A biocultural approach to navigating conservation trade-offs through participatory methods
Nicole Wengerd, Michael S. Gilmore
Abstract
The desire to simultaneously address the well-being of local people while also mitigating the destruction of ecosystems resulted in a variety of win-win approaches, including popular models such as community-based conservation and integrated conservation and development projects. More than 25 years of international conservation experience show that win-win outcomes are decidedly mixed; there is a need to shift to a trade-off narrative to make these approaches more effective and sustainable. In this article we consider how a biocultural approach could provide relevant information to better understand and navigate trade-offs in protected area planning and management processes. Using these central tenets, this research uses participatory mapping methods to identify and document communities’ physical and cultural landscapes and how they are connected. We then utilize community visioning facilitation to create a shared vision of participatory forest management. The results indicate that this approach can identify geographic boundaries and spatial biocultural resource-use patterns, uncover those resources’ cultural relevance, and cultivate a foundation for more meaningful participation for communities in the protected area planning and management processes.