People and conservation Flashcards
Its been suggested there’s lack of support for conservation, what are the reasons for this?
- Inadequate funds → govs and corporate investment; public donations
- Non-compliance e.g illegal logging, pesticide use regulations
- Repealed legislation e.g USA (Trump) & Brazil (former Bolsonaro)
- Individual choices
What are the generalisations about the global North / South and conservation efforts?
Global North - lack of conservation support despite the ‘ability’ to support it
Global South - lack of conservation support because of perceived conflict with ‘legitimate’ development issues
What are the effects of visiting urban green-spaces versus the countryside on biodiversity knowledge and conservation support?
Study by Coldwell and Evans (2017) surveyed nearly 300 residents in various urban areas in England and found:
Countryside visits:
Linked to higher biodiversity knowledge and stronger conservation support.
Urban green-space visits:
No significant impact on biodiversity knowledge or conservation attitudes.
Suggests rural experiences are crucial for fostering conservation awareness.
Give an example of coupled human-natural systems
Integrated systems with dynamic interactions between humans and nature.
Human system impacts and re-organises natural system:
- Human induced forest loss & fragmentation
- 40-50 elephants killed annually during crop raiding
Natural system responds to human management and other drivers:
- 100 people (max 300) killed annually by crop-raiding elephants
- Individual farmers experience severe economic loss
- Increases conflict (associated with forest cover decline <35%)
Give some ways to change human behaviour and increase support for conservation
- Conservation advertising (e.g successful RSPB advert)
- Eco labels (not that successful due to mimics)
What is the economic rationale in conservation, and how do people actually make decisions?
- Economic rationale: Assumes people act based on financial incentives, e.g., RED+ or Skylark plots.
- Reality: decision-making is 25% logic, 75% emotion.
- Implication: Financial incentives alone may not be enough for effective conservation; emotional and social factors play a significant role.
Give an example of indigenous conservation practice
- Kayapó tribe of the Brazilian Amazon
- Modification of natural ecosystems to create ecotones
- Integration of forests and agriculture to manage non-domesticated resources in transitional ecosystems
Why do people with pro-environmental attitudes sometimes engage in behaviors that contradict those attitudes?
- Many people lack exposure to nature.
- Despite pro-environmental attitudes and nature connectedness, they are often poor predictors of actual pro-environmental behaviors.
- Alcock et al (2017): People with higher pro-environmental attitudes and climate concerns are often more likely to fly, even when accounting for factors like financial status.
- Within ‘flyers’, the distance flown is positively correlated with pro-environmental attitudes.
Why does the deficit model (assuming lack of information is the main barrier) not always lead to pro-environmental behavior?
Model assumes that more information will lead to better behavior, but it often doesn’t work.
People also consider:
Financial constraints
Attitudes
Values
Emotions
Efficacy
Responsibility
How does nudging differ from financial incentives and education in influencing behavior?
- Financial incentives & education target controlled, conscious deliberation.
- However, people often delay complex decisions, reducing their effectiveness.
- Nudging focuses on contextual variables that influence behavior through automatic, unconscious cognitive processes.
What are the most effective approaches for influencing pro-environmental behavior?
- Contextual interventions outperform education interventions (Changing default options e.g paper straws)
- Financial incentives also outperform education interventions.
- Contextual vs. financial interventions is unclear due to insufficient data.
- Combined approaches may be the most effective.
Why is co-designing conservation solutions preferable to imposing regulations?
- Imposing ideas or regulations can create resentment and reduce compliance.
- Social or ethnic differences between those creating and receiving the rules = colonial vibe / a ‘helicopter’ conservation
- It’s better to co-design solutions that utilize local knowledge, fostering trust and mutual understanding.
Describe the issues and solutions surrounding albatross bycatch
- 2004: 19 of 22 spp IUCN red list
- Albatross are attracted to the bait on fishing hooks - kills them by drowning
- Solutions: Tori lines, line weighting, night setting
- 99% by-catch reduction in South Africa
What is the role of co-design in Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM)?
- Co-design is a key part of Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM), which emerged in the 1980s.
- It involves community decision-making facilitated by conservationists.
- Goals: equitable access to natural resources and the promotion of sustainable livelihoods, alongside joint conservation and non-conservation objectives.
- Mixed outcomes, but it can be highly successful when implemented well.
Give an example of CBNRM
Lion guardians
- The Maasai people, nomadic lifestyle centered around livestock and a tradition of killing lions as part of a coming-of-age ritual.
Scientists were trained and paid to track lions and collect data.
- The study revealed : livestock predation occurs more frequently than previously thought.
- Lions have a much larger home range than previously understood, thanks to the increased availability of tracking data.
Impacts:
- Program increased literacy, provided formal employment
- Recovery of $1 mil worth of lost livestock
Give an example of CBNRM
Pipar Project, Annapurna in Himalayas
Disconnect between goals: Pheasants were threatened by timber collection and hunting.
The Wild Pheasant Association worked with the local community, offering education and improved farming practices in exchange for stopping harmful practices. This approach was successful.
Later, a road aided globalisation of Pipar Valley = giving locals better access to the capital city and better schools.
As a result, the benefits from conservation became meaningless, and the demand for Yarsagumba fungus (used in Chinese medicine) rose, with locals exploiting the market via the new road.
How can conservation be reframed to appeal to a broader audience?
- ‘carrot’ approach (incentives) alongside the ‘stick’ (punishing environmental wrongdoing).
- Emphasize ecosystem services alongside other values (economic, social, etc.).
- Merge conservation efforts with other objectives, e.g SDGs
Are financial fines effective for punishing non-compliance with environmental regulations?
- Meta analysis: poaching fines have litte effect on extinction risk and need to be 10x to 100 x higher
- Another study on the Amazon said fines too low to limit deforestation
- Companies would often rather pay fine than stop malpractice: e.g Ofwat investigation into UK water companies
Does framing conservation as ecosystem services work?
Not really, study shows that focus on services does not always priortise biodiversity conservation
How did United Utilities improve water quality and biodiversity in the Peaks?
- United Utilities-owned land in the Peaks
- 30% is SSSI (Site Special Scientific Interest)
- Affects water quality (colour & turbidity)
- Investment: In moorland and peat bog restoration
- Improves water quality
Outcomes:
- 94% of SSSI in favourable condition (up from 14% in rest of Peak District)
- Improved water quality, wading bird populations, and habitat resilience to climate change
General Impact:
- Ecosystem services focus attracts 4x more funding and 3x more corporate attention.
What are the 2 different type of motivations?
Which is the most effective in conservation?
Intrinsic motivations → spontaneous joy and interest, linked to autonomy, competence and relatedness
Success 3x more likely if connecting to intrinsic human values
Extrinsic motivations → imposed externally e.g gov decisions
How can reframing ecosystem services in terms of justice impact conservation?
Chan et al (2017): Suggest reframing ecosystem services through justice and identities, tying it to the social and environmental justice movement.
Give some examples of justice focused conservation initatives
NGO: Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF)
- Highlights how poor environmental practices often harm vulnerable communities.
- EU carding system targets forced labour, often linked to illegal fishing.
- Framed as a societal problem, not just environmental
Client Earth:
- Air pollution framed as a biodiversity and human health issue
- Environ org of lawyers took Torys to court
What is the One Health approach?
- Focuses on the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health.
- Collaboration across disciplines (healthcare, science, policy) to address global health challenges, such as disease spread, environmental degradation, and food security.
- Linked to SDGs
How do PAs affect income levels in nearby communities?
- Generally, little evidence suggests PAs negatively impact income.
- In some cases, PAs lead to statistically significant income increases compared to alternative land uses.
- Exception: PAs compared to mining sites, where income tends to be lower—unsurprising given the high earnings potential of mining.
What are complications of land sparing?
Land sparing creates intensive farming while reserving natural land
Complications:
- Habitat Fragmentation: Pollinators struggle to access both nesting sites and crops.
- Loss of Wildflowers: Intensified farming removes floral resources, reducing food availability.
- Reduced Pollination Services: High-quality crops (e.g., melons) benefit from proximity to natural areas.
- Pesticide Risks: Intensified farms often use more pesticides, harming pollinators directly.
A uniform land sparing approach may fail! strategies should account for fine-scale heterogeneity in farming systems and land management.
Outline the ‘New’ vs ‘true’ conservation debate
True - Michael Soule argues that the human elements are overpowering the ‘true’ conservation (ab biodiversity etc)
New - Michelle Marvier responds that conservation approaches not focused on people will fail. Conservation must benefit the poorest in order to succeed
__ % of London 6-11 year olds have never seen _____
12%, farm animals
