Copyright 2010 Research Institute for Humanity and Nature. All Rights Reserved. How can we conserve biodiversity? - Institutions - The Futurability of.

Copyright 2010 Research Institute for Humanity and Nature. All Rights Reserved.

How can we conserve biodiversity? - Institutions -

The Futurability of Biodiversity Chapter 9

How can we conserve biodiversity?- Institutions -

I want a larger field…

I want to export timber and

make a profit.

Don’t log!

I am looking for materials to make new medicines.

The forest gives us various foods.


In Review

The conservation of biodiversity should be precautionary and follow the adaptive management system. Establishment of protected areas is effective for conserving indigenous species and rare ecosystems.


Today’s Topics – Focusing on Southeast Asian tropical rainforests

1. Institutions for the conservation of biodiversity1. Institutions for the conservation of biodiversity

2. Conventional institutions 2. Conventional institutions

3. Actions for improving institutions3. Actions for improving institutions

How we can characterize the conventional institutions in terms of biodiversity conservation?

What are the problems that the conventional social systems face in trying to conserve biodiversity?

How we can establish institutions that effectively conserve biodiversity?


1. Institutions for the conservation of biodiversity

How we can characterize the conventional institutions in terms of biodiversity conservation?

1) What are conservation institutions?

2) Points to keep in mind

3) Three levels in institutionsInternational treaties/agreements, Domestic laws, Customary rules


Timber theft Poaching Development

Rules (laws, etc.)

RangersNature conservation

groups

Effective institutions = mechanisms which adjust conflicting interests

1. Institutions for the conservation of biodiversity 1) What is an institution?

Institutions ≠ Walls which protect nature from its destroyers

Photo: (left) Toyooka city, Hyogo prefecture (middle and right) Echigo-Matsunoyama Museum of Natural Science, ‘Kyororo’


I want to eat mushrooms.

I want a larger field…

I want to export timber and make

a profit.

Don’t log!

I am looking for materials to make new medicines.

The forest give us various foods.

Not everyone can obtain sufficient benefits.…Institutions which meet conflicting

interests are needed.

1. Diverse services of biodiversity produce varied interests.

1. Institutions for the conservation of biodiversity 2) Points to keep in mind



a) Makes a distinction between lands used for production (farmlands, cutovers, etc.) and those that are conserved (protected areas).

The role of social systems is to limit their utilization to the extent that sustainable use is guaranteed.

What is important …Who may utilize the land or resources and howWho should manage the land or resources and how

What is a rule which adjusts conflicting interests?

b) Restricts the amount or kinds of resources which may be utilized (tree species or numbers which may be logged, wild animal species which are permitted to be hunted, etc.).


- High biodiversity- Non-rainforest countries (Japan, India, Taiwan, Korea, China, EU, etc.) greatly affect the unsustainable use of tropical rainforests (by importing tropical timber, palm oil, etc.).

…Institutions to regulate human activities are needed.

…Institutions to maintain human activities.

2. Institutions needed differ according to the characteristics of the ecosystem to be conserved.


On an international level, one of the most important interests is in conserving tropical rainforests.

In some ecosystems, however, high biodiversity is kept just by human activities.

- Prime example is satoyama.


2. Domestic laws

1. International treaties/agreementsCountry enters into a treaty by its own will, and has a duty to follow the rules.

3. Customary rules

Public rules which are decided by a country

Agreements by local communities which have traditional and cultural backgrounds

Institutions = rules + implementation

Three levels of the rules

1. Institutions for the conservation of biodiversity 3) Three levels of institutions


1. International treaties/agreements

Circumstances

Contents

Organization

(See Chapter 1)

Adopted at UNCED in Rio de Janeiro in 1992150 countries have signed at present.

Overview of conservation and utilization of biodiversity- sustainability and fair balanceCooperation between developed and developing countries- developed countries: techniques and funds- developing countries: permission for dealing with genetic resources

Secretariat, COP, SBSTTA, various working committees…detailed discussions are progressing.

E.g., 1) The Convention on Biological Diversity



1. International treaties/agreements

E.g., 2) Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage


Landscape of Khao Yai National Park

Landscape of Great Barrier Reef

Photo: (left) Shumpei Kitamura　　　 (right) Yasunori Maezono



Two purposes: conservation and sightseeing; consideration of carrying capacities. In many countries, residence and/or human activities for making a living is forbidden within NP.

2. Domestic laws

National Park system

Various other protected areas

E.g., protection by establishment of National Parks (NP) or other protected areas

Giving ‘conservation’ priority over ‘utilization’, such as sightseeing



Common resources in a community (forests, grasslands, ponds, etc.)

Iriai is a strong self-government of communities independent of public authority, and able to ensure sustainable use of natural resources. Such systems are rarely found in other countries.

3. Customary rules

E.g., iriai in Japanese local communities…Natural resources in a local community are the property of all people of the community.

Maintained by customary rules for traditional managements and utilization (e.g., all people cut weeds covering the forest floor, taking firewood by turns, monitoring common resources, etc.)People who break the customary rules are ostracized.


Summary 1. Institutions for the conservation of biodiversity

Institutions are mechanisms which adjust various conflicting interests.

When institutions for the conservation of biodiversity are established, we should consider:

1) Interests regarding biodiversity vary according to ecosystem services.

2) Effective institutions also vary according to the characteristics of the ecosystem to be conserved.

Institutions are divided into three levels: international, national and local community levels.


What are the problems that conventional social systems have trying to conserve biodiversity?

1) The alienation between human and natural environments

2) Relationships between government and local people

2. Conventional institutions


Tropical rainforest managements by governments cause the alienation between human and natural environments.

2. Conventional institutions 1) The alienation between human and natural environments

Untouched nature is to be strictly conserved as NP or the other protected area.

Modernization and development is progressing outside NPs, where local people live.

Developing countries in Southeast Asia



Developed countries Modernization and urban development reduce opportunities for human contact with nature.

Landscape of Kyoto city



Changes in the relationships between humans and nature

Various medicinal herbs

- Disappearance of traditional knowledge (medicinal herbs, edible or poisonous mushrooms, etc.)

Developing countries

- Separation of humans from nature by forest managements and developments

Developed countries- Segregation of human life from nature because of modernization and urban development


Relationships between governments and local people in Southeast Asian countries

2. Conventional institutions 2) Relationships between government and local people

Sarawak, MalaysiaIn the demesne which indigenous people have cultivated since before 1958, Native Customary Rights are legally recognized. However, some debate remains about its boundary and interpretation.

IndonesiaCustomary title to an estate had not been respected under the Suharto government. After the collapse of that government in 1998, laws were revised and customary title to an estate came to be recognized. However, local people sometimes demand the right to use the land where such uses are not permitted.

ThailandLaws establishing national forests were enacted in 1964, and local people were legally excluded from the national forests. However, the laws do not actually function well.


Previous social systems have brought about the separation of

humans from their natural environments - the most serious

problem.

In Southeast Asia, human activities are inhibited in NP or

protected areas and massive developments have been

progressing on the outside, so local people have lost their

familiar forests.

In developed countries, modernization has changed the

relationships between humans and nature, and opportunities for

contact with nature have been decreasing.

Summary 2. Conventional institutions


How we can establish institutions that effectively conserve biodiversity?

1) Community-based management (CBM)

2) Sustainable utilization of biodiversity

3) Flexible managements of protected areas

3. Actions for improving institutions


3. Actions for improving institutions 1) CBM

Background of proposing CBM

Developing sustainable use of natural resources…Ecotourism, practical use of traditional knowledge, one-village one-specialty, etc.

Who has the right to utilize forest resources?…Local people should receive more benefits.

Consideration of profits & their division among local people

Local people who were plunderers of natural resources become their protectors.


Mushroom gathering in Northeast Thailand…Mushrooms provide precious cash incomes for local people, and are examples of sustainable use of non-timber forest products.




Problems difficult to solve

2. Adjustment of interests with other organizations

These problems concern not only local communities but also interrelationships of actors from the local community level to the national level.

1. Organization of local people- Is their right to speak protected?- Is the division of profits among them fair?- Have these people secured sustainable use of natural resources?


Local people, NGOs and government officials assembled in one hall, and organized a working group for setting the limits of a community forest.



Permits and licenses / instruction

The eyes of international society

Observation / criticism

Discussion / rejection

NGOs & Citizens

Support of campaigns

Demand for

aboriginal rig

hts

Demand for

cooperation Use fees

Sales of forest products / protest

Employment & financial support / infringement of aboriginal rights

Companies

Local people

Social structures of CBM


Government & forest department



Indonesia Decentralization and CBMSince the collapse of the Suharto government, CBM has been rapidly spreading with decentralization. Logging traders, governmental officers, NGOs and local people held a forum. However, overuse of timber by local people has become a problem.

ThailandFor the proposal in principle, but against particular details

Since the orders forbidding logging were issued in 1989, community forests have spread all over the country. The Community Forest Bill was passed in November, 2007.

…In both countries, NGOs, experts and forest agencies support local people.

Sarawak, Malaysia The state government fully controls the forests.

Part of the profits from logging is divided among local people.


Forest department and local people planting trees together to create community forest. (Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand)



Outside protected areas…Logging methods which minimize the influence on the

ecosystem, while considering the local community Forest certification system…Essential for conserving biodiversity of tropical rainforests.

For utilizing biological resources without damage to biodiversity…

3. Actions for improving institutions 2) Sustainable utilization of biodiversity

In protected areas…Sightseeing attractions and genetic resourcesEcotourism: utilization of protected areas, considering their carrying capacitiesGenetic resources: adjustment of interests between developed and developing countries.


E.g., paper with FSC logo The price is slightly higher than usual.

A third-party institution examines sustainability of forest products.… Consumers can get information and choose products.

Distinction of sustainably-managed forest products: forest certification system


I want to buy ecologically friendly products even if they

are a little expensive.



FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)

- Biggest certification authority of forest products- Non-profit organization independent of national government or international agencies- Consists of various interested parties; decides policies after consultation- Establishes standards for designation according to the situation of each country, based on 10 principles (e.g., minimizing influence on ecosystem, protecting rights of indigenous people and profits of local communities, upholding the rights of laborers, and meticulously managing plans while monitoring their implementation)

Two kinds of certification- Certification of forest management and chain of custody… Products which receive certification are permitted to display FSC logo.



Protected forest in Deramakot, Sabah, Malaysia

Certification of attestation from FSCTimbers are carried overhead by an aerial system which minimizes damage to soil and living trees.


Problems of Forest Certification System

The market price of timber is not high enough to cover the cost.


1. High cost

Cost for certification

Cost of reduced impact logging

Company’s losses from ban on monopolistic logging

2. All costs cannot be recovered.



http://www.rspo.org/

Distinction of sustainably-managed palm oil: Roundtable on sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO, founded in 2004)

- RSPO promotes the growth and use of sustainable oil palm products through credible global standards and engagement of stakeholders.- Certified palm oil (28 companies, 49 facilities) 1.56 million tons, 0.3 million ha (as of Mar. 2010) Malaysia 48%, Papua 29%, Indonesia 23%



Under discussion- Prohibit replacement of primary forest or HCVF (High Conservation Value Forests) after Nov. 2005- Customary rights of local communities- Pollution from mills

http://www.rspo.org/

RSPO

- Non-profit organization consisting of 7 stakeholders.- Stakeholders are oil palm producers, palm oil processors or traders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks and investors, environmental or nature conservation NGOs and social or developmental NGOs.- 8 principles, 39 criteria,130 indicators (e.g., environmental responsibility and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity, responsible consideration for employees and for individuals and communities affected by growers and mills, responsible development of new plantings)


Protected area is divided into three areas according to the intensity of human utilization.

Buffer area

Transition area(Human activities permitted to some extent.)

(UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program)

3. Actions for improving institutions 3) Flexible management of protected areas

Core area(No human activities permitted.)

Out of protected area

Design of protected areas – Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB)


Ia. Strict Nature ReserveIb. Wilderness AreaII. National ParkIII. Natural MonumentIV. Habitat/Species Management AreaV. Protected Landscape/SeascapeVI. Managed Resource Protected Area

Management of protected areas

World Commission of Protected Areas (WCPA)

Local people are permitted to live in these protected areas unless they impede the above purposes.


Protected areas are categorized into seven types by IUCN according to their purposes and intensities of human activities (See column).

http://cms.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/wcpa/index.cfm



Forest of Shirakami, Japan, which is categorized as Ib


Column: Purposes of Protected Areas

(IUCN Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas 1994)

Ia Ib II III IV V VI

Scientific research 1 3 2 2 2 2 3

Wilderness protection 2 1 2 3 3 - 2

Biodiversity conservation 1 2 1 1 1 2 1

Ecosystem protection 2 1 1 - 1 2 1

Conservation of specific natural and cultural features

- - 2 1 3 1 3

Recreation - 2 1 1 3 1 3

Education - - 2 2 2 2 3

Sustainable use of natural ecosystem

- - 3 - 2 2 1

Conservation of cultural and traditional features

- - - - - 1 2

Management purpose of each protected area

1: first purpose 2: second purpose 3: third purpose


Summary 3. Actions for improving institutions

If the right of utilization of natural resources is given to local people,

they often stop plundering them and come to conserve and manage

those resources.

It is possible for conservation and utilization of biodiversity to coexist if

we sustainably utilize natural resources. For that purpose, we need

systems such as Forest Certification System or RSPO, in which

consumers can recognize whether or not a manufactured good has

been produced in consideration of biodiversity conservation.

Design or managements of protected areas are also planned in

consideration of local people.


Summary of Today’s Topics

1. Relationships among international society, countries, 1. Relationships among international society, countries,

various civic organizations, NGOs and local people are various civic organizations, NGOs and local people are

highly intricate. For conservation of biodiversity, highly intricate. For conservation of biodiversity,

adjustment of their conflicting interests is essential.adjustment of their conflicting interests is essential.

2. In the past, the profits of biodiversity usually belonged to 2. In the past, the profits of biodiversity usually belonged to

countries. Nowadays, however, national governments come countries. Nowadays, however, national governments come

to consider the sustainable use of biodiversity not only for to consider the sustainable use of biodiversity not only for

national profits but also for utilization by local people.national profits but also for utilization by local people.

3. For conservation of biodiversity, social systems which 3. For conservation of biodiversity, social systems which

enable people to adjust their interests and construct enable people to adjust their interests and construct

relationships of trust are essential. relationships of trust are essential.



Exercises

Let’s do the exercises below:

1. In a village, suppose illegal logging is common. If you are an officer of the forest department, which of the following three measures would you choose? Explain your reasons.

a) Increase the number of guards to arrest a person illegally logging and punish him severely.

b) Give a subsidy to the village on the condition that villagers will stop illegal logging.

c) Make villagers discuss the forest, and manage and utilize it as the common property of their village.


Exercises

Let’s do the exercises below:

2. What kind of interests do people in developed countries have in tropical rainforests?


Glossary (1/2)

The limits of human activities which an environment can sustain without any damage

Carrying capacityCarrying capacity

Matter or factor which motivates or encourages someone to do (or stop doing) something. See Chapter 10 in detail.

Incentive Incentive

Acronym for non-governmental organization. NGOs are expected in a society to supplement what governmental measures cannot provide, and to play a “watchdog” role in relation to government and business.

NGONGO

Forest which local people jointly manage and utilize. There are two types: those which local people have customarily managed, and those which governments entrust local people to manage.

Community forestCommunity forest


Glossary (2/2)

Methods of logging which minimize damage to an ecosystem. See Chapter 8 in detail.

Reduced impact loggingReduced impact logging

Sites considered by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to be worth preserving as treasures that belong to all human beings. There are four categories: Cultural Heritage, NaturalHeritage, Compound Heritage and Crisis Heritage.

World HeritageWorld Heritage

Government of Indonesia from 1968 to 1998. It had strong backing from the army and achieved economic development, but also brought official corruption.

The Suharto governmentThe Suharto government


References (1/2)

IUCN Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas (1994)Guideline for Protected Area Management Categories.

Peluso, N. L. (1992) Rich Forests, Poor People: Resource Control and Resistance in Java.University of California Press.

Stevens, S. (ed.) (1997)Conservation through Cultural Survival. Island Press.

Sayer, J. (1991)Rainforest Buffer Zones: Guidelines for Protected Area Managers. International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Colfer, C. J. P. and Ida, A. P. R. (eds.) (2002) Which Way Forward?: People, Forests, and Policymaking in Indonesia.Resources for the Future.

Fujita, W. (2004) Creating Community Forests: Comparative Analysis of Socio-political Structure in Thailand and Indonesia. (Paper presented at the 3rd Asian Public Intellectuals Workshop)

IUCN Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas (1994)Guideline for Protected Area Management Categories.

Peluso, N. L. (1992) Rich Forests, Poor People: Resource Control and Resistance in Java.University of California Press.

Stevens, S. (ed.) (1997)Conservation through Cultural Survival. Island Press.

Sayer, J. (1991)Rainforest Buffer Zones: Guidelines for Protected Area Managers. International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Colfer, C. J. P. and Ida, A. P. R. (eds.) (2002) Which Way Forward?: People, Forests, and Policymaking in Indonesia.Resources for the Future.

Fujita, W. (2004) Creating Community Forests: Comparative Analysis of Socio-political Structure in Thailand and Indonesia. (Paper presented at the 3rd Asian Public Intellectuals Workshop)


References (2/2)

Fujita, W. (2006) Will contradiction be solved? – Expansion of measures to conserve forest.Asian Study 52. (In Japanese)

Fujita, W. (2006) Will contradiction be solved? – Expansion of measures to conserve forest.Asian Study 52. (In Japanese)


Cited Websites

Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil http://www.rspo.org/

World Commission on Protected Areas http://cms.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/wcpa/index.cfm

Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil http://www.rspo.org/

World Commission on Protected Areas http://cms.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/wcpa/index.cfm


Authors & CreditsThe Futurability of Biodiversity Chapter 9


Authors

Application software Microsoft PowerPoint®

Illustration & design Be4°TECHKoubou Yecoruka

Photos

Wataru FujitaMasahiro IchikawaDaisuke NaitoKentaro KanazawaAya HatadaStewart WachsMartin Piddington

Aya HatadaBiodiversity PhotosEchigo-Matsunoyama Museum of Natural Science, ‘Kyororo’Hiromitsu SamejimaShoko SakaiShumpei KitamuraTakakazu YumotoTohru NakashizukaToyooka city, Hyogo prefectureWataru FujitaYasunori Maezono

Copyright 2010 Research Institute for Humanity and Nature. All Rights Reserved. How can we conserve biodiversity? - Institutions - The Futurability of.

Documents

conservation institutions

conservation of biodiversity

conventional institutions

levels of institutions

institutions walls

utilization of biodiversity

high biodiversity

research institute