Protected Area Management in Jordan

/ Protected area management is increasingly important throughout the world, particularly in less developed countries and arid regions. The Middle East, includingJordan, has important and unique resources due to its varied topography and climate. In Jordan, the protected areas are privately, rather than publicly, managed, and this provides for a unique and somewhat challenging management effort. The purpose of this paper is to review the establishment and administration of Jordan's protected areas with particular emphasis on the challenges of multiple administrative and legislative layers, departmental working relationships, and a paucity of funding. Interviews with government and nongovernmental experts in Jordan, coupled with a review of pertinent academic and planning literature, served as the information base for this study. Despite new legislative and administrative initiatives, results reveal important and continuing challenges for Jordan. Recommendations include completion of protected area inventories, government wide institutional strengthening, partnering with organizations and the public, as well as legislative reexamination.     

Environmental Policy Beliefs of Stakeholders in Protected Area Management

Although the importance of understanding stakeholder beliefs regarding environmental policy has been noted by many authors, research focusing on the heterogeneity of stakeholder views is still very scarce and concentrated on a product-oriented definition of stakeholders. The aim of the present study is to address this gap by examining environmental policy beliefs of stakeholder groups engaged in protected area management. Questionnaires containing 73 five-point Likert scale items were administered to eight different stakeholder groups involved in the management of Greek protected areas. Items referred to core beliefs on environmental policy, namely, the value framework and sustainable development, and secondary beliefs, that is, beliefs on social consensus and ecotourism development. Our study used as a starting point respondent recruitment on the basis of a traditional product-centered approach. We investigated whether environmental policy beliefs can be used to effectively segregate stakeholders in well-defined segments, which override the product-oriented definition of stakeholders. Indeed, K-means clustering revealed an innovation-introduction and an implementation-charged sample segment. The instrument utilized in this research proved quite reliable and valid in measuring stakeholder environmental policy beliefs. Furthermore, the methodology implied that stakeholder groups differ in a significant number of belief-system elements. On the other hand, stakeholder groups were effectively distinguished on a small set of both core and secondary beliefs. Therefore, the instrument used can be an effective tool for determining and monitoring environmental policy beliefs of stakeholders in protected area management. This is of considerable importance in the Greek case, given the recent establishment of 27 administrative bodies of protected areas, all of which are required to incorporate public consultation into management practices.     

A Global Analysis of Protected Area Management Effectiveness

We compiled details of over 8000 assessments of protected area management effectiveness across the world and developed a method for analyzing results across diverse assessment methodologies and indicators. Data was compiled and analyzed for over 4000 of these sites. Management of these protected areas varied from weak to effective, with about 40% showing major deficiencies. About 14% of the surveyed areas showed significant deficiencies across many management effectiveness indicators and hence lacked basic requirements to operate effectively. Strongest management factors recorded on average related to establishment of protected areas (legal establishment, design, legislation and boundary marking) and to effectiveness of governance; while the weakest aspects of management included community benefit programs, resourcing (funding reliability and adequacy, staff numbers and facility and equipment maintenance) and management effectiveness evaluation. Estimations of management outcomes, including both environmental values conservation and impact on communities, were positive. We conclude that in spite of inadequate funding and management process, there are indications that protected areas are contributing to biodiversity conservation and community well-being.     

Planning for change and sustainability in water development in Lao PDR and the Mekong River basin

With its recent opening to the global market economy, the natural resources of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR, referred to in this paper as Laos) – especially its water resources–have attracted external interest and investment. The overall level of water development is low. While even modest development would help Laos meet some of its urgent needs, past experience in Southeast Asia and other tropical regions suggests that fast-paced water development may damage the natural resource base. This article examines some efforts in water development from Southeast Asia and other regions and their relevance to water policy formulation in Laos. Future social and environmental changes in Laos are inevitable, but the nature and direction of these changes are uncertain. It thus makes sense to design policies that are flexible and can be adjusted to, and even take advantage of, a changing social and environmental context. Smaller-scale, deliberately-paced projects which merge local knowledge and external expertise fulfil the requirements of flexibility and adjustability, and are also appropriate for other important reasons: they do not require massive inputs of funding, and they do not initiate large-scale environmental and socio-economic changes. Current knowledge of the complex ecological and social systems in Laos is only sketchy. A slower-paced development will allow developers the necessary time to learn more about these important aspects.     

Marine Protected Area Management in South Africa: New Policies,Old Paradigms

A historical perspective on MPA identification and governance in South Africa reflects the continued influence of a top-down and natural science-based paradigm, that has hardly changed over the past half century, despite the wealth of literature, and a growing consensus, that advocates the need to adopt a more integrated and human-centered approach. Based on extensive research in two coastal fishing communities, the paper highlights impacts and conflicts arising from this conventional approach to MPA identification, planning and management. It argues that failure to understand the particular fishery system in all its complexity, in particular the human dimensions, and involve resource users in planning and decision-making processes, undermines efforts to achieve conservation and fisheries management objectives. The customary rights of local resource users, and their food and livelihood needs in relation to marine resources, need to be acknowledged, prioritized and integrated into planning and decision-making processes. Convincing ecologists, fisheries scientists and managers, that MPA success depends on addressing the root causes of resource decline and incorporating social factors into MPA identification, planning and management, remains a huge challenge in South Africa.     

Remotely-Sensed Active Fire Data for Protected Area Management: Eight-Year Patterns in the Manas National Park, India

The Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands, which once extended along most of the Himalayan foothills, now only remain in a number of protected areas. Within these localities, grassland burning is a major issue, but data on frequency and distribution of fires are limited. Here, we analysed the incidence of active fires, which only occur during the dry season (Nov.–Mar.), within a significant area of Terai grasslands: the Manas National Park (MNP), India. We obtained locations of 781 fires during the 2000–2008 dry seasons, from the Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) that delivers global MODIS hotspot/fire locations using remote sensing and GIS technologies. Annual number of fires rose significantly from around 20 at the start of the study period to over 90 after 2002, with most (85%) detected between December and January. Over half of the fires occurred in tall grasslands, but fire density was highest in wetland and riverine vegetation, dry at the time. Most burning took place near rivers, roads and the park boundary, suggesting anthropogenic origins. A kernel density map of all recorded fires indicated three heavily burnt areas in the MNP, all within the tall grasslands. Our study demonstrates, despite some technical caveats linked to fire detection technology, which is improving, that remote fire data can be a practical tool in understanding fire concentration and burning temporal patterns in highly vulnerable habitats, useful in guiding management.     

Congruence Among Encounters,Norms, Crowding,and Management in a Marine Protected Area

Over the past few decades, recreation and tourism use has increased at many marine protected areas, generating concerns about impacts of this increasing use on experiences and conditions at these areas (e.g., crowding, conflict). This article uses data from Molokini Shoal Marine Life Conservation District in Hawai’i to examine: (a) reported encounters, crowding, normative tolerances for various use levels, and support of use related management strategies at this site; and (b) whether users who encounter higher use levels than their norms feel more crowded and are more supportive of restrictive management strategies. Data were obtained from onsite pre-trip and post-trip questionnaires of 712 passengers on commercial snorkel and dive tours visiting this site. Norms were measured with acceptance of 12 photographs depicting levels of boat use. On average, users would accept seeing no more than approximately 16 boats at one time at Molokini and this number was observed on over 20% of trips to the site. Although the majority of users expected to escape crowds at Molokini, 67% felt crowded and up to 79% supported actions that would directly restrict use at this site (e.g., limit number of boats). Users who encountered more boats than their normative tolerance felt more crowded and were more supportive of these management strategies. Findings suggest that this marine protected area is operating over its capacity and management is needed to improve experiences and conditions.     

N%理念下的全球保护地管护方案初探

栖息地破坏是全球生物多样性危机的重要诱因之一。虽然《生物多样性公约》与历届缔约方大会都较为关注保护地议题,但由于未能实现主流化,保护效果一直欠佳。本文基于满足人类理性需求的自然保护地比例(N%)这一理念,分析其在全球推广过程中可能遇到的科学与制度瓶颈,初步提出了基于科学研究的"自上而下"和国家自主承诺的"自下而上"相结合的全球保护地管护方案,以求在不同利益诉求的国家间凝聚共识,为2020年于昆明召开的COP15大会贡献智慧。     

Integrated Protected Area Selection in Australian Biogeographic Regions

/ This paper reports on the development of abiogeographic-based protected area selection procedure (PASP) that addresseslimitations of current reserve selection methods such as inflexibility,restrictive criteria structures, and disregard of social criteria. We arguethat selection criteria are legitimately identified through the politicalprocess and can therefore have both social and biological content. PASPprovides a systematic, flexible and efficient procedure for identifying anetwork of protected areas that satisfies a given set of selection criteria.PASP has 11 steps divided into three main stages: compilation, selection, andvalidation. A selection algorithm is used into which criteria specific to thebiogeographic region under study can be incorporated. The procedure is ableto accommodate both nominal and ranking criteria and gives the analyst theopportunity to specify thresholds and targets for each criterion. Otherfeatures of PASP include the minimization of data collection effort,consideration of reserve design principles, and inclusion of a networkevaluation as a check to ensure that politically determined objectives havebeen met.KEY WORDS: Land use; Protected area networks; Selection algorithms     

Partnership Forum Framework: Participative Framework for Protected Area Outreach

/ Contemporary trends in natural resource management are reviewed, with specific reference to the shift in conservation management strategies away from law enforcement-based strategies towards strategies aimed at facilitating local community participation in the management of natural resources. This review lays a foundation for the presentation of a conceptual framework, the partnership forum framework, for the planning, implementation, and evaluationof protected area outreach programmes. The framework proposes that protected areas should function as integral components of the local social, economic, and environmental systems and that the integration of the protected area into these systems should be managed through comanagement institutions. The establishment of such institutions is discussed, and it is argued that the development of comanagement institutions can be characterized into four progressive phases: a preliminary communication phase, a problem-solving phase, a pilot project phase, and a comanagement phase. The framework proposes that during the three initial phases the partnership forum members will develop management procedures that they will use during the comanagement phase. The framework is presented as a design skeleton around which the site-specific characteristics of specific protected area outreach programs will combine to form an outreach program, i.e., the framework is process rather than project based.KEY WORDS: Sub-Saharan Africa; Integrated conservation and development     

水库型饮用水水源保护区划分方法比较

通过对水库型饮用水水源保护区划分的数值模型法、类比经验法和GIS辅助方法进行分析比较,提出适用于不同类型水库的饮用水源保护区划分适用性方法体系,为科学合理地划分水库型饮用水水源保护区提供依据.     

Resource Use Dynamics and Land-Cover Change in Ang Nhai Village and Phou Phanang National Reserve Forest, Lao PDR

This study integrated aerial photographs from 1952, 1981, and 1998, and a satellite image from 2000 with oral histories and socioeconomic surveys to assess changes in forest and land cover in Ang Nhai village, Laos. The study documents the history of resource use and changes in household access to resources in the village. Three distinctive trends were observed in terms of forest and land cover—forest degradation, deforestation, and regeneration. Project results suggest that land and forest cover change dynamically under different circumstances. The case study also points out that integration into the market economy can induce intensification of unused lowland areas, while removing pressures from upland areas previously used for supplementing agricultural production. In addition, the creation of a national reserve forest to restrict local access and forest use was an ineffective tool for regulating encroachment and logging activities.     

Protected Area Theory at the System Level

The total protected area designated by different countries varies enormously as does the balance within that area between natural and cultural landscapes. It is argued that population density and degree of urbanisation affect the area meriting protection and also the demand for protection, and that these, in turn, affect the area that is protected. Twenty-two European countries are classified into 4 groups (low population density rural; low population density urban; intermediate population density; and high population density). The areas protected by countries in each group and the extent to which they protect the natural as opposed to the cultural are substantially as predicted.     

Ecosystem-Based Analysis of a Marine Protected Area Where Fisheries and Protected Species Coexist

The Gulf of California Biosphere Reserve (UGC&CRDBR) is a Marine Protected Area that was established in 1993 with the aim of preserving biodiversity and remediating environmental impacts. Because remaining vigilant is hard and because regulatory measures are difficult to enforce, harvesting has been allowed to diminish poaching. Useful management strategies have not been implemented, however, and conflicts remain between conservation legislation and the fisheries. We developed a transdisciplinary methodological scheme (pressure-state-response, loop analysis, and Geographic Information System) that includes both protected species and fisheries modeled together in a spatially represented marine ecosystem. We analyzed the response of this marine ecosystem supposing that conservation strategies were successful and that the abundance of protected species had increased. The final aim of this study was to identify ecosystem-level management alternatives capable of diminishing the conflict between conservation measures and fisheries. This methodological integration aimed to understand the functioning of the UGC&CRDBR community as well as to identify implications of conservation strategies such as the recovery of protected species. Our results suggest research hypotheses related to key species that should be protected within the ecosystem, and they point out the importance of considering spatial management strategies. Counterintuitive findings underline the importance of understanding how the community responds to disturbances and the effect of indirect pathways on the abundance of ecosystem constituents. Insights from this research are valuable in defining policies in marine reserves where fisheries and protected species coexist.     

Differences in Perceptions of Communication,Tourism Benefits,and Management Issues in a Protected Area of Rural Kenya

With record-breaking tourist visits in Kenya in 2005–2006, communities near the country’s renowned protected areas must undertake or revisit planning efforts to conserve and enhance the region’s natural, social, and economic resources. This article examines the differences between two stakeholder groups in the Samburu region of central Kenya: (1) protected area leadership and staff; and (2) members of the communities adjacent to the protected areas. Based on the results and analysis of 30 in-depth interviews, the authors identify differences between protected area staff and their community members regarding perceptions about communication between the two groups, and the economic benefits of tourism. The different stakeholders agreed, however, about challenges related to equitable distribution of tourism-based employment and revenue. The results indicate a need to reach consensus about what constitutes sufficient communication between national reserves and their community, and to what extent tourism-related revenue and employment should be distributed within the region. A discussion of the potential role of indicators and standards to make such decisions is presented.     

Entangling the Complexity of Protected Area Management: The Case of Wolong Biosphere Reserve,Southwestern China

Protected Area (PA) management is a complex issue that requires the consideration of many factors and relationships. A conceptual framework for the analysis of biodiversity change, local human communities, and PA management was put forward, accordingly. Under the framework, we investigated the economic status, livelihood activities, biodiversity use and perceptions of local communities, and the land use history in Wolong Biosphere Reserve, southwestern China through household survey and document review in order to gain a better understanding of the complexity of PA management. According to the land use history, the preservation of agro-biodiversity, and the raising of productivity, ecological rehabilitation and the regulation of the human pressures are indispensable in the management of the reserve. Livelihood activities and the perceptions of local communities were largely determined by the socioeconomic background, which has important implications in solving the conflicts or incompatibilities in the reserve. In Wolong Biosphere Reserve, it is beneficial to support local farmers in solving their socioeconomic problems such as the overabundance of labor force and the lack of livelihood alternatives. Without this, there will be scarcely any effective biodiversity conservation and successful reserve management in the long term.     

Factors Influencing Success of Marine Protected Areas in the Visayas,Philippines as Related to Increasing Protected Area Coverage

Throughout the world there is a general consensus among environmentalists that there should be an increase in the amount of marine area that should be reserved in marine protected areas (MPAs). In fact, the 1998 Philippines Fishery Code indicates a need for designation of at least 15% of municipal waters for fish refuges or sanctuaries. Such an increase in area would take productive fishing areas away from fishing communities that can ill-afford the loss. The larger the protected area, there will be a greater number of people impacted. This article examines the relationship between factors that influence the success of Community Based MPA (CBMPA) performance in the Visayas, Philippines and their significance in efforts to increase the size of protected areas.     

Making Capacity Building Meaningful: A Framework for Strategic Action

This paper aims to give practical meaning to ‘capacity building’ through (a) identifying a suite of practical measures, such as mentoring or best practice guidelines, that have been shown to or are considered to build human, social, institutional, and economic capital; (b) placing these measures within a broader systems framework; and (c) exploring stakeholder feedback on specific measures to inform framework implementation. The 29 measures described provide actors, whether government or nongovernment, with a suite of practical investment choices for building capacity. These measures are then clustered into eight groups according to their primary purpose and placed within a systems framework. The framework provides a tool for actors with responsibilities for or an interest in capacity building to inform more holistic and strategic targeting of effort and investment. Stakeholder feedback gathered through surveys and workshops is subsequently reported to further inform implementation of specific measures within the framework’s eight groupings. The framework presented may be built upon through the identification and inclusion of further capacity building measures. The research is conducted within the context of decentralized governance arrangements for natural resource management (NRM), with specific focus on Australia’s recently formalized 56 NRM regions and their community-based governing boards as an informative arena of learning. Application of the framework is explored in the Australian setting through the identification and comparison of measures supported and most preferred by four major stakeholder groups, namely board members, regional NRM organization staff, policy/research interests, and Indigenous interests. The research also examines stakeholder perceptions of capacity issues, and whether these issues are likely to be addressed through implementing their preferred measures.

Ethnobotany and Management of Dimorphandra gardneriana in a Protected Area of Chapada do Araripe Semiarid Ceará, Northeastern Brazil

The development of conservation strategies for nontimber forest products requires the characterization of the management systems and ethnoecological knowledge of the used species, as well as the analysis of the biological impacts of these processes. This study aimed to evaluate management systems and extractivist areas and related ethnoecological knowledge of Dimorphandra gardneriana (fava d’anta) in the semiarid region of Ceará, Northeast of Brazil. Fava d’anta produces fruits with high concentration of bioflavonoids, substances with various pharmacological properties, being exploited by extractivist communities in the mosaic of protected areas in Chapada do Araripe, Ceará. Ethnoecological knowledge has been concentrated on collectors who have been in activity for a longer time and/or plant the species. We identified three management systems that can impact in different ways on fava d’anta populations, depending on the area and level of human interference with the species. The extractivists respect the zoning of protected areas and do not enter in the full protection area, choosing areas with the highest tree density. The different systems produce a mosaic that creates different extraction opportunities and modifications to the local landscape and to fava d’anta populations. Factors that may have effects on the conservation of the species are the lack of supervision and overexploitation of the resource in native areas, while the factors that affect the health of extractivists are the infrastructure of the work and exposure to wild environments.     

有中求专,业界呼吁加强能力建设

乡镇基层环保站所办究竟该怎么建?目前还存在哪些不足?肥西县环保局副局长吴昌武告诉记者:"在农村面源污染严重,基层环保能力体系建设要加强的大背景下,现有的乡镇环保站职能比较模糊尚在摸索中,需要进一步界定清晰,委托乡镇行使的行政处罚权要进一步细化优化,现有的监管法律文书尚不敢放