Equity / Fairness Within Conservation-

R2P Workshop 2015

Summary of Research Findings

Julia Baker

Integrated Conservation & Development

• Achieving conservation objectives through equitable & fair socio-economic tools working with local communities

• Variety of ICD interventions now exist…

• Bwindi’s ICD programme is exceptional

Who undertakes unauthorized resource use & why

despite over 25 years of ICD

at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

To better understand local needs from Bwindi & how best to address them

Resource use is an indicator useful for management

• Law enforcement data on ‘what & where’

• What type of illegal activity & its location

• Vital to target law enforcement efforts

Resource use is an indicator…

• But ‘who & why’ is equally important to target ICD interventions

• Obtaining this information is difficult

• We overcame this using a combination of approaches

Hypotheses Research Findings

Poorest members of local communities undertake unauthorised resource use

Livelihood security & subsistence needs are primary drivers of unauthorised resource use

Those engaged with unauthorised resource use perceive that they have benefitted less from ICD

People arrested for unauthorized resource use

• Significantly poorer than other community members

• Many live in the ‘frontline’ zone & remote areas far from trading centres

• Poverty - a major driver of unauthorized resource use?

All undertaking unauthorized resource use (not just those arrested)

• Bushmeat - the forest resource that local people most want & most consume

• Many hunters live in the ‘frontline’ zone

• & hunt because of poverty, unable to afford meat or livestock or seek medicinal needs

• So again poverty is a major driver of unauthorized resource use

All undertaking unauthorized resource use (not just those arrested)

• But some hunters are not the poorest in their community

• And hunt because they felt costs & benefits from protected area conservation is unfair

Feelings of unfairness over Bwindi’s conservation

unfair share of Revenue Sharing

jobs given to outsiders

lack of support over crop raiding

So how best to improve ICD?

Hypotheses Research Findings

Poorest members of local communities undertake unauthorised resource use

Livelihood security & subsistence needs are primary drivers of unauthorised resource use

Those engaged with unauthorised resource use perceive that they have benefitted less from ICD

Hypotheses Research Findings

Poorest members of local communities undertake unauthorised resource use

YES arrested people are poorer; bushmeat hunting driven by povertyLivelihood security & subsistence

needs are primary drivers of unauthorised resource use

Those engaged with unauthorised resource use perceive that they have benefitted less from ICD

Hypotheses Research Findings

Poorest members of local communities undertake unauthorised resource use YES arrested people are poorer; bushmeat

hunting driven by poverty

NO those driven by feelings of unfairness who are not necessarily the poorest

Livelihood security & subsistence needs are primary drivers of unauthorised resource use

Those engaged with unauthorised resource use perceive that they have benefitted less from ICD

Hypotheses Research Findings

Poorest members of local communities undertake unauthorised resource use YES arrested people are poorer; bushmeat

hunting driven by poverty

NO those driven by feelings of inequity who are not necessarily the poorest

Livelihood security & subsistence needs are primary drivers of unauthorised resource use

Those engaged with unauthorised resource use perceive that they have benefitted less from ICD

YES people seek compensation because they feel distribution of costs & benefits of

conservation are unfair

So how best to improve ICD?

• A targeted, fairer approach

• For Bwindi, this especially means targeting ICD to benefit those suffering the greatest costs of conservation

“People are angered by the revenue sharing of giving goats. Those who are benefitting by receiving goats are those who are not living near the Park. People near the Park [like us] are denied goats, so we are

angry and go to the Park and poach”

Farmer of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, 2013

Fair Conservation

• Arose from ethical & moral concerns

• But also a necessity for conservation to be effective & sustainable

Equity / Fairness Within Conservation-

R2P Workshop 2015

Group Work

Enhancing Equity / Fairness within Conservation

• What does equitable / fair or inequitable / unfair conservation mean to you – explain this as general principles or specific examples

• Why is equity / fairness important to communities and for conservation?

Equity / Fairness Within Conservation-

R2P Workshop 2015

Group Work

Enhancing Equity / Fairness in Revenue Sharing

• How can we strengthen implementation of the next round of revenue sharing to make it more equitable / fair?

• How could we strengthen the revenue sharing policy to make it more equitable / fair (as this will be reviewed in the next two years as part of the new Wildlife Policy)?

Equity / Fairness Within Conservation-

R2P Workshop 2015

Objectives of the Workshop

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES

• Raise awareness of key research findings from R2P project

• Explore different views on fairness / equity in conservation

• Develop and agree ideas for making Revenue Sharing more equitable and fair