Marine conservation is a global challenge and marine protected areas (MPAs) are one means of addressing this challenge. Progress in MPA designation is slow, partially due to objections to MPA establishment by local stakeholders and Indigenous peoples. This article suggests that a values‐based paradigm to conservation that emphasizes active management and further engagement of First Nations, as rights‐holders, should be given more emphasis. The re‐introduction of clam gardens into Gulf Islands National Park Reserve (GINPR) is used as an example of this approach. Clam gardens were constructed by First Nations on the Pacific Coast to augment the productivity of clam growth. Several former clam gardens are within GINPR. The primary mandate of national parks is to protect ecological integrity, potentially forbidding the re‐introduction of clam gardens. The literature suggests that there would be minimal ecological impacts at the park level from the re‐introduction of clam gardens. There could also be significant advantages both for conservation and First Nations communities. With a greater degree of decision‐making input and the opportunity to re‐introduce cultural practices, a values‐based paradigm may contribute to the acceptability of coastal PAs and promote the expansion of conservation values in the landscape.
ABSTRACT1. Scuba (self -contained underwater breathing apparatus) diving can act as an incentive -based conservation mechanism and protect reefs by funding conservation and replacing more consumptive uses. However, diving must be sustainable.2. One challenge to sustainability is changing reef conditions and diving clientele over time. This paper examines these changes with respect to diving on the Andaman coast of Thailand using a Wildlife Tourism Model.3. In 2012 a questionnaire was administered to 591 scuba divers and compared with 506 questionnaires collected in 2000. Findings include:a. the 2012 industry has a higher proportion of low and medium specialization visitors that have lower expectations and lower overall satisfaction, yet remain willing to return; b. the average per capita economic contribution of divers to the local economy and to dive companies declined by more than 30% by 2012; c. Andaman coast diving continued to grow in 2012, dominated by mass -market tourism that had diversified into several niches; d. the results verify the use of the Wildlife Tourism Model as a tool to understand industry sustainability, and suggest further development of the model to capture the extension into specific, niche markets. 4. Changes to diver characteristics in 2012 restrict the ability of diving to fund conservation, provide alternative livelihoods, support environmental choices by operators, and control dive pressure exerted on reefs.5. Results suggest the operationalization of Limits of Acceptable Change by both managers and dive operators to grow the conservation value of diving.6. The results of this study suggest that the Wildlife Tourism Model can be used to inform management choices in emerging dive destinations. For instance, creating spatial zones that target the tourist composition most appropriate to meet the conservation goals of each reef system.
Knowledge of how ecocultural landscapes co-evolved, how they were shaped and maintained by local people, and what processes disturbed the landscape should inform the planning, execution, and significance of restoration projects. Indigenous stewardship has resulted in legacies of diverse and productive ecocultural environments. Often, this stewardship has been guided by place-based values, which are informed by Indigenous knowledge, beliefs of equal respect for all ecosystem components, and conduct that sustains resource productivity. We propose that cultivating place-based values in restoration initiatives will provide reciprocal benefits by conserving biodiversity and promoting human connections to land. Drawing on lessons from Indigenous knowledge systems in what is now called British Columbia, Canada, we demonstrate how place-based values directed the stewardship of historical oakmeadow and clam gardens, which created diverse and productive ecosystems that sustained for millennia. Drawing on examples of contemporary restoration projects (crabapple orchards and clam gardens) that utilize place-based values to inform the recovery of ecocultural landscapes, we propose a framework to help initiate a place-based values approach in contemporary restoration design congruent with ethics of inclusion.
The need to diversify science includes increasing both the diversity of science practitioners and the voices included in decision-making processes. Indigenous communities have been sought out to provide Indigenous knowledge to mainstream science research programs. As working across the mainstream science and community boundary is increasingly codified into the future of natural sciences, models for equitable collaboration and roles within project structures are needed. The goal of this project is to present a framework for collaboration between mainstream science and Indigenous communities. Specifically, we are addressing an underrecognized role central to partnership, a boundary spanner, who acts as the fulcrum facilitating collaboration. To better understand the role of boundary spanners in collaborative projects, we engaged six boundary spanners who participated in semi-structured interviews and workshops. Emergent common experiences and perspectives of how boundary spanners can be supported and their role in collaborative projects were defined and articulated. The boundary spanners identified 10 characteristics that contribute to equitable partnership between mainstream science and Indigenous communities. From the perspective of the boundary spanners, they detailed how collaborative projects can be structured to increase long-term partnerships and community support of research projects. Equitable collaboration between Indigenous communities and mainstream science is frequently only achieved when individuals at the interface of the mainstream science and Indigenous community have a high level of cultural competency. Equally important is the support provided to the boundary spanners and early engagement of partner Indigenous communities. Through the use of story and metaphor, we highlight the voices of boundary spanners and how their contributions can best be used.
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