Large Differences in Livelihood Responses and Outcomes to Increased Conservation Enforcement in a Protected Area

Abstract

Despite the popularity of integrated conservation and development approaches to protected area management, adjacent communities increasingly face livelihood dilemmas. Yet understanding of how market processes and conservation enforcement interact to influence livelihood responses remains limited. Targeting eight villages in Nam Et-Phou Louey (NEPL) National Park in northern Lao PDR, we draw on survey data with 255 households, 93 semi-structured interviews, and meso-level data on village conditions to examine how residents navigate associated livelihood dilemmas. A cluster analysis reveals five livelihood types with divergent capacities to engage in market development and cope with enforcement pressures. We show how market linkages, historical conservation interventions, and local access conditions shape livelihoods and differences between villages. Our approach yields a nuanced picture of how global conservation efforts result in an uneven distribution of costs and benefits at local scales. Conservation measures must account for highly divergent capacities to cope with access loss and diversify livelihoods.

Spatial Sifferentiation and Differentiated Development Paths of Traditional Villages in Yunnan Province

“…Therefore, in the continuous development process of traditional villages, it is crucial to develop them in a targeted manner to maximize their spatial vitality [13], which is particularly important for achieving the high-quality and sustainable development of traditional villages. Furthermore, for the enhancement of vitality in traditional villages, it is worth exploring how to promote the participation of multiple subjects in the process of conserving, inheriting, and developing traditional villages [14,15].…”

Exploring the Main Determinants of National Park Community Management: Evidence from Bibliometric Analysis

“…NPs are usually located in relatively remote and often marginalized rural areas, where the rural economy is typically underdeveloped [100,101]. The livelihoods of rural residents mainly rely on natural resources; when the use of such resources is limited, many families may see their livelihoods threatened [47,102]. The reasons for this are mainly related to the development model of NPs.…”

Research Progress on Farmers' Livelihood Transformation and Its Ecological Effects—A Review

“…Livelihood capital is an important concept regarding farmers' livelihood transformation. Some scholars and research institutions consider subsistence capital to be both tangible and intangible assets on which livelihood strategies are formed, including human capital, natural capital, physical capital, financial capital and social capital (He et al, 2013;Antwi-Agyei et al, 2014;Hishe et al, 2019;Persson et al, 2021). Livelihood capital determines the choice of the farmers' livelihood mode and possible action strategies, so the accurate quantification of farmers' livelihood capital can discriminate the future development trends of farmers from the source (Yan et al, 2010), which also provides a new perspective for the quantitative study of farmers' livelihoods.…”