Pub Date : 2021-01-01DOI: 10.1525/cse.2021.1434075
J. Jenkins, Felber J. Arroyave, Madeline Brown, Jullianna Chavez, Johnny Ly, Haania Origel, Jacob Wetrosky
Yosemite National Park is a popular tourist destination with high visitation levels that have increased throughout the summer season over the past several decades. Like with other protected areas, high visitation levels pose challenges for coordinating resources, infrastructural capacity, and visitor experiences. Use limits, including rationing vehicle entry at gates by reservation, are one possible strategy to manage visitation levels. After an initial full closure, the park chose to operationalize a multiphased permit system for day-use and overnight entry over the course of the pandemic in accordance with local and national guidelines for operational safety. While park closures and other entry restrictions have been common in recent years due to wildland fires and other natural hazards, the pandemic-related entry limits represent a nearly yearlong experiment. The prolonged entry ration along with restrictions to group activities has limited visitation and potentially reduced transmission of the novel coronavirus. We review the per capita COVID-19 case count in surrounding counties given the flow of tourism from outside the region, assess the changes in access to the park with the novel reservation system, compare monthly visitation during the 2020 use limits with prior decadal averages, detail how high visitation levels and crowding persist, and review the Park’s plans for an ongoing day-use permit system. We conclude with the ongoing challenges managers face in light of continued high visitation. Readers will be able to debate the efficacy of use limits and what may be a sustainable level of visitation for the park.
{"title":"Assessing Impacts to National Park Visitation From COVID-19","authors":"J. Jenkins, Felber J. Arroyave, Madeline Brown, Jullianna Chavez, Johnny Ly, Haania Origel, Jacob Wetrosky","doi":"10.1525/cse.2021.1434075","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2021.1434075","url":null,"abstract":"Yosemite National Park is a popular tourist destination with high visitation levels that have increased throughout the summer season over the past several decades. Like with other protected areas, high visitation levels pose challenges for coordinating resources, infrastructural capacity, and visitor experiences. Use limits, including rationing vehicle entry at gates by reservation, are one possible strategy to manage visitation levels. After an initial full closure, the park chose to operationalize a multiphased permit system for day-use and overnight entry over the course of the pandemic in accordance with local and national guidelines for operational safety. While park closures and other entry restrictions have been common in recent years due to wildland fires and other natural hazards, the pandemic-related entry limits represent a nearly yearlong experiment. The prolonged entry ration along with restrictions to group activities has limited visitation and potentially reduced transmission of the novel coronavirus. We review the per capita COVID-19 case count in surrounding counties given the flow of tourism from outside the region, assess the changes in access to the park with the novel reservation system, compare monthly visitation during the 2020 use limits with prior decadal averages, detail how high visitation levels and crowding persist, and review the Park’s plans for an ongoing day-use permit system. We conclude with the ongoing challenges managers face in light of continued high visitation. Readers will be able to debate the efficacy of use limits and what may be a sustainable level of visitation for the park.","PeriodicalId":42507,"journal":{"name":"Case Studies in the Environment","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66886219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-01DOI: 10.1525/cse.2021.1442018
Gewa Gamoga, R. Turia, H. Abe, Masamichi Haraguchi, Oala Iuda
Obtaining high-quality information on forest and land use is essential to analysis of climate change, sustainable forest and land use planning. Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) forest and land cover/land use has been well documented using different methods, land classifications and forest definitions. These studies have delivered significant results indicating a general decline in the forest extent, with the drivers of land use changes attributed to demographic and economic development. This study is a component of the larger National Forest Inventory for PNG within which we sought to stratify and quantify forest and land use change by applying a systematic point-based sampling approach utilizing Open Foris—Collect Earth and freely available satellite images. A total of 25,279 sample points was assessed to determine the PNG’s forest extent and the forest change drivers based on the national forest definition. Analysis revealed that in 2015, about 78% of the country was covered with 12 forest types, and more than 23% of the total forest area has been degraded through anthropogenic activities. Analysis also revealed that between 2000 and 2015, about 0.66% of the total forest area was deforested, and subsistence agriculture was the main driver (0.45%), followed by palm oil planting (0.23%). During the same period, about 6.6% of the total forest area was degraded, and commercial logging was the main cause (6.1%). Apart from Global Forest Watch, this study established more forest than previously estimated in earlier studies. This is due to the fundamental differences in the purposes and methodologies used.
{"title":"The Forest Extent in 2015 and the Drivers of Forest Change Between 2000 and 2015 in Papua New Guinea","authors":"Gewa Gamoga, R. Turia, H. Abe, Masamichi Haraguchi, Oala Iuda","doi":"10.1525/cse.2021.1442018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2021.1442018","url":null,"abstract":"Obtaining high-quality information on forest and land use is essential to analysis of climate change, sustainable forest and land use planning. Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) forest and land cover/land use has been well documented using different methods, land classifications and forest definitions. These studies have delivered significant results indicating a general decline in the forest extent, with the drivers of land use changes attributed to demographic and economic development. This study is a component of the larger National Forest Inventory for PNG within which we sought to stratify and quantify forest and land use change by applying a systematic point-based sampling approach utilizing Open Foris—Collect Earth and freely available satellite images. A total of 25,279 sample points was assessed to determine the PNG’s forest extent and the forest change drivers based on the national forest definition. Analysis revealed that in 2015, about 78% of the country was covered with 12 forest types, and more than 23% of the total forest area has been degraded through anthropogenic activities. Analysis also revealed that between 2000 and 2015, about 0.66% of the total forest area was deforested, and subsistence agriculture was the main driver (0.45%), followed by palm oil planting (0.23%). During the same period, about 6.6% of the total forest area was degraded, and commercial logging was the main cause (6.1%). Apart from Global Forest Watch, this study established more forest than previously estimated in earlier studies. This is due to the fundamental differences in the purposes and methodologies used.","PeriodicalId":42507,"journal":{"name":"Case Studies in the Environment","volume":"807 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66886364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-01DOI: 10.1525/cse.2021.1546241
J. Howell, Mahbubur Meenar, Christina Friend, Jack Kelly, Owen Feeny
The “Pine Barrens” are a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve encompassing about 1.1 million acres in southern New Jersey. A state agency, the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, in conjunction with county and local governments, works to implement land management and environmental protection goals via a comprehensive management plan. The pinelands development credit (PDC) program is one tool aimed specifically at land preservation outcomes. The PDC program is a regional “transfer of development rights” market allowing landowners to sell their rights to further develop their property and enter their land into permanent protected status. Since the program’s inception in 1982, over 55,000 acres of sensitive and rare ecosystem have been protected; the more than 1,200 transactions account for US$63 M of economic value. The PDC program is a clear illustration of the role that financial instruments and market mechanisms can play in achieving environmental protection outcomes. This case study offers an overview of the pinelands area, PDC program, and the transfer of development rights concept before examining the PDC program and its outcomes in greater detail. While the program has been hailed as a success, it will face challenges in the coming years, including a relatively inefficient process for converting PDCs into protected lands and the question of how the program can evolve once eligible lands become more scarce.
{"title":"The Pinelands Development Credit Program","authors":"J. Howell, Mahbubur Meenar, Christina Friend, Jack Kelly, Owen Feeny","doi":"10.1525/cse.2021.1546241","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2021.1546241","url":null,"abstract":"The “Pine Barrens” are a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve encompassing about 1.1 million acres in southern New Jersey. A state agency, the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, in conjunction with county and local governments, works to implement land management and environmental protection goals via a comprehensive management plan. The pinelands development credit (PDC) program is one tool aimed specifically at land preservation outcomes. The PDC program is a regional “transfer of development rights” market allowing landowners to sell their rights to further develop their property and enter their land into permanent protected status. Since the program’s inception in 1982, over 55,000 acres of sensitive and rare ecosystem have been protected; the more than 1,200 transactions account for US$63 M of economic value. The PDC program is a clear illustration of the role that financial instruments and market mechanisms can play in achieving environmental protection outcomes. This case study offers an overview of the pinelands area, PDC program, and the transfer of development rights concept before examining the PDC program and its outcomes in greater detail. While the program has been hailed as a success, it will face challenges in the coming years, including a relatively inefficient process for converting PDCs into protected lands and the question of how the program can evolve once eligible lands become more scarce.","PeriodicalId":42507,"journal":{"name":"Case Studies in the Environment","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66886928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-01DOI: 10.1525/cse.2021.1536396
Ana L. Porzecanski, A. Bravo, M. Groom, L. Dávalos, N. Bynum, B. J. Abraham, J. Cigliano, Carol Griffiths, D. Stokes, M. Cawthorn, Denny S. Fernández, Lauri Freeman, T. Leslie, T. Theodose, D. Vogler, E. Sterling
Critical thinking (CT) underpins the analytical and systems-thinking capacities needed for effective conservation in the 21st century but is seldom adequately fostered in most postsecondary courses and programs. Many instructors fear that devoting time to process skills will detract from content gains and struggle to define CT skills in ways relevant for classroom practice. We tested an approach to develop and assess CT in undergraduate conservation biology courses using case studies to address both challenges. We developed case studies with exercises to support content learning goals and assessment rubrics to evaluate student learning of both content and CT skills. We also developed a midterm intervention to enhance student metacognitive abilities at a light and intensive level and asked whether the level of the intervention impacted student learning. Data from over 200 students from five institutions showed an increase in students’ CT performance over a single term, under both light and intensive interventions, as well as variation depending on the students’ initial performance and on rubric dimension. Our results demonstrate adaptable and scalable means for instructors to improve CT process skills among undergraduate students through the use of case studies and associated exercises, aligned rubrics, and supported reflection on their CT performance.
{"title":"Using Case Studies to Improve the Critical Thinking Skills of Undergraduate Conservation Biology Students","authors":"Ana L. Porzecanski, A. Bravo, M. Groom, L. Dávalos, N. Bynum, B. J. Abraham, J. Cigliano, Carol Griffiths, D. Stokes, M. Cawthorn, Denny S. Fernández, Lauri Freeman, T. Leslie, T. Theodose, D. Vogler, E. Sterling","doi":"10.1525/cse.2021.1536396","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2021.1536396","url":null,"abstract":"Critical thinking (CT) underpins the analytical and systems-thinking capacities needed for effective conservation in the 21st century but is seldom adequately fostered in most postsecondary courses and programs. Many instructors fear that devoting time to process skills will detract from content gains and struggle to define CT skills in ways relevant for classroom practice. We tested an approach to develop and assess CT in undergraduate conservation biology courses using case studies to address both challenges. We developed case studies with exercises to support content learning goals and assessment rubrics to evaluate student learning of both content and CT skills. We also developed a midterm intervention to enhance student metacognitive abilities at a light and intensive level and asked whether the level of the intervention impacted student learning. Data from over 200 students from five institutions showed an increase in students’ CT performance over a single term, under both light and intensive interventions, as well as variation depending on the students’ initial performance and on rubric dimension. Our results demonstrate adaptable and scalable means for instructors to improve CT process skills among undergraduate students through the use of case studies and associated exercises, aligned rubrics, and supported reflection on their CT performance.","PeriodicalId":42507,"journal":{"name":"Case Studies in the Environment","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66886480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-01DOI: 10.1525/cse.2021.1517753
P. Lamei, F. Attorre, R. Testolin, M. De Sanctis, R. Turia, Abe Hitofumi
The impact of logging activities on species richness, diversity, and composition of the ground herbaceous layer of the lowland forest of Papua New Guinea was analyzed. Data from the first multipurpose National Forest Inventory were collected in 52 plots from logged and unlogged low altitude forest on plains and fans (P) and forest on uplands (H) in Madang, West New Britain and Central Provinces. The abundance of 10,609 ground herbaceous plants classified in 174 species from 103 genera and 35 families. Based on importance values, Arecaceae was the dominating family in both logged and unlogged P forest type, while Urticaceae and Arecaceae were dominating respectively in logged and unlogged H forest type. At species level, Donax canniformis and Elatostema beccarii are dominating the P type, and Elatostema novoguineensis and Selaginella durvillei the H type. Analysis of species richness, diversity, and composition showed significant differences between the two types with the H type being richer and more diverse than P type. No differences emerged between logged and unlogged of both types, indicating that the current intensity of disturbance does not seem to have a significant impact on the ground herbaceous layer. Since herbaceous species are an important component of the tropical forest diversity, further inventories must be conducted along a wider elevation gradient to make these results more robust and better observe species turn over patterns and beta diversity.
{"title":"Disturbance Impacts of Logging on Ground Herbaceous Plant Species Richness, Diversity, and Composition of Lowland Rainforest of Papua New Guinea","authors":"P. Lamei, F. Attorre, R. Testolin, M. De Sanctis, R. Turia, Abe Hitofumi","doi":"10.1525/cse.2021.1517753","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2021.1517753","url":null,"abstract":"The impact of logging activities on species richness, diversity, and composition of the ground herbaceous layer of the lowland forest of Papua New Guinea was analyzed. Data from the first multipurpose National Forest Inventory were collected in 52 plots from logged and unlogged low altitude forest on plains and fans (P) and forest on uplands (H) in Madang, West New Britain and Central Provinces. The abundance of 10,609 ground herbaceous plants classified in 174 species from 103 genera and 35 families. Based on importance values, Arecaceae was the dominating family in both logged and unlogged P forest type, while Urticaceae and Arecaceae were dominating respectively in logged and unlogged H forest type. At species level, Donax canniformis and Elatostema beccarii are dominating the P type, and Elatostema novoguineensis and Selaginella durvillei the H type. Analysis of species richness, diversity, and composition showed significant differences between the two types with the H type being richer and more diverse than P type. No differences emerged between logged and unlogged of both types, indicating that the current intensity of disturbance does not seem to have a significant impact on the ground herbaceous layer. Since herbaceous species are an important component of the tropical forest diversity, further inventories must be conducted along a wider elevation gradient to make these results more robust and better observe species turn over patterns and beta diversity.","PeriodicalId":42507,"journal":{"name":"Case Studies in the Environment","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66886443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-01DOI: 10.1525/cse.2021.1434937
Leontina M. Hormel, C. Wardropper, C. Scott, María Verónica Iñiguez Gallardo, David A. Roon, C. Armijos
River water quality and quantity are declining globally as a result of land use and population growth. Enhanced river management that includes input from local watershed residents is needed to sustain this resource. As an international framework, integrated water resources management (IWRM) aims to support inclusive governance of water systems. Ecuador is one of the countries that has looked to IWRM as a guide, though little research on water quality is available in the country. Our case study describes both the research process and outcomes of an integrated assessment of water quality and perceptions in the south Ecuador city of Loja, through which flow two rivers: Rio Zamora and Rio Malacatos. Our team sought to take both biophysical and perceptual measures of water quality in these rivers and tributaries and build interdisciplinary research skills among undergraduate and early graduate students in collaboration with faculty researchers from the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja and the University of Idaho. In this case article, we concentrate on the process and results of the social scientific dimension of this interdisciplinary project, describing how surveys and interviews were used to build our understanding of the connections between the biophysical water quality measures and water quality perceptions of different communities within the watershed. Readers will learn about the possibilities of conducting interdisciplinary, international team projects to answer applied socioenvironmental questions along with challenges that should be anticipated when designing this kind of research.
{"title":"Factors Influencing Water Quality Perceptions in an Urban and Rural Watershed in Southern Ecuador","authors":"Leontina M. Hormel, C. Wardropper, C. Scott, María Verónica Iñiguez Gallardo, David A. Roon, C. Armijos","doi":"10.1525/cse.2021.1434937","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2021.1434937","url":null,"abstract":"River water quality and quantity are declining globally as a result of land use and population growth. Enhanced river management that includes input from local watershed residents is needed to sustain this resource. As an international framework, integrated water resources management (IWRM) aims to support inclusive governance of water systems. Ecuador is one of the countries that has looked to IWRM as a guide, though little research on water quality is available in the country. Our case study describes both the research process and outcomes of an integrated assessment of water quality and perceptions in the south Ecuador city of Loja, through which flow two rivers: Rio Zamora and Rio Malacatos. Our team sought to take both biophysical and perceptual measures of water quality in these rivers and tributaries and build interdisciplinary research skills among undergraduate and early graduate students in collaboration with faculty researchers from the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja and the University of Idaho. In this case article, we concentrate on the process and results of the social scientific dimension of this interdisciplinary project, describing how surveys and interviews were used to build our understanding of the connections between the biophysical water quality measures and water quality perceptions of different communities within the watershed. Readers will learn about the possibilities of conducting interdisciplinary, international team projects to answer applied socioenvironmental questions along with challenges that should be anticipated when designing this kind of research.","PeriodicalId":42507,"journal":{"name":"Case Studies in the Environment","volume":"68 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66886302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-01DOI: 10.1525/cse.2021.1420816
A. Ruyani, D. Parlindungan, Patricia G. Patrick, C. Matthews
Building collegial international relationships is an important aspect of conservation and conservation education. The relationship relies on researchers understanding the local context of the conservation project and the sociocultural perspectives of all partners. Therefore, we situated our case study within sociocultural theory. Our case study focuses on the relationships and project work which developed between a biologist/science educator at the University of Bengkulu in Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia, and a science education professor at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA, who shared longtime interests in herpetology. Employing the sociocultural perspective, we describe the background of each University group leader and how their previous experiences led to the development of a partnership focused on turtle conservation. In this case study, we seek to understand the social and cultural development of the researchers’ relationship as they teamed to address the ex situ conservation challenges of working with terrestrial and semiaquatic turtles. An examination of the researchers’ partnership provides a framework for the analysis of the work accomplished and remaining and offers insights to others interested in collaborative international conservation projects.
{"title":"Developing Collegial Relationships to Address Hurdles in Ex Situ Turtle Conservation on an Indonesian University Campus","authors":"A. Ruyani, D. Parlindungan, Patricia G. Patrick, C. Matthews","doi":"10.1525/cse.2021.1420816","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2021.1420816","url":null,"abstract":"Building collegial international relationships is an important aspect of conservation and conservation education. The relationship relies on researchers understanding the local context of the conservation project and the sociocultural perspectives of all partners. Therefore, we situated our case study within sociocultural theory. Our case study focuses on the relationships and project work which developed between a biologist/science educator at the University of Bengkulu in Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia, and a science education professor at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA, who shared longtime interests in herpetology. Employing the sociocultural perspective, we describe the background of each University group leader and how their previous experiences led to the development of a partnership focused on turtle conservation. In this case study, we seek to understand the social and cultural development of the researchers’ relationship as they teamed to address the ex situ conservation challenges of working with terrestrial and semiaquatic turtles. An examination of the researchers’ partnership provides a framework for the analysis of the work accomplished and remaining and offers insights to others interested in collaborative international conservation projects.","PeriodicalId":42507,"journal":{"name":"Case Studies in the Environment","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66886082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-01DOI: 10.1525/cse.2021.1425104
M. Schaafsma, N. Gross-Camp
Despite repeated emphasis on the links between the natural environment and human well-being and the disproportionate and direct dependence of the rural poor on natural resources, these links have not been well addressed in poverty assessments. Common poverty profiles neither reflect the contribution of nature to well-being nor the multiple values and meanings that people ascribe to nature. Building on a conceptual grounding for including environmental components in well-being measures, our work aimed to determine for which components it is legitimate to do so according to the people whose well-being is measured. We developed a focus group discussion protocol to elicit perceptions of environment-well-being relationships in rural settings in Rwanda and Malawi. The protocol included a well-being free-listing exercise, a matching exercise linking the listed items to predefined well-being dimensions, and a discussion of environment-well-being connections. We found that severe environmental degradation, hazards, and conflicts over access to land and forests in these diverse rural areas are deeply and directly linked to well-being. Environmental changes such as flooding or extended drought led to losses of income, crops, and assets, as well as prolonged periods of psychological stress, constrained freedom of choice, and in extreme cases, death. Our results suggest that some environmental components are constituent to well-being. We emphasise the importance of validating the precise environmental components that are considered relevant to well-being in different contexts. Extending poverty measurement with relevant environmental components can help in targeting action towards reducing poverty in a more legitimate, context-specific way.
{"title":"Towards Capturing Human Well-Being-Nature Relationships in Poverty Assessments in Rural Malawi and Rwanda","authors":"M. Schaafsma, N. Gross-Camp","doi":"10.1525/cse.2021.1425104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2021.1425104","url":null,"abstract":"Despite repeated emphasis on the links between the natural environment and human well-being and the disproportionate and direct dependence of the rural poor on natural resources, these links have not been well addressed in poverty assessments. Common poverty profiles neither reflect the contribution of nature to well-being nor the multiple values and meanings that people ascribe to nature. Building on a conceptual grounding for including environmental components in well-being measures, our work aimed to determine for which components it is legitimate to do so according to the people whose well-being is measured. We developed a focus group discussion protocol to elicit perceptions of environment-well-being relationships in rural settings in Rwanda and Malawi. The protocol included a well-being free-listing exercise, a matching exercise linking the listed items to predefined well-being dimensions, and a discussion of environment-well-being connections. We found that severe environmental degradation, hazards, and conflicts over access to land and forests in these diverse rural areas are deeply and directly linked to well-being. Environmental changes such as flooding or extended drought led to losses of income, crops, and assets, as well as prolonged periods of psychological stress, constrained freedom of choice, and in extreme cases, death. Our results suggest that some environmental components are constituent to well-being. We emphasise the importance of validating the precise environmental components that are considered relevant to well-being in different contexts. Extending poverty measurement with relevant environmental components can help in targeting action towards reducing poverty in a more legitimate, context-specific way.","PeriodicalId":42507,"journal":{"name":"Case Studies in the Environment","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66886156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-01-01DOI: 10.1525/cse.2020.1223610
D. Cáceres, Esteban Tapella, Diego Cabrol, Lucrecia Estigarribia
Argentina is experiencing an expansion of soya and maize cultivation that is pushing the agricultural frontier over areas formerly occupied by native Chaco forest. Subsistance farmers use this dry forest to raise goats and cattle and to obtain a broad range of goods and services. Thus, two very different and non-compatible land uses are in dispute. On the one hand subsistance farmers fostering an extensive and diversified forest use, on the other hand, large-scale producers who need to clear out the forest to sow annual crops in order to appropriate soil fertility. First, the paper looks at how these social actors perceive Chaco forest, what their interests are, and what kind of values they attach to it. Second, we analyze the social-environmental conflicts that arise among actors in order to appropriate forest’s benefits. Special attention is paid to the role played by the government in relation to: (a) how does it respond to the demands of the different sectors; and (b) how it deals with the management recommendations produced by scientists carrying out social and ecological research. To put these ideas at test we focus on a case study located in Western Córdoba (Argentina), where industrial agriculture is expanding at a fast pace, and where social actors’ interests are generating a series of disputes and conflicts. Drawing upon field work, the paper shows how power alliances between economic and political powers, use the institutional framework of the State in their own benefit, disregarding wider environmental and social costs.
{"title":"Land Use Change and Commodity Frontiers","authors":"D. Cáceres, Esteban Tapella, Diego Cabrol, Lucrecia Estigarribia","doi":"10.1525/cse.2020.1223610","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2020.1223610","url":null,"abstract":"Argentina is experiencing an expansion of soya and maize cultivation that is pushing the agricultural frontier over areas formerly occupied by native Chaco forest. Subsistance farmers use this dry forest to raise goats and cattle and to obtain a broad range of goods and services. Thus, two very different and non-compatible land uses are in dispute. On the one hand subsistance farmers fostering an extensive and diversified forest use, on the other hand, large-scale producers who need to clear out the forest to sow annual crops in order to appropriate soil fertility. First, the paper looks at how these social actors perceive Chaco forest, what their interests are, and what kind of values they attach to it. Second, we analyze the social-environmental conflicts that arise among actors in order to appropriate forest’s benefits. Special attention is paid to the role played by the government in relation to: (a) how does it respond to the demands of the different sectors; and (b) how it deals with the management recommendations produced by scientists carrying out social and ecological research. To put these ideas at test we focus on a case study located in Western Córdoba (Argentina), where industrial agriculture is expanding at a fast pace, and where social actors’ interests are generating a series of disputes and conflicts. Drawing upon field work, the paper shows how power alliances between economic and political powers, use the institutional framework of the State in their own benefit, disregarding wider environmental and social costs.","PeriodicalId":42507,"journal":{"name":"Case Studies in the Environment","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66886051","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-01-01DOI: 10.1525/CSE.2020.1231752
Lauren R. Stewart, Bryson Russell, Eva Zelig, Gaurang Patel, K. Whitney
Banff National Park (BNP) is Canada’s oldest national park and a very popular one, with both year-round residents and millions of annual visitors. In turn, this means there are several busy road and rail transportation routes throughout the park. These factors can have a number of negative effects on local wildlife. The wildlife crossing structures of the Trans-Canada Highway in BNP have become a key conservation tool to conserve biodiversity in the park and beyond. As the first large-scale operation of highway mitigation of its kind in North America, it is a perfect case for understanding the conservation value of highway overpasses and underpasses for a variety of wildlife species including both large and small mammals. It was determined from the research that there is a vast majority of information available for large mammals compared to small mammals. Small mammals used the crossing structures to avoid predators, while large mammals used the crossing structures to avoid humans. The design of the structure was extremely influential on its effectiveness with black bears and cougars preferring narrow bridges with cover, elk preferring wide, open bridges, and smaller mammals, such as weasels, snowshoe hares, and some mice preferring culverts with vegetation cover.
{"title":"Wildlife Crossing Design Influences Effectiveness for Small and Large Mammals in Banff National Park","authors":"Lauren R. Stewart, Bryson Russell, Eva Zelig, Gaurang Patel, K. Whitney","doi":"10.1525/CSE.2020.1231752","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1525/CSE.2020.1231752","url":null,"abstract":"Banff National Park (BNP) is Canada’s oldest national park and a very popular one, with both year-round residents and millions of annual visitors. In turn, this means there are several busy road and rail transportation routes throughout the park. These factors can have a number of negative effects on local wildlife. The wildlife crossing structures of the Trans-Canada Highway in BNP have become a key conservation tool to conserve biodiversity in the park and beyond. As the first large-scale operation of highway mitigation of its kind in North America, it is a perfect case for understanding the conservation value of highway overpasses and underpasses for a variety of wildlife species including both large and small mammals. It was determined from the research that there is a vast majority of information available for large mammals compared to small mammals. Small mammals used the crossing structures to avoid predators, while large mammals used the crossing structures to avoid humans. The design of the structure was extremely influential on its effectiveness with black bears and cougars preferring narrow bridges with cover, elk preferring wide, open bridges, and smaller mammals, such as weasels, snowshoe hares, and some mice preferring culverts with vegetation cover.","PeriodicalId":42507,"journal":{"name":"Case Studies in the Environment","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"66886071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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