Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-t5pn6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-20T00:26:47.164Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Community-based conservation as a potential source of conflict around a protected area in Sierra Leone

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2016

LINCOLN R. LARSON Open the ORCID record for LINCOLN R. LARSON [Opens in a new window] ,
APRIL L. CONWAY ,
KATHLEEN E. KRAFTE ,
SONIA M. HERNANDEZ  and
JOHN P. CARROLL
LINCOLN R. LARSON*
Affiliation:
Clemson University – Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, 298 Lehotsky Hall, Clemson, South Carolina 29634-0735, USA
APRIL L. CONWAY
Affiliation:
US Peace Corps, Dallas, Texas, USA
KATHLEEN E. KRAFTE
Affiliation:
Clemson University – Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, 298 Lehotsky Hall, Clemson, South Carolina 29634-0735, USA
SONIA M. HERNANDEZ
Affiliation:
University of Georgia – Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, 30602, Georgia, USA
JOHN P. CARROLL
Affiliation:
University of Nebraska – School of Natural Resources, 3310 Holdrege St., Hardin Hall, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583, USA
*
*Correspondence: Dr Lincoln R. Larson Tel: +1 864-656-1244 e-mail: lrl@clemson.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Community-based conservation efforts are designed to foster local stewardship of important ecological resources. However, inequitable distribution of costs and benefits in communities surrounding protected areas can negatively impact livelihoods, increase wealth disparities and create conflict. To examine the potential for conflict between host communities involved in a community-based conservation program and neighbouring (non-host) communities, we explored local residents’ attitudes towards conservation at Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary (TIWS) in Sierra Leone. Intercept surveys (n = 368) were conducted in 18 villages (eight host, ten non-host) within 8 km of TIWS during 2010. Results revealed significant differences between residents of the host and non-host villages with respect to attitudes towards resource use and overall support for site protection. The most substantial discrepancies centred on perceived benefits associated with TIWS, and these drastically different perspectives generated a high potential for conflict. To minimize conflict and foster broader community support for conservation, managers must carefully consider how benefits associated with protected areas are communicated and distributed across protected area-proximate landscapes.

Keywords

attitudescommunity-based conservationconflicthost communityperceived benefitsprotected areas
Type
Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 43 , Issue 3 , September 2016 , pp. 242 - 252
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, W. & Hulme, D. (2001) If community conservation is the answer in Africa, what is the question? Oryx 35 (3): 193–200.Google Scholar
Agrawal, A. & Gibson, C. (1999) Enchantment and disenchantment: the role of community in natural resource conservation. World Development 27 (4): 629–649.Google Scholar
Ajzen, I. & Fishbein, M. (1980) Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Google Scholar
Akama, J. S., Lant, C. L. & Burnett, G. W. (1995) Conflicting attitudes towards state wildlife conservation programmes in Kenya. Society and Natural Resources 8: 133–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allendorf, T., Swe, K. K., Oo, T., Htut, Y., Aung, M., Allendoft, K., Hayek, L.-A., Leimgruber, P. & Wemmer, C. (2006) Community attitudes toward three protected areas in Upper Myanmar (Burma). Environmental Conservation 33 (4): 344–352.Google Scholar
Appiah-Opoku, S. (2011) Using protected areas as a tool for biodiversity conservation and ecotourism: a case study of Kakum National Park in Ghana. Society & Natural Resources 24 (5): 500–510.Google Scholar
Badola, R., Barthwal, S. & Hussain, S. A. (2012) Attitudes of local communities towards conservation of mangrove forests: a case study from the east coast of India. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 96: 188–196.Google Scholar
Balmford, A., Bruner, A., Cooper, P., Costanza, R., Farber, S., Green, R. E., Jenkins, M., Jefferiss, P., Jessamy, V. & Madden, J. (2002) Economic reasons for conserving wild nature. Science 297 (5583): 950–953.Google Scholar
Berkes, F. (2004) Rethinking community-based conservation. Conservation Biology 18 (3): 621–630.Google Scholar
Berkes, F., Colding, J. & Folke, C. (2000) Rediscovery of traditional ecological knowledge as adaptive management. Ecological Applications 10 (5): 1251–1262.Google Scholar
Birendra, K. & Nagata, S. (2006) Refugee impact on collective management of forest resources: a case study of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal's Eastern Terai region. Journal of Forest Research 11 (5): 305–311.Google Scholar
Bobo, K. S. & Weladji, R. B. (2011) wildlife and land use conflicts in the Mbam and Djerem conservation region, Cameroon: status and mitigation measures. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 16 (6): 445–457.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Browne-Nuñez, C. & Jonker, S. A. (2008) Attitudes toward wildlife and conservation across Africa: a review of survey research. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 13 (1): 47–70.Google Scholar
Bruyere, B. L., Beh, A. W. & Lelengula, G. (2009) Differences in perceptions of communication, tourism benefits, and management issues in a protected area of rural Kenya. Environmental Management 43 (1): 49–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, L. M. & Arja, V. (2003) Participatory development and community-based conservation: opportunities missed for lessons learned? Human Ecology 31 (3): 417–437.Google Scholar
Conway, A. L., Hernandez, S. M., Carroll, J. P., Green, G. T. & Larson, L. R. (2015) Local awareness of and attitudes toward the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) in the Moa River Island Complex, Sierra Leone. Oryx 49 (3): 550–558.Google Scholar
Coria, J. & Calfucura, E. (2012) Ecotourism and the development of indigenous communities: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Ecological Economics 73: 47–55.Google Scholar
Davies, A. G. & Richards, P. (1991) Rain forest in Mende life: resources and subsistence strategies in rural communities around the Gola North forest reserve (Sierra Leone). Report to ESCOR, UK Overseas Development Administration.Google Scholar
Davies, G. & Brown, D. (2007) Bushmeat and livelihoods: wildlife management and poverty reduction. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, Ltd. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dickman, A. J., Macdonald, E. A. & Macdonald, D. W. (2011) A review of financial instruments to pay for predator conservation and encourage human-carnivore coexistence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108 (34): 13937–13944.Google Scholar
Eichenlaub, B., Bereten, M., Oates, J. F., Sesay, A. & Palmer, P. (1989) Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary Statement for Management. Tiwai Island, Sierra Leone: Tiwai Island Administrative Committee. Google Scholar
Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA) (2004) The Environmental Foundation for Africa Business Plan: Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary. Freetown, Sierra Leone: EFA. Google Scholar
Fiallo, E. A. & Jacobson, S. K. (1995) Local communities and protected areas: attitudes of rural residents towards conservation and Machalilla National Park, Ecuador. Environmental Conservation 22 (3): 242–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gadd, M. (2005) Conservation outside of parks: attitudes of local people in Laikipia, Kenya. Environmental Conservation 32 (1): 50–63.Google Scholar
Gillingham, S. & Lee, P. C. (1999). The impact of wildlife-related benefits on the conservation attitudes of local people around the Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania. Environmental Conservation 26 (3): 218–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gruber, J. S. (2010) Key principles of community-based natural resource management: a synthesis and interpretation of identified effective approaches for managing the commons. Environmental Management 45 (1): 52–66.Google Scholar
Hall, J. M., Burgess, N. D., Rantala, S., Vihemaki, H., Jambiya, G., Gereau, R. E., Makonda, F., Njilima, F., Sumbi, P. & Kizaji, A. (2014) Ecological and social outcomes of a new protected area in Tanzania. Conservation Biology 28 (6): 1512–1521.Google Scholar
He, G., Chen, X., Liu, W., Bearer, S., Zhou, S., Cheng, L. Y., Zhang, H., Ouyang, Z. & Liu, J. (2008) Distribution of economic benefits from ecotourism: a case study of Wolong Nature Reserve for Giant Pandas in China. Environmental Management 42 (6): 1017–1025.Google Scholar
Holmes, C. (2003) The influence of protected area outreach on conservation attitudes and resource use patterns: a case study from western Tanzania. Oryx 37: 305–315.Google Scholar
Htun, N. Z., Mizoue, N. & Yoshida, S. (2012) Determinants of local people's perceptions and attitudes toward a protected area and its management: a case study from Popa Mountain Park, Central Myanmar. Society & Natural Resources 25 (8): 743–758.Google Scholar
Infield, M. & Namara, A. (2014) Community attitudes and behaviour towards conservation: an assessment of a community conservation programme around Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda. Oryx 35 (1): 48–60.Google Scholar
Kideghesho, J. R., Røskaft, E. & Kaltenborn, B. P. (2006) Factors influencing conservation attitudes of local people in Western Serengeti, Tanzania. Biodiversity and Conservation 16 (7): 2213–2230.Google Scholar
Kiss, A. (2004). Is community-based ecotourism a good use of biodiversity conservation funds? Trends in Ecology in Evolution 19 (5): 232–237.Google Scholar
Klugman, J. (2011) Human Development Report 2011. Sustainability and equity: a better future for all (UNDP-HDRO Human Development Reports). New York: UN Development Programme.Google Scholar
Leach, M. (1994) Rainforest relations: gender and resource use among the Mende of Gola, Sierra Leone. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lepp, A. & Holland, S. (2006) A comparison of attitudes toward state-led conservation and community-based conservation in the village of Bigodi, Uganda. Society and Natural Resources 19 (7): 609–623.Google Scholar
Manfredo, M., Vaske, J. & Teel, T. (2003) The Potential for Conflict Index: a graphic approach to practical significance of human dimensions research. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 8 (3): 219–228.Google Scholar
Manyara, G. & Jones, E. (2007) Community-based tourism enterprises development in Kenya: an exploration of their potential as avenues of poverty reduction. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 15 (6): 628–644.Google Scholar
Mbaiwa, J. E. & Stronza, A. L. (2011) Changes in resident attitudes towards tourism development and conservation in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Environmental Management 92 (8): 1950–1959.Google ScholarPubMed
Mbile, P., Vabi, M., Meboka, M., Okon, D., Arrey-Mbo, J., Nkongho, F. & Ebong, E. (2005) Linking management and livelihood in environmental conservation: case of the Korup National Park, Cameroon. Journal of Environmental Management 76, 1–13.Google Scholar
McClanahan, T. R., Cinner, J., Kamukuru, A. T., Abunge, C. & Ndagala, J. (2009) Management preferences, perceived benefits and conflicts among resource users and managers in the Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanzania. Environmental Conservation 35 (4): 340–350.Google Scholar
Meza, L. E. (2009) Mapuche stuggles for land and the role of protected areas in Chile. Journal of Latin American Geography 8 (1): 149–163.Google Scholar
Mitchell, R. E. & Eagles, P. F. (2001) An integrative approach to tourism: lessons from the Andes of Peru. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 9 (1): 4–28.Google Scholar
Myers, N., Mittermeier, R. A., Mittermeier, C. G., da Fonseca, G. A. B. & Kent, J. (2000) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403 (6772): 853–858.Google Scholar
Naughton-Treves, L., Holland, M. B. & Brandon, K. (2005) The role of protected areas in conserving biodiversity and sustaining local livelihoods. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 30 (1): 219–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norris, K., Asase, A., Collen, B., Gockowksi, J., Mason, J., Phalan, B. & Wade, A. (2010) Biodiversity in a forest-agriculture mosaic – the changing face of West African rainforests. Biological Conservation 143 (10): 2341–2350.Google Scholar
Oates, J. F. (1999) Myth and reality in the rain forest: how conservation strategies are failing in West Africa. Berkeley, USA: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Salafsky, N., Cauley, H., Balachander, G., Cordes, B., Parks, J., Margoluis, C., Bhatt, S., Encarnacion, C., Russell, D. & Margoluis, R. (2001) A systematic test of an enterprise strategy for community-based biodiversity conservation. Conservation Biology 15 (6): 1585–1595.Google Scholar
Sarker, A. H. M. R. & Røskaft, E. (2011) Human attitudes towards the conservation of protected areas: a case study from four protected areas in Bangladesh. Oryx 45 (3): 391–400.Google Scholar
Sharp, R. L., Larson, L. R. & Green, G. T. (2011) Factors influencing public preferences for invasive alien species management. Biological Conservation 144 (8): 2097–2104.Google Scholar
Sommerville, M., Milner-Gulland, E. J., Rahajaharison, M. & Jones, J. P. G. (2010a) Impact of a community-based payment for environnmental services intervention on forest use in Menabe, Madagascar. Conservation Biology 24 (6): 1488–1498.Google Scholar
Sommerville, M., Jones, J. P. G., Rahajaharison, M. & Milner-Gulland, E. J. (2010b) The role of fairness and benefit distribution in community-based Payment for Environmental Services interventions: a case study from Menabe, Madagascar. Ecological Economics 69 (6): 1262–1271.Google Scholar
Songorwa, A. N. (1999) Community-based wildlife management (CWM) in Tanzania: are communities interested? World Development 27 (12): 2061–2079.Google Scholar
Spiteri, A. & Nepal, S. (2008) Evaluating local benefits from conservation in Nepal's Annapurna Conservation Area. Environmental Management 42 (3): 391–401.Google Scholar
Stronza, A. & Gordillo, J. (2008) Community views of ecotourism. Annuals of Tourism Research 35 (2): 448–468.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Struhsaker, T. T., Struhsaker, P. J. & Siex, K. S. (2005) Conserving Africa's rain forests: problems in protected areas and possible solutions. Biological Conservation 123 (1): 45–54.Google Scholar
Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary (TIWS) (2014) Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary Overview. Paris: UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Word Heritage Centre. [www document]. URL http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5742/ Google Scholar
Turner, N., Ignace, M. & Ignace, R. (2000) Traditional ecological knowledge and wisdom of aboriginal peoples in British Columbia. Ecological Applications 10: 1275–1287.Google Scholar
UNESCO (2014) Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary. [www document]. URL http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5742/ Google Scholar
Vaske, J. J. & Donnelly, M. P. (1999) A value-attitude-behavior model: predicting wildland preservation voting intention. Society and Natural Resources 12: 523–537.Google Scholar
Vaske, J. J., Beaman, J., Barreto, H. & Shelby, L. B. (2010) An extension and further validation of the Potential for Conflict Index. Leisure Sciences 32 (3): 240–254.Google Scholar
Wang, S. W., Lassoie, J. P. & Curtis, P. D. (2006) Farmer attitudes towards conservation in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Bhutan. Environmental Conservation 33 (2): 148–156.Google Scholar
West, P., Igoe, J. & Brockington, D. (2006) Parks and peoples: the social impact of protected areas. Annual Review of Anthropology 35: 251–277.Google Scholar
Western, D. & Wright, R. M. (1994) Natural connections: perspectives in community-based conservation. Washington, DC: Island Press.Google Scholar
Whitesides, G. H. (1989) Interspecific associations of Diana monkeys, Cercopithecus diana, in Sierra Leone, West Africa: biological significance or chance? Animal Behaviour 37 (5): 760–776.Google Scholar
WWF International (2008) Indigenous peoples and conservation: WWF statement of principles. Gland, Switzerland: WWF International. Google Scholar