Identifying potential causes of fish declines through local ecological knowledge of fishers in the Ganga River,eastern Bihar,India

Local ecological knowledge (LEK) can offer insights into fisheries management by describing long‐term changes that are difficult to unravel in data‐poor river‐floodplain fisheries. LEK is derived from complex interactions between fishers’ observations of environmental change and their institutional capacities to manage fisheries. Hence, it is important to understand where and how LEK and formal scientific studies on fish species’ decline could complement each other. In this paper, the causes of decline of 58 fish and two shrimp taxa were identified from LEK data (1999–2019) obtained from river–floodplain fisheries of the Gangetic plains (Bihar, India). Qualitative analyses of LEK were used to generate species‐specific hypotheses and historical insights on their declines. Destructive fishing, overfishing and the Farakka barrage were cited by fishers as the major causes of declines. Potential reasons for these perceptions were explored in relation to fishers’ experiences of conflicts in the region over fishing rights and access.     

An initial study on habitat conservation of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), with a focus on human elephant conflict in Simao, China

The impact of the Asian elephant, Elephas maximus, on the rural agricultural economy in the Simao region of Yunnan province, China, was assessed from 1996 to 2000. Elephants were responsible for large-scale crop and property damage, which caused serious human-elephant conflicts in the region. Attempts were made to reduce the conflicts, by building man-made salt ponds in the forest, digging trenches to protect farmland, as well as governmental compensation. An integrated community development and elephant habitat conservation project is in practice in Simao. It is focused to support rural development of the economy and to promote social tolerance to damage caused by elephants. The community-based conservation efforts played an important role in efforts to solve the human-elephant conflicts.     

Perceived impacts of wild turkeys and management techniques for Wisconsin ginseng production

The restoration of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris; Viellot) within Wisconsin has successfully populated the central counties which account for 95% of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) production. In response to perceived and emerging conflicts, the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin, Inc. conducted producer surveys in March 2006 and 2012 to determine the extent and timing of wild turkey damage experienced among all Wisconsin ginseng producers, and the methods used to minimize wild turkey damage. We summarized 47 and 63 completed surveys in 2006 and 2012, respectively. Most survey respondents reported that wild turkeys were present and caused damage at their ginseng facilities every year. Turkey damage was regarded as “moderate” among most survey respondents. The majority of respondents in 2006 reported that annual losses were $2000–$5000, while most respondents in 2012 reported losses of less than $2000. Most producers reported spending less than $2000 annually for turkey damage management. Vertical fencing was reported as the most used and most effective damage management technique; the reported use and long-term efficacy of vertical fencing increasing substantially from 2006 to 2012. The increased use of vertical fencing may be related to the general downtrend in annual monetary losses due to wild turkeys from 2006 to 2012. These survey results will be used to further identify, investigate and manage the impacts of wild turkeys to Wisconsin ginseng production.     

Conservation policy–people conflicts: a case study from Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (a World Heritage Site), India

Perceptions of local people towards conservation policy and related management interventions, nature and magnitude of policy–people conflicts and, possible options for conflict resolution were analysed in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site in Indian Himalaya. People's perceptions were discerned through participatory discussions covering 419 households distributed in 10 villages in the buffer zone. Traditional uncodified rights of local people were substantially reduced through policy interventions set in since 1860s. Local people as well as tourists were excluded from the core zone covering an area of 625 km² since 1982. Deterioration of rural economy due to damage to crop and livestock by wildlife and, termination of opportunities of income from wild medicinal plant resources and tourism in the core zone were the key negative impacts of conservation policy felt by more than 90% of respondents. Mean annual economic loss per household was estimated as Rs 1285, Rs 1195 and Rs 156 due to damage caused by wildlife to food crops, fruit trees and beehives, respectively, Rs 1587 due to ban on collection of wild medicinal plants for marketing and Rs 7904 due to ban on tourism in the core zone. Reserve authority granted compensation of livestock killed by wildlife but it was hardly 5% of the market value of killed livestock as assessed by the people. People did not appreciate much the present benefits from the reserve management in the form of wages for carrying out afforestation work, partial compensation of livestock depredation and availability of solar power devices, wool, and spinning devices. Approximately 95% respondents identified empowerment of local people in respect of realising income from timber from dead/diseased trees in community forests, income from medicinal plants in buffer zone and opening of core zone for tourism as potential development options. Improvement in rural economy, the prime concern of local people, has not received as much attention as legal enforcement of protection by the reserve management. There is a need for developing policies and management actions that serve the economic interests of local people together with enhancement of environmental conservation goal.     

生态博物馆利益相关者利益冲突分析——以三江侗族生态博物馆为例

为了调和生态博物馆利益相关者的利益冲突,构建和谐的利益关系,以三江侗族生态博物馆为例,采用两两对应分析的方法,构建利益冲突关系分析矩阵,绘制利益冲突关系图,对利益相关者之间蕴藏的利益冲突进行深入分析。通过研究发现,三江侗族生态博物馆的利益冲突主要存在于旅游者、旅游企业、政府主管部门、馆域社区、馆域原生环境等重要的利益相关者之间,利益关系错综复杂,利益需求的难以协调是他们之间利益冲突产生的根本原因。通过本研究,以期为构建科学合理的利益冲突协调机制提供理论依据。     

Cleavage in the understanding of sustainability: Sustainable pulp industry versus sustained local livelihood

Abstract

“Sustainability” is used as a catchword, with different meanings depending on the actor. This paper examines how the term “sustainability” is used by the Brazilian pulp maker Veracel Cellulose, and other major cellulose pulp producers in South America, and the cleavage between the companies and the local communities in their understanding of the term sustainability. The analysis was based on annual or sustainability reports from companies in Brazil (Aracruz, Fibria, Suzano and Veracel) and Chile (Arauco and CPMC), and Nordic Stora Enso and UPM. The main emphasis is on Veracel for 2008 and 2009, which is contrasted with a letter to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) from the local Bahian NGO, CEPEDES. Although the companies use “sustainability” as a catchword, in the actual reporting the wording “environmental and social responsibility” is preferred. A new reporting standard, GRI, encourages a narrower focus on selected business-related indicators, rather than a broader view in accordance with the Brundtland and Rio definitions. The cleavage between business- and a livelihood-oriented understanding of “sustainability” reflects a difference in understanding of the underlying concept of “development”. To ensure long-term sustainability of company operations, sustainable business development of the pulp and paper industry should include local livelihood perspectives to a greater extent than at present.     

Restriction of the circulation of small pleasure boats on the rivers of Wallonia, Belgium

The regional authorities of the Walloon Region in the south of Belgium have regulated the circulation of pleasure boats, and kayaks in particular, so as to limit the conflicts between different uses of rivers (e.g. nature conservation, recreational fishing and canoeing). The regulation was enacted in 1994, using the federal law of 1973 on nature conservation as its basis. It was made necessary by the recent and important development of river-based recreational activities and by the need to protect the aquatic environment, the rivers, and the associated fauna and flora. The limitations were determined according to season, flow and time of the day. Authorized types of boat are described in the present study, and the conditions of access to the embarkation and disembarkation sites along the rivers are set out. The limitations to canoeing were settled according to the river classification. Minimum flow rates were determined for rivers where the necessity for protection was the highest because of the very high activity of rented kayaks and the risk of overcrowding the river. An information system allows the kayak operators and the sportsmen to be informed daily on the possibilities for canoeing.     

Management Tools to Reduce Carnivore-Livestock Conflicts: Current Gap and Future Challenges

Predation on domestic animals by carnivores is a persistent problem wherever carnivores and livestock co-occur. A wide range of management tools to reduce predation has been invoked. However, the evidence of their effectiveness is still limited for a broader range of species and conditions. Using a global analysis of domestic animal predation by native carnivores under a “before-after/control-impact” framework, we assessed the effectiveness of management techniques used to reduce domestic animal predation identifying knowledge gaps and research needs. We reviewed 291 predation cases in 149 studies published between 1990 and 2017 involving 47 carnivores. Lethal control is the most common method to reduce predation in comparison with nonlethal techniques. Yet the effectiveness of both approaches remains poorly evaluated (30.1% of study cases) and largely based on producers’ perceptions (70% of cases where effectiveness was evaluated). Lethal control and night confinement of domestic animals would have no effect on reducing predation, whereas the use of livestock-guarding dogs, fencing, or herdsmen may significantly reduce domestic animal losses. When the effectiveness of each technique to reduce predation was assessed by large and mesocarnivores, fencing significantly reduced predation of domestic animals by the former. Despite little scientifically published material, our findings indicate lethal control would have no effect in reducing animal predation by native carnivores when compared with nonlethal techniques. Our study also indicates the effectiveness may vary depending on the type of carnivore involved in the conflict with livestock activity. The use of an evidence-based framework to measure and assess the differential effectiveness of nonlethal techniques and the use of complementary tools at different spatial and temporal scales must be research priorities to prevent livestock predation while promoting the conservation of carnivores in production-oriented lands as encouraged by the Convention of Biological Diversity.     

Sustainability of tropical dry forests: Two case studies in southeastern and central Brazil

In this study, we review the current available information on the social–ecological context of Brazilian tropical dry forests (TDFs), a vegetation type that covers approximately 3% of the country territory. For this purpose, we conducted a comparative analysis of two case studies, one study in the north of Minas Gerais state and the other in Paranã River Basin, situated in southeastern and central Brazil, respectively. We compiled published bibliographical and census-based data for the two regions, concerning the historical human occupation and land use and the environmental and development policies affecting TDF management and sustainable use. Brazilian TDFs usually occur in semi-arid climates, and have been intensely converted mainly to extensive pasturelands in large farms, thus leading to high income concentration in those areas. Our case studies involve less-developed regions that support populations with very low human development indices, which is the norm for Brazilian TDFs. Many of these are traditional populations, such as indigenous and slave descendents, with peculiar cultural practices only recently considered in government policies proposed for the forest management. Though the two regions have similar land use histories, current social–ecological scenarios are very different. In the north of Minas Gerais, TDF conversion policies were debated intensely for the last 15 years, recently resulting in a state law specifically generated to regulate TDF use. Also, this region has 20 conservation units (CUs), some of them delimited inside the territories of the several traditional populations that inhabit TDF areas. This process caused enduring conflicts that can affect both CUs’ effectiveness and the sustenance of these populations. In the Paranã River Basin, there is no specific policy towards TDFs, whose use is regulated by the 43-year-old Brazilian Federal Forest Code. There are only four CUs in this region, and most traditional populations were expelled from their original territories and consequently lost their cultural identity. Government sustainability strategies are limited to the establishment of CUs, a response that may disregard social demands and cultural practices, depending on the local context. Given the uniqueness and threat level to TDFs, specific and more diversified policies towards land use should be established for these ecosystems in order to stimulate low-impact activities that maintain ecosystem services and improve the livelihoods of TDF inhabitants.