Exploring dynamic mechanisms of learning networks for resource conservation

Matouš, Petr; Todo, Yasuyuki

doi:10.5751/es-07602-200236

Cited by 34 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Only 4 studies assessed networks before and after an intervention, such as establishing a bush‐fire planning procedure (Brummel et al. ) and providing mobile phones to Ethiopian farmers to examine the impact on information‐seeking activity (Matous & Todo ). Although interventions were rarely evaluated, many authors (39 studies) commented on how altering the networks may improve structural characteristics (e.g., increased connectivity) and thus possibly the outcomes.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also encourage researchers to assess multiple periods after an intervention to consider the longevity of changes observed. We appreciate that experimental interventions in social networks will have limitations (e.g., due to cultural sensitivities [Matous & Todo ]), but in many cases experimental designs are feasible, such as implementing before‐and‐after studies where interventions (via organizational outreach or implementing conservation programs) are already planned. In action research, another option, researchers become involved purposefully in change by engaging with people or groups and creating space for social learning and problem solving (Patton ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using social‐network research to improve outcomes in natural resource management

Groce

Farrelly

Jorgensen³

et al. 2018

Conservation Biology

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The conservation and management of natural resources operates in social-ecological systems in which resource users are embedded in social and environmental contexts that influence their management decisions. Characterizing social networks of resource users can be used to inform understanding of social influences on decision making, and social network analysis (SNA) has emerged as a useful technique to explore these relationships. We synthesized how SNA has been used in 85 studies of natural resource management. We considered how social networks and social processes (e.g., interactions between individuals) influence each other and in turn influence social outcomes (e.g., decisions or actions) that affect environmental outcomes (e.g., improved condition). Descriptive methods were used in 58% of the studies to characterize social processes, and 42% of the studies compared multiple networks or multiple points in time to assess social or environmental outcomes. In 4 studies, authors assessed network interventions intended to affect social processes or environmental outcomes. The heterogeneity in case studies, methods, and analyses preclude general lessons. Thus, to structure and further learning about the role of social networks in achieving environmental outcomes, we created a typology that deconstructs social processes, social outcomes, and environmental outcomes into themes and options of social and ecological measures within each. We suggest shifts in research foci toward intervention studies to aid in understanding causality and inform the design of conservation initiatives. There is a need to develop clearer justification and guidance around the proliferation of network measures. The use of SNA in natural resource management is expanding rapidly; thus, now is the time for the conservation community to build a more rigorous evidence base to demonstrate the extent to which social networks can play a role in achieving desired social and environmental outcomes.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using social‐network research to improve outcomes in natural resource management

Groce

Farrelly

Jorgensen³

et al. 2018

Conservation Biology

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“…Formal and informal networks of information-sharing relationships between individuals and groups play important roles in the facilitation of natural resource management, the encouragement or prevention of changes in land use, agricultural innovation, and the diffusion and adoption of farming practices (Bodin et al 2006;Cadger et al 2016;Conley and Udry 2001;Demiryurek 2010;Hoang et al 2006;Isaac 2012;Isaac et al 2014;Klerkx et al 2010;Leeuwis 2004;Matous and Todo 2015;Matouš et al 2013;Prell et al 2009Prell et al , 2010Rogers 2003;Solano et al 2003;Spielman et al 2009Spielman et al , 2011Tengö and Belfrage 2004).…”

Section: Theoretical Framework: Social Network and Spatially Distribmentioning

confidence: 99%

An experiment in strengthening the networks of remote communities in the face of environmental change: leveraging spatially distributed environmental memory

Matouš

Todo

2018

Reg Environ Change

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Agrarian communities in different regions develop diverse coping strategies to address the environmental changes they face. In this work, we test how to stimulate farmers' social learning across diverse regions to promote informed responses to soil degradation. We invited 117 randomly selected members of 16 randomly selected Sumatran communities to three 3-day networking and training events in regions with diverse socio-environmental histories. One event was held in the respondents' remote rural district (Tanggamus), the second was held in a more densely populated region on Sumatra Island (Kalianda), and the third was held in a heavily populated region on Java Island (Garut and Ciamis). Eighteen months later, we surveyed the information-sharing networks and agricultural practices of 370 members of these communities. The participants had become popular sources of agricultural advice, but the strength of this impact depended on the region in which their networking intervention was conducted. The participants in the event on Java had become the most central members of their communities. Although all the participants received the same formal information, those who interacted with the farmers in a region with the longest history of population pressure and land degradation management were more likely to adopt the recommended practices. The participants in this intervention doubled their odds of adopting organic fertilizers compared with those who networked only with peers in their local environment. Environmental memory of coping with change can be shared between regions through social learning, which can be stimulated by simple interventions.

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“…Nonetheless, our results serve to highlight potential vulnerabilities that may influence future adaptations (36). Furthermore, there is a critical need for comparable, longitudinal, empirical data on social-ecological networks (49,50). Longitudinal data would illustrate adaptive strategies, identify possible domino effects, and inform iterative scenario analyses.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiplex social ecological network analysis reveals how social changes affect community robustness more than resource depletion

Baggio

BurnSilver

Arenas

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

129

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Network analysis provides a powerful tool to analyze complex influences of social and ecological structures on community and household dynamics. Most network studies of social-ecological systems use simple, undirected, unweighted networks. We analyze multiplex, directed, and weighted networks of subsistence food flows collected in three small indigenous communities in Arctic Alaska potentially facing substantial economic and ecological changes. Our analysis of plausible future scenarios suggests that changes to social relations and key households have greater effects on community robustness than changes to specific wild food resources.multiplex networks | food sharing | mixed subsistence-cash economies | climate change | social-ecological systems G lobally, while millions of people combine subsistenceand market-based activities for their livelihoods, they are increasingly exposed to substantial perturbations from both climate change and globalization (1-4). Mixed subsistence-cash economies are characterized by strong human-landscape connections, in which social relations facilitate flows of food and other resources among households (5). Early termed the moral economy (6), cultural norms of sharing and cooperation enable risk sharing, improve food security, improve health and equity outcomes, and contribute to group identity and cohesion (7-10). Embedded social relations have been termed the "capital of the poor" (11) as they allow flexible access to resources in times of stress and rapid change (12-16). Yet inequities can emerge as cooperative institutions are stressed (17, 18) and effects of specific exposures on people, social relations, and landscapes are uncertain (3,4,19).The indigenous Alaskan communities considered here represent two ethno-linguistic groups occupying distinct ecological zones with differential access to marine and terrestrial resources: coastal Iñupiat and interior Athabascan Gwich'in (SI Appendix, Fig. 1). Common to all three communities are (i) exposure to significant ecological and economic change, (ii) substantial reliance on subsistence production of local wild foods, (iii) engagement in the market economy, and (iv) a strong focus on social relations. Within communities, households are characterized by strong heterogeneity in roles and degree of subsistence engagement (20,21). Although many challenges face Arctic communities (22, 23), we focus on three frequently cited scenarios: changes in resource abundance or distribution due to climate, shifts in cultural practices related to sharing and cooperation, and loss of key productive households. Specifically, climate change could affect access to critical species or entire species groups. Engagement in the cash economy and high food and fuel costs could displace dependence on social relations (2). Sharing and contributions have been described as particularly vulnerable to these changes (24, 25). Finally, loss of highly productive key households-it is well documented in Alaska that 30% of rural households produce 70% of food and redistri...

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Exploring dynamic mechanisms of learning networks for resource conservation

Cited by 34 publications

References 44 publications

Using social‐network research to improve outcomes in natural resource management

Using social‐network research to improve outcomes in natural resource management

An experiment in strengthening the networks of remote communities in the face of environmental change: leveraging spatially distributed environmental memory

Multiplex social ecological network analysis reveals how social changes affect community robustness more than resource depletion

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