Examining conservation attitudes, perspectives, and challenges in India

Abstract

as conservation foci, and on specific policy initiatives are common among Indian and global conservationists. We surveyed Indian conservationists about the conservation effectiveness of protected areas and charismatic species, as well as status of conservation and research efforts. We expected differences among people based on professional affiliation, and educational background. We examined participants' opinions on conservation policies like Project Tiger and Elephant, the Forest Rights Act, and the Tiger Task Force Report. Participants ranked Indian research efforts as average, and identified a bias towards terrestrial species and ecosystems. Ninety-percent of participants considered reserves to be effective, many (61%) participants felt that the situation of people living inside reserves is unsustainable, and many (76%) felt the use of force to protect reserves from illegal human activities is acceptable. Classification and regression tree models for these questions suggested that non-academics were more likely than academics to agree with these positions. On the success of Project Tiger and Elephant, older participants were more likely to think these initiatives were a success. Many (63%) participants felt the Forest Rights Act needed revision, particularly if they had doctoral degrees. Sixty-two percent of participants did not think Tiger Task Force was effective. Overall, participants' professional affiliation, age, and academic degree were important predictors of participants attitudes towards conservation initiatives.

Gender and community-oriented wildlife conservation: views from project supervisors in India

“…In contrast to other studies that identify education, work environment, and age as important predictors of conservationists' attitudes (Karanth et al 2008), this study found that answers to questionnaire items did not vary significantly by gender, age, institutional affiliation, level of education, degree type, area of specialization, or years of professional experience. This finding is interesting as it suggests that the views of project supervisors are may be shaped by factors that are not specific to any particular demographic group.…”

“…Other studies have contrasted the attitudes held about wildlife between wildlife agency managers and members of the public (Peyton and Langenau 1985;Kennedy 1985;Carr and Tate 1991;Bjerke et al 1998;Kaltenborn et al 1999;Koval and Mertig 2004). At least one study assesses conservation professionals' attitudes about the use of participatory approaches to wildlife conservation in India (Karanth et al 2008). However, few if any studies have examined the views of wildlife conservation professionals about the role of gender in community-oriented conservation.…”

“…Moreover, rural Indian villages are typically characterized by clearly defined gender roles, which in conjunction with class/caste help shape individuals' interactions with the environment (Agarwal 1992;Mehta 1996;Badola and Hussain 2003; see also Agrawal and Gibson 2001). Third, India has an established and vibrant conservation NGO sector comprising members who are broadly supportive of participatory approaches to conservation (Karanth et al 2008). Indian conservation NGOs are largely self-governing and are strategically positioned to promote various development projects as part of their conservation work.…”

Proximate Causes of Land-Use and Land-Cover Change in Bannerghatta National Park: A Spatial Statistical Model

“…Globally, policy makers heavily depend on establishing protected areas to conserve forest resources [63,64], even though effectiveness of protected areas in conserving biodiversity has been questioned [44]. However, in India, it is generally agreed that protected areas are working in reducing deforestation [44,65]. This negative correlation between deforestation and BNP, Talli and Bilikal Reserve Forest throws light on the underlying driving factor of policy measures at the national level (establishing protected areas) and its impact on local level land-cover changes, here deforestation.…”

Public perception on forestry issues in the Region of Valencia

“…: some people might not have been registered or included in the catalogue. The work presented here used a similar approach that was successfully employed by Karanth et al (2008) to analyze conservation attitudes and perspectives in India, based on a survey.…”