PROMOTING COMMUNITY-LED CONSERVATION : Opportunities, challenges and measures
Rytkönen, Susanna; Hotakainen, Säde (2020)
Rytkönen, Susanna
Hotakainen, Säde
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020112323748
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020112323748
Tiivistelmä
The topic of this thesis is community-led conservation. The study sheds light on opportunities and common challenges in community-led conservation and reflects the measures to promote it. The thesis was carried out for World Vision Finland and World Vision Peru. The aim of the study was to provide ideas for integrating environmental aspects and conservation into their work in communities around Ayacucho. An executive summary in Spanish can be found in appendix three.
The methodological approach of the thesis was qualitative. The goal was to understand and describe the interconnections between people, activities, situations and events in relation to community-led conservation. The data of the research was collected through a literature review and six expert interviews. The peer-reviewed articles used in the review were narrowed down to Latin American context, but interviewees’ experiences in the matter also from other countries in the Global South were included. The findings were analyzed with content analysis.
The main findings of the research can be divided into opportunities, challenges and measures. According to the study, the central opportunities that community-led conservation can bring to a community are enforcement of existing assets and additional income. Through conservation, natural resources, cultural heritage and traditional knowledge can sustain and strengthen. It can also enhance social aspects in the community by building cooperation and goodwill, promoting participation, empowering community members and building their capacity in many ways. Conservation also helps to create sustainable livelihoods, such as ecotourism. The challenges in community-led conservation include inequality, contradictions with other benefits, top-down approach and weak governance in the society in question. The main motivation to oppose conservation is that it contradicts with livelihoods. Land tenure rights are also a major concern, as without them the fair and sustainable use of natural resources cannot be guaranteed. Corruption, nepotism, illegal activities and ignorance of legislative processes are closely linked to this. Promoting functioning social structures, good governance, democracy, transparency and inclusive processes promotes also conservation. Other measures include education and capacity building, participation and economic incentives. Different kinds of compensation mechanisms, for example, can help to overcome the negative impacts of conservation on livelihoods and turn concerns into opportunities.
In conclusion, community-led conservation is a complex issue with many dimensions. As participation is a fundamental aspect of community-led conservation, this study would ideally be followed by a further research with a participatory approach – as soon as the covid-19 pandemic is over, and the world is open again.
The methodological approach of the thesis was qualitative. The goal was to understand and describe the interconnections between people, activities, situations and events in relation to community-led conservation. The data of the research was collected through a literature review and six expert interviews. The peer-reviewed articles used in the review were narrowed down to Latin American context, but interviewees’ experiences in the matter also from other countries in the Global South were included. The findings were analyzed with content analysis.
The main findings of the research can be divided into opportunities, challenges and measures. According to the study, the central opportunities that community-led conservation can bring to a community are enforcement of existing assets and additional income. Through conservation, natural resources, cultural heritage and traditional knowledge can sustain and strengthen. It can also enhance social aspects in the community by building cooperation and goodwill, promoting participation, empowering community members and building their capacity in many ways. Conservation also helps to create sustainable livelihoods, such as ecotourism. The challenges in community-led conservation include inequality, contradictions with other benefits, top-down approach and weak governance in the society in question. The main motivation to oppose conservation is that it contradicts with livelihoods. Land tenure rights are also a major concern, as without them the fair and sustainable use of natural resources cannot be guaranteed. Corruption, nepotism, illegal activities and ignorance of legislative processes are closely linked to this. Promoting functioning social structures, good governance, democracy, transparency and inclusive processes promotes also conservation. Other measures include education and capacity building, participation and economic incentives. Different kinds of compensation mechanisms, for example, can help to overcome the negative impacts of conservation on livelihoods and turn concerns into opportunities.
In conclusion, community-led conservation is a complex issue with many dimensions. As participation is a fundamental aspect of community-led conservation, this study would ideally be followed by a further research with a participatory approach – as soon as the covid-19 pandemic is over, and the world is open again.