Do environmental conservation programs contribute to sustainable livelihoods? Evidence from China's grain-for-green program in northern Shaanxi province

Dang, Xiaohu; Gao, Siwen; Tao, Rui; Liu, Guobin; Xia, Zidun; Fan, Liangxin; Bi, Wei

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137436

Cited by 69 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The designation of PAs often implies significant economic impacts for people ( Pham, 2020 ). As a result there have been growing calls for certain measures to be introduced in order to allow local communities to maintain income levels after the designation of PAs ( Dang et al, 2020 ). The European studies we reviewed reveal significant impacts on people’s livelihoods especially due to the change in the use of natural resources.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social impacts of European Protected Areas and policy recommendations

Jones

Graziano

Dimitrakopoulos

2020

Environmental Science & Policy

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Highlights Seven categories of social impacts were identified in the literature review. Most important negative impacts are on human rights and social equity. Most important positive impacts are on wellbeing and livelihoods. There is need to increase subjective assessment of impacts in protected areas. Coordination of policies across sectors is needed to meet future biodiversity targets.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social impacts of European Protected Areas and policy recommendations

Jones

Graziano

Dimitrakopoulos

2020

Environmental Science & Policy

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“…Recreational activities within PAs are a major source of income for locals [63]. Sustainable tourism has been at the core of management plans for many PAs in Europe [64] allowing local communities to maintain an income [65,66], which often compensates for economic losses due to the PA designation. However, several PAs currently function at a maximum visitor capacity during peak periods.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Management of European Protected Areas and Policy Implications

McGinlay

Gkoumas

Holtvoeth

et al. 2020

Forests

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The COVID-19 pandemic led to many European countries imposing lockdown measures and limiting people’s movement during spring 2020. During the summer 2020, these strict lockdown measures were gradually lifted while in autumn 2020, local restrictions started to be re-introduced as a second wave emerged. After initial restrictions on visitors accessing many Nature Protected Areas (PAs) in Europe, management authorities have had to introduce measures so that all users can safely visit these protected landscapes. In this paper, we examine the challenges that emerged due to COVID-19 for PAs and their deeper causes. By considering the impact on and response of 14 popular European National and Nature Parks, we propose tentative longer-term solutions going beyond the current short-term measures that have been implemented. The most important challenges identified in our study were overcrowding, a new profile of visitors, problematic behavior, and conflicts between different user groups. A number of new measures have been introduced to tackle these challenges including information campaigns, traffic management, and establishing one-way systems on trail paths. However, measures to safeguard public health are often in conflict with other PA management measures aiming to minimize disturbance of wildlife and ecosystems. We highlight three areas in which management of PAs can learn from the experience of this pandemic: managing visitor numbers in order to avoid overcrowding through careful spatial planning, introducing educational campaigns, particularly targeting a new profile of visitors, and promoting sustainable tourism models, which do not rely on large visitor numbers.

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“…The sustainable development of its dryland farming and apple orchards, however, is facing huge challenges. Another challenge in the Loess Plateau is how to diversify farmers' income sources given that over two thirds of their arable lands were converted to ecological-environmental uses under the GGP, a conservation program which was initiated in 1999 with two goals: reducing soil erosion and alleviating poverty in major river basins of China (Dang et al, 2020). Additionally, enhancing the ecological function of the large-scale planted forests remains an urgent task in the Loess Plateau region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regions and Their Typical Paradigms for Soil and Water Conservation in China

et al. 2020

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China is experiencing conflicts between its large population and scarce arable land, and between a demand for high productivity and the severe soil erosion of arable land. Since 1949, China has committed to soil and water conservation (SWC), for which eight regions and 41 subregions have been developed to improve the environment and increase land productivity. To obtain information from the regional planning and strategies for SWC and to explore whether SWC practices simultaneously contribute to soil conservation, ecosystem functioning, and the livelihoods of local farmers, and to summarize the successful experiences of various SWC paradigms with distinct characteristics and mechanisms of soil erosion, this paper systematically presents seven SWC regions (excluding the Tibetan Plateau region) and 14 typical SWC paradigms, focusing on erosion mechanisms and the key challenges or issues in the seven regions as well as on the core problems, main objectives, key technologies, and the performance of the 14 typical paradigms. In summary, the 14 typical SWC paradigms successfully prevent and control local soil erosion, and have largely enhanced, or at least do not harm, the livelihoods of local farmers. However, there remain many challenges and issues on SWC and socioeconomic development that need to be addressed in the seven SWC regions. China, thus, still has a long way to go in successfully gaining the win-win objective of SWC and human aspects of development.

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Do environmental conservation programs contribute to sustainable livelihoods? Evidence from China's grain-for-green program in northern Shaanxi province

Cited by 69 publications

References 41 publications

Social impacts of European Protected Areas and policy recommendations

Social impacts of European Protected Areas and policy recommendations

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Management of European Protected Areas and Policy Implications

Regions and Their Typical Paradigms for Soil and Water Conservation in China

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