The rapid rate of global environmental degradation has stressed the need to protect our ecosystems. This environmental issue is often approached by applying the status of a ‘protected area.’ This...Show moreThe rapid rate of global environmental degradation has stressed the need to protect our ecosystems. This environmental issue is often approached by applying the status of a ‘protected area.’ This research seeks to explore the controversy of protected areas as a conservation method, through a case study analysis of the indigenous Karen people located in Thailand. The legal status of protected areas has led to instances of forceful evictions, harassment, and restrictions on accessing resources due to the exclusive nature of this conservation method. However, the Thai decentralisation since 1997 argued for greater local participation and inclusion in decision-making processes. Therefore, this analysis focuses on two factors, firstly, the various ways how the Karen people have been marginalised through protected areas, and secondly, to what extent the decentralisation of Thailand’s political system has contributed to the oppression of the Karen. With the use of this case study, this thesis intents to contribute to the field of political ecology and provide a deeper understanding of how state power has legitimised the negative consequences on indigenous communities through the application of protected areas for the sake of conservation.Show less
The Malaysian government and Malaysian NGOs engage in a variety of institutional collaborations to protect their numerous endangered species from extinction. However, there is a general tendency...Show moreThe Malaysian government and Malaysian NGOs engage in a variety of institutional collaborations to protect their numerous endangered species from extinction. However, there is a general tendency among such institutional conservation collaborations to fail to achieve their goal(s), resulting in a delay of the aspired outcome of the collaboration or in the extinction of the endangered species. This thesis aims to understand why such collaborations fail to reach their goal(s) by examining the institutional collaboration on the conservation of the critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros, involving the governments and NGOs of Malaysia and Indonesia as well as their international partners. The general findings indicate that possible inequalities in the position, interests and priorities of the actors involved, and a resulting lack of goal congruence, are vital concerns to take into account and to address, as they obstruct the conservation progress.Show less
The protection of nature and wildlife is crucial today. More and more studies, however, speak of violent incidents involving protected areas. To investigate the relationship between protected areas...Show moreThe protection of nature and wildlife is crucial today. More and more studies, however, speak of violent incidents involving protected areas. To investigate the relationship between protected areas and low-intensity conflict, this article addresses the factors that increase the likelihood of low-intensity conflict when protected areas are established. Widely accepted explanations of rebellion focus on the grievance argument. As with the establishment of a protected area local communities are deprived of land and resources, this article argues that social unrest is likely to increase when protected areas are established. However, building on Ostrom’s “Governing the Commons” theory, intercommunal conflicts as well as social unrest are likely to decrease when a protected area is created. The literature on protected areas and its impact on conflict is vast, but primarily conducted qualitatively. By doing a quantitative study, this article attempts to fill an important gap in the literature. The results of this analysis cautiously suggest that current protected areas in Africa still provoke discontent, as low-intensity conflict increases when the amount of protected areas increases. Future studies are needed to further study the mechanisms that make conflict involving protected areas more or less likely.Show less
