The international politics of national parks

National parks are the keystone institutions of environmental conservation. Because national parks make certain lands part of the state itself, international agencies and nongovernmental organizations that promote national parks propose, in effect, to alter the state, as well as the local economy and state relations with social groups. Has international political pressure caused states to create national parks? I consider whether countries highly involved in international politics have the largest proportions of land in national parks. I conclude that many states create minimal park systems as symbolic gestures to the international community. Field researchers may find it easier to explain the success or failure of parks if they identity why state officials decide that adopting international conservation norms will enhance state authority over people and state sovereignty over land.     

Challenges in genetic resources policy making: some lessons from participatory policy research with a special reference to Ethiopia

It is widely recognized that developing countries lack technical and institutional capacity to effectively implement genetic resources policy. This has led Bioversity International (the then IPGRI) to initiate a project called Genetic Resources Policy Initiative (GRPI) in six countries (Ethiopia, Egypt, Zambia, Peru, Vietnam and Nepal). Drawing from the literature and experiences of this project, this paper has attempted to document some of the lessons from the project and present the issues and challenges that need to be addressed for effective genetic resources policy. Recognizing its cross-cutting nature, the paper has argued that genetic resources policy has to be part of the broader development agenda to effectively deal with trade-offs and harmonize the conflicts. Essentially, the important policy question is to strike the balance and simultaneously promote the diversity of genetic resources and welfare outcomes. The major thrust of GRPI has been the multi-disciplinary, -sectoral, and -stakeholder (3M) approach. Despite all its theoretical merits, its implementation has been a serious challenge in practice. This has, among others, been due to ‘‘A project for all is a project for none’’ dilemma. Engaging decision makers in 3M deliberations has revealed that many of them tend to think that maintaining genetic diversity promotes traditional farming and retards agricultural development. Clearly, addressing each of these challenges and policy loopholes requires innovation in a diversity of institutions.     

Biology and philosophy in Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park poses critical issues in biology and philosophy. Among these are (1) how to value nature, especially at the ecosystem level, and whether to let nature take its course or employ hands-on scientific management; (2) the meaning of natural as this operates in park policy; (3) establishing biological claims on th scale of regional systems; (4) the interplay of natural and cultural history, involving both native and European Americans; (5) and sociopolitical forces as determinants in biological discovery. Alston Chase's strident Playing God in Yellowstone is critized and used as a test of David Hull's naturalistic philosophy of biology. Biology and philosophy in Yellowstone ought to combine for an appropriate environmental ethic.The author thanks Donald A. Crosby, Jann Benson, Tom Wolf, William W. Dunmire, Norman A. Bishop, and Paul Schullery for critical help.     

Conservation of Bolivian flora: representation of phytogeographic zones in the national system of protected areas

The protected areas of Bolivia cover 10.2% of its territory, but only 60% of this surface is considered to be of conservation value. Protected areas are unevenly distributed over the eight phyto-geographic regions of Bolivia. The Pantanal is not represented in any conservation unit. Inventories and basic information are usually lacking as plant surveys have been carried out mostly outside protected areas.     

钱江源国家公园体制试点区农户生计资本评价及其空间特征

本研究以钱江源国家公园体制试点区(以下简称为钱江源国家公园)为例, 基于可持续生计分析框架, 构建农户生计资本评价指标体系, 运用熵权法、聚类分析和空间自相关分析, 开展钱江源国家公园农户生计资本评价, 并对其空间分布和集聚特征进行分析。结果表明: (1)不同农户类型的生计资本均值呈现非农户 > 兼业户 > 纯农户, 非农户的人力资本、社会资本和物质资本远高于兼业户和纯农户; (2)不同农户类型资产等级划分差异显著, 纯农户的中低资产较多, 非农户的高资产较多, 生计资本与生计活动类型密切相关; (3)农户生计资本总量在空间上呈现由西南向东北递增的趋势, 何田乡生计资本较为均衡, 齐溪镇、长虹乡和苏庄镇的生计资本搭配不合理; (4)不同功能区农户生计资本分布与功能定位和管理强度相关; (5)自然资本呈现显著空间自相关性, 其余资本及总量空间自相关性不显著。最后, 为改善钱江源国家公园农户生计状况提出了相关建议。     

Ecosystem health through ecological restoration: barriers and opportunities

It is quite possible that no ecosystem on the planet is totally free of anthropogenic effects. Changes in the ozone layer, airborne transport of contaminants, and the persistence of pesticides and other chemicals, coupled with biological magnification, implies that even remote areas are probably not comparable to their condition before the industrial revolution and the recent explosion of human population. Theoretical ecologists have attempted to isolate their theories and studies from anthropogenic effects with varying degrees of success. However, finding ecosystems free of the effects of human society is becoming increasingly difficult, partly because of the global nature of pollution problems. Regrettably, many academicians are not educated in policy development as they work toward B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. degrees in the sciences. As a consequence, scientists are surprised to learn that a politically-appointed individual, experienced in law or some other non-scientific field, usually has final decision-making authority over policy that affects ecosystems. Scientists must understand that policy links science to social, economic, and legal societal values and needs. Finally, aside from the fact that policy or lack thereof now affects all of the planet's ecosystems, policy most likely will also determine which areas of research are funded. While some scientific studies could be carried out with personal funds, these are not particularly common in mainstream science and, therefore, obtaining financial support for ecosystem studies for the remainder of this century and probably early in the next will depend increasingly on societal policy other than purely science policy.     

生态系统文化服务价值感知量表研究——基于国家公园游客视角

国家公园游客对生态系统文化服务(CESs)价值的感知有助于从精神层面揭示个体与国家公园之间的内在关系,对于衡量国家公园CESs价值潜力、促进人与自然和谐共生具有重要意义。以黄山国家公园创建区为例,采用文献回顾、头脑风暴等方法确定国家公园游客CESs价值感知构念、指标和量表题项,对所获得的405份有效样本数据进行了实证分析,最终生成了\"认同学习-情感体验-精神惠益-国家认同\"4个子维度和15个题项的国家公园游客CESs价值感知量表。通过实证检验,量表具有良好的信度、结构效度和效标效度。研究结果为国家公园游客CESs价值感知评估提供了有效的测量工具,同时可为国家公园生态-社会效益的实现提供理论依据与实践指导。     

Contractual National Parks and the Makuleke Community

Contractual national parks in South Africa are established on land owned either by the state or by a group of private individuals, but managed by South African National Parks (SANP) according to the terms of a joint management agreement drawn up by a joint management committee consisting of representatives from SANP and the landowners. Since majority rule in 1994, contractual national parks have been seen as a model through which the country's conservation as well as development objectives can be met, particularly where landowners are previously disadvantaged communities. This study looks at the Makuleke region of Kruger National Park in order to ascertain how successful the contractual national park model is in meeting conservation, social, and economic objectives for the area.     

Minorities policy in the post‐Soviet republics: The case of the Gagauzi

This article explores the obstacles to crafting comprehensive policies for ethnic minorities within the Soviet successor states. It focuses on a case that has been viewed as a model for the peaceful resolution of ethnic conflict in the region: Moldova's devolution of power to its small Gagauz (Christian Turkic) minority. The relationship between the Moldovan government and the Gagauzi reached its nadir in 1990, when Moldovan volunteer forces and Gagauz irregulars stood at the brink of all‐out civil war over the issue of a separate Gagauz political entity. Since then, however, Moldova has created a special administrative unit known as Gagauz Yeri ('the Gagauz land'). In contrast to other ethno‐territorial disputes in the former Soviet Union, the Gagauz case has illustrated that a range of policy options exists between the extremes of maintaining a highly centralized, unitary state structure and the devolution of authority to loosely related confederative units.     

基于国际经验的我国国家公园遴选探讨

建立科学的遴选方法可以为我国国家公园体系建设提供决策依据。本文通过系统梳理典型国家的国家公园遴选方法,总结国际普遍采用的技术程序和手段,针对我国国情提出了渐进式评价法,采用\"全局评价、类型比较\"的研究思路开展国家公园建设潜在区域的选择。研究认为,国家公园是我国自然保护地管理体制改革、自然文化资源利用方式转型和优化国土空间利用保护的重要措施,肩负着自然生态保护、资源利用和区域发展的重要作用。国际上国家公园可以划分为地域广阔型、地域限制型和本土特征保护型,3种类型的区别在于分层划分、同级比较和程序复杂性。我国可参考地域广阔型国家的遴选方法,从自然生态系统类型(代表性和重要性)、原真性、生物多样性、自然景观、文化遗产等六大方面进行评价,区分国家公园建设的潜在区域和可建设区域。研究能够为国家公园的科学优选提供理论参考。     

The “ethnic” in Indonesia’s communal conflicts: violence in Ambon,Poso, and Sambas

ABSTRACT

This article looks at the communal violence in Ambon, Poso, and Sambas in post-Suharto Indonesia from a comparative perspective. It explores why Ambon and Poso were seen as religious while Sambas was seen as ethnic despite the fact that in all three conflicts different religions and ethnicities fought each other. Examining the “ethnic” elements, this article advances three arguments: First, that the Poso and Ambon conflicts were no less ethnic than the Sambas conflict as they had similar “ethnic causes”. Second, that the religious narrative dominated in Ambon and Poso because it reflected the Islamic resurgence in Indonesia since the 1990s while the narrative in Sambas reflected that it was the latest round of a pre-existing anti-Madurese conflict which had already been “defined” as “ethnic”. Third, that the narratives were framed strategically, thus influencing the trajectory of the conflict but also responding to it.     

Estimated Ultraviolet Radiation Doses in Wetlands in Six National Parks

Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280–320-nm wavelengths) doses were estimated for 1024 wetlands in six national parks: Acadia (Acadia), Glacier (Glacier), Great Smoky Mountains (Smoky), Olympic (Olympic), Rocky Mountain (Rocky), and Sequoia/Kings Canyon (Sequoia). Estimates were made using ground-based UV-B data (Brewer spectrophotometers), solar radiation models, GIS tools, field characterization of vegetative features, and quantification of DOC concentration and spectral absorbance. UV-B dose estimates were made for the summer solstice, at a depth of 1 cm in each wetland. The mean dose across all wetlands and parks was 19.3 W-h m⁻² (range of 3.4–32.1 W-h m⁻²). The mean dose was lowest in Acadia (13.7 W-h m⁻²) and highest in Rocky (24.4 W-h m⁻²). Doses were significantly different among all parks. These wetland doses correspond to UV-B flux of 125.0 μW cm⁻² (range 21.4–194.7 μW cm⁻²) based on a day length, averaged among all parks, of 15.5 h. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), a key determinant of water-column UV-B flux, ranged from 0.6 (analytical detection limit) to 36.7 mg C L⁻¹ over all wetlands and parks, and reduced potential maximal UV-B doses at 1-cm depth by 1%–87 %. DOC concentration, as well as its effect on dose, was lowest in Sequoia and highest in Acadia (DOC was equivalent in Acadia, Glacier, and Rocky). Landscape reduction of potential maximal UV-B doses ranged from zero to 77% and was lowest in Sequoia. These regional differences in UV-B wetland dose illustrate the importance of considering all aspects of exposure in evaluating the potential impact of UV-B on aquatic organisms.     

国家公园多维功能耦合理论框架

国家公园多维功能耦合调控是中国生态文明建设和美丽中国目标实现的关键议题,在中国人地关系、政策体制、国家目标等方面具有鲜明的中国化特点。中国国家公园建设面临着人类活动与生态环境相互作用下的地域功能调控难题,需要科学认识并优化国家公园多维功能权衡、协同、增效路径。系统分析了国家公园多维功能研究的相关进展并进行评述,提出国家公园多维功能定量测度、特征识别、机理阐释、动态调适研究的逻辑思路和理论框架,强调深化研究国家公园多维功能耦合时空特征和作用机理,探索顾及生态、公平、效率综合目标最优化的动态调适路径,形成缓解权衡、增强协同、调控增效最佳实践路径。研究结论有利于增强对国家公园可持续法则的认识,为国家公园绿色方案制定提供参考借鉴。     

Conservation and Wildlife Management in South African National Parks 1930s–1960s

In recent decades conservation biology has achieved a high position among the sciences. This is certainly true of South Africa, a small country, but the third most biodiverse in the world. This article traces some aspects of the transformation of South African wildlife management during the 1930s to the 1960s from game reserves based on custodianship and the “balance of nature” into scientifically managed national parks with a philosophy of “command and control” or “management by intervention.” In 1910 the four British colonies had formed the Union of South Africa, and by the 1920s there was wide acceptance of national parks, a development influenced by their success in the United States. It was not, however, until after the Second World War, that management of the expanding conservation estate altered from a rather unsystematic laissez faire variety, into more scientifically informed management practices with an efficient bureaucracy in charge. This was achieved by modifications in organizational structures and institutional cultures initiated by a change of government in 1948 which, this article argues, impacted in turn on wildlife management and shaped and professionalized many aspects of that field science. “Management by intervention” was the hallmark of South African wildlife and conservation biology from the 1960s until recently, when there have been shifts towards “adaptive resource management” in a period of further change in the country’s politics.