The expansion of agriculture is widely held to be one of the causes of tropical deforestation. Simply stated, the progressive expansion of agriculture into areas of tropical forest can only occur when forests are slashed. There is little doubt that in many places an increased need for agricultural land goes hand in hand with expansion into forestland. However, the relationship between agricultural expansion and tropical deforestation is more complex than a simple addition and subtraction formula suggests. Many forms of tropical agriculture are integrated with forestry activities. Forests play an important role in the complex of resource management among many farmers in the tropics. Although such tropical agroforestry is no alternative for strict forest conservation in protected areas, it is a viable alternative—especially from a conservation point of view—to other agricultural development schemes that are often proposed or blindly copied in many tropical countries.
Tag: conservation
Rights-based approaches: Exploring issues and opportunities for conservation
The links between human rights and biodiversity and natural resource conservation are many and complex. The conservation community is being challenged to take stronger measures to respect human rights and is taking opportunities to further their realisation. ‘Rights-based approaches’ (RBAs) to conservation are a promising way forward, but also raise a myriad of new challenges and questions, including what such approaches are, when and how they can be put into practice, and what their implications are for conservation.This volume gives an overview of key issues and questions in RBA. Rights and social justice related policies of major international organisations are reviewed. Case studies and position papers describe RBAs in a variety of contexts – protected areas, natural resource management, access and benefit-sharing regimes, and proposed reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) mechanisms. No one blueprint for RBA emerges. However, there are common themes: supporting both procedural and substantive rights, linking rights and responsibilities, equalising power relations, providing capacity building for rights holders and duty bearers, and recognising and engaging with local leaders and local people. RBAs can support improved governance but are, in turn, shaped by the governance systems in which they operate, as well as by history, politics, socio-economics and culture. Experience and dialogue will add to a fuller understanding of the promises and challenges of RBAs to conservation. The aim of this volume is to contribute to that discussion.
What constitutes a useful measure of protected area effectiveness? A case study of management inputs and protected area impacts in Madagascar
Protected areas are one of the key tools for conserving biodiversity and recent studies have highlighted the positive impact they can have in avoiding habitat conversion. However, the relationship to management actions on the ground is far less studied and we currently do not know which management actions are the most crucial for success. To investigate this, we studied the effectiveness of the protected area network of Madagascar. We estimated the impact of individual protected areas in avoiding deforestation, accounting for confounding factors (elevation, slope, distance to urban centers and infrastructure, and distance to forest edge). We then investigated whether Protected Area Management Effectiveness scores, and their different facets, explained the variation observed. We found that the majority of the analyzed protected areas in Madagascar do reduce deforestation. Protected areas with higher management scores did not perform better in terms of avoiding deforestation. We discuss potential explanations for these results, and how they might influence the validity of current methods for estimating different facets of protected area effectiveness under different deforestation scenarios.
The population genetics of Dalbergia cochinchinensis Pierre and implications for genetic conservation
Methods for assessing the conservation and development of forest products: what we know and what we have yet to learn
Open letter: Brazil at a crossroads—Protecting peatlands is essential for post-COP30 climate leadership
This Open Letter highlights peatlands as critical yet overlooked ecosystems in Brazil’s climate and biodiversity policies. By translating scientific evidence into clear, actionable priorities for policymakers, it supports more accurate climate reporting, effective mitigation strategies, and improved land-use governance. The letter emphasizes the societal benefits of peatland protection, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, water security, biodiversity conservation, and resilience to droughts and fires. It also promotes equitable engagement with Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities, strengthening inclusive, science-based decision-making and positioning Brazil as a global leader in nature-based climate solutions.
Rural development and conservation: the future lies with multi-stakeholder collective action
Conventional approaches to livelihoods (agricultural research & development) and conservation in eastern Africa and indeed worldwide have been reductionist in nature. Institutions specialize in either production or conservation, research or development, livelihoods or governance, with minimal collaboration among institutions with complementary mandates. At the District level, rural development and natural re- source management initiatives have not lived up to their potential as a result of lost opportunities for joint planning and re- source sharing. Poor structural and func- tional linkages among different organiza- tions and poorly coordinated planning have led to inefficient utilization of resources and opportunities lost in fostering synergies in resources and mandates. T hese constraints have clearly hindered innovation, undermined impact, and reduced opportunities for foster- ing more integrated, “win-win” solutions.
The economics of land degradation and resource conservation in Northern Thailand: challenging the assumptions
Searching for Justice: Rights vs ‘Benefits’ in Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park, Indonesia
Five villages that border Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park in Melawi, West Kalimantan, are rekindling their protest over the park boundaries and the appropriation of their lands by the park. The park was established as a nature reserve in 1981 without participation of customary users. Customary user contestations are muted by a democratic void in which they are without recognition in the governance structures of the park. Therefore, communities have sought Indigenous peoples’ rights NGOs to represent them and advance their customary claims over land. These NGOs prove more salient to the needs of the villages because they focus less on distributive justice through benefit sharing and more on recognition justice through the advancement of land claims. Whilst villagers decry the lack of any benefit from the park, it is they themselves who refuse to accept such benefits from park authorities. This paper explores the struggles for recognition over customary land in the national park and finds that peoples’ resistance to the State, including offers of distributive benefits, is rooted in the notion that their consent constitutes acceptance of State authority over customary land.
Biodiversity Credits: An Overview of the Current State, Future Opportunities, and Potential Pitfalls
Biodiversity credits are an emerging vehicle for pro-environmental financing, yet much uncertainty remains around how and when they could boost biodiversity conservation. Here we define what biodiversity credits are and explore impact pathways through a proposed theory of change. Based on evidence from 34 pilot projects and a review of lessons from related market-based incentives for conservation, we further explore potential opportunities and pitfalls, including future supply and demand, bundling/stacking options, and needed social safeguards. We explore how biodiversity credits can better tackle challenges linked to additionality, permanence, leakage, and commensurability. While new monitoring technologies can help quantify biodiversity, trade-offs exist between simple metrics enabling liquid markets and costlier ones more adequately representing biodiversity. To avoid past mistakes, sound credit design and implementation require more robust crediting baselines, standards, governance, and impact evaluation. Quality credits will be more expensive than those cutting integrity corners, which may dampen the expected biodiversity credit boom.