Perceptions and realities of land degradation in arid Otjimbingwe, Namibia

Ward, David; Ngairorue, Ben T.; Apollus, André; Tjiveze, Hermanus

doi:10.1006/jare.2000.0647

Cited by 45 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Though it has been reported that rural people are very well aware of vegetation changes in their environment (e.g., Bollig and Schulte, 1999;Wezel and Haigis, 2000), the inconsistency between their perceptions and empirical data on environmental quality has also been highlighted (e.g., Ward et al, 2000;Ó lafsdóttir and Júlíusson, 2000;Carvalho et al, 2002). The findings of this study support the latter viewpoint.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Perceiving desertification from the lay perspective in northern China

Lee

Zhang

2004

Land Degrad Dev

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In recent years it has become increasingly recognized that resolving desertification is better achieved by winning over the local population than by imposing an 'expert' solution from above. However, little research has so far been conducted into the environmental perceptions of the general public in China. This study aimed to contribute to this important area of research by empirically exploring the lay public's environmental perceptions regarding desertification in Minqin County in Gansu Province, northern China. The study adopted as its theoretical underpinnings Zube and Sell's Process Model of the Perception of, and Response to, Environmental Change (1986). The primary data was collected via a questionnaire survey (n ¼ 1138) administered between 14 and 31 December 2002. The major findings of the questionnaire survey were: (1) although many respondents were aware of desertification, they did not fully understand the various issues involved; (2) respondents' perceptions of desertification were significantly affected by their personal attributes; and (3) there was a considerable difference in the way in which desertification in Minqin County was perceived by experts and laymen respectively. As far as the policy implications of these findings are concerned, two approaches are essential to encourage self-motivated social participation to resolve desertification in Minqin County: (1) the different perceptions of laymen and experts of the problem must be addressed at the outset in the formulation of any desertification-mitigating policies; and (2) any attempts to educate the lay public should not assume the existence of a homogenous community of like-minded people.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Perceiving desertification from the lay perspective in northern China

Lee

Zhang

2004

Land Degrad Dev

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“…Nor does the report give much attention to abiotic drivers of landscape change. This is especially pertinent given work done in Northwest Namibia that re-examined claims to land degradation purportedly caused by livestock farming, and found little or no evidence to support them (Sullivan, 1999;Ward et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introduction Of the Donkey For Field Preparationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowing, farming and climate change adaptation in North-Central Namibia

Newsham

Thomas

2011

Global Environmental Change

101

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“…In order to examine the local residents' awareness of the project outcomes, a questionnaire was designed following methods used in previous studies [34][35][36][37][38][39]. The questionnaire targeted residents who have lived more than 10 years in the lower reaches and who were currently conducting farming and/or pastoral activities for a living.…”

Section: Semi-structured Questionnaire Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Ecological Restoration Projects in Dry Lands: Data-based Assessment and Human Perceptions in the Lower Reaches of Heihe River Basin, China

et al. 2018

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Desertification is a critical environmental problem in China's northwestern region. In this context, since the early 2000s, projects targeting ecological restoration have been implemented in the lower reaches of the Heihe River basin. Using multi-scale remote sensing data and field observations, this paper examines the outcomes of the ecological restoration projects. Specifically, this paper examines the vegetation change through remote sensing and local perceptions of the projects through semi-structured questionnaires. The results from remote sensing reveal that during the restoration projects, vegetation coverage in riparian areas of the lower reaches of the Heihe River basin increased. However, this increase cannot be simply equated with ecological recovery. Expansion of farmland and afforested areas have also contributed to the increase in vegetation coverage. Questionnaire results reveal that although locals perceived improvements in the ecological conditions of the lower reaches, most of them were more about future environmental changes. Additionally, results indicate that ecological restoration projects redistributed water resources in the local river reaches and, as a result, local residents living in riparian areas perceive greater benefit. Therefore, the implementation of the project may have actually negatively impacted the water accessibility of those living in the drier Gobi Desert areas.

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Perceptions and realities of land degradation in arid Otjimbingwe, Namibia

Cited by 45 publications

References 15 publications

Perceiving desertification from the lay perspective in northern China

Perceiving desertification from the lay perspective in northern China

Knowing, farming and climate change adaptation in North-Central Namibia

The Impact of Ecological Restoration Projects in Dry Lands: Data-based Assessment and Human Perceptions in the Lower Reaches of Heihe River Basin, China

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