Different Approaches Towards the Understanding of Socio-Environmental Conflicts in Protected Areas

Abstract

Conflicts are an inherent element in the establishment and management of protected areas. Even though there is ample literature about conflicts in protected areas and the field of conservation has investigated them for decades, no consensus exists about the object itself of analysis: the conflict. In this article, we describe three different approaches for understanding socio-environmental conflicts, and we illustrate them with cases from protected areas in Mexico. The principal objective of the article is to advance discussions about the importance of understanding the implications of the use of different approaches on socio-environmental conflicts, in the interest of providing elements to take better decisions about the management of the protected areas.

Multiple resource use strategies confer resilience to the socio-ecosystem in a protected area in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

“…The abandonment of milpa agriculture is also worrying, given that it is a central component of the Yucatec Maya identity and, as such, it has associated a great diversity of knowledge, practices and beliefs which may become lost (Barrera-Bassols and Toledo, 2005; Lyver et al, 2019). Similarly, tourism dynamics have led to a process of acculturation, as shown by the way that the traditional ceremonies and rituals have been commodified and are now commercial products for the tourists (García-Frapolli et al, 2018).…”

“…In OMYK, while the community of Punta Laguna has highly benefited from tourism, other communities have been excluded or have not consolidated initiatives that allow them to enjoy the same benefits (Rivera-Núñez, 2014). Even among the members of Punta Laguna, there has been an exclusion of the households that have remained more attached to their traditional activities (García-Frapolli et al, 2018). Fourth, the model does not consider some of the main current forces of change in this SES.…”

Conflict and Impacts Generated by the Filming of Discovery Channel’s Reality Series “Naked and Afraid” in the Amazon: A Special Case in the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, Ecuador

“…Although there is no conflict without subjective opinions, the term socio-environmental conflict emphasizes the social dimension arising from environmental problems that are sometimes overlooked [13]. In this way, the term socio-environmental conflict recognizes the need to characterize other aspects of conflictual situations, such as the distribution, access, and ownership of natural resources [14].…”

“…Social conflict refers to the process of contentious interaction around resources, power and status, beliefs, and other preferences or desires [13]. The goal of the groups or people in conflict can range from merely achieving the acceptance of a particular preference or ensuring preferential access to a resource, to the point of hurting or eliminating opponents [14,15]. Counter positions do not stop at the material level, since there are symbolic elements of identity and satisfaction of basic needs, which are related to natural resources and geography.…”

“…Legislation in a protected area can generate detrimental conflicts when it is not managed correctly. The diverse governmental actors and the local population can feel negatively impacted by the access and use of natural resources in protected areas [10,14]. Mismanaged conflicts in protected areas can often make the situation worse than it started out [14,15].…”