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IUCN SULi Digest

January and February 2021

This is our first edition of 2021 - featuring 132 new journal articles and news items on sustainable use and livelihoods.


This Digest is an IUCN SULi information service intended to keep you up to date with recent journal articles and news on issues relating to sustainable use and livelihoods.

We will cover journal articles and news from the previous month(s). Please note that the summaries provided are not the official abstracts of the articles.

Our current watch list includes the following journals and news sources: Africa Biodiversity Collaborative GroupAfrica Sustainable Conservation NewsAfrican Journal of EcologyAgriculture, Ecosystems & EnvironmentAMBIOAnimal ConservationAntipodeBiodiversity and ConservationBiological ConservationConservation FrontlinesThe Conservation ImperativeConservation LettersConservation Science and PracticeConservation and SocietyThe ConversationDevelopment and ChangeDiversity and DistributionsEcological EconomicsEcology and SocietyEnvironmental HistoryForest CoverFrontline DispatchesThe Geographic JournalGlobal Environmental ChangeHuman EcologyHuman Dimensions of WildlifeThe IndependentLocal EnvironmentMongabayNational GeographicNatural Resources ForumPARKS; PNASRegional Environmental ChangeSustainabilityTourist Studies and World Development.


If you would like to sign up to receive the Digest on an ongoing basis, please click here.

Plus, if you haven't already sign up to receive the People not Poaching newsletter for all the latest on communities and illegal wildlife trade. 

  • Dilys Roe, Chair IUCN SULi
Themes
Covid-19
Publications
1. Attah A (2021) Initial assessment of the impact of Covid-19 on sustainable forest management: African states. Background Paper prepared for the United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat. Available here (PDF)
 
This report provides an assessment of the impact and implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on forests and forest dependent people in Africa. It also sheds light on the potential of forests to diminish the adverse impacts of COVID-19 pandemic; the role and opportunities provided by forests in a post COVID-19 recovery and its potential contribution to inclusive and long-term sustainable development.
 
2. Booth H, et al (2021) Investigating the risks of removing wild meat from global food systems. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.01.079 (Open access)
 
The negative consequences of the removal of wild meat from diets and markets deserve consideration in policy responses to COVID-19. The authors demonstrate that the sudden policy-induced loss of wild meat from food systems could have negative consequences for people and nature.
 
3. Booth H, et al (2021) “Saving lives, protecting livelihoods, and safeguarding nature”: risk-based wildlife trade policy for sustainable development outcomes post-COVID-19. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.639216 (Open access)
 
The authors describe how wildlife trade contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in diverse ways, with synergies and trade-offs within and between the SDGs. In doing so, they show that prohibitions could result in severe trade-offs against some SDGs, with limited benefits for public health via pandemic prevention.
 
4. D’Cruze N, Green J, Elwin A and J Schmidt-Burbach (2020) Trading tactics: Time to rethink the global trade in wildlife. Animals. 
DOI: 10.3390/ani10122456 (Open access)
 
The authors argue that due to Covid-19 the risks presented by the wildlife trade are becoming increasingly recognised as being both manifold and severe; and raise concerns that the goal of a well-regulated wildlife trade is becoming increasingly exposed as a mirage.
 
5. Fiorella K, et al (2021) Small-scale fishing households facing COVID-19: The case of Lake Victoria, Kenya. Fisheries Research. DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2020.105856 (Open access)
 
The study examines how small-scale fishing households, including fishers and fish traders, are responding to COVID-19 and associated movement restrictions around Lake Victoria, Kenya. It finds that households are consuming less fish, perceiving high fish prices, and coping by more often selling than eating fish.
 
6. Giri K (2021) Initial assessment of the impact of Covid-19 on sustainable forest management: Asia-Pacific states. Background Paper prepared for the United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat. Available here (PDF)
 
This study investigates the impacts of COVID-19 on the forestry sector, focusing on Thailand and Nepal, through analysing impacts on i) sustainable forest management; ii) the forestry sector, forest-dependent people, indigenous peoples, and local communities; and iii) forest industry and trade.
 
7. Koh L, Li Y and J Lee (2021) The value of China’s ban on wildlife trade and consumption. Nature Sustainability. DOI: 10.1038/s41893-020-00677-0 (Open access)
 
The authors argue that China’s decision to ban the trade and consumption of terrestrial wild animals, while controversial, is a viable response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ban has implications that extend beyond safeguarding human health to also help combat illegal wildlife trade and protect threatened species.
 
8. Morcatty T, Feddema K, Nekaris K and V Nijman (2021) Online trade in wildlife and the lack of response to COVID-19. Environmental Research. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110439 (Open access)
 
The authors analyse the content of ~20,000 posts on 41 Facebook groups devoted to wild pet trade and run a breakpoint and a content analysis to assess when and how the COVID-19 pandemic is incorporated into the discourse within trade communities.
 
9. Roe D and T Lee (2021) Possible negative consequences of a wildlife trade ban. Nature Sustainability. DOI: 10.1038/s41893-020-00676-1 (Open access)
 
The COVID-19 outbreak has stimulated calls for a global wildlife trade ban. The authors argue that such actions may only partially curb pandemic risk while negatively affecting people who depend on wildlife. More worryingly, they may provide cover for inaction on issues that would make a true difference in preventing future pandemics.
 
10. Stone L, Stone M, Mogomotsi G and P Mogomotsi (2021) The impacts of Covid-19 on nature-based tourism in Botswana: Implications for community developmentTourism Review International. 
DOI: 10.3727/154427221X16098837279958
 
The authors aim to determine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on nature-based tourism and its implications on community development in Botswana. The results indicate that due to the unsustainable and predominant dependence on the international market, the tourism sector in Botswana has come to a standstill.
 
11. Xiao L, et al (2021) Why do we need a wildlife consumption ban in China? Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.12.036
 
By analysing China’s legal framework and management system regulating wildlife trade, together with state and provincial-level wildlife-trade licenses and wildlife criminal cases, the authors argue that current wildlife trade regulations do not function as expected. To sustain the efficacy of the wildlife trade change, they propose that a long-term mechanism to reduce the demand and improve effective management is needed.
News articles, blogs etc.
12. How has the pandemic affected African safari tourism and the communities that depend on it? -> With the pandemic continuing to obstruct the travel industry, safari and conservation tourism are being hit hard. How are Africa’s rural communities coping with the lack of focus and funding tourism brings to the region and its wildlife?
 
13. Preventing pandemics through biodiversity conservation and smart wildlife trade regulation -> Reducing the likelihood of another viral spillover sweeping the world requires minimising human interface with wild animals and wild spaces; eliminating transmission points where the likelihood of viral spillover to humans is high; better monitoring of the legal trade in wildlife; diligently suppressing illegal and unsustainable trade in wildlife; and conserving natural habitats.
 
14. Bushmeat hunting in Central Africa: Giving forests back to communities could halt the next pandemic -> Giving hunters control over their forests could help reduce the intensity of wildlife destruction and stop 'spillover' events.
 
15. Transforming conservation in times of crisis and opportunity -> 2020 was envisioned as a potential turning point for global conservation efforts, but over the past nine months COVID-19 has created an unprecedented social, economic, and public health crisis on a global scale.
CBNRM
Publications
16. Akinbode W, et al (2020) Impact of the Community-Based Natural Resource Management Programme on the poverty status of rural households in Edo and Ondo States, Nigeria. Contemporary Agriculture. DOI: 10.2478/contagri-2020-0013 (Open access)
 
The study examines socioeconomic factors influencing the participation of households in the CBNRM programme and estimates its impact on the poverty status of rural households in Edo and Ondo States. The results demonstrate that participation in the CBNRM programme increased the per capita expenditure of the households considered, positively affecting their poverty status.
 
17. Charles A (2021) Communities, conservation and livelihoods. IUCN, Switzerland; Community Conservation Research Network, Canada. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.CH.2021.01.en (Open access)
 
This book explores how local communities around the world are successfully responding to threats to the environment and local livelihoods. As communities continue to make a difference at the forefront of conservation, it is an auspicious moment to explore the links of community environmental stewardship, sustainable livelihoods and government engagement, and to appreciate the ‘power of community’.
 
18. Chesney C, et al (2020) Mobonda Community Conservation Project: Chimpanzees, oysters, and community engagement in Sierra Leone. American Journal of Primatology. DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23219
 
The aim of Mobonda Community Conservation Project (MCCP) is to promote community‐based forest management in combination with wildlife conservation through carefully designed programs that benefit communities, wildlife, and ecologically significant habitats. These programs contributed to a reduction in the threats facing wildlife in the area.
News articles, blogs etc.

19. The Last Free Rhinos -> The Namibia Nature Foundation with contributions from World Wildlife Fund, Save the Rhino Trust Namibia and the Integrated Rural Development & Nature Conservation, has produced a docu-series which focuses on community conservation efforts-specifically around combatting wildlife crime.
 
20. For Sumatran elephant conservation, involvement of local people is key -> Only when viable habitats and community involvement are both ensured will the well-being of the local people, as well as the conservation of Sumatran elephants, be secured.
 
21. The community trying to conserve Kenya's wildlife -> In Kenya, communities are starting to rethink wildlife conservation. Traditional methods often meant moving indigenous people from their land to make way for protected areas and wildlife. Nashulai, on the edge of Kenya’s world famous Maasai Mara Reserve, wants to change that.

Ecotourism
Publications
22. Aseres S and R Sira (2020) Ecotourism development in Ethiopia: Costs and benefits for protected area conservation. Journal of Ecotourism. 
DOI: 10.1080/14724049.2020.1857390
 
This study conceptualises the relationship between ecotourism and biodiversity conservation using a case study of the Bale Mountains National Park. The findings indicate that conceptually ecotourism development and conservation can be positively inter-linked, but practically, ecotourism-conservation conflict is precarious in protected areas due to major burdens, such as less community participation and unfair distribution of benefits and costs.
 
23. Forje G, Tchamba M and M Eno-Nku (2020) Determinants of ecotourism development in and around protected areas: The case of Campo Ma'an National Park in CameroonScientific African. 
DOI: 10.1016/j.sciaf.2020.e00663 (Open access)
 
This study evaluates the determinants of sustainable ecotourism development in and around the Campo Ma'an National Park. The results reveal that rich biodiversity, poorly developed roads, gorilla habituation and encroachment of poachers and hunters are the main strength, weakness, opportunity and threat respectively to ecotourism development.
 
24. Kunjuraman V (2020) Community-based ecotourism managing to fuel community empowerment? An evidence from Malaysian BorneoTourism Recreation Research. DOI: 10.1080/02508281.2020.1841378
 
This paper presents the case of an ecotourism destinations in Sabah, called Bilit village, and its role as the catalyst to rural community development. The results show that community-based ecotourism helped improve the local community and afforded them an alternative livelihood in their rural destination.
 
25. Kunjuraman V (2021) Local community participation challenges in community-based ecotourism development in Sabah, Malaysian BorneoCommunity Development Journal. DOI: 10.1093/cdj/bsaa065
 
This study gives primacy to the local communities’ voices especially the challenges faced by those who have been engaged in an ecotourism scheme in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. The author proposes that a stakeholder approach be taken as a remedy to overcome the challenges faced by the local communities in ecotourism in the study site.
 
26. Lekgau R and T Tichaawa (2020) Community perceptions on the socio-economic impacts of wildlife tourism from the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in Botswana: The case of TsabongAfrican Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure. DOI: 10.46222/ajhtl.19770720-67 (PDF)
 
The authors investigate the socio-economic contributions made by wildlife tourism in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) to the Tsabong community living adjacent to the Park. The findings show that wildlife tourism has contributed to employment creation and economic development but also revealed that local community participation in wildlife tourism and conservation projects of the KTP is generally low.
 
27. Nepal S, Lai P-H and R Nepal (2021) Do local communities perceive linkages between livelihood improvement, sustainable tourism, and conservation in the Annapurna Conservation Area in Nepal? Journal of Sustainable Tourism. 
DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2021.1875478
 
This paper examines relationships between household level livelihood improvement, perceived linkages between livelihood improvement and nature conservation efforts, and attitude to protected area management in Nepal’s Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA). The results indicate that only some household heads were able to link livelihood improvement to ACA’s conservation efforts.
 
28. Ota T, Lonn P and N Mizoue N (2021) Contribution of community-based ecotourism to forest conservation and local livelihoods. In Yahara T (ed) Decision Science for Future Earth. Springer, Singapore. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-8632-3_9 (Open access)
 
The authors examine the contribution of community-based ecotourism (CBET) to the income and livelihoods of local people and forest conservation, using the Chambok CBET site, Cambodia, as a case study. Analysis of the forest cover change maps reveals that deforestation has significantly decreased inside the CBET area as compared to outside it.
 
29. Warnholtz G, Ormerod N and C Cooper (2020) The use of tourism as a social intervention in Indigenous communities to support the conservation of natural protected areas in Mexico. Journal of Sustainable Tourism. 
DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2020.1860069
 
This article examines the use of tourism as a sustainable development (SD) intervention in the management of natural protected areas (NPAs). The findings from on-going research in the indigenous community of Sta. Cruz Tepetotutla in Mexico point to the necessity for an alternative approach to the design, application and assessment of tourism interventions.
News articles, blogs etc.

30. Sumatran rhino conservation inspires a thriving creative economy -> Local communities in a Sumatran rhino stronghold are benefiting from a creative economy built up around the conservation of the critically endangered species.

Illegal wildlife trade
Publications
31. Aceves‐Bueno E, Read A and M Cisneros‐Mata (2020) Illegal fisheries, environmental crime, and the conservation of marine resources. Conservation Biology. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13674
 
International illegal trade of endangered, high‐value, species, can generate a value chain in which artisanal fishers are the first operational, and often the weakest link of an intricate web. The authors underscore the complexity of these problems and identify possible pathways to find effective solutions, analysing two illegal fisheries in Mexico.
 
32. Booth H, et al (2020) An integrated approach to tackling wildlife crime: Impact and lessons learned from the world's largest targeted manta ray fishery. Conservation Science and Practice. DOI: 10.1111/csp2.314 (Open access)
 
The authors describe an integrated intervention to reduce manta hunting and mortality in Lamakera, which combines community outreach and livelihood‐focused incentives with targeted enforcement actions; and assess its impact over a five‐year period. Results show that the intervention is associated with a significant decline in manta hunting effort and mortality.
 
33. Doughty H, et al (2021) Using theory and evidence to design behaviour change interventions for reducing unsustainable wildlife consumption. People and Nature. DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10189 (Open access)
 
The authors detail the foundational process of designing an intervention around the use of a wildlife product by a particular group: Singaporean consumers of saiga horn. They employ both qualitative and quantitative data, along with human behaviour theories and past literature on the study system, to develop a comprehensive understanding of the many influences driving this target audience to purchase saiga horn products.
 
34. Kansanga M, et al (2020) Scalar politics and black markets: The political ecology of illegal rosewood logging in GhanaGeoforum. DOI: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2020.12.020
 
The authors explore the drivers of illegal extraction of rosewood in Ghana. Their findings reveal a complex mix of multiscalar processes including the rapid deployment of transnational capital into local agrarian communities by transnational rosewood dealers; selective enforcement of statutory bans; and ecological and socioeconomic vulnerabilities as key drivers.
 
35. Lamichhane S, Joshi R, Poudel B and P Subedi (2020) Role of community in leading conservation: Effectiveness, success and challenges of community-based anti-poaching unit in Nepal. Grassroots Journal of Natural ResourcesAvailable here (PDF)
 
The authors assess the effectiveness of a Community Based Anti-Poaching Unit in and around Beeshazari Lake of Chitwan National Park. They find that unemployment and consequent poverty are the key reasons for poaching and other illegal activities.
 
36. Louw S (2020) Trade in high value marine products from Africa to Asia. TRAFFIC, Cambridge. Available here (Open access)
 
This report summarises studies into seahorse, sea cucumber, and fish maw (dried swim bladder) trade; painting a picture of population declines, inadequate regulation, stretched law enforcement, and local communities impacted by illegal and unsustainable catch and trade.
 
37. Morton O, Scheffers B, Haugaasen T and D Edwards (2021) Impacts of wildlife trade on terrestrial biodiversity. Nature Ecology & Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01399-y
 
The authors perform a meta-analysis of the wildlife trade that synthesised 506 species-level effect sizes from 31 studies, estimating trade-driven declines in mammals, birds and reptiles. The results indicate that current protective measures fail species, with significant declines even where the harvesting for trade occurs in protected areas.
 
38. Nguyen T and D Roberts (2020) Exploring the Africa-Asia trade nexus for endangered wildlife used in Traditional Asian Medicine: Interviews with traders in South Africa and Vietnam. Tropical Conservation Science. DOI: 10.1177/1940082920979252 (Open access)
 
The primary aim of this study is to provide an understanding of the current illegal wildlife trade market for Traditional Asian Medicine (TAM) purposes in South Africa. The results indicate that wild animal parts are not only being trafficked from Africa to Asia for TAM use, but Asian originated products such as bear parts might also be smuggled into South Africa for domestic consumption.
 
39. Prinsloo D, Riley-Smith S and D Newton (2020). Trading years for wildlife: An investigation into wildlife crime from the perspectives of offenders in Namibia. TRAFFIC, Cambridge, UK. Available here (Open access)
 
This report lifts the lid on why 45 offenders who are incarcerated in six different Namibian Correctional Service facilities, turned towards the illegal wildlife trade. The investigation, which took two years, reveals how economic, social, nutritional, and functional factors motivated the offenders to commit the crimes they are now serving sentences for.
 
40. Shao M-L, et al (2021) Understanding wildlife crime in China: Socio-demographic profiling and motivation of offenders. PLoS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246081 (Open access)
 
The authors document 4,735 cases, involving 7,244 offenders who smuggled, hunted, transported, sold and/or purchased protected species in contravention of China’s Criminal Law. Offenders were predominantly men, aged 30–44, agricultural workers, with less schooling. Socio-economic profiles related to crime seriousness, the type of illegal activity, motivation and taxon involved.
 
41. Uprety Y, et al (2020) Illegal wildlife trade is threatening conservation in the transboundary landscape of Western Himalaya. Journal for Nature Conservation. DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2020.125952 (Open access)
 
This paper studies illegal wildlife trade in and around the Kailash Sacred Landscape, Nepal. The causes identified are high demand for wildlife items (mostly in China), limited other livelihood opportunities for local people, open or porous borders, weak patrolling due to limited resources, and ineffective law enforcement.
News articles, blogs etc.

42. Nigeria emerges as Africa’s primary export hub for ivory, pangolin scales -> Increased political buy-in for law enforcement and interdiction efforts at ports in East Africa have pushed wildlife smuggling westward to Nigeria.
 
43. Q&A: Communities combating illegal wildlife trade in East Africa -> Three participants from a recent series of online learning sessions on wildlife conservation in East Africa discuss why engaging with communities is critical to combating illegal wildlife trade.
 
44. Namibia – success achieved in reducing rhino and elephant poaching but COVID a threat to conservation -> Namibia has successfully reduced poaching of black and white rhinos, with 31 killed in 2020 compared with 52 in 2019.  The number of elephants poached was 11, down from 13 in 2019.
 
45. Fake it till you save it? Synthetic animal parts pose a conservation conundrum -> Thanks to technological advancements, it’s now possible to make synthetic versions of animal parts like rhino horn, elephant ivory, and big cat fur, demand for which is contributing to the extinction crisis.

Medicinal plant harvest and use
Publications

46. Asif M, et al (2021) A preliminary study on the ethno-traditional medicinal plant usage in tehsil “Karnah” of District Kupwara (Jammu and Kashmir) India. Ethnobotany Research and Applications. DOI: 10.32859/era.21.02.1-14 (Open access)
 
The study quantifies the ethnobotanical usage of plants in Kupwara, evaluating the traditional medicinal plants use against various diseases. The results will help to develop scientifically-informed strategies for the conservation of medicinal resources and sustainable use of plant diversity in the region.
 
47. Cahyaningsih R, Magos Brehm J and N Maxted (2021) Gap analysis of Indonesian priority medicinal plant species as part of their conservation planning. Global Ecology and Conservation. DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01459 (Open access)
 
Indonesia is a country rich in medicinal plant biodiversity, so identifying the conservation gap is crucial for planning the genetic conservation of Indonesian priority medicinal plant species. The results of this gap analysis support the recommendation that in situ active conservation reserves for priority plants be established in areas of Indonesia with the greatest diversity of species.
 
48. Cahyaningsih R, Magos Brehm J and N Maxted (2021) Setting the priority medicinal plants for conservation in Indonesia. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. DOI: 10.1007/s10722-021-01115-6 (Open access)
 
By examining factors such as species' occurrence status, rarity and part of the plant harvested, the various Indonesian medicinal plant species can be prioritised for conservation planning. In this study, various threatened plant species have been included in the priority list as well as those listed in related legislation.
 
49. Chandra P and J Kumar (2021) Linking the medicinal and aromatic plants business to sustainable resource management and economic prosperity: A value chain analysis. Area Development and Policy. DOI: 10.1080/23792949.2020.1870409
 
This study examines the value chain of Uttarakhand’s medicinal and aromatic plants and herbal and herbal healthcare products sector, the roles of different stakeholders, and their contribution to sustainable commercial development and value generation.
 
50. Islam M, et al (2021) Medicinal plants resources of Western Himalayan Palas Valley, Indus Kohistan, Pakistan: their uses and degrees of risk of extinction. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences. DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.02.051 (Open access)
 
The study documents the pre-existence traditional knowledge and ethnomedicinal uses of plant species in the Palas valley, reporting a total of 65 medicinal plant species of 57 genera belonging to 40 families. The authors conclude that every part of plants such as bulb, rhizome, roots, barks, leaves, flowers, fruit and seed are used for various ailments.
 
51. Nwafor C (2020) Cultivation of medicinal plants by smallholder farmers in South Africa: Constraints to commercialisation. Preprints. DOI: 10.20944/preprints202012.0761.v1 (Open access)
 
The paper explores relevant issues constraining smallholder farmers from involvement in a potentially lucrative medicinal plants value-chain. Findings indicate challenges such as inadequate domestication of valuable plants species, continued over-harvesting from wild populations, poor knowledge of required agronomic practices and low efficacy perception regarding derivatives from cultivated plants.
 
52. Worku A, Bayu N and A Teshager (2020) The first 31 medicinal plant species prioritised for conservation and sustainable utilisation at Fedis and Midega districts of Oromiya regional state, Ethiopia. Advanced Journal of Medicinal Plants Research. Available here (PDF)
 
This study documents medicinal plant species prioritised for conservation and sustainable utilisation based on the indigenous knowledge of traditional healers in Oromiya regional state. The results show that 31 medicinal plant species are threatened in their wild habitat.

News articles, blogs etc.
No new news articles or blogs at this time.
Recreational hunting
Publications
53. Darimont C, et al (2020) Large carnivore hunting and the social license to hunt. Conservation Biology. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13657 (Open access)
 
The authors develop a modified model, which they refer to as the social license to hunt (SLH) and apply it to examine the controversial hunting of large carnivores. They summarise cases related to the killing of grizzly bears, wolves, and other large carnivores in Canada, the United States, and Europe to illustrate how opposition to large carnivore hunting can exert rapid and significant pressure on policy makers and politicians.
 
54. Di Minin E, et al (2021) Consequences of recreational hunting for biodiversity conservation and livelihoods. One Earth. DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2021.01.014 (Open access)
 
The authors provide an overview of the peer-reviewed literature on recreational hunting of terrestrial birds and mammals between 1953 and 2020. They find that evidence is lacking to answer the pressing questions of where and how hunting contributes to just and sustainable conservation efforts, and outline an agenda to build this evidence base through research that recognises diverse social-ecological contexts.
 
55. Levy S (2020) A tale of two seal hunts: Contesting the conflation of Canadian sealing activities. Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy. DOI: 10.1080/13880292.2020.1846858
 
This article compares Inuit and commercial hunting activities in Canada’s arctic, highlighting the differences between the purpose, practices, and scale of these hunts. With the distinctions between the two practices made clear, it explores the historic and ongoing ways in which the commercial sealing industry and federal government have perpetuated the conflation of the two.
 
56. Prisner-Levyne Y (2021) Trophy hunting, canned hunting, tiger farming, and the questionable relevance of the conservation narrative grounding international wildlife law. Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy. DOI: 10.1080/13880292.2020.1866236 (Open access)
 
This article seeks to demonstrate that whether trophy hunting, canned hunting, and tiger farming have conservation value or not is irrelevant. The author argues that a more zoocentric rights-based approach to international wildlife law could yield better conservation results than the current utilitarian species-focused approach.
 
57. Thomsen J, Lendelvo S, Coe K and M Rispel (2021) Community perspectives of empowerment from trophy hunting tourism in Namibia’s Bwabwata National ParkJournal of Sustainable Tourism. 
DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2021.1874394 (Open access)
 
This study explores how communities of Namibia’s Bwabwata National Park perceive trophy hunting (TH) and how TH supports or hinders empowerment of local communities and their relationship with wildlife. The authors elucidate the economic benefits and inequities, cultural impacts from lack of traditional hunting, perceived relationship to poaching, and limitations of governance and distrust among stakeholders.
News articles, blogs etc.

58. Celebrity power undermining global conservation efforts, scientists warn ->
Leading scientists have warned that global conservation is being undermined by celebrity power after they suffered death threats and abuse in a hostile dispute over trophy hunting.
 
59. Misinformation about trophy hunting is wrong. Dead wrong -> Why banning trophy hunting without viable alternatives ready would imperil biodiversity and undermine local communities.
 
60. Conservation and colonialism - A Statement from the Southern Africa Community Leaders Network -> The Community Leaders Network challenges those in the Global North who are condemning conservation hunting as a colonial relic. For every complex problem there is an answer that seems clear and simple but is often wrong.
 
61. Moza community’s hunting revenue-powered development -> Wildlife hunting is increasingly becoming the main “driver” for not only socio-economic development but also for wildlife and wildlife habitat conservation in southern African communities that co-exist with wildlife.
 
62. Trophy hunters could threaten the social acceptability of hunting -> The minority of hunters who engage in trophy hunting—the killing of large carnivores, such as bears, wolves, and cougars, for sport—could threaten the social acceptance of the majority who hunt for food.
 
63. Conservation model that gets the trophy -> In Pakistan, villages supporting the population of markhors and other wildlife have been organised into Village Conservation Committees and given a defined role in the conservation process and financial powers to spend 80% of the permit fee for trophy hunting given to the communities.
 
64. Saving Africa's lions will rely on evidence around trophy hunting, not emotion -> Financial and other benefits from trophy hunting incentivise land-owners to maintain habitat and wildlife populations. Mapping in late 2019 revealed that more of the lion’s range was protected under hunting areas than in National Parks.  

Rights-based conservation
Publications
65. Corson C, Worcester J, Rogers S and I Flores-Ganley (2020) From paper to practice? Assembling a rights-based conservation approach. Journal of Political Ecology. DOI: 10.2458/v27i1.23621 (Open access)
 
Drawing on a collaborative ethnographic study of the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress, the authors analyse how Indigenous peoples and local community rights advocates have used a rights-based approach to advance long-standing struggles to secure local communities' land and resource rights and advance governing authority in biodiversity conservation.
 
66. Miller D, et al (2020) A global review of the impact of forest property rights interventions on poverty. Global Environmental Change. DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102218 
 
The authors review evidence on the impact of forest property rights interventions on poverty worldwide. They find that reported impacts on both income/consumption and capital/assets dimensions of poverty were generally positive or mixed, and find tentative support for the economic theory that more secure property rights yield positive welfare effects.
 
67. Rights and Resources Initiative (2020) Rights-based conservation: The path to preserving Earth’s biological and cultural diversity? Rights and Resources Initiative, Washington, DC. Available here (Open access)
 
This report is informed by the imperative to prevent the collapse of biodiversity while respecting the tenure and human rights of Indigenous Peoples (IPs), local communities (LCs), and Afrodescendants (ADs). It seeks to highlight the risks and opportunities for IPs, LCs, and ADs arising out of the proposed expansion of conservation areas.
 
68. Tan K-C (2021) Just conservation: The question of justice in global wildlife conservation. Philosophy Compass. DOI: 10.1111/phc3.12720
 
The goal of this study is to highlight the justice‐gap in the morality of wildlife conservation and to identify and frame two dimensions of global conservation justice for further discussion. The author suggests the need for more equitable approaches to conservation to address the problem of distributive unfairness in global conservation practices.
 
69. Urbancic N (2020) How granting Indigenous peoples’ land titles contributes to forest conservation in Latin America. Birbeck Law Review. Available here (PDF)
 
This article investigates how the growing recognition of Indigenous land rights through international law, jurisprudence and government actions contributed to forest conservation in Latin America. It concludes that to reverse the trends of deforestation and climate change, perception of nature and property has to shift away from a Western anthropocentric view closer to the Indigenous worldview.
News articles, blogs etc.

70. An open letter to the lead authors of ‘Protecting 30% of the Planet for Nature: Costs, Benefits and Implications.’ -> In August 2020 a draft working paper was released into the public domain which analysed ways of expanding and paying for new protected areas. This open letter, signed by authors from multiple institutions, explains a series of reservations about that working paper.
 
71. Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework must recognize role of Indigenous and local women -> The CBD prioritises the conservation, sustainable use, and fair and equitable distribution of benefits from marine and terrestrial biodiversity. Integrating gender justice in the mainstreaming of biodiversity could be a highly effective way to secure universal human rights for women in Indigenous peoples and local communities across the world.
 
72. Backing the stewards of biocultural diversity: Q&A with Indigenous rights leader Carla Fredericks -> Recognising Indigenous rights as a gap in the philanthropic space in general, the San Francisco-based Christensen Fund recently reoriented its grantmaking approach and adopted a new mission: supporting the global Indigenous peoples’ movement “in its efforts to advance the rights and opportunities of stewards of biocultural diversity.”
 
73. Putting people and rights at the heart of conservation -> Healthy economies and societies need a healthy environment, so conserving nature is good for people – but for it to be both equitable and effective, conservation has to be done with and for local people.
 
74. Must conservation and Indigenous rights clash? -> As over 50 countries sign on to the “Thirty by Thirty” plan that would set land aside from human use, some scholars worry about its effects on marginalised communities.
 
75. Human rights-based conservation is key to protecting biodiversity -> As the new post-2020 Global Biodiversity framework draft is negotiated, the 190 countries involved have the opportunity to “actively redress conservation’s colonial history and begin decolonising conservation,” by codifying rights-based conservation approaches.
 
76. Guardians of nature in the Congo Basin -> Article on the importance of local communities and Indigenous Peoples as guardians of nature, and the historical importance of the acceptance in the first instance of a proposed law to promote and protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Democratic Republic of Congo in June 2020.

Small scale fisheries management
Publications
77. Bowman C, Mangi S and H Oxenford (2021) Using stakeholder’s perspectives of ‘Managed Access’ to guide management efforts in small-scale fisheries. Environmental Conservation. DOI: 10.1017/S0376892921000047
 
This study explores the perspectives of four key stakeholder groups on the early impacts of Belize’s country-wide rights-based fishery management strategy known as Managed Access (MA), revealing five distinct perspectives. The different perspectives indicate that MA will be unlikely to meet its objectives without more financial investment in enforcement and stakeholder engagement, research and the strengthening of institutional capacity.
 
78. Getahun A, Wakjira M and D Wanja Nyingi (2021) Social, economic and management status of small-scale fisheries in Omo River Delta and Ethiopian side of Lake Turkana, southern Ethiopia. Ecohydrology and Hydrobiology. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecohyd.2020.05.008
 
The study assesses social and economic aspects and related problems of fisheries in the Lower Omo River and Ethiopian side of Lake Turkana to inform better management and sustainable use of the resources. The fisheries support a considerable number of the local communities, who have few other livelihood options apart from pastoralism.

79. Kaluma K and B Bwalya Umar (2021) Outcomes of participatory fisheries management: An example from co-management in Zambia's Mweru-Luapula fishery. Heliyon. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06083 (Open access)
 
The study examines the outcomes of participatory fisheries management in Mweru-Luapula fishery in northern Zambia. The main objectives are to: evaluate the performance of Village Fisheries Management Committees, analyse participation of fishers in management activities and to assess fishers' compliance to fisheries regulations.
 
80. Kiruba-Sankar R, et al (2021) Fisheries governance in the tropical archipelago of Andaman and Nicobar – opinions and strategies for sustainable management. Journal of Coastal Conservation. DOI: 10.1007/s11852-021-00808-5
 
Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India is a tropical archipelago cited as an example where marine fishery resources are considered to be highly underutilised vis-a-vis the harvestable potential. Comprehensive opinions on prevailing issues, complexities in governance, challenges faced and the management strategies that need to be adopted are discussed to ensure the robust governance and sustainability of marine fisheries sector.
 
81. Okeke-Ogbuafor N and T Gray (2021) Is community-based management of small-scale fisheries in Sierra Leone the answer to their problems? World Development Practices. DOI: 10.1016/j.wdp.2021.100292
 
This study investigates the viability of a community-based approach to the governance of small-scale fisheries (SSF) in Sierra Leone’s Tombo and Goderich fishing communities. It concludes that both top-down (governmental) and bottom-up (communitarian) approaches to SSF management have flaws, and each side needs to acknowledge its flaws, and work together with the other side to eliminate them.
 
82. Szymkowiak M and S Kasperski (2021) Sustaining an Alaska coastal community: Integrating place based well-being indicators and fisheries participation. Coastal Management. DOI: 10.1080/08920753.2021.1846165
 
The article showcases a mechanism of applying a well-being framework and participatory methods to develop locally relevant quantitative indicators for one of the most highly engaged fishing communities in Alaska - Sitka. These indicators can be used to track how fishery shocks may reverberate through social systems and affect fishing communities.
 
83. Sok S and X Yu (2021) Co-management of small-scale fishery in the Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia. Regional Sustainability. 
DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2020.12.002 (Open access)
 
This paper aims to determine why the co-management of small-scale fishery has not been implemented satisfactorily in the Tonle Sap Lake of Cambodia. They find that limited interaction among the involved stakeholders, i.e., unequal distribution of authority and resources co-management, has impeded implementation.
 
84. Trejos B and J Flores (2021) Influence of property rights on performance of community-based forest devolution policies in Honduras. Forest Policy and Economics. DOI: j.forpol.2021.102397
 
The authors analyse the influence of property rights on the application of devolution policies related to community-based forestry, using four sites in non-indigenous Honduras where forestry cooperatives were operating. The results show that historical policy changes regarding land tenure recognition have affected community-based forestry initiatives.
News articles, blogs etc.

85. This Thai village created a tiny fish reserve years ago. Today, it's thriving -> In 1998, people in Na Doi, a quiet village in northwest Thailand, noticed that their fish catches in the nearby Ngao River were declining. The fish they did manage to net were also getting smaller. Together, Na Doi’s 75 households decided to try a radical solution: they would set aside a small stretch of river to be strictly off-limits to fishing.

Sustainable/community-based forest management
Publications
86. Gutierrez Garzon A, et al (2021) Forest sustainability in state forest management plans: A content analysis. Journal of Sustainable Forestry. DOI: 10.1080/10549811.2021.1884575
 
The authors apply content analysis to a sample of state forest management plans from the United States to examine the terms associated with sustainability, and to assess explicit demonstrations of a commitment to sustainable forestry. Their results show that the three dimensions of sustainability are addressed in these forest management plans.
 
87. Kosoe E, Beyuo A and R Addy-Morton (2020) Participatory exclusion in community-based forest management: The case of semi-arid Ghana. In Osabuohien E, et al (eds) Handbook of Research on Institution Development for Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Growth in Africa. IGI Global. Available here
 
This study uses forest inventory data collected in compartments under different forest management regimes (CFM, inactive-CFM, and non-CFM) to assess the evidence for conservation outcomes that are attributable to Collaborative Forest Management (CFM) in Uganda. The results show significant changes in tree communities in the non-CFM compartment.
 
88. Nath T, Jashimuddin M and M Inoue (2020) Achieving sustainable development goals through participatory forest management: Examples from SouthEastern BangladeshNatural Resources Forum. DOI: 10.1111/1477-8947.12209
 
This paper, drawing data from four participatory forest management (PFM) projects in south‐eastern Bangladesh, explores: (a) the factors that influenced the outcomes of PFM; and (b) contribution of PFM towards achieving selected SDGs. Heterogeneity of user groups, insufficient coordination, absence of motivation, and land tenure conflicts had affected the attainment of SDGs.
 
89. Oldekop J, et al (2020) Forest-linked livelihoods in a globalised world. Nature Plants. DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-00814-9 (Open access)
 
The authors use a horizon scanning approach to identify five large-scale trends that are likely to have substantial medium- and long-term effects on forests and forest livelihoods: forest megadisturbances; changing rural demographics; the rise of the middle-class in low- and middle-income countries; increased availability, access and use of digital technologies; and large-scale infrastructure development.
 
90. Park S-H and Y Yeo-Chang (2021) Impact of collaborative forest management on rural livelihood: A case study of maple sap collecting households in South Korea. Sustainability. DOI: 10.3390/su13041594 (Open access)
 
This study investigates what factors influence rural communities’ participation in collaborative forest management (CFM) and how their participation in CFM affects livelihood strategies and income level. The findings show that CFM participating households tend to choose diversified livelihood strategies.
 
91. Putraditama A, Kim Y-S and H Baral (2021) Where to put community-based forestry?: Reconciling conservation and livelihood in Lampung, IndonesiaTrees, Forests and People. DOI: 10.1016/j.tfp.2021.100062 (Open access)
 
This study investigates benefits and challenges of community-based forestry (CBF) perceived by participating farmers in two Community Forests in Lampung, Indonesia. The findings show that securing land tenure is the most important motivation for them to participate in CBF and abide by the government-imposed rules and regulations.
 
92. Saung T, Mizoue N, Ota T and T Kajisa (2020) Differences in forest use strategies for cash income between households living outside and inside selectively logged production forests in Myanmar.
Forests. DOI: 10.3390/f11121263 (Open access)
 
This study aims to detect differences in forest use strategies and forest cash income dependency between households living outside and inside selectively logged production forests, known as Reserved Forests (RFs), in Bago Township. The results show evidence of substantial forest use for commercial purposes in RFs by households living both inside and outside the RFs, despite local recognition of the illegality of the use.
News articles, blogs etc.

93. Indigenous agroforestry revives profitable palm trees and the Atlantic Forest -> The Indigenous Guarani people from the São Paulo coast are traditional consumers of jussara palm hearts, and have decided to reverse the loss by planting thousands of palm trees inside their reserve.
 
94. Yangambi: Building a sustainable landscape that puts people first -> In a new series of videos, community members living in DRC’s Yangambi landscape explain how they are working towards a greener future.
 
95. The bold plan to save Africa's largest forest -> The Congo Basin contains the world's second-largest rainforest, crucial for regulating the world's climate. Inside it, a plan to halt the forest's decline is bearing fruit.

Sustainable use and traditional knowledge
Publications
96. Ehlers Smith Y, et al (2021) Indigenous knowledge of South African bird and rangeland ecology is effective for informing conservation scienceJournal of Environmental Management. 
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112041
 
The authors document indigenous local ecological knowledge (LEK) held by rural dwellers linked to natural resource utilisation, environmental health and cultural keystone indicator species in the grassland communities of southern KwaZulu-Natal. They find that people who are heavily reliant on natural resources attained a higher LEK score, indicating a greater breadth of ecological knowledge, which in turn shaped their perceptions of environmental change.
 
97. Fajardo P, et al (2021) Aichi Target 18 beyond 2020: Mainstreaming traditional biodiversity knowledge in the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal ecosystems. PeerJ. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9616 (Open access)
 
This paper summarises the 10 priority actions identified for a holistic biodiversity conservation, gender equality and human rights-based approach that strengthens the role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) as biodiversity conservation decision-makers and managers at national and international levels.
 
98. Jabali W, Wamukota A and B Fulanda (2020) The role of indigenous knowledge in the management of marine resources: A case study of Kuruwitu and Mkunguni fishing areas in Kenya. Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science. DOI: 10.4314/wiojms.v19i1.2 (Open access)
 
This study identifies the existing types of Indigenous knowledge (IK) and practices used in the management of marine resources in Kenya. The results reveal that the community relies on IK for weather forecasting to plan for fishing activities which subsequently regulated marine resource exploitation.
 
99. Kathambi V, et al (2020) Traditional knowledge, use and conservation of plants by the communities of Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya. Plant Diversity. DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2020.12.004 (Open access)
 
The authors conduct an ethnobotanical study in Tharaka-Nithi County in Kenya to determine the knowledge and utilisation of various plant species by the local communities. They recommend conservation measures, alongside awareness creation for the species endemic to the region, as they are highly depended on by the community.
 
100. Pascual-Mendoza S, Saynes-Vásquez A and A Pérez-Herrera (2021) Traditional knowledge of edible plants in an indigenous community in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, Mexico. Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology. DOI: 10.1080/11263504.2021.1887956
 
The authors document traditional knowledge of edible plants in an indigenous community in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca and analyse sociodemographic factors influencing this knowledge. Age showed a positive relationship with traditional knowledge, while the level of education showed a negative relationship, and linguistic competence did not show relationship.
News articles, blogs etc.
101. Traditional fishers—The unsung heroes of ocean conservation -> Ocean conservation has too long marginalised the very people best placed to lead the most powerful change: traditional fishing communities.
 
102. ‘Indigenous people respect all species’ -> Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is an environmental activist and member of Chad’s pastoralist Mbororo community who believes in twinning traditional knowledge with science to tackle ecosystem challenges. She spoke to Dinyar Godrej about how indigenous people preserve nature.
Sustainable use measurement, monitoring, assessment
Publications
103. Haq S, et al (2020) Traditional usage of wild fauna among the local inhabitants of Ladakh, Trans-Himalayan Region. Animals. DOI: 10.3390/ani10122317 (Open access)
 
The authors assess traditional ethnozoological usage of wild animals by local inhabitants in Ladakh region. Their results show that the highest priority of local people was for food followed by decoration and medicinal usage. The most frequently used animal parts are meat followed by fur and horn.
 
104. Ormbsby A, Felardo J and R Musci (2021) Multiple values from the forest: Contribution of non-timber forest products to livelihoods of local communities in northeastern Thailand. Environment, Development and Sustainability. DOI: 10.1007/s10668-020-01131-z
 
This study focuses on NTFP collection in the Phu Sritan forest in Thailand. The results show that 96% of those surveyed visit the local forest to collect NTFPs. The authors recommend that future research focus on individual species that are under extreme NTFP collection pressure, and that harvest amounts should be measured and documented.
 
105. Semenya S and M Mokgoebo (2020) The utilisation and conservation of indigenous wild plant resources in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. In Rhodes E and H Naser (eds) Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences, InTechOpen. DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.89920 (Open access)
 
The authors collate, analyse, and describe uses of indigenous wild plants and their conservation methods by the rural communities of Limpopo Province. Species are mainly exploited for medicinal and food purposes, but results show that not all harvesting approaches promote effective conservation and sustainable utilisation of wild plant resources.
News articles, blogs etc.
No new news articles or blogs at this time.
Wild harvest for food
Publications
106. Alarape A, Shuaibu R and Z Yaduma (2021) The impacts of bushmeat exploitations on the conservation of wildlife in Nigeria. Asian Journal of Social Science and Management Technology. Available here (PDF)
 
This paper examines the impacts of exploitation of wild animals as bushmeat on the conservation of wildlife in Nigeria. The results show that most of the respondents (80.3%) in the study area carried out hunting activities for income generation while 19.7% respondents carried out hunting activities for food.
 
107. Barbosa de Lima J, de Oliveira Rebouças P and C Batista Santos (2021) Hunting and use of wildlife species in the semi-arid region of Brazil. Amazonia Investiga. DOI: 10.34069/AI/2020.36.12.1 (PDF)
 
This article investigates the socio-cultural and ecological aspects associated with the hunting of wild animals by the inhabitants of the Cruz village. Despite results indicating that hunting is one of the main causes of reductions of wildlife, it is strongly related to the socio-cultural aspects of the Brazilian semi-arid populations. Thus, proposals for the management of wildlife resources in traditional communities must take into account the needs of these populations.
 
108. Carignano Torres P, Morsello C, Parry L and R Pardini (2020) Forest cover and social relations are more important than economic factors in driving hunting and bushmeat consumption in post-frontier Amazonia. Biological Conservation. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108823 (Open access)
 
The authors investigate bushmeat hunting and consumption in Brazil. Their results show that hunting is more likely in locations with higher forest cover, where game availability is expected to be higher. In contrast, bushmeat consumption is widespread even in deforested landscapes near to urban centres.
 
109. Chouhy M and J Dabezies (2021) Between subsistence hunting and environmental sustainability: Conservation and social reproduction in the northeast of Uruguay. Anthrozoös. DOI: 10.1080/08927936.2021.1874111
 
This paper focuses on the relationships between subsistence hunting and sustainability from an anthropological perspective, in Paso Centurión (Uruguay), an area that is undergoing a process of environmentalisation. Based on an ethnographic fieldwork the authors propose that subsistence hunting should be considered as a practice that involves social, cultural and environmental engagements between humans and animals.
 
110. de Araujo Lima Constantino P, Valente-Neto F, Nunes A and J Campos-Silva (2021) Culture still matters: Conservation implications of hunting by ethnolinguistic groups in southwestern Amazonia after centuries of contact. Biodiversity and Conservation. DOI: 10.1007/s10531-020-02099-y
 
The authors assess whether ethnolinguistic groups, ecoregion, country, and watershed affect hunting profiles among Pano and Arawak indigenous groups, and non-indigenous immigrants inhabiting a large area of southwestern Amazonia. The results show that indigenous people have a preference for large species but non-indigenous living in the same environments target medium-sized rodents.
 
111. Fa J, et al (2021) Hunting territories and land use overlap in sedentarised Baka Pygmy communities in southeastern Cameroon. Scientific Reports. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83223-y (Open access)
 
The authors map hunting territories in 10 Baka villages in Cameroon, to determine whether wild meat extraction levels per village are related to the size of hunting territories, measure habitat use by hunters and finally define the overlap between hunting territories and extractive industries in the region.
 
112. Łuczaj Ł, et al (2020) Wild food plants and fungi sold in the markets of Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. DOI: 10.1186/s13002-020-00423-y (Open access)
 
The authors record plants and fungi sold in the open air markets of Luang Prabang. They view the morning market of Luang Prabang as a cultural treasure that unites the traditions of eating a large number of living species with very diverse flora and fauna, and suggest measures should be taken to strike a balance between local foraging traditions and nature conservation priorities.
 
113. Natcher D, Ingram S, Bogdan A and A Rice (2021) Conservation and Indigenous subsistence hunting in the Peace River region of Canada. Human Ecology. DOI:  10.1007/s10745-020-00210-z
 
The authors present the results of a study documenting the extent to which First Nations households from communities in the Peace River region participate in subsistence moose hunting. Since the 1990s, the moose population in the Peace River region has exhibited episodic decline. This is a particular concern to First Nations who depend on moose as their primary source of wild food and a critical component of their culture and identity.
 
114. Pradhan R, Nayak A and S Reddy (2020) Potential Wild edible plants and its significance in livelihood of Indigenous People of Male Mahadeshwara Hills, Karnataka. Economic Affairs. Available here (PDF)
 
This paper examines the wild edible plants available in Male Mahadeshwara (MM Hills) Karnataka, their uses, and scope of value addition to increase economic benefit and sustainable forest management. The results show that wild edible plants are an essential source of income as a subsidiary livelihood option for local farm families.
 
115. Stone M and L Stone (2020) Community-based ecotourism and bushmeat consumption dynamics: Implications for conservation and community developmentJournal of Sustainable Tourism. DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2020.1845708
 
This paper explores the contribution of community-based ecotourism to bushmeat consumption/production using the Chobe Enclave Conservation Trust, Botswana. The results indicate that bushmeat’s contribution to community livelihoods is perceived varyingly by different stakeholders - some see it as a threat to wildlife resources, a key driver to poaching and extinction of species resulting in unmanageable stakeholders’ interests while others see it as a means to improve their livelihoods and dietary needs.
News articles, blogs etc.

No new news articles or blogs at this time.

Wildlife trade (and CITES)
Publications
116. Andersson A, et al (2021) CITES and beyond: Illuminating 20 years of global, legal wildlife trade. Global Ecology and Conservation. DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01455 (Open access)
 
The authors analyse 20 years of data from the UN Comtrade database, aiming to detail the scale, composition, and trends across all taxa of wildlife traded legally, and to indicate opportunities for improvement.
 
117. Bell Rizzolo J (2021) Effects of legalisation and wildlife farming on conservation. Global Ecology and Conservation. DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01390 (Open access)
 
This paper explores how legalisation, wildlife farming, and possible changes in consumptive acceptability affect demand for wildlife products in Mainland China. Wildlife product bans decreased the acceptability and social approval of wildlife consumption and increased estimations of legal punishments.
 
118. Chaitae A, Gordon I, Addison J and H Marsh (2021) From protection of elephants to sustainable use of ivory in Thailand. Oryx. Available here
 
The 2015 legal reforms of the Thai Government: 1) introduced strict controls over the possession and domestic trade of ivory from domesticated Asian elephants, and 2) aligned the protection of African elephants and their ivory with CITES. Nonetheless, the sustainability of the Thai ivory trade remains disputed, and international pressure to close the commercial trade in domestic ivory persists. This paper reviews this complex situation to inform future reforms.
 
119. Haque A, et al (2020) Fishing and trade of devil rays (Mobula spp.) in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh: Insights from fishers’ knowledge. Aquatic Conservation. DOI: 10.1002/aqc.3495
 
To characterise devil ray fishing practices, fishers’ perception and trade, the authors interview 230 fishers and traders in four areas of south‐east Bangladesh. To manage devil ray fisheries, and prevent possible population declines, they propose a combination of legally enforced gear modifications, and catch and trade control through community‐owned implementation strategies.
 
120. Johnson B, et al (2020) Socio-economic impact of sea cucumber conservation in Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar Region of Tamil Nadu. Indian Journal of Extension Education. Available here (PDF)
 
The blanket ban on collection and trade on sea cucumber in India was imposed during 2002 by listing the species in Schedule I category of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. This study aims to analyse and understand the impacts of listing on the conservation of sea cucumber resources in the wild and on the livelihood of the fishers.
 
121. Natusch D, Aust P and R Shine (2021) The perils of flawed science in wildlife trade literature. Conservation Biology. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13716
 
The authors argue that philosophical biases are common in the scientific literature on trade in wildlife, highlighting a critically important case example to illustrate this problem. Based on analysis of official seizures of fashion products made from wildlife, Sosnowski and Petrossian (S&P) inferred that criminal activity common and increasing; and hence, that authorities needed to adopt more stringent restrictions on the trade. They argue that S&P’s 2020's conclusions are artefacts of pseudoreplication and biased sampling, and run directly opposite to actual patterns in the data.
 
123. Rivera C, Macey S, Blair M and E Sterling (2021) Assessing ecological and social dimensions of success in a community-based sustainable harvest program. Environmental Management. DOI: 10.1007/s00267-021-01425-6
 
This study uses a multidisciplinary, systems approach to assess the ecological and social dimensions of success of an internationally acclaimed CBCRM program. This program, located in one of the largest protected areas in the Peruvian Amazon, strives for the sustainable harvest and trade of a turtle species.
 
124. Seidu I, et al (2020) Fishing for survival: Importance of shark fisheries for the livelihoods of coastal communities in Western GhanabioRxiv. 
DOI: 10.1101/2021.01.18.427106 (Open access)
 
This study addresses a gap in literature regarding the importance of elasmobranchs to key shark-fishing communities and the degree to which trade in shark products vary in time and among fishing communities in Ghana. Shark meat consumption was common among fishers and traders and represents a substantial source of protein in the diet of the study communities, but overexploitation of these species may compromise food security.
 
125. Turvey S, et al (2021) From dirty to delicacy? Changing exploitation in China threatens the world's largest amphibians. People and Nature. DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10185 (Open access)
 
The authors conduct a series of interview surveys across the range of giant salamanders in China, targeting potential rural and urban user groups, and stakeholders involved with giant salamander exploitation and policy management. Their results demonstrate wide‐scale and largely unregulated illegal hunting to stock farms at a country‐wide scale in order to support demand by urban consumers for high‐prestige rare meat.
News articles, blogs etc.

126. The Battle inside CITES – Southern African conservationists are at war with animal-rights NGO -> A form of neo-colonialism by US- and UK-based animal protectionists threatens the rural communities and wildlife of Southern Africa.
 
127. Pet trade relies on ‘disposable’ wild chameleons from Madagascar -> Each year hundreds of thousands of these slow-moving reptiles are taken from the wild, both legally and illegally, many of them from threatened species living in the forests of Madagascar.
 
128. Louisiana Alligator CITES Feature -> Short video on the legal and sustainable trade of Louisiana alligator skins.

General (non-thematic articles on sustainable use and livelihoods)
Publications
129. Turnbull J, Johnston E and G Clark (2021) Evaluating the social and ecological effectiveness of partially protected marine areas. Conservation Biology. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13677
 
The authors assess the social perceptions and ecological effectiveness of 18 partially protected areas and 19 fully protected areas compared with 19 open areas along the coast of Australia. They argue that partially protected areas act as red herrings in marine conservation because they create an illusion of protection and consume scarce conservation resources yet provide little or no social or ecological gain over open areas.
 
130. Verschuuren B, et al (2021) Cultural and spiritual significance of nature: Guidance for protected and conserved area governance and management. IUCN, Switzerland. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.CH.2021.PAG.32.en (Open access)
 
These guidelines respond to a growing need to make conservation more inclusive, effective and socially just by accommodating multiple worldviews; by treating natural and cultural heritage as interlinked; and by suggesting ways for engaging and empowering all relevant groups and stakeholders in protected area design, governance and management.
 
131. von Essen M and E Lambin (2021) Jurisdictional approaches to sustainable resource use. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. DOI: 10.1002/fee.2299 (Open access)
 
The authors compile a global database of conservation initiatives and develop a definition and typology for jurisdictional approaches. They categorise these jurisdictional approaches according to two criteria: the focus of the intervention and the degree of government involvement. The jurisdictions encompassed approximately 40% of global tropical forests, with most experiencing higher‐than‐average deforestation rates.
 
132. Zebardast L, Akbarpour S, Jafari H and M Karimi (2020) Sustainable wetland management through bridging the communication gap between conservation projects and local communities. Environment, Development and Sustainability. DOI: 10.1007/s10668-020-01082-5
 
Several conservation projects have been conducted at Gharagheshlagh wetland, Iran, but their efforts have not led to tangible and long-lasting outcomes. The absence of full integration of the locals seems to be a major reason, and this study examines the causes of this failure. According to the results, the project teams did not communicate with the locals in a satisfactory manner.
News articles, blogs etc.

No new news articles or blogs at this time.

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