an innovative zoning program to advance the conservation and management of collectively-owned and monitored aquatic and terrestrial resources. Data gathered through a methodology of rapid biodiversity assessment (RBA), show greater diversity and abundance of aquatic resources in communally-owned and protected areas than in those outside collective village surveillance. This paper, based upon those data, gathered in the lakes and surrounding floodplains and forests of Silves, suggests that communally-owned and managed areas are at least as efficient mechanisms for conservation and management of tropical forest ecosystems than are other types of land ownership and management. This precedent-setting case strongly supports the position, held by the authors, that culture and conservation are interlinked and can, when called upon, lead to creative and successful natural resources management HARNESSING SOCIAL CAPITAL FOR COMANAGEMENT: EXPERIENCES FROM ARRAIAL DO CABO, BRAZIL. PINTO DA SILVA, PATRICIA. NOAA Fisheries 166 Water Street Woods Hole, MA, USA, 02543. Brazilian coastal communities are being faced with increasing pressures on the living marine resources that they depend on. Policies related to property rights of the marine environment, specifically the creation of direct use collaboratively managed marine protected areas, may provide the mechanism for supporting and sustaining traditional coastal livehoods. Maritime Extractive Reserves, a relatively new type of government-community collaborative management regime, are being established in coastal areas of Brazil in order to protect natural resources while sustaining local livehoods. These reserves may enable fishing dependent communities to maintain or even strengthen the traditional institutions that have governed these resources over time. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges of harnessing and sustaining social capital in order to achieve these objectives THE CHANGING NATURE OF RIBEIRINHO LAND USE IN THE DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENTS OF THE VARZEA. PINEDO-VASQUEZ, MIGUEL; Padoch, Christine; Sears, R. Robin. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC), Columbia University 1200 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY, 10027, USA, map57((AT))columbia.edu (MPV) and rrs26((AT))columbia.edu (RRS) Institute of Economic Botany, The New York Botanical Garden, 200th St. and Kazimiroff Blvd, Bronx, NY, 10458, USA, cpadoch((AT))nybg.org (CP). Changes in land use on the várzea in the Amazon have multiple and complex drivers. Among these are demographic shifts, changing market for agricultural and forest products and alterations in land use, natural resource, and economic policies. The characteristics of each driver are different in each region, as are the impacts on land use decisions and on biodiversity. In this paper we contrast the nature and effects of demographic, economic, and policy changes in Brazil and Peru. We place recent changes in a historical context highlighting the history of riverine populations' adaptation to almost constant exogenous change, a notion we describe as a "tradition of change. Focusing on the impacts of the aforementioned drivers on the ecological services and products of the várzea, we examine the temporal aspects of adaptation, and the problems of resource degradation that result from "time lags" in adaptation. We combine biodiversity, agrodiversity, and household income data to examine the integrated and evolving nature and hybrid quality of ribeirinho production systems. We contrast the situation in several Peruvian and Brazilian sites where we have studied the responses to similar but subtly different drivers, and the changes observed in várzea environments WORKING TOWARDS COMMON GOALS: THE CREATION OF THE OTISHI NATIONAL PARK AND THE COMMUNAL RESERVES OF ASHÁNINKA AND MATZIGUENGA. Meneses, Erick; TORRES DE PEREZ, ISABEL. Conservation International - Peru / Lima (CI) Malecón de la Reserva 281 Miraflores Lima 18 Peru. This case study in Peru is in the mountain range of Vilcabamba (Cusco and Junin). The project was executed by, between 2001 and the 2003, with funds of the GEF/WB, and that concluded successful with the categorization of the National Park Otishi and the Communal Reserves Machiguenga and Ashaninka, as its main objective. One of the resulting initiatives with the communities was the development of a crafts association in the Communal Reserve Ashaninka This experience was very valuable for the communities and concluded with the design of 4 communal businesses associated and linked with conservation, organizing for more than 90 mothers of the linguistic family Arawak SUSTAINABILITY OF MANGROVE HARVESTING: CONTRASTS BETWEEN DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSES AND HARVESTERS' PERCEPTIONS. LOPEZ-HOFFMAN, LAURA; Monroe, Ian E.; Martínez-Ramos, Miguel; Ackerly, David D. Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305; Earth Systems Program, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305; Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México. Ap. Post. 27-3, Santa María de Guido, 58090, Morelia Michoacán, México; Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305, USA. We use matrix population models and sociological surveys to assess the potential for sustainable harvesting of mangroves on the NW edge of Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. Mangroves in this region are illegally harvested for timber for home-building and construction. The most harvested size class of trees was 2-14.9 cm diameter followed by saplings. According to demographic models, 2-14.9 cm diameter trees were the population's most vulnerable size class. Rates of timber extraction were determined by estimating the length of time since remnant stumps were harvested. Local extraction rates ranged from 12 to 100% of 2-14.9 cm trees. Matrix models suggest that most of the observed harvesting was locally unsustainable. We believe the mangroves could be sustainably logged if harvesting was limited to approximately 10% of trees and saplings, or 5% of trees and 20% of saplings. Our sociological surveys were designed to compare the perceptions of old vs. young and rural vs. urban harvesters. The surveys indicated substantial differences in the harvesting practices of the different groups; younger people appear to harvest more intensively than older harvesters, and young urban harvesters are less likely than others to perceive mangroves as becoming scarcer. Almost half of the harvesters identified the high reproductive potential of mangrove populations as a reason for their resilience to harvesting, in contrast to the results of the demographic matrix models. This suggests that harvesting intensities and impacts will only increase over time as urban populations expand, generating more demand for timber and more young people in need of earning money THE EVOLUTION OF PRIDE: SOCIAL MARKETING AS A TOOL FOR COMMUNITY CONSERVATION. Hill, Megan; Butler, Paul; MANZANERO, RAFAEL. Rare, 1840 Wilson Blvd, Ste 204, Arlington, VA 22201;ABSTRACTS Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, July 2005 mhill((AT))rareconservation.org. Conservationists increasingly recognize the human role in biodiversity conservation. In this paper we will discuss the evolution of a community outreach program that harnesses a basic human emotion-pride-to catalyze action and build constituencies for conservation. Using marketing techniques drawn from the business world to change attitudes and behavior towards environmental conservation, Pride uses fun, compelling activities to communicate positive environmental messages to an identified target audience. Born on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia where it is credited with saving the St. Lucia Parrot from extinction, we will discuss how the program works, how it reduces threats, and how it has evolved over the course of replication at over 62 sites around the world. The program now includes a university diploma component that provides the incentive of an academic degree to successful campaign implementation; a participatory methodology for community participation and detailed campaign planning process; as well as a thorough evaluation and learning program that is collecting and analyzing data to create a predictive model for campaign success. Now conducted at two university training centers, the program is expanding and building capacity for conservation in all of the world's major languages DEFORESTATION, FOREST RESOURCES, CIVIL CONFLICT, AND COMMUNITY FOREST MANAGEMENT INSTITUTIONS: A COMPARISON OF TWO WATERSHEDS IN GUERRERO, MEXICO. DURÁN, ELVIRA; Velázquez, Alejandro; Bray, David Barton. Instituto de Geografia, Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, Aquiles Serdan 382, Morelia, Michoacan, 58000, Mexico, eduran3((AT))hotmail.com (ED, AV). Department of Environmental Studies, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA. We compare deforestation, forest resources, civil conflict, and community institutions in two adjacent watersheds in the Mexican state of Guerrero. We used remote sensing and social methodologies to study relationships among the variables. Dependent variables of deforestation and civil violence (both higher in the Petatlán watershed, lower in the Técpan watershed) are hypothesized to be influenced by commercial richness of forest resource and effectiveness of community organizations. The biodiverse wa-XIX Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology ABSTRACTS tersheds are distributed along an elevation gradient from 0-2,800 m, with pine and oak forests and deciduous tropical forests as predominant vegetation. In the land use/cover change analysis compatible digital maps on vegetation and land uses of two dates (t1 =1979 and t2 = 2000) were crossed with using GIS, and a map of change processes and change rates were obtained. Over 21- years in both watersheds, about 92% of temperate forests covers remained (annual loss -0.08%), whereas about 50% of tropical forests were deforested (annual loss -5.94%), the latter much higher rates than reported elsewhere in Mexico, but with differences between the two watersheds. Results show that effective local organizat ions can both reduce deforestation and civil violence UNDERSTANDING THE "MAP" REGION AS A SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM: A FRAMEWORK FOR BUILDING RESILIENCE AND PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. DUCHELLE, AMY E.; Chavez, Andrea; Paniagua, Franklin; Rojas, Rafael; Villegas, Zulma. School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, PO Box 110410, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA, duchelle((AT))ufl.edu (AED). Department of Geography, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117315, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA (AC, ZV). School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Florida, PO Box 116455, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA (FP, RR). Understanding complex linkages between social and ecological systems, and their resilience to external shocks, is essential for promoting sustainable management of natural resources. The trinational frontier region of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia, provides an exceptional opportunity to explore the resilience of social-ecological systems to rapid infrastructural change. This region, known as "MAP," is comprised of the states of Madre de Dios-Peru, Acre- Brazil, and Pando-Bolivia. Although MAP is characterized by lowland wet tropical forest habitat, its historical settlement, patterns of deforestation, public policies and socioeconomic development vary considerably from one country to the next. Recent plans to extend the newly paved Brazilian BR-317 highway into Bolivia and Peru, and provide regional access to Pacific ports, will undoubtedly change the nature of this formerly remote region. In this study, we use a broad-scale systems approach to integrate socioeconomic, political and biophysical variables in the MAP region, create a series of conceptual models to understand social-ecological linkages over time, and present three possible resource management scenarios related to future development of the Transoceanic highway. Results highlight the importance of robust local and national institutions to build resilience to external disturbances and promote sustainable natural resource management, through regulatory mechanisms COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN CONSERVATION IN BOLIVIA'S PROTECTED AREAS. DOMROESE, MEG; Davis, Susan; Herrera, Patricia; Rojas, Judith. Center for Biodi-ABSTRACTS Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, July 2005 versity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, Central ParkWest at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024 USA, domroese((AT)) amnh.org (MD). Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Av. Irala 565, Santa Cruz, Bolivia (SD, PH). Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Calle 26, Cotacota, La Paz, Bolivia (JR). Since 1998, three museums have collaborated in a program that aims to bring together scientific and local expertise for biodiversity conservation in Bolivia's protected areas. The program partners are the American Museum of Natural History - New York, the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural - La Paz, and the Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado - Santa Cruz. Recognizing the urgent need for protected area residents to actively participate in and benefit from conservation of the resources upon which they depend, the program partners offered small grants to enable communities to develop their own conservation projects, including interpretive centers, ecotourism facilities, and informational materials. With projects located in ten communities, it has been possible to identify a variety of environmental, economic, social, and political factors that may facilitate or hinder their success. The program has also had a significant impact on its institutional partners as they ha ve expanded their involvement at the community level and shifted priorities to further incorporate educational activities with research aims COMMUNITY SENSITIZATION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN CELESTÚN BIOSPHERE RESERVE, YUCATÁN, MEXICO. de la Gala Méndez, José; Quijano Farjat, Mauricio; MIGOYA VON BERTRAB, RODRIGO. Comisión Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas, Reserva de la Biosfera Ría Celestún, SEMARNAT, Av. Pérez Ponce 120 Col Itzimná, Mérida, Yucatán 97100, Mexico, delagala((AT))conanp.gob.mx (JGM); Niños y Crías A.C., Calle 33D No. 503 X 6 y 72 Col. Reparto Dolores Patrón, Mérida, Yucatán 97070, México, mquijano((AT)) ninosycrias.org.mx, rmigoya((AT))ninosycrias.org.mx (MQF, RMVB). In 2002, Celestún Biosphere Reserve had an outgoing Director who identified local inhabitants as ignorant, uneducated barbarians. That year 2 new stakeholders were incorporated: a new Reserve Director and the Niños y Crías NGO. This Director recognized the community's knowledge about natural resource use and promoted social participation using 2 organisms as communication mediators: the Environmental Education Board (EEB) and the Social Development Council to propose, discuss and evaluate environmental issues to be solved, and to integrate and diversify already existing productive activities with new ones, in an effort to reach sustainable development. The Solid Waste ManagementPride Campaign was coordinated by Niños y Crías. Its results showed an increased community interest for a cleaner environment, which improved their health, economy and pride about protecting local biological species. The EEB also surged from the Campaign. In 2004, members increased from 6 to 19; a group of women collected and sold 73 tons of PET; Integral Solid Waste Regulations were approved by the township and 12 productive activities were created for future sustainable development (ie. interpretive trails, shrimp and brine shrimp aquaculture, apiculture, commercial flower production, fish skin and marine shell handcrafts, traditional salt pond rural tourism and others PEOPLE, POLICIES AND CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY IN THE LA SELVA BIOLOGICAL CORRIDOR; AN INTEGRATED LAND CHANGE ASSESSMENT OF COSTA RICA'S ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE PAYMENTS. SESNIE, STEVEN E.; Morse, Wayde C.; Finegan, Bryan; Harvey, Celia A.; Gessler, Paul E.; Hollenhorst, Steve. University of Idaho College of Natural Resources, Department of Forest Resources, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA, sesesnie((AT))lycos.com and El Centro Agronomico Tropical de Educación y Enseñanza (CATIE) Escuela de Postgrado Sede Central 7170, Turrialba, Costa Rica. Land change remains a persistent threat to retaining forest habitats important to biodiversity. Costa Rica's Environmental Service Payments (ESP) to private land owners aims to protect watersheds, biodiversity, sequester carbon and maintain aesthetic values. Land owners have received >US$50 million to establish and maintain forest on >250,000 hectares since 1996. Incentives are coupled with policies prohibiting forest conversion to other land uses. Our case study in an 8,000 km2 biological corridor evaluated ESP effectiveness at maintaining forest cover. Landsat TM images were used to compare land cover changes before and after ESP. A biophysical model of tropical forest types from 144 forest plots was integrated with image analysis to enhance change detection among habitats. Multistage interviews with ESP participants, non-participants, and regional experts were used to ascertain socioeconomic and policy factors influencing land use decisions and ESP program participation. Preliminary assessments show fragmentation greatest within forest types associated with high soil fertility and low topography, but has decreased significantly overall since 1996. Forest area increases were mainly through recruitment of exotic tree plantations with implications for the changing character of forest habitat in the corridor. Interviews suggest that forest establishment and retention were positively influenced by ESP and negatively by agricultural export price increases. Society for Conservation Biology - Brasilia 2005 News index | RSS | News Feed Advertisements: Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing |
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