A multi-method approach to explore environmental governance: a case study of a large, densely populated dry forest region of the neotropics
Autor: | Marianna Siegmund-Schultze |
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Jazyk: | angličtina |
Rok vydání: | 2021 |
Předmět: |
Sustainable land management
Economics and Econometrics Multi-level governance Constellation analysis 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Land Use and Food Security Geography Planning and Development Population 010501 environmental sciences Management Monitoring Policy and Law System dynamics 01 natural sciences Caatinga Social–ecological systems Land use land-use change and forestry education Environmental planning Land use change 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Sustainable development education.field_of_study Land use Corporate governance Landgebruik en Voedselzekerheid Geography Environmental governance |
Zdroj: | Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23(2), 1539-1562 Environment, Development and Sustainability 23 (2021) 2 |
ISSN: | 1387-585X |
Popis: | Semiarid regions are often secondary on the national to global (scientific) agenda, especially if abundant vegetation elsewhere draws attention and the local population is considered backwards thinking and poverty-stricken. The Caatinga, our case study, is such a region, home to millions of Brazilians and a vast biodiversity. Unfortunately, a widely uncoordinated land use change and biodiversity decline are happening, while farmers’ livelihoods are at risk. We hypothesize substantial weaknesses in the current governance practices. To explore governance of the less noticed region, we conducted interviews and field visits and complemented the findings with the literature and internet resources. Our multi-method approach combines the social–ecological systems framework with constellation analysis and dynamic modeling. The aim was to understand the current state of governance in the region and identify clues for more sustainable land management. The use and conservation of Caatinga are negotiated at multiple levels, which are only sporadically interlinked. The conversion of forest land into alternative land uses shifts and shares responsibility among different sectors, while cross-sectoral cooperation is rarely observed. The region and its population face massive prejudices. Obstructing attitudes, such as thinking in dichotomies, and paternalistic and opportunistic approaches, are being addressed by some new coalitions taking alternative action. It is unlikely that these isolated initiatives will converge by themselves to a larger transformation toward sustainable resource use. There is a need to bring the dispersed actions in a more focused and coordinated approach, integrating socioeconomic and ecological concerns, values, and partnerships. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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