Conservation and Unscripted Development: Proximity to Park Associated with Development and Financial Diversity

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Decades of research on the social dynamics of biodiversity conservation has shown that parks and protected areas have added hardship to rural communities throughout much of the developing world. Nonetheless, some recent studies have found evidence of poverty alleviation near protected areas. To build on these conflicting accounts, I use a comparative, mixed-methods design to examine opportunistic, unplanned, i.e., unscripted, development in indigenous communities near Tarangire National Park (TNP) in northern Tanzania. I ask the questions: (1) How is proximity to TNP related to community-level infrastructural development? (2) How has the process of development changed over time? and (3) How is proximity to TNP related to infrastructure-related social outcomes at the household-level? Results from semistructured interviews show that, compared with distant communities, communities near TNP have developed more extensive education and water infrastructure in the past decade by procuring financial support from a greater diversity of external organizations, including wildlife-related organizations. Correspondingly, household survey results show that education measures are positively associated with proximity to TNP, controlling for other factors. These findings support the notion that development can accrue near protected areas in ways that are diverse, uncoordinated, and opportunistic, and correspondingly distinct from heralded community-based conservation, community-based natural resource management, and integrated conservation and development project initiatives.

Coping with Natural Hazards in a Conservation Context: Resource-Use Decisions of Maasai Households During Recent and Historical Droughts

“…This is not to say that TNP has not affected Maasai households; TNP has indeed influenced resource access (Goldman 2003; Igoe and Brockington 1999; Igoe 2004; 2002; Sachedina 2006), risk perception (Baird et al 2009), education and water infrastructure (Baird 2014), and livelihood diversification (Baird and Leslie 2013). Our work suggests that TNP also affected small stock and wet-season cattle herding.…”

“…We sought to understand how this dramatic change in resource access, coupled with water development efforts, has influenced the herding decisions of Maasai households. We focused on four villages in Simanjiro that vary in proximity to TNP and have different levels of water development (listed here in approximate order of increasing water infrastructure; for a more detailed summary see Baird 2014): Sukuro, Terrat, Emboreet, and Loiborsoit. This work is also informed by a limited amount of quantitative and qualitative data from the villages of Loiborsiret and Landanai (Fig.…”

Impacts of Community-Based Natural Resource Management on Wealth, Food Security and Child Health in Tanzania

“…Proximity to traditional protected areas can also influence household wealth and food security [ 10 , 13 ]. Since CBNRM areas may tend to occur close to traditional protected areas, and because protected areas have been found to benefit communities up to 15–45 kilometers away [ 40 , 41 ], we include dummy variables for households within 30 kilometers of a protected area. Government-owned forest reserves also influence household access to forest resources, although at a smaller geographic scale than protected areas [ 42 ], therefore we include a control variable for sites within 5 km from government forest reserves.…”

Economic development through the implementation of environment policies

“…Andam, Ferraro, Sims, Healy, & Holland, (2010) also discussed that those Natural reserver established before 1980 reduced approxmately 10% poverty in Coata Rica. It also restrained with a poverty index that netted resident's demographic information in addition to domestic applience and success use of information.Natural reserver may bring some positive effect like financial assistance (Environmental Protection Fund), employment (Forest ranger, Forest worker),and others ( training on green breeding technology) (Baird, 2014;Clements & Milner-Gulland, 2015;Miller, 2015). In the literature it is well being discussed about the impact of natural reserver on poverty alleviation (Ferraro & Hanauer, 2014;Job & Paesler, 2013).…”