Chiara Bragagnolo

Modelling Local Attitudes to Protected Areas in Developing Countries

During a time of intensifying competition for land, Protected Areas (PAs) are coming under increasing pressure to justify their status. Positive local attitudes to a PA are a potentially important component of any such justification, especially in the developing world where human pressure on natural resources is often high. However, despite numerous studies our understanding of what drives positive attitudes to PAs is still exceedingly limited. Here, we review the literature on local attitudes towards PAs in developing countries. Our survey reveals a highly fragmented research area where studies typically lack an explicit conceptual basis, and where there is wide variation in choice of statistical approach, explanatory and response variables, and incorporation of contextual information. Nevertheless, there is a relatively high degree of concordance between studies, with certain variables showing strong associations with attitudes. We recommend that PA attitude researchers in developing countries adopt a more rigorous model building approach based on a clear conceptual framework and drawing on the extensive empirical literature. Such an approach would improve the quality of research, increase comparability, and provide a stronger basis to support conservation decision-making.

The scientific value of Amazonian protected areas

Protected areas (PAs) are under increasing pressure to demonstrate their broader value and contribution to society. Scientific research and associated knowledge production comprise one such value, which has received relatively little attention in the academic literature. Here, we use the Amazon region as a case study to quantify scientific knowledge production (as measured by scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals) in PAs and identify the main biophysical, geographical and social characteristics that influence such production. We adopt a multi-model inference approach with an innovative hurdle regression model to independently assess the factors influencing the presence of research and the number of studies in PAs. Our results indicate a highly skewed pattern of scientific production, with many PAs with few or no associated scientific articles. Larger, older and more highly protected PAs in Ecuador and Peru were most likely to have scientific production, while time since first publication was most strongly associated with the number of publications from a PA. These findings provide important insights that could be used to support and strengthen policy aimed at increasing the value of Amazonian protected areas for scientific research.

Private protected areas: three key challenges

Private protected areas (PPAs) are a board category that includes reserves established and managed by non-government entities, including civil society organizations, businesses and private individuals. It was recently suggested that the creation of a system of PPAs in Brazil may act as a useful model for extending protected area systems internationally. While it is clear that RPPNs have an important role to play in the future development of Brazils protected area system, there are several significant challenges that need to be overcome if they are fulfil their potential: (1) ensuring that RPPNs contribute to coverage and representation; (2) ensuring adequate governance; and (3) increasing the attractiveness of the RPPN model. While it is still too early to determine whether RPPNs constitute a robust PPA model that could (or should) be exported to other countries, they are creating new opportunities for innovation and novel management strategies that might eventually lead to a vibrant and distinctly Brazilian protected area movement.

Cultural Services in the Caatinga

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) are “non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems”. These benefits include recreation, aesthetic enjoyment, and spiritual fulfillment arising from the interaction between cultural and natural features. In this chapter, we describe the role of the Caatinga—a unique semiarid region located in northeast Brazil—as a source of cultural inspiration, recreation, knowledge, and spiritual significance. Firstly, we define and discuss the current conception of CES, exploring available approaches to measure them. Secondly, we reframe the Caatinga as a biocultural environment, created and maintained by the dynamic interactions between human communities and the landscape. We then identify and discuss the CES provided by the Caatinga, by combining a review of key literature and a novel big data approach based on content analysis of geo-referenced digital photographs. Finally, we critically evaluate the current state of knowledge about CES in the Caatinga, recommending multiple approaches to assess and quantify cultural values. Studies of CES in the Caatinga are only just beginning, but are critically important to demonstrate the enormous contribution of this unique environment to local cultures and the regional economy in the face of increasing land-use competition.

A multi-scale analysis to support the implementation of a regional conservation policy in a small-island archipelago - the Azores, Portugal.

ABSTRACT Calado, H., Bragagnolo, C., Silva, S.F., Pereira, M. 2014. A multi-scale analysis to support the implementation of a regional conservation policy in a small-island archipelago – the Azores, Portugal. In: Green, A.N. and Cooper, J.A.G. (eds.), Proceedings 13th International Coastal Symposium (Durban, South Africa), Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 70, pp. 485–489, ISSN 0749-0208. Small islands present both exceptional biodiversity and higher vulnerability. Their isolation has been identified as the main driver contributing to preserve the unique natural capital (10 of the 34 terrestrial biodiversity hotspots listed by Conservation International are wholly comprised of islands). However, small-island archipelagos may present a great variability among islands in terms of size and population, remoteness, incomes, natural and cultural landscapes, human pressures and vulnerabilities to global changes. This inexorably leads to different values, life-styles, and land use forms, which combine to shape cultural and socio-economic relationships of archipelagos, creating inter- and intra- island networks. Therefore, exploring inter- and intra-island relationships (based on historical, geographical, political and economic factors) can support a better understanding of networks and scale-dependent processes (ecological, economic, political, etc.), facilitating a more effective implementation of sustainable and biodiversity conservation policies at different levels. In this contribution, we present a multi-scale analyse to support the implementation of a regional conservation policy in a small-island archipelago (The Azores, Portugal). It represents a decision-making challenge for biodiversity conservation where a new management system of Protected Areas (PAs) was recently adopted. Three spatial units are considered: archipelago, island groups and island per se. The analysis integrates qualitative information, quantitative indicators and land use analyses in order to identify key areas of concern and relevant challenges for implementing the regional conservation policy at multiple levels. Findings underlined the importance to provide appropriate arrangements to better deal with scale mismatches arising from the divergence between spatial scale (where conservation challenges are identified) and administrative levels (where management interventions can be made).

A Multi-scale Approach to Support Integrated Landscape Management in Rural Mountainside Areas (RMAs) of Alps

Agriculture has historically played a fundamental role in shaping and conserving mountainside landscapes of Alps. Since the emergence of the sustainability principles and following the reform of the EU agricultural policies, a multifunctional role of the primary sector has been increasingly recognised, especially in those contexts where farming practices have greatly contributed to preserve social and environmental capitals. Referring to mountain landscapes, the effects on the environment caused by the abandonment of agro-pastoral practices due to both physical constraints and economic factors have extended beyond the local scale, changing landscape characters and cultural traditions of Alpine regions. Thus, a greater integration among sectoral policies has been often recommended in order to enhance alpine rural areas, traditions and products. However, changes of rural landscapes and the abandonment of agricultural practices has not occurred likewise across the Alps, as mountainside areas present different values (economic, ecologic, etc.) and they are exposed to different risks (human pressures, hydrogeology, etc.). In addition, institutional and non-institutional initiatives for protecting mountainside areas have been implemented differently across the Alps according to particular landscape management and governance systems of countries and regions. With this contribution, we aim to present the results of a research project funded by the Autonomous Province of Trento (Italy), aiming to support landscape management in Rural Mountainside Areas (RMAs) of Alps. A multi-scale approach is developed and applied to the Province of Trento, a mountain region located in the southern side of the Alps (Northern Italy) which benefits from a special Autonomous Statute. The method was developed following an interaction process based on internal and external meetings with experts organised during the project. It integrates quantitative (maps and data) and qualitative (field works, expert opinions, etc.) information and analyses. Firstly, RMAs are defined and identified within the study region. Then, five priority contexts are selected based on the assessment of values and risks. They correspond to those RMAs reflecting a significant combination of risks and values. Finally, integrated measures are proposed in order to support landscape management in priority contexts. The results show the importance of considering broader scale values and risks in order to develop and implement operative measures for preserving rural landscapes in mountainside areas. Based on lessons learned, a greater cooperation among authorities, sectoral offices, researches, local experts and public is strongly recommended to integrate landscape issues into spatial and sectoral decisions.