There's an experiment going on in conservation in Africa. With biodiversity imperiled, and nations facing financial and political crises, some governments are transferring the management of protected areas to private, non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
There's an experiment going on in conservation in Africa. With biodiversity imperiled, and nations facing financial and political crises, some governments are transferring the management of protected areas to private, non-governmental organizations .
A team of researchers from institutions including UC Santa Barbara wanted to know how this trend affects wildlife and people. Surveying parks throughout the continent under private and government administration, they discovered that NGO management improves measures for wildlife, including by reducing elephant poaching, and increases tourism. Overall, management appears to improve under NGO control.
Fortunately, AP published a map of protected areas in Africa that they believe are key to safeguarding the continent's biodiversity and ultimately meet their criteria for future management. These"anchor sites" share key characteristics like a large size, strong legal status, limited agricultural activity and the potential to sustain large wildlife populations.
The authors also found some important drawbacks, though. In areas already experiencing armed conflict, these changes can increase the probability that armed groups target civilians living in areas bordering those overseen by AP. They think this could be a result of armed groups redirecting their activity toward exploiting civilians when AP prevents them from operating in or extracting resources from protected areas.
Notably, only one of the four categories measured by the METT appeared to fall under private park management: decision-making inclusiveness. The slight drop in this category didn't surprise Denny and his colleagues since AP maintains tight control over its work. It does, however, point to an opportunity for improvement.African wildlife is threatened, and NGOs are offering a potential solution.
Additionally, many national parks in Africa were created by colonial administrations, so they have deep colonial histories and legacies. Denny and his co-authors are eager to partner with African researchers to explore how this history affects local people's perceptions of parks, and their preferences for how they're managed and by whom.
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Outsourcing conservation in Africa: NGO management reduces poaching and boosts tourism, but raises risks for civiliansThere's an experiment going on in conservation in Africa. With biodiversity imperiled, and nations facing financial and political crises, some governments are transferring the management of protected areas to private, non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
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