Leveraging Community Capacity for Nature Conservation in a Rural Island Context: Experiences from Brier Island, Canada

Abstract

In many instances nature conservation projects require input from and collaboration with communities that live near or in ecosensitive regions. The ability of communities to be collaborative varies and often requires capacity development for full participation in conservation planning and management. Such capacity development can be expensive, and where sufficient resources are not available the success of conservation projects can be limited. Through a case study of the Brier Island Nature Preserve, near Westport, Nova Scotia, ways in which existing capacity in a community can be better leveraged for the purpose of conservation are examined. We describe how the linked concepts of community values, place dependence, place identity and motivation have influenced conservation on the island. We then suggest how these concepts can provide opportunities to leverage additional resources within the community of Westport for conservation activities. We conclude that an integrated approach that more comprehensively reflects community values, place dependence and identity should foster and enhance local motivation for conservation management and planning.

Local understandings and global challenges: exploring sense of place in sustainability transitions

“…This work contributes to the sustainability transitions literature by adding to Köhler et al's (2019) speculation about certain economies/ communities having a different sustainability orientation. Any sustainable initiative or transition that occurs would need to be tailored to this community for success (Murphy and Smith 2013, Hennessey and Beazley 2014, Horlings 2015. Greater consideration of place identity, place attachment, and senses of place are specific components of place that the sustainability transitions literature must consider when exploring how local understandings of sustainability link to global objectives in small island communities.…”

“…Local economic activity, industry specialization, and social practices set the context for sustainability innovations (Stedman 2002, Hennessey and Beazley 2014, Hansen and Coenen 2015, Masterson et al 2017, Köhler et al 2019. More specifically, mass export of resources, small populations, and rurality can influence the focus and implementation of sustainability initiatives (Murphy and Smith 2013, Horlings and Kanemasu 2015, Köhler et al 2019.…”

“…Further, some aspects of place, including sense of place, can both inhibit and contribute to sustainability or a transition to a sustainable system (Dale et al 2008, Hennessey and Beazley 2014, Chapin and Knapp 2015, Hansen and Coenen 2015, Köhler et al 2019. When discussing future planning and place management, sense of place has been found to influence the attitudes of community members toward changes to the local physical environment (Davenport and Anderson 2005).…”

“…A shared vision for the future of a place among the community can mobilize people to become involved in local concerns (Parkhill et al 2015, Bergstrom andHarrington 2019). Commitment to environmental protection initiatives may require more focus on leveraging place identity and values rather than economic incentives (Hennessey and Beazley 2014). Preserving place identities, sense of place, and place attachments within communities increases the social wellbeing of communities (Khakzad and Griffith 2016), and although these contributions of place to sustainability initiatives have been observed, the sense of place of community members can also work against notions of sustainability (Dale et al 2008, Chapin andKnapp 2015).…”