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López de la Lama R, Bennett N, Bulkan J, Boyd D, Chan KMA. A legal assessment of private land conservation in South America. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2023:e14068. [PMID: 36786052 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Privately protected areas (PPAs) are a potentially innovative conservation tool. Legal recognition is necessary for their success, especially where there are institutional challenges to nature conservation, such as in South America. Although PPAs have increased in South America since the early 2000s, there is a critical information gap pertaining to their legal frameworks. We analyzed the level of landowner commitment to and governmental support for PPAs across countries in South America that officially recognize PPAs. We analyzed the legal framework governing PPAs and reviewed literature on them. This process was done in English and Spanish. The information we gathered was validated by 16 conservation experts from 10 South American countries. Because Peru is 1 of only 2 South American countries where local communities create and manage PPAs, we studied Peruvian PPAs in more detail by examining official creation documents and interviewing 13 local conservation professionals. We found inadequate minimum duration of PPAs and vague guidelines for conducting economic activities within them and a lack of governmental support (e.g., financial and technical support) for PPAs. Support was limited to the exemption from rural property taxes, which are relatively low compared with countries outside South America. In Peru, PPAs run by individuals and communities needed different legal frameworks because they were created with different objectives and had different sizes and duration of commitments. The prompt improvement of legal frameworks across South America is necessary for PPAs to achieve their aim of being places for enduring nature conservation in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío López de la Lama
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nathan Bennett
- School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- The Peopled Seas Initiative, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- People and the Ocean Specialist Group, Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy, International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Gland, Switzerland
- EqualSea Lab, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago, Spain
| | - Janette Bulkan
- Forest Sciences Centre, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - David Boyd
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kai M A Chan
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Kemink KM, Adams VM, Pressey RL, Walker JA. A synthesis of knowledge about motives for participation in perpetual conservation easements. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kaylan M. Kemink
- Ducks Unlimited Inc. Bismarck North Dakota USA
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Douglas QLD Australia
| | - Vanessa M. Adams
- Geography and Spatial Sciences, School of Technology, Environments and Design University of Tasmania Hobart TAS Australia
| | - Robert L. Pressey
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Sir George Fisher Research Building Douglas QLD Australia
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Simmons BA, Archibald CL, Wilson KA, Dean AJ. Program Awareness, Social Capital, and Perceptions of Trees Influence Participation in Private Land Conservation Programs in Queensland, Australia. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 66:289-304. [PMID: 32588074 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-020-01321-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Voluntary private land conservation (PLC) is becoming an increasingly important complement to state protected areas around the world. PLC programs can serve as valuable strategies to increase biodiversity on agricultural lands, but their effectiveness depends on high participation rates. Amidst growing concerns regarding scalability and effectiveness of conservation strategies like national parks, researchers and practitioners are looking for new strategies to increase adoption of PLC. This study investigates the demographic, social, and psychological factors associated with participation in three classes of voluntary PLC programs-grant payments, land management agreements, and covenants-and how this relates to landholders' attitudes toward tree clearing. We compare participation rates between these programs in Queensland and identify the most frequently cited reasons why land managers have or have not participated. Land managers who are more involved in agricultural organizations and whose tree clearing decisions are more influenced by the aesthetic value of trees are more likely to have participated in one or more of these programs. Participation was highly biased toward once-off grant payments, and participation in covenants was lowest of all programs. Although 58% of land managers have never participated, nearly half expressed interest in one or more programs. A lack of program knowledge and perceived losses of autonomy were the most frequently cited barriers to participation. We conclude with recommendations for increasing participation rates and raise important questions that need to be answered in order to promote a PLC culture that effectively curbs ongoing habitat degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Alexander Simmons
- Institute for Future Environments, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia.
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| | - Carla L Archibald
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Kerrie A Wilson
- Institute for Future Environments, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Angela J Dean
- Institute for Future Environments, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
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Cortés‐Capano G, Toivonen T, Soutullo A, Fernández A, Dimitriadis C, Garibotto‐Carton G, Di Minin E. Exploring landowners' perceptions, motivations and needs for voluntary conservation in a cultural landscape. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo Cortés‐Capano
- Department of Geosciences and Geography University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental Centro Universitario Regional del EsteUniversidad de la República Maldonado Uruguay
- Vida Silvestre Uruguay Montevideo Uruguay
| | - Tuuli Toivonen
- Department of Geosciences and Geography University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Alvaro Soutullo
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental Centro Universitario Regional del EsteUniversidad de la República Maldonado Uruguay
| | - Andrés Fernández
- Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental Centro Universitario Regional del EsteUniversidad de la República Maldonado Uruguay
- Vida Silvestre Uruguay Montevideo Uruguay
| | | | - Gustavo Garibotto‐Carton
- Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas Ministerio de Vivienda Ordenamiento Territorial y Medio Ambiente Montevideo Uruguay
| | - Enrico Di Minin
- Department of Geosciences and Geography University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Durban South Africa
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L. Gooden
- Oxford School of Geography and the Environment Oxford University Centre for the Environment Oxford UK
- Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment Oxford University Oxford UK
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Yasué M, Kirkpatrick JB, Davison A, Gilfedder L. Landowner Perceptions of Payments for Nature Conservation on Private Land. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 64:287-302. [PMID: 31359092 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-019-01192-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Private land conservation (PLC) programs often provide financial incentives to motivate and enable landowners to engage in conservation. However, few studies have explored the psychological and management impacts of these incentives. We interviewed 50 landowners in Tasmania, Australia who were engaged in incentivised or nonincentivised PLC programs. Landowners who received incentives were paid to either protect private land through creating a conservation covenant (a legal deed restricting land uses) or engage in a specific stewardship activity (e.g., planting trees). Most landowners who received payments to create covenants stated that they would not have done so without the payment. However, landowners, including those who have purchased or inherited covenanted properties, also indicated that neither these payments, nor the conservation covenant made any significant impact on how they managed the land. Covenant incentives did not improve attitudes towards conservation or conservationists. In contrast, most landowners receiving stewardship payments reported that these payments enabled the conservation actions they valued, helped build relationships and promoted favorable attitudes towards conservation. Contextual factors that influenced the impact of financial incentives on conservation action included the quality of relationship between landowners and stewardship officers, availability of private funds for conservation, and multigenerational aspirations. Our research identifies some of the intended and unintended impacts of financial incentives and describes how a fuller understanding of the motivations, identities, and aspirations of landowners may lead to the design of more socially resilient and ecologically effective PLC programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maï Yasué
- Social Science, Quest University Canada, 3200 University Blvd, Squamish, BC, V8B 0N8, Canada.
- Discipline of Geography and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 78, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia.
| | - James B Kirkpatrick
- Discipline of Geography and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 78, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
| | - Aidan Davison
- Discipline of Geography and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 78, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
| | - Louise Gilfedder
- Discipline of Geography and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 78, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
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