The perceived forms and drivers of forest dependence at Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Munanura, Ian E.; Backman, Kenneth F.; Sabuhoro, Edwin; Powell, Robert B.; Hallo, Jeffrey C.

doi:10.1080/23251042.2017.1414661

Cited by 21 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Several studies have examined the impact of tourism revenue sharing in the Greater Virunga Landscape, particularly in Uganda (Archabald & Naughton-Treves, 2001; Adams & Infield, 2003; Ahebwa et al, 2012; Tumusiime & Vedeld, 2012; Mukanjari et al, 2013). In Rwanda, Sabuhoro et al (2017) and Munanura et al (2016, 2017) focused on local perceptions of revenue sharing around Volcanoes National Park. These studies found limitations to revenue sharing in eliciting community support for conservation, with political influence in decision-making negatively affecting community buy-in (Twinamatsiko et al, 2014; Munanura et al, 2016, 2017; Sabuhoro et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Rwanda, Sabuhoro et al (2017) and Munanura et al (2016, 2017) focused on local perceptions of revenue sharing around Volcanoes National Park. These studies found limitations to revenue sharing in eliciting community support for conservation, with political influence in decision-making negatively affecting community buy-in (Twinamatsiko et al, 2014; Munanura et al, 2016, 2017; Sabuhoro et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, although ecotourism is growing, community–conservation conflict continues. Communities and individuals do not perceive benefits from conservation but have to bear its high costs, primarily from crop-using wildlife, which leads to persistent poverty and negative perceptions of protected areas (Twinamatsiko et al, 2014; Munanura et al, 2016, 2017; Sabuhoro et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To address livelihoods-related tensions between communities and protected areas, integrated conservation–development projects have been implemented across Africa since the 1980s (Garnett et al, 2007; Nielson & Spenceley, 2011). The key theoretical link justifying these projects is that, because many of the illegal activities in protected areas are driven by basic livelihood needs, development projects that reduce this need will subsequently reduce pressure on protected areas (Munanura et al, 2017). These projects take many forms and are popular among conservation practitioners (Newmark & Hough, 2000; Adams & Infield, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of integrated conservation–development projects on unauthorized resource use in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda: a mixed-methods spatio-temporal approach

Bernhard

Smith

Sabuhoro

et al. 2020

Oryx

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This study supplements spatial panel econometrics techniques with qualitative GIS to analyse spatio-temporal changes in the distribution of integrated conservation–development projects relative to poaching activity and unauthorized resource use in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. Cluster and spatial regression analyses were performed on data from ranger monitoring containing > 35,000 combined observations of illegal activities in Volcanoes National Park, against tourism revenue sharing and conservation NGO funding data for 2006–2015. Results were enriched with qualitative GIS analysis from key informant interviews. We found a statistically significant negative linear effect of overall integrated conservation–development investments on unauthorized resource use in Volcanoes National Park. However, individually, funding from Rwanda's tourism revenue sharing policy did not have an effect in contrast to the significant negative effect of conservation NGO funding. In another contrast between NGO funding and tourism revenue sharing funding, spatial analysis revealed significant gaps in revenue sharing funding relative to the hotspots of illegal activities, but these gaps were not present for NGO funding. Insight from qualitative GIS analysis suggests that incongruity in prioritization by decision makers at least partly explains the differences between the effects of revenue sharing and conservation NGO investment. Although the overall results are encouraging for integrated conservation–development projects, we recommend increased spatial alignment of project funding with clusters of illegal activities, which can make investment decision-making more data-driven and projects more effective for conservation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of integrated conservation–development projects on unauthorized resource use in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda: a mixed-methods spatio-temporal approach

Bernhard

Smith

Sabuhoro

et al. 2020

Oryx

Self Cite

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“…On the other hand, empirical studies indicate that community based projects are failing to achieve their goals due to insufficient management of revenues, top-down governance system, unfair political capital gains, lack of business skills, and conflicts between stakeholders' interests (Archabald & Naughton-Treves, 2001;Briedenhann & Wickens, 2004;Dixey, 2008;Munanura et al 2016Munanura et al , 2018Reddy, 2002;Tosun 2002;Umuziranenge, 2019). In addition the relationship between parks and people have been reflected by focusing on examining the socio-economic status of people living around Rwandan national parks (Bush et al, 2010;Plumptre et al, 2004), the evaluation of community-based conservation around NNP (Rutebuka et al, 2012), examining perceptions of tourism revenue sharing impacts on Volcanoes National Park (Munanura et al, 2016), measuring effectiveness, efficiency and equity in payments for ecosystem services (Martin et al, 2014), and evaluating forest dependence and its implications for protected areas management (Masozera & Alavalapati, 2004).…”

Section: Problem Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

People’s Perceptions of Community Participation in Conservation of Natural Resources in Rwanda - the Case of Nyungwe National Park

Umuziranenge¹

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In this thesis I assessed whether and how the local communities participate in the daily activities regarding the park’s management through implementation of tourism revenue sharing and how it impacted local communities’ participation in conservation of Nyungwe National Park as well as the promotion of their well-being. The main research question of my thesis was the following: How do people perceive local community participation in natural resources management? The main research question of my thesis was: How do people perceive local community participation in natural resources management? It was split into five sub-questions: (1) How do local communities participate, and perceive their role in the conservation of the park?, (2) What are the benefits and opportunities do they get as neighbors of the Park through TRS?, (3) How do they participate in decision-making process?, (4) What are challenges do they face being neighbors of the park?, (5) What do local communities wish to minimize the challenges they face? My thesis was organized as a paper-based thesis. It includes in total five papers which were published in different scientific journals. In the research process, I used different methodologies according to the aim of each paper. The findings show that the Park’s management has improved the relationship between the local community and the Park by accommodating local needs such as infrastructures (schools, health centers, communal water tanks), income generating activities, increased awareness in terms of park’s protection through a tourism revenue sharing scheme that was introduced since 2005. According to the perceptions of the respondents, this study shows that the governance of the park is still dominated by a top-down approach through a distant representative democracy where the participation of the local community remains passive. This research indicates human-wildlife conflicts as one of the challenges faced by the local community. People perceive that more efforts should be dedicated on participation as an integrative and learning process where the local community should be empowered. Die kumulative Studie befasst sich mit der Frage nach der Beteiligung lokaler Gemeinden am Management der natürlichen Ressourcen durch den Nyungwe Nationalpark. Es wird bewertet, ob und wie die lokalen Gemeinden an den Aktivitäten des Managements der durch die Implementierung der touristischen Einnahmeaufteilung teilnehmen und danach gefragt wie dieses Vereinbarung die Beteiligung der lokalen Gemeinden an der Erhaltung des Nyungwe Nationalparks sowie ihr Wohlbefindens beeinflusst. Die zentrale Forschungsfrage, wie die Menschen die Beteiligung der lokalen Gemeinschaft am Management natürlicher Ressourcen wahrnehmen, ist in fünf Unterfragen aufgeteilt: (1) Wie partizipieren die lokalen Gemeinden und wie nehmen sie ihre Rolle bei der Erhaltung des Parks wahr?, (2) Welche Vorteile und Möglichkeiten erhalten sie als Nachbarn des Parks durch TRS?, (3) Wie nehmen sie am Entscheidungsprozess teil?, (4) Was sind die Herausforderungen, denen sie als Nachbarn des Parks gegenüberstehen?, (5) Was wünschen sich die lokalen Gemeinden, um die Herausforderungen, denen sie gegenüberstehen, zu minimieren? Meine Studie umfasst insgesamt fünf Arbeiten, die in verschiedenen Fachzeitschriften veröffentlicht wurden. Je nach Fragestellung wurden im Forschungsprozess verschiedene Methoden verwendet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das Management des Parks die Beziehung zwischen der lokalen Gemeinde und dem Park verbessert hat, indem es lokale Bedürfnisse wie Infrastruktur (Schulen, Gesundheitszentren, kommunale Wassertanks), einkommensschaffende Aktivitäten und ein erhöhtes Bewusstsein für den Schutz des Parks durch ein Programm zur Beteiligung an den Tourismuseinnahmen, das seit 2005 eingeführt wurde, berücksichtigt hat. Die in der Studie untersuchten Wahrnehmungen der befragten zeigt auch, dass die Verwaltung des Parks immer noch von einem Top-Down-Ansatz durch eine distanziert-repräsentative Demokratie dominiert wird, bei der die Beteiligung der lokalen Gemeinschaft passiv bleibt. Die Untersuchung zeigt, dass Konflikte zwischen Mensch und Wildtieren eine der Herausforderungen sind, mit denen die lokale Gemeinschaft konfrontiert ist. Seitens der Befragten wird vorgeschlagen, mehr Initiativen für die Partizipation als integrativen und lernenden Prozess unternommen werden sollten, um dadurch die lokale Gemeinschaft zu stärken.

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High flexibility in diet and ranging patterns in two golden monkey (Cercopithecus mitis kandti) populations in Rwanda

Tuyisingize

Eckardt

Caillaud

et al. 2021

American J Primatol

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Many primates exhibit behavioral flexibility which allows them to adapt to environmental change and different habitat types. The golden monkey (Cercopithecus mitis kandti) is a little-studied endangered primate subspecies endemic to the Virunga massif and the Gishwati forest in central Africa. In the Virunga massif, golden monkeys are mainly found in the bamboo forest, while in the Gishwati forest they live in mixed tropical montane forest. Here we describe and compare the diet of golden monkeys in both fragments. Over 24 consecutive months from January 2017 we used scan sampling to record feeding and ranging behavior of two Virunga groups and one Gishwati group totaling ca. 240 individuals. We also examined the phenology of bamboo and fruit trees, key seasonal food plant species for the monkeys. Golden monkeys fed on more than 100 plant species. The Virunga groups were mostly folivorous (between 72.8% and 87.16% of the diet) and fed mostly on young bamboo leaves and bamboo shoots, while 48.69% of the diet of the Gishwati group consisted of fruit from 22 different tree and shrub species. Bamboo shoots and fruit are seasonally available foods and were consumed regularly throughout the period when they were available. Despite being the smallest of the three study groups, the Gishwati group had a larger home range area (150.07 ha) compared to both Virunga groups (25.24 and 91.3 ha), likely driven by the differences in availability and distribution of fruit and bamboo in the habitats. Like other blue monkey subspecies, golden monkeys appear to have a flexible dietary strategy enabling them to adjust diet and ranging behavior to local habitats and available food resources.Additional studies and continuing conservation efforts are needed to better understand how variation in feeding and ranging ecology affects reproduction, population growth, and carrying capacity.

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The perceived forms and drivers of forest dependence at Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Cited by 21 publications

References 63 publications

Effects of integrated conservation–development projects on unauthorized resource use in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda: a mixed-methods spatio-temporal approach

Effects of integrated conservation–development projects on unauthorized resource use in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda: a mixed-methods spatio-temporal approach

People’s Perceptions of Community Participation in Conservation of Natural Resources in Rwanda - the Case of Nyungwe National Park

High flexibility in diet and ranging patterns in two golden monkey (Cercopithecus mitis kandti) populations in Rwanda

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