Research has found that zoo visits can enhance conservation intentions. The current research (N = 200) examined possible explanations for this relationship by conducting correlational research in...Show moreResearch has found that zoo visits can enhance conservation intentions. The current research (N = 200) examined possible explanations for this relationship by conducting correlational research in the form of an online survey. It was expected that positive affective responses towards zoo animals would enhance conservation intentions. Positive affective responses, in turn, were expected to be predicted by proximity to the animals, interaction with the animals, and active animal behavior. The results of this study confirmed all these expectations, but also showed that proximity, interaction, and pacing predicted negative affective responses, which in turn led to higher conservation intentions. This study thus provided a new insight, namely that affective responses in general can enhance conservation intentions. Zoos could stimulate affective responses by enriching the animal habitats, so that the animals show more active behavior, or by enabling consumers to get closer to the animals.Show less
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
This thesis is an initial attempt to investigate the Chinese perspective in the ivory trade debate, which often falls short in Western representations. The author used a qualitative analysis of...Show moreThis thesis is an initial attempt to investigate the Chinese perspective in the ivory trade debate, which often falls short in Western representations. The author used a qualitative analysis of various sources such as white papers, academic articles, newspaper articles and websites in order to analyse Western depictions of the Chinese role in the ivory trade, which were then contrasted with a Chinese actors' depiction of their involvement and motivations. Finally the thesis discusses NGO awareness campaigns aimed at Chinese consumers. Through the analysis it was found that NGOs generally take into account Chinese customs and realities in their targeted campaigns. It was furthermore concluded that the depiction of China's voracious ivory consumers does not reflect the reality, as the extent of consumption is overemphasized due to China's population size.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
Conservation discourse continues to shift, which is apparent in a Tanzanian context. In the past, conservation discourse relied solely on biology, focusing primarily on the idea that nature and...Show moreConservation discourse continues to shift, which is apparent in a Tanzanian context. In the past, conservation discourse relied solely on biology, focusing primarily on the idea that nature and culture must be kept separate. This is known as a “fortress” approach to conservation. Although the biology behind such initiatives was right, conservation continued to fail. Therefore, a new paradigm developed: community-based conservation (CBC). This new model of conservation concentrated on community-centered initiatives, where biological and social benefits were the main objective. In Tanzania, a conservation policy change in 1998 introduced Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) to the nation - a form of CBC. A WMA intends to empower communities and allow them to have control over their own conservation initiatives. This ethnography explored how the implementation of a WMA in a Maa-speaking pastoralist community related to national WMA discourse. Through qualitative methods with a research assistant translating Swahili and Maa to English, evidence was provided that the national WMA discourse is perceived differently in a Maa-speaking pastoralist setting. Furthermore, the persistence of a “fortress approach” to conservation continues to be apparent in the WMA discourse through a separation of livestock and wildlife. Lastly, a new paradigm shift should be considered, where an emphasis on the intrinsic value of natural resources should be at the core of the conservation practice. Only by understanding such a shift can conservation initiatives in a Maa-speaking pastoralist setting be successful.Show less
Less-developed countries are restricted in effectively funding the conservation of their cultural landscape heritage sites. Other sources of funds are needed to complement government spending. One...Show moreLess-developed countries are restricted in effectively funding the conservation of their cultural landscape heritage sites. Other sources of funds are needed to complement government spending. One possibility is finding ways to use the benefits that cultural landscapes provide. The ecosystem services framework, which was originally used by nature conservationists, could be a useful analytical concept. In this approach, benefits from environments are divided into different types of ecosystem services. By integrating the different kinds of benefits in one framework, new and old possibilities can be analysed. As a case study, the Ifugao Rice Terraces World Heritage site will be analysed. Besides the agricultural products provided by the IRT, the Ifugao agricultural system also has other benefits. However, more and more terraces are abandoned and deteriorating. This is attributed to the insufficient income of the local Ifugao farmers. The yield of their fields has decreased due to the lack of maintenance of their terraces and irrigation systems, which they are not able to fund themselves. At the same time, their changing socio-economic needs require a higher income as well. As a result, many Ifugao migrate to other regions for higher wages. To increase the income of the Ifugao, cultural and regulating ecosystem services become additional sources of income. Cultural services are already being exploited by tourism, but its earning potential has not yet been reached. Tourism is highly concentrated in one rice terrace cluster, so tourism could be expanded to the other clusters. In addition, regional tourist taxation could be implemented. To exploit regulating ecosystems, a Payment for Ecosystem Services scheme has to be created. This can be done on a global scale through carbon sequestration, or on a regional or local scale through hydrological services. However, relying on these sources of income comes with its own set of problems. Despite this, the financing potential of the ecosystem services too substantial to ignore and I think they may contribute significantly to the conservation of cultural landscape heritage sites.Show less
