A multi-method approach to explore environmental governance: a case study of a large, densely populated dry forest region of the neotropics

Abstract

Semiarid regions are often secondary on the national to global (scientific) agenda, especially if abundant vegetation elsewhere draws attention and the local population is considered backwards thinking and poverty-stricken. The Caatinga, our case study, is such a region, home to millions of Brazilians and a vast biodiversity. Unfortunately, a widely uncoordinated land use change and biodiversity decline are happening, while farmers' livelihoods are at risk. We hypothesize substantial weaknesses in the current governance practices. To explore governance of the less noticed region, we conducted interviews and field visits and complemented the findings with the literature and internet resources. Our multi-method approach combines the social-ecological systems framework with constellation analysis and dynamic modeling. The aim was to understand the current state of governance in the region and identify clues for more sustainable land management. The use and conservation of Caatinga are negotiated at multiple levels, which are only sporadically interlinked. The conversion of forest land into alternative land uses shifts and shares responsibility among different sectors, while cross-sectoral cooperation is rarely observed. The region and its population face massive prejudices. Obstructing attitudes, such as thinking in dichotomies, and paternalistic and opportunistic approaches, are being addressed by some new coalitions taking alternative action. It is unlikely that these isolated initiatives will converge by themselves to a larger transformation toward sustainable resource use. There is a need to bring the dispersed actions in a more focused and coordinated approach, integrating socioeconomic and ecological concerns, values, and partnerships.

Protected areas and the neglected contribution of Indigenous Peoples and local communities: Struggles for environmental justice in the Caatinga dry forest

“…A failure to recognise IPLCs' knowledge systems and to instead frame them as resource-dependent people, responsible for degradation, who should be relocated, is incongruent with principles for equitable governance or rights-based conservation (Reyes-García et al, 2021;Tauli-Corpuz et al, 2020). As such, it is crucial that as conservation efforts are expanded post 2020, the people of the Caatinga be recognised as embedded within that social-ecological system, as sharing a strong interest in preserving and restoring the Caatinga's biodiversity, as exhibiting their own agency and capabilities and therefore representing a key part of any solution (Seppälä, 2011;Siegmund-Schultze, 2021). Accordingly, the only actors who In many cases across Brazil, strict protected areas have been designated based on scientific recommendations and economic goals, leading to the actual or threatened limitation of access rights of traditional communities and Indigenous Peoples (Anaya & Espírito-Santo, 2018;NUPAUB, 1995).…”

“…Such processes can be lengthy and difficult but are often essential steps to more constructive cooperation (Young et al., 2016). Such cooperation can provide a foundation for more integrated conservation and development planning and implementation, via regular, culturally appropriate stakeholder forums (Araujo et al., 2021; Siegmund‐Schultze, 2021). This kind of cross‐sector integration and weaving of different forms of knowledge are widely considered desirable as a means to address interrelated issues of sustainable development, biodiversity conservation and climate change, yet remains rare in practice (Reed et al., 2017; Tengö et al., 2017).…”

Population genomics of the neotropical palm Copernicia prunifera (Miller) H. E. Moore: Implications for conservation

“…C . prunifera is endemic to the Caatinga biome [ 7 ], which is one of the largest seasonally dry tropical forest areas in South America [ 8 ]. The Caatinga is an exclusively Brazilian biome, covering an area of approximately 900,000 km 2 in northeast Brazil.…”