Evaluating the Process and Outcomes of Collaborative Conservation: Tools,Techniques, and Strategies

Abstract

Collaborative conservation has been touted as a viable option for addressing contentious natural resource stewardship issues in a way that represents the diverse voices impacted by, and involved in, conservation decisions. Engaging meaningfully in collaborative conservation involves overcoming a unique set of challenges while also realizing opportunities. In this special issue, we use the term collaborative conservation evaluation to encompass research and evaluation related to collaborative governance and collaborative natural resource management projects, programs, or decision-making processes that leverage a participatory approach, involve multiple stakeholders, and incorporate a range of contemporary evaluation approaches. Here, we provide a series of articles and tools intended to highlight different approaches to evaluation that utilize a variety of methodologies adapted for different contexts. We intend for these articles to spark further conversation and inspire future directions in evaluating collaborative conservation for researchers and practitioners.     

Intensity of Rubber Planted and Population Urbanization: A Spatial Econometric Analysis Based on Panel Data of Cities and Counties in Hainan Island

Population urbanization is the core of new urbanization in China and is an important task in the long term. Based on mediation effect models, spatial panel data econometric models, and coupling coordination models, this study attempts to identify the direct and indirect effects of the proportion of rubber-planted areas and the indications of population urbanization using panel data of counties on Hainan Island, explaining the mechanism. The results show that rubber plantations dominated by state-owned farms weakly impacted farmers' income in 1992-2002 (first phrase), and the effects became positive in the period of smallholding expansions from 2003 to 2013 (second phrase) at a statistically significant level of 10%. However, the effects became negative between 2013 and 2020 (third phrase) due to the continuously low prices of natural rubber compared to the second phrase; the regions with higher share of rubber plantations had less local fiscal revenues per capita—especially in the third phrase—mainly because of the short industrial chain of rubber in producing regions. Shares of rubber-planted areas in the city or county (defined as rubber-planted intensity, RPI) were negatively related to proportions of staff in the non-private sector (SNS) and nonrural employees (NRE) compared to people with jobs and census registered population urbanization rates (PUR). The reversed connections between RPI and NRE became weaker over time; a 10-percentage point increase in PRI might have led to a 10.3-percentage point decrease in NRE in the first phrase, but it reduced to 3.3 percentage points in NRE with no statistical significance in the third phrase. Conversely, the negative correlation of RPI with SNS and PUR became stronger from the first to third phrase; the farmers' income and local fiscal revenue could ease the negative relationships between RPI and SNS or NRE, but they turned to enhance the relation of RPI with PUR in the second and third phrase. The evidence from Moran's I and Geary's c indices proved the existence of obvious spatial correlations in the distribution of natural rubber and farmers' income and indicated that GDP per capita and other variables are also spatially related. The estimated spatial panel data models with adjacent, geographical and economical distance matrices indicated that the direct influences of RPI on SNS, NRE, and PUR were almost negative in all phrases, but the spillover and total effects can be positive in some situations, such as in the second phrase with adjacent and geographical distance matrices of PUR; this means that an increase in rubber-planted areas may promote nonfarm job market of adjacent regions mainly due to rural labor mobility. The coupling coordination degrees between the intensity of rubber planted and population urbanization of Haikou and Sanya reach 0.96 and 0.87, respectively, in the second and third phrases—much higher than those of other regions. Compared to the first phrase, the margin of increases in the degrees of coupling coordination in the second and third phrases are reducing from the east to west in Hainan Island. The key routes to mitigate the negative links are to improve labor productivity and extend the industrial chain of natural rubber along with the nonfarm job creation, and Hainan's population urbanization should consider many other possible angles across the island. © The Author(s) 2023.     

Contending with unequal and privileged access to natural resources and land in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

This paper reviews how state policy and regulatory instruments, including protected area alienations and concessions, have altered or denied the access to land and natural livelihood resources of the indigenous Basarwa and minority subsistence-oriented communities in the Okavango Delta (OD) in Botswana. Drawing on field research and guided by a sustainable rural livelihoods framework, the paper provides an overview of key institutional interventions – in particular the setting up of the Moremi Game Reserve, Wildlife Conservation Policy, Tourism Policy, Agricultural Development Policy and the erection of veterinary fences – that have served to privilege a foreign-owned and dominated commercialized wildlife and nature tourism sector and the export-oriented beef industry in the OD. The officially sanctioned barriers to customary and usufructory rights and access, and the non-recognition of historically embedded traditional land uses have decimated already marginalized resource-based subsistence livelihoods, and precipitated intergroup conflicts over preferential rights and access to resources and opportunities, notably wildlife, non-timber veld products, agriculture and community-based tourism schemes. Such outcomes, moreover, will have consequences for the longer-term sustainability of the OD both as a socioeconomic resource base and as a natural ecosystem.     

“A Salute to the Bandido”: A Political Ecology of Voice Exploration into Peru’s Freedom of Voice Surrounding Hydrocarbon Development

This paper sets out to evaluate the freedom of voice for Peruvian stakeholders affected by hydrocarbon development. This occurs through the utilization of a political ecology of voice (PEV) theoretical framework based upon the theory of voice by Albert Hirschman and political ecology. PEV can be defined as the study of economic, political, social, and geographical factors over a specific time period and their impact upon the use of voice by stakeholders. Peru’s case study was focused on its main oil-producing Loreto Region and incorporated evaluation of hydrocarbon voice mechanisms (prior consultation and environmental impact assessments) supported by interview testimony of stakeholders and state officials. PEV analysis reveals a political environment which is dangerous, inflexible, and intolerant of Peruvian stakeholders voicing over hydrocarbon development. This is due to the state’s zealous pursuit of its “selva (rainforest) hydrocarbon and development vision” which severely undermines Peruvian stakeholder’s freedom of voice.     

移动点与参考地物时空关系的自然语言描述方法研究

基于分解-组合的思想,首先对移动点的运动轨迹进行细化,并分别对移动点与参考地物目标的时空拓扑关系进行描述,在此基础上综合考虑它们之间的方向关系和距离关系,并对自然语言时空关系进行定义和集成描述。最后,通过实例对移动点运动轨迹进行了自然语言描述和应用分析。文中实现的移动对象运动轨迹的形式化描述方法,可广泛应用于导航系统中,对时空查询、时空分析及时空推理等诸多问题的研究具有重要意义。     

Estimation of temporal variation in splash detachment in two Japanese cypress plantations of contrasting age

To elucidate splash erosion processes under natural rainfall conditions, temporal variations in splash detachment were observed using a piezoelectric saltation sensor (H11B; Sensit Co., Portland, ND, USA). Preliminary laboratory tests of Sensit suggested that they were suitable for field observations. Field observations were conducted between July and September 2006 in 21‐ and 36‐year‐old Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) plantations with mean stand heights of 9·2 m and 17·4 m, respectively. Splash detachment (in g m^?2) was measured seven times using splash cups, and raindrop kinetic energy (in J m^?2 mm^?1) in both stands was measured using laser drop‐sizing (LD) gauges. Sensit was installed to record saltation counts, which were converted to temporal data of splash detachment (splash rate; in g m^?2 10 min^?1) using the relationship between splash detachment and saltation counts. Surface runoff was monitored using runoff plots of 0·5 m width and 2·0 m length to obtain temporal data of flow depth (in millimeters). Both total splash detachment and raindrop kinetic energy were larger in the older stand. Increased splash rates per unit throughfall were found in both stands after rainless durations longer than approximately one day in both stands. However, a lower splash rate was found in the 21‐year stand after rainfall events. During extreme rainstorms, the 21‐year stand showed a low runoff rate and a decline in the splash rate, while the 36‐year stand showed a higher splash rate and increased flow depth. The piezoelectric sensor proved to be a useful means to elucidate splash erosion processes in field conditions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

黑河流域水资源动态变化及其趋势的灰色Markov链预测

根据有关水文气象台站的观测数据,对黑河流域水资源时空分布特征及变化规律进行了分析,并基于GM(1,1)模型和Markov链原理,提出了一个用于黑河流域的水资源变化趋势预测的灰色离散随机过程模型。结果表明,从1944年有观测记录以来的近60a时间里,以黑河干流为代表的黑河流域天然径流经历了几个长度不等的丰水段与枯水段,而目前正处于1996年开始第5个丰水段的下降段的最低点或自2000年开始的第6个枯水段的起始点。未来几年里,黑河流域天然水资源的变化总体上将呈现一种偏枯或平水偏枯的状态,但径流偏枯的幅度将不会很大。     

自然资源强力开发区与可持续发展

文章论述了自然资源强力开发区的概念和主要特征，通过分析自然资源强力开发与可持续发展的关系，提出了保证资源强力开发区可持续发展的若干建议，即有效编制和实施自然资源开发规划，合理利用价值规律保护自然资源，实施经济效益、社会效益、生态效益三统一，因地制宜、适时适量综合开发利用、保护资源。     

湖南省自然资源月度执法监管工作机制探讨

分析了当前我国常用的几种执法监管方式的优缺点,结合前人的研究经验和省情实际,提出了基于"天-空-地-人"一体化月度监测体系的"一盘棋"执法监管系统,以形成湖南省自然资源违法行为"月发现、月制止、月处置"的工作机制.实践表明该工作机制为湖南省全面规范自然资源管理与利用秩序提供了参考依据,取得了阶段性的应用成效.     

深度学习网络支持下的农房侵占耕地自动化监测

近年来,违法占用耕地现象屡禁不止,如何利用人工智能等新一代信息技术,快速摸清农村乱占耕地建房底数,做到"早发现、早制止、严查处",是当前整治农村乱占耕地建房工作的研究难点之一。本文通过对高分辨率自然资源影像数据进行预处理,构建基于深度学习网络的自动化监测模型,应用模型进行预测并对输出结果进行GIS优化和空间叠加。试验结果表明,该方法可以快速监测出疑似侵占耕地的违法房屋,为坚守"耕地红线不突破"的底线提供了智能化技术选择,可服务于整治农村乱占耕地建房工作。