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  • Conference Paper
    Traditional Institution and Institutional Choice: Two CPR Self-Governing Cases of Atayal Indigenous Tribe in Taiwan
    (2004) Yen, Ai-Ching; Kuan, Da-Wei
    "The sovereignty of land and natural resources of Taiwan indigenous people have been seriously challenged by the expansion of state power and capitalistic market economy since 19th century. Consequently, many indigenous communities have made efforts to adjust to and negotiate with modern institutions. This article analyses the logic of the lapse of indigenes land tenure, and examines two common pool resource (CPR) self- governing cases, which Atayal communities seek to manage by collective action for collective interest. Furthermore, drawing from neo-institutional economic perspective, this article discusses both how the internal institution affects the solidarity of communities and the derivation of Gaga, a traditional institution of Atayal tribe. In spite of the fact that the formal organization of Gaga no longer exists, its Meta rule leads to the formation of social constraints then affects the institutional choice. In the end, this article suggests that the reform of land tenure institution support CPR self-governing in indigenous areas, which will diminish the conflicts emerging from the interaction between state power and capitalistic market economy."
  • Conference Paper
    Multiple Spatial Representations of Underrepresented Indigenous Lands and Oral Based Knowledge of Sustainable Practices
    (2004) Chacón, Miguel Angel
    "This essay is based on the results of a doctoral dissertation survey concerning geographic and spatial features of Spanish- speaking subjects in Guatemala. The survey was also answered by an additional group of 100 bilingual students, 50 whose first language is a Mayan Quiche, and 50 Cackchiquel subjects whose secondary language is Spanish. Those who do not speak a Mayan language live in urban areas surrounding Guatemala City, and those who speak a native language live in urban or rural areas in Quiche and Chimaltenango, where they speak Quiche and Cackchiquel respectively. Two sample z-tests are performed to compare sample means. The z test results shows whether the variances of the two samples can be equal. The significance level is for values between 1.96 and -1.96. "This essay focuses on the differences that bilingual- indigenous and Spanish-speaking subjects showed in the survey. The purpose of the survey is to provide input to establish the quality of the representation and legibility of spatial features in maps as compared with oral and written descriptions, such as those used in titles of property. For example, the indigenous subjects answered that oral and written descriptions are more legible than conventional maps. In addition, the representation of borders and limits is insufficiently legible in maps and written descriptions of titles of properties. Survey results show that oral and written descriptions of some features are more legible than conventional maps. The survey showed that both subject groups do not agree about what is represented in a map downloaded from the IGN Web page (Guatemalan national mapping agency Web page), even though the map used in the survey is the same for all subjects. This disagreement is an example of what would happen to native populations in different areas of the Guatemalan country, where population groups with the same level of education can have different understandings of what is represented in maps. Conventional maps can take advantage of other options to portray or describe geographic and spatial information, such as oral knowledge and written descriptions."
  • Conference Paper
    Ensuring 'Collective Action' in 'Participatory' Forest Management
    (2004) Ghate, Rucha; Mehra, Deepshikha
    "After a decade and half since policy change in India, there are evidences that 'participatory' efforts in forestry are becoming acceptable at various levels of governance. Although community initiated and NGO promoted collective action based resource management has emerged sporadically throughout India in last 20 years, government has also come up with three subsequent resolutions related to joint forest management (JFM) since 1990, each more liberal than the earlier. "This paper is based on three case studies, each belonging to one of the three types of institutional structures: Self-initiated, NGO promoted, and government sponsored JFM. Despite similar basic objectives of all the three institutional structures i.e. strengthening the ecological security and meeting subsistence biomass needs of the local people, each institutional structure is different, with its strengths and weaknesses. If these factors can be identified it could have useful policy implications. The three case studies undertaken belong to similar eco-geographical area; have comparable forest area, and all the three communities with heterogeneous population belong to similar socio-economic background. The data has been collected by using International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI) methodology, which helps combine the botanical information with the socio-economic information, with the help of ten research instruments. The study brings out the importance of autonomy for the communities to make decisions. Indigenously formed rules and conflict resolving mechanism are found not only to be more flexible and acceptable to the community, but also helpful in the development of mutual understanding, common norms i.e. in building social capital. Although both, the community-initiated and NGO promoted communities, have eventually adopted government sponsored JFM program because of the authenticity/legality that the program provides, the two have continued with the institutional provisions that were developed through their informal efforts. Thus, rather than oscillating between the simplistic models of either state or 'village community', there is a need to conceive of more complex arrangements in which forest areas are protected for multiple objectives, under the working of multiple institutions."
  • Conference Paper
    Conflictos por Comunales en el Sur de México
    (2004) Arellanes Meixueiro, Anselmo
    "Los conflictos por límites entre pueblos (CPLP), constituyen un problema vigente relacionado con la propiedad, posesión uso y usufructo de la tierra entre dos o más comunidades, entra propietarios privados y comunidades. En esta ponencia, con la intención de hacer historia del presente recurriendo al pasado, se analizan CPLP específicos de dos o más comunidades enfrentadas por una extensión de tierra que puede ser de menos de cien, a miles de hectáreas (has), en lugares con bosques, selvas, matorrales o simplemente cerros pelones o monte pedregoso. En términos legales compete en primera instancia al gobierno federal resolver tal situación. "En tales conflictos existen particularidades; los pleitos se despliegan entre comunidad y ejido, comunidad y particulares, comunidad y el propio Estado principalmente cuando realiza obras de infraestructura en tierras comunales o ejidales. Las tierras en litigio son en la mayoría de los casos, propiedad comunal de pueblos indígenas. Las razones, causas de tal problema vigente, que no es exclusivo de México, poco se han estudiado. Los enfrentamientos en buen número acontecen por los recursos naturales como bosques, selvas y corrientes de agua; con el aumento de la población, la conurbación, crecimiento de ciudades, la especulación, invasiones y ventas fraudulentas, se han complicado. Existen casos donde las playas de propiedad comunal al no ser posible realizar su venta por las limitaciones legales, se consuman dudosas transacciones. "El acercamiento al estudio de los CPLP, permite vislumbrar antiguos resabios y venganzas entre comunidades que se transmiten de generación a generación, algunos vienen desde la época colonial. El papel del Estado para encontrar la solución, por lo general, no ha sido el adecuado, su burocracia ha intervenido con lentitud, en momentos coyunturales, políticos, con la circunstancia agravante de no conocer las causas esenciales, lo cual no le permite aplicar con certeza el procedimiento correspondiente."
  • Conference Paper
    Resource Entitlements and Conflict Management in Common Grazing Lands: The Case of Yerer and Daketa Valleys, Eastern Ethiopia
    (2004) Bogale, Ayalneh; Hagedorn, Konrad; Korf, Benedikt
    "The livelihoods of both livestock-keeping pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in eastern Ethiopian lowlands largely depend on livestock production based on property right systems originated from communal ownership for grazing lands and with exclusive rights of the household to crop lands. Even though these systems served well during low population and livestock density, the debate over common property regimes among development and resource economists is progressively more lively. "Since Hardin's prediction that all commonly managed resources would inevitably end in tragedy, many studies have challenged the overall acceptability of his theory (See for instance: Ostrom, 1990, Bromely, 1992, Swallow and Bromley, 1995, White and Runge, 1995). These studies shed light to the institutions-resource entitlement relationships in ever changing environment and shift in policies in pursuit of new strategies. The notion of entitlement which was first introduced by Amartya Sen to explain how it is that people can starve in the midst of food plenty in the early 1980s and adapted to capture spatial and temporal variability and dynamic processes inherent in environmental goods by Leach et al. (1999) is helpful in clarifying this shift in emphasis. Leach et al. (1999) shows how access to and control over natural resources is mediated by a set of interacting and overlapping institutions, both formal and informal, which are embedded in social life of rural communities. "The management of rangelands in Yerer and Daketa valleys depends on a complex body of rules established by local groups-rules established over time to resolve how best to regulate access to grazing lands. The definition of these rules, their supervision and adjustment depend on local organizations acting under the authority of traditional institutions. These organizations rarely act without having obtained widespread support for the decisions that need to be taken, by seeking the advice of tribal headmen and various local interests. In order to reinforce local management capacities, one needs to think it very important to strengthen these consensual decision-making systems. "Therefore, this study will sensitise policy makers, contribute to the policy debate and to the development of actions, which enhance sustainable pastoral and agro-pastoral livelihoods and to help households to cope during conditions of particular scarcity. The research study investigates how conflicting interests to multiple resource use and users are managed and how increasing pressure for resource access affects different communities as soon as pressure on resources increases. The research assesses local institutions, including social networks that mediate resource entitlements and how these institutions (1) are able to resolve conflicts and disputes on resources use and (2) how they mediate distributional issues over resources. We understand institutions as emerging sites of social interaction, negotiation and contestation comprising heterogeneous actors having diverse goals. Given the ecological uncertainties and the variation of resource users over space and time, institutional arrangements for resource governance may be ad hoc, ambiguous and overlapping. "Although limited in scope/coverage, it is expected that this study will identify significant variables in the resource entitlement conflict management linkage. It focuses on institutional arrangements that prevail in the study area which facilitate mobility of pastoralists for mutual benefits."
  • Conference Paper
    La Corresponsabilidad Ambiental en el Sureste Mexicano: Procesos para la Participacion Social en la Gestion de los Recursos Naturales
    (2004) Currie-Alder, Bruce
    "Segun la legislacion mexicana 'el Gobierno Federal deberia promover la participacion corresponsable de la sociedad en... la politica ambiental y de recursos naturales.' (Art. 157, DOF 1988). En los ultimos anos se han iniciado varios procesos participativos donde la gestion de los recursos naturales es compartida entre el gobierno y la sociedad civil. Este estudio reune las perspectivas de personas involucradas en tres de estos procesos en el sureste mexicano incluyendo el Consejo de Cuenca para los rios Grijalva Usumacinta enfocado en los recursos hidricos, el Consejo Consultivo para el Desarrollo Sustentable enfocado en la politica ambiental y el Consejo Consultivo para la Laguna de Terminos enfocado en la conservacion de una area natural protegida. Se entrevisto a 35 personas -- 7 mujeres y 28 hombres -- que forman parte de estos procesos con el fin de entender como funciona la participacion en la practica, promover una reflexion entre los y las participantes sobre sus experiencias, e identificar oportunidades de aprendizaje mutuo entre los procesos estudiados. "Por cada uno de los procesos participativos estudiados en este informe, se describe la problematica general que enfrentan, el origen, proposito y estructura del proceso, y un analisis de las perspectivas de los participantes. Estos procesos no son perfectos; sin embargo son entre las estrategias mas equitativas que conocemos para enfrentar las multiples demandas sobre los recursos naturales. El informe identifica oportunidades para mejorar cada proceso y avanzar en el desarrollo sustentable para beneficio de toda la sociedad mexicana. En general, cinco paso para fomentar una cultura de participacion son: (1) crear un compromiso comun en los diferentes niveles de gobierno, (2) considerar las motivaciones de los interesados, (3) fomentar la discusion sobre el proposito de proceso y de la participacion de los interesados, (4) crear estructuras horizontales, y (5) establecer mecanismos de transparencia y representabilidad. La existencia de tales procesos es parte de una nueva cultura de participacion que esta naciendo donde las y los ciudadanos toman un rol activo en los procesos que anteriormente eran una responsabilidad exclusiva del gobierno. Aunque el gobierno sigue administrando estos recursos en nombre de la ciudadanea, en la actualidad, la sociedad civil se convierte cada dea mas en un socio corresponsable del cuidado y la continuidad de los recursos naturales."
  • Conference Paper
    Interações e Representações em Relação a Apropriação Social dos Recursos Naturais: O Caso do Parque Nacional da Lagoa do Peixe Rs
    (2004) Knoller Adomilli, Gianpaolo
    "Este artigo trata da relação entre a gestão ambiental em Parques e ReservasNaturais e as populações que habitam essas áreas, procurando analisar a problemáticasocioambiental referente ao caso do Parque Nacional da Lagoa do Peixe. Primeiramente, trata-se de situar as Políticas de Parques Nacionais, demonstrando deque forma suas bases estão fundamentadas em noções modernas sobre o mundo natural,como também em uma visão específica do caso brasileiro, sendo que ambas seperpassam e estruturam uma determinada lógica. "A seguir, analisa-se o caso do Parque Nacional da Lagoa do Peixe, privilegiandoo encontro entre uma comunidade de pescadores, habitantes da área de proteção, ondemantém práticas tradicionais na sua atividade, e a comunidade moderna de ParquesNacionais, representada pelo IBAMA (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente eRecursos Naturais Renováveis), órgão federal que elabora e executa a política de gestãode parques e reservas. Os pescadores locais apresentam um conjunto específico depráticas sociais e simbólicas, que configuram entre si, a partir do ambiente em quevivem; enquanto a política de Parques Nacionais propriamente dita, fundamenta-se emuma noção moderna de meio ambiente, sendo representada por grupos urbanoindustriais(pesquisadores, ecologistas e administradores). Esta noção está relacionada àpreocupação destes grupos com o processo de degradação ambiental em nível mundial,inserindo-se em uma política relacionada à globalização, ou seja, uma políticainternacional sobre o meio, misturando um caráter instrumental de manutenção deecossistemas considerados ameaçados, com uma visão romantizada acerca da natureza.Não se trata de voltar ao passado ou recuperar valores do passado, mas de umalógica moderna de espacializar o mundo para construir nichos de 'permanência',literalmente, para manutenção do ecossistema. "Considerando o processo de interação dos pescadores com a sociedadedominante, principalmente no que se refere à ação do Estado, representado peloIBAMA, leva-se em conta o contexto de injunções de mudanças, inseridas no âmbitodas relações entre globalização e diversidade cultural. Portanto, convém ressaltar que oprocesso de transformação global da sociedade dialoga com as práticas sociais concretasde cada segmento que, por sua vez, apresentam trajetórias particulares, remodeladaspelas relações sociais que vão sendo estabelecidas. Ao enfocar tensões entre Modernidade e Tradição, se esboçam questões sobrecomo idéias e representações diferenciais sobre o uso dos recursos naturais, construídasculturalmente, dialogam, circulam, de um grupo para o outro, estabelecendo ligações erupturas entre eles, gerando conflitos e difundindo valores."
  • Conference Paper
    Gestão e Percepção Ambiental na Estação Ecológica de Juréia-Itatins (SP/Brasil)
    (2004) Ferreira Peixoto, Carolina
    "A Estação Ecológica de Juréia-Itatins é uma unidade de conservação de uso indireto que apresenta conflitos sociais decorrentes da proibição jurídica frente à ocupação humana no interior de uma área natural protegida de uso restrito. Sob esse aspecto, o presente projeto pretende verificar se esses conflitos são potencializados devido às diferentes percepções ambientais dos distintos grupos sociais que atuam nesta unidade de conservação. "O quadro teórico desta investigação está apoiado nas considerações de Yi-Fu Tuan (1980) sobre as relações humanas com o meio ambiente através de suas percepções, atitudes e valores; nas considerações de Olivier Godard (1997) sobre gestão integrada dos recursos naturais e do meio ambiente, a qual envolve decisões negociadas e ação conjunta de gestores e atores sociais de interesses diversificados. Abordagens geográficas de conceitos como espaço, paisagem, território e lugar amparam a discussão a ser realizada neste estudo. "A pesquisa envolve revisão bibliográfica e pesquisa de campo referendada em Whyte (1977), que apresenta uma série de métodos concernentes a estudos de percepção ambiental, alguns deles utilizados nessa pesquisa."
  • Conference Paper
    Migration and Demographic Change in the Context of Commons Management in Bangladesh
    (2004) Rahman, Aminur
    "Migration both internal and external has created imbalances in the management of natural resources in general and common pool resources in particular in many parts of the world including Bangladesh. Migration has always been a historical phenomenon. However, the recent speed of globalization has given new dimension to it. It has affected the participation rate at the rural level in the context of common pool resources management. "The entire process has unleashed a whole spectrum of interactions among the local people, migrant and common pool resources. Since the management of these types of resources usually comes spontaneously and principally from the young who are at the same time the potential migrants, the scope for negligence to these is also quite high in case of migration. In this paper attempt has been made to look into the following issues taking into account the management of a wetland in Bangladesh. The study centers on the impact of religion, demographic change and valuation on a wetland resources (common property resource) in North Eastern Bangladesh. Indigenous people specially the fisherman who belong to minority community (Hindu community) are usually the principle agent in maintaining the wetland resources in a sustainable manner (as fish is one of the most valuable renewable resource in this wetland). However, the infiltration of Muslim community through internal migration is systematically wiping out the indigenous people. The indigenous people also become reluctant and frustrated to take care of the resource properly as their stake is threatened and chances of migration to neighboring India or other countries become feasible and vibrant. Those who moved to the area slowly grasped the resource with no intention of maintaining it thereby destabilizing the prevalent common management practice. The paper uses survey population of 350 fishermen families to explore the actual situation. It looks into the loss of fish crop due to negligence by using Dose Response 2 Function, contemporaneous and intergenerational externalities. Ultimately the paper suggests some solutions in conflict resolution and awareness creation in creating more value to the resource and its proper management."
  • Conference Paper
    Co-Opting Conservation: Migrant Resource Control and Access to National Park Management in the Philippine Uplands
    (2004) Dressler, Wolfram H.
    "This paper examines a case in the Philippines where the transition from coercive conservation (Yellowstone Model) to more devolved management (community-based conservation) has been implemented at one national park, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (see Dressler and McDermott). Here, both migrants and an indigenous people (named Tagbanua coexist in villages adjacent to the park, where the latter faces the brunt of inequitable social relations of production and exchange, while having access to forest resources curbed by park managers. For decades each factor has built on the other to increase indigenous peoples livelihood vulnerability. Changes from coercive conservation (restrictive resource access) to current 'community-based' conservation (local involvement and livelihood support), has only exacerbated pre-existing patterns of social and economic differentiation. While new laws grant Tagbanua certain land rights and greater political leverage, migrant control over trade and resources by-passes the efficacy of new legal measures, such as ancestral domain claims, and does little to offset the risks imposed by park management. By using historical accounts, I show how migrant settlers land uses, political networks, and wealth grew in parallel to and shaped park management to support their own agricultural base. Colonial era classifications of land uses and identity have dichotomized migrants and indigenous peoples and led to inequities in wealth and political power, a pattern further exacerbated by national park management (Dressler and McDermott, 2004). "The papers second section provides the background for the case study by describing early Philippine land laws, forestry policy and transitions in national park management. Section three introduces the case study area, while section four introduces Tagbanua and migrant settlement periods. These sections trace patterns of socio-economic differentiation by comparing and contrasting changes in social relations and land uses between each group before and after migration. Against this backdrop, section five shows that despite the transition from punitive to community-based management at Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, managers still favor migrant lowlanders paddy rice over uplanders swidden agriculture. As park management became institutionalized, so did the suppression of indigenous livelihood strategies around the park. Conversely, since migrant land uses were favored, they were the first to be drawn into the national parks management structure. Section six examines why social inequities persisted despite changes in land classification, particularly ancestral domain claim delineation, management authority and expansion of the park as a World Heritage Site. Section seven finds that the shift to community-based conservation at the park has neither redressed socio-economic differentiation between households, nor achieved the dual objectives of poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation."