Empowering Local People through Community-based Resource Monitoring: a Comparison of Brazil and Namibia

Constantino, Pedro de Araújo Lima; Carlos, Henrique Santiago Alberto; Ramalho, Emiliano Esterci; Rostant, Luke; Marinelli, Carlos Eduardo; Teles, Davi; Fonseca-Junior, Sinomar Fonseca; Fernandes, Rômulo Batista.; Valsecchi, João

doi:10.5751/es-05164-170422

Cited by 70 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…As reported in Namibia and Amazonia by Constantino et al (2012), communities occasionally rejected conservation management actions supported by monitoring data in favor of political decisions concerning communities' developmental interests. A major challenge, identified by many studies, is the maintenance of a participatory monitoring program over time, especially if it is vulnerable to funding uncertainty (Constantino et al 2012, Dickinson et al 2012. Although in the Swedish case, funding is not a limiting factor, because the system is purely voluntary.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Certainly, there are biological aspects and economic value of the target resource, but social, psychological, political, http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol19/iss4/art7/ practical, and technical aspects of the monitoring are equally pivotal (Danielsen et al 2005b, DeCaro andStokes 2008). These include the motivation to monitor; interest in how and when the monitoring is to be carried out, in a team or not; whether there are any side activities or recreational values alongside monitoring; if individual achievements count and whether there are rewards for the participants; and what level of participants' technical skill and education is required (Hockley et al 2005, Constantino et al 2012.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over large landscapes and when species are widely distributed, participatory monitoring, which also falls under the 'citizen science' umbrella, although citizen science may also engage people outside the local communities, is proposed to be a cost effective way of monitoring (Danielsen et al 2000, 2005a, b, 2010, Sutherland 2003, Hockley et al 2005, Silvertown 2009). This linking of monitoring to local people is believed to not only lower costs, but to empower local people in multiple dimensions and hence enhance prospects for monitoring to be sustainable in the long term, be it for conservation or management (Danielsen et al 2000, Lawrence 2006, Rist et al 2010, Constantino et al 2012). Can we learn from the existing monitoring programs of harvested migratory species, especially when global conservation initiatives, such as the Convention on Migratory Species, actively promote conservation through sustainable use (CMS 2012) and landscape and ecosystem based conservation?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sustaining such projects requires strategic collaborations and partnerships. Most literature promoting participatory monitoring discusses the high value of the approach for conservation and management, but little is usually discussed on how to make such a program interesting for the locals to ensure their long term engagement (Lawrence 2006, Constantino et al 2012. Certainly, there are biological aspects and economic value of the target resource, but social, psychological, political, http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol19/iss4/art7/ practical, and technical aspects of the monitoring are equally pivotal (Danielsen et al 2005b, DeCaro andStokes 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tackling the motivation to monitor: success and sustainability of a participatory monitoring program

Singh¹,

Danell²,

Edenius³

et al. 2014

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Monitoring of species and their ecosystem attributes is a fundamental requirement in applied ecology and conservation. However, landscape scale monitoring requires an immense effort and commitment, especially when species have a wide distribution or are migratory in nature. Participatory monitoring, whereby local communities are engaged, is increasingly being proposed to address landscape scale monitoring. Its implementation is met with many challenges related to finances, motivation of the local people, lack of trained manpower, and nondirect legal use of the species in question. It is of interest to determine what makes a participatory monitoring program interesting for locals to ensure their long term engagement. Using the unique 26-year program of hunters' observations of moose (Alces alces) in Sweden as a case study, we present the evolution of this highly successful participatory monitoring program and show that tackling the motivation to monitor, early involvement of local NGOs, social activities revolving around use of the resource, the biology and economic value of the species, and technical and practical aspects related to the monitoring, together create a successful participatory monitoring program. When users benefit directly from the resource, participate in conservation/ management decision making, socialize with other participants, and get rewards for their commitment and effective monitoring, participatory monitoring schemes can then become rewarding and sustainable.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Tackling the motivation to monitor: success and sustainability of a participatory monitoring program

Singh¹,

Danell²,

Edenius³

et al. 2014

E&S

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Applicability of PSA as a tool for decision making and sustainable management Different features are identified as necessary for sustainable CBNRM, including understanding the SES's complexities; elucidating technical, financial, social, institutional, and political constraints (Armitage 2005); building the capacity to manage (Murphree 1993); and enhancing community members' participation and empowerment (Agrawal 1995, Reed 2008, Constantino et al 2012. Additionally, the CBNRM approach is based on a multilevel governance system (Brondizio et al 2009) in which some decisions are made internally, e.g., self-governance capacity (Van Laerhoven and Barnes 2014), while others depend on external institutions that require high levels of mutual understanding and collaboration between local and external actors (Armitage 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adapting prospective structural analysis to strengthen sustainable management and capacity building in community-based natural resource management contexts

Delgado-Serrano¹,

Vanwildemeersch²,

London³

et al. 2016

E&S

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. 2016. Adapting prospective structural analysis to strengthen sustainable management and capacity building in community-based natural resource management contexts. Ecology and Society 21 (2) ABSTRACT. Local communities collectively managing common pool resources can play an important role in sustainable management, but they often lack the skills and context-specific tools required for such management. The complex dynamics of social-ecological systems (SES), the need for management capacities, and communities' limited empowerment and participation skills present challenges for community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) strategies. We analyzed the applicability of prospective structural analysis (PSA), a strategic foresight tool, to support decision making and to foster sustainable management and capacity building in CBNRM contexts and the modifications necessary to use the tool in such contexts. By testing PSA in three SES in Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina, we gathered information regarding the potential of this tool and its adaptation requirements. The results suggest that the tool can be adapted to these contexts and contribute to fostering sustainable management and capacity building. It helped identify the systems' dynamics, thus increasing the communities' knowledge about their SES and informing the decision-making process. Additionally, it drove a learning process that both fostered empowerment and built participation skills. The process demanded both time and effort, and required external monitoring and facilitation, but community members could be trained to master it. Thus, we suggest that the PSA technique has the potential to strengthen CBNRM and that other initiatives could use it, but they must be aware of these requirements.

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Effectiveness of community and volunteer based coral reef monitoring in Cambodia

Savage

Osborne

Hudson

2016

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Globally, coral reef monitoring programmes conducted by volunteer-based organizations or local communities have the potential to collect large quantities of marine data at low cost. However, many scientists remain sceptical about the ability of these programmes to detect changes in marine systems when compared with professional techniques.2. A limited number of studies have assessed the efficacy and validity of volunteer-based monitoring, and even fewer have assessed community-based methods.3. This study in Cambodia investigated the ability of surveyors of different levels of experience to conduct underwater surveys using a simple coral reef methodology. Surveyors were assigned to four experience categories and conducted a series of six 20 × 5 m belt transects using five benthic indicator species. 4. Results show decreased variation in marine community assessments with increasing experience, indicating that experience, rather than cultural background, influences survey ability. This suggests that locally based programmes can fill gaps in knowledge with suitable ongoing training and assessment.

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Empowering Local People through Community-based Resource Monitoring: a Comparison of Brazil and Namibia

Cited by 70 publications

References 40 publications

Tackling the motivation to monitor: success and sustainability of a participatory monitoring program

Tackling the motivation to monitor: success and sustainability of a participatory monitoring program

Adapting prospective structural analysis to strengthen sustainable management and capacity building in community-based natural resource management contexts

Effectiveness of community and volunteer based coral reef monitoring in Cambodia

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