Co-management of wildlife and
protected areas
Cooperating with communities
Themes today What is co-management? Fortress conservation Pros and cons of co-management Examples
The CAMPFIRE model The Uluru model
Obstacles to effective co-management Different motivations Community-government relations Community representation
Case study: lobster co-management in Maine
What is co-management? Cooperation in regulating a resource
government or non-governmental organization local communities
“Community-based management” or “community-based conservation”
3 components: community participation in decisions community ownership of natural resources linking conservation to economic benefits
Decentralisation
Fortress conservation People threaten
“wilderness” Resistance
breaking rules protesting appealing to human rights
advocates Ineffective management
corruption cookie-cutter solutions
Pros and cons of co-management Local knowledge and
experience more effective easier acceptance
Problems invasions lack of resources disagreements
Managing protected areas Regulations Enforcement Dispute
resolution
Examples Communal Areas
Management Program for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE)
Uluru
The CAMPFIRE model Decision-making
power Financial incentives Producer
communities ward and village
development committees
wildlife committees
Managing protected areas: CAMPFIRE
Regulations Enforcement Dispute resolution
X
X
The Uluru model Uluru-Kata Tjuta National
Park Freehold title granted to a
land trust Leased back to government Managed by Aboriginal board Community members get
entrance rights rental payments park fees direct and indirect employment
Dispute resolution by lawyer
Managing protected areas: Uluru Regulations Enforcement Dispute resolution
Obstacles to effective co-management
Different perceptions and incentives Community-government relations Intra-community conflict
Different motivations Governments and
NGOs financial benefits attracting funds recreational potential species’ rights
Local residents may share these
But may have different interests and concerns
Addressing different perceptions Legislation
prioritize wildlife resentment from local
people
Yield to requests Compromise
Community-government relations Communication difficulties
language cultural differences inaccessibility different decision-making processes
Mistrust Disagreements over land control Unequal power relations Lack of “ownership”
Community representation Inappropriate administrative
boundaries Intra-community rivalry Capture by elite
Lobster co-management in Maine Acheson, James M. 1987. The
lobster fiefs revisited: economic and ecological effects of territoriality in Maine lobster fishing. Pp. 37-65 in B.J. McCay and J.M. Acheson (eds.) The question of the commons: the culture and ecology of communal resources. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press.
Acheson, James M. and Laura Taylor 2001. The anatomy of the Maine lobster comanagement law. Society and Natural Resources 14: 425-441.
Common property lobster management
Harbor gangs Zone Management Law
lobster policy management zones elected councils of lobster license
holders councils succeeded where legislation
failed disagreements about management issues of representation
Swan’s Island Conservation Zone
Changes Technology Population growth Disputes Fishermen need
government Government needs
fishermen