Dr. Anna Evely. Looking at conservation projects that engage with volunteers
Post on 14-Jul-2015
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overview
• what are conservation projects that involve volunteers?
• why look at conservation projects that involve volunteers?
• choosing methods when crossing disciplines: taking an integrative approach
• how might participation be linked to attitudes?
• how might participation be linked to social learning?
what is participation?
“participation is about social and political equality by giving power to
those who do not have power”Arnstein 1969
participatory projects/co-management
Pomeroy & Berkes 1997
Level of government influence on decisions
centralised consultative co-operative delegated de-centralised
Co-management
why is researching volunteer participation important?
• sustainability in a changing world• ecological and social systems are
integrated• we need to promote resilience• a paradigm shift?
Further reading at Resilience Alliance web page: http://rs.resalliance.org/
Sustainability in a changing world?
• most environmental planning assumes the future will be like the past– Conservation efforts– Disaster preparedness– etc.
• in this context, sustainability is a relatively straightforward concept– The reference state is well known
• BUT--how do we sustain systems in a directionally changing world?
Chapin et al. 2006
If external controls change substantially, social-ecological systems will inevitably change
close connection between ecology and cultureIf we change ecology, what happens to culture?
Athabascan
InuitTaiga
Tundra
Coastal forest
Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian
Yupik
Vegetation Map Native PeoplesAleut
Mimi Chapin
a new management paradigm?
Biodiversity, livelihoods, & adaptive capacity
Species composition & ecosystem structure
Resources of concern
Incorporate disturbance in management
Minimize disturbance probability and impact
Disturbance response
Actor who responds to and shapes social-ecological change
Decision maker who sets course of sustainable management
Role of manager
Actions maximize flexibility to adapt to an uncertain future
Research reduces uncertainty before taking action
Role of uncertainty
Social-ecological benefits
Ecological integrityCentral goal
Trajectory of changeHistoric conditionReference point
Ecosystem StewardshipSteady-State Ecosystem
Management
Characteristic
what method suits social-ecological research?
• philosophy/epistemology• different methods of the social
sciences…
Evely et al. 2008
a framework for social science methodology
philosophical assumptions and stances–assumptions about:
• the nature of the social world (ontology)• the nature of social knowledge• objectivity and subjectivity
– the role of values, context and contingency (uncertainty) in social knowing
– the “mental model” of the inquirer (Denis Phillips, 1995)
Qualitative vs. Quantitative
• quantitative methods are associated with empirical, positivist research– statistical analysis, describing pop.
samples
• qualitative research is associated with ‘anti-positivist’ philosophies, such as subjectivism, nominalism, etc.– textual records
Get a research method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDo7jwikqqI
choice of Method
a researcher must have awareness of philosophical approach (e.g. positivist or subjectivist) within which to work, and must then
determine which method is most appropriate for the kind of data they
wish to collect
co-authorship network for sustainability science
Resilience(from ecology)
Adaptation(from anthropology)
Vulnerability(from geography)
Janssen et al. 2006
how might participation be linked to attitudes?
“attitudes” are both cognitive and emotional elements that allow personal evaluation
working Definition of Social Learning ….
increased awareness and understanding of multiple perspectives leading to an increase in connections and negotiation for joint action in the sustainable use and management of resources, including natural resources, within catchments
implies:• transformation of multiple cognitive systems into a
shared cognitive system• an iterative process of knowledge co-production
between actors involved in social interactions • working with and actively exploring multiple
perspectives• a dynamic process
how might participation be linked to social learning?
stakeholders learn from each other through the development of new relationships, building on existing relationships and transforming relationships with those of different views. Individuals build trust in one another.
this increases the likelihood of finding solutions to complex problems and working together in the future
Reed 2008
Review• what are conservation projects that involve volunteers? Co-management/adaptive co-management
• why look at conservation projects that involve volunteers? For sustainability and resilience
• choosing methods when crossing disciplines: taking an integrative approach…
involve philosophies and different methods
• how might participation be linked to attitudes? attitudes and participation are likely to be linked to one
another, understanding attitudes may help us get to resilience
• how might participation be linked to social learning? Through co-management conflict may be reduced and projects
may be more resilient
Cited Articles
• Arnstein, S., (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Institute of Planners 35 216–224
• Chapin, F.S., Zavaleta, E.S., Eviner, V.T., Naylor, R.L., Vitousek, P.M., Reynolds, H.L. et al. (2000). Consequences of changing biodiversity. Nature, 405, 234–242.
• Evely, A. C., I. Fazey, M. Pinard, and X. Lambin. 2008. The influence of philosophical perspectives in integrative research: a conservation case study in the Cairngorms National Park. Ecology and Society 13(2): 52.
• Gunderson L, Holling CS, editors. 2001. Panarchy: understanding transformations in human and natural systems. Washington(DC): Island Press
• Janssen, M.A., Schoon, M.L., Ke, W., Börner, K., 2006. Scholarly networks on resilience, vulnerability and adaptation within the human dimensions of global environmental change. Global Environmental Change 16, in press, doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2006.04.001.
• Pahl-Wostl, C., M. Craps, A. Dewulf, E. Mostert, D. Tabara, and T. Taillieu. 2007. Social learning and water resources management. Ecology and Society 12(2): 5.
• Phillips, D. C. (1995). The good, the bad, and the ugly: The many faces of constructivism. Educational Researcher, 24(7), 5-12
• Pomeroy R.S. and F. Berkes, Two to tango: the role of government in fisheries co-management, Marine Policy 21 (1997), pp. 465–480
• Reed, M. S. 2008. Stakeholder participation for environmental management: A literature review. Biological Conservation Vol. 141, Issue 10, pp. 2417-2668
• Tress, G., Tress, B., Fry, G. (2005) "Clarifying integrative research concepts in landscape ecology" Landscape Ecol. 20: 479-493
Other reading
A useful handbook on community participation is by Evans, K. et al. Field Guide to the Future: Four ways for communities to think ahead. [online] URL:
http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/publications/pdf_files/Books/BCronkleton0601.pdf
A useful book to help illustrate other ways of thinking: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (Paperback) by Mark Haddon (Author)
Some good online talksCo-management/adaptive co-managementFikret Berkes on adaptive co-management:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_2yJ89QoZ8
ResilienceBuzz Holling on Resilience:
http://www.stockholmresilience.org/seminarandevents/seminarandeventvideos/buzzhollingresiliencedynamics.5.30c78e2811e644991e780006770.html
philosophies and different methodsNeil Adger on social science in resilience:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMWY0oyJ4JQ
Social LearningVaried speakers on social learning: http://resilience.qbrick.com/view.aspx?id=24
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