Learning Question 4

Do positive changes in stakeholders' behaviors lead to a reduction in threats to biodiversity (or restoration)?

The assumption in the theory of change posits that those participating in the conservation enterprise interventions are the right participants, and that the behaviors they modify will in fact reduce threat on the biodiversity focal interest.

Note: Superscript numbers indicate references at the bottom of each page, where links to many of these documents can be found. We are still in the process of uploading references to the documents page. Please contact us if you’d like a copy of a reference that hasn't yet been posted.

Note: Italicized text denotes findings discussed during events such as webinars and conferences.

Findings:

• Failure to properly identify target participants in an enterprise can jeopardize its effectiveness at reducing the threats to biodiversity.^14,15 Careful selection of participants that are involved in the specific threat-inducing behaviors (e.g., hunting, logging) is key. For example, engaging women, young, or elderly household members in a specific enterprise, such as raising small livestock, could provide household income, but may not reduce hunting threats if men are the primary hunters.

• Even when the appropriate participants are engaged, the scale of the enterprise or the number of participants involved must be sufficient in order to have the intended effect on reducing threats.^8,14,15

• In some cases, external threats are much greater than internal threats, which minimizes the potential overall reduction of threats to biodiversity through an enterprise approach alone.¹⁵

• Illegal activity by outsiders (external threats) can sometimes be deterred by enterprise participants simply spending more time and being more present in the project site.^7,14

• As resource condition improves and benefits to participants increase, external threats to revoke resource rights, increase extractive activities, or change ownership regimes may also increase, which may in turn reduce benefits to participants.^2,7,10,13

• Measuring the effects of participants’ behavior changes on the reduction of internal and external threats is crucial to understanding the effectiveness of the enterprise. Threat reduction as a result of other interventions, such as improved law enforcement, might need to be considered.
• An ecotourism project in the Peruvian Amazon showed that direct vs. indirect participation is important to threat reduction. Members who worked at the ecotourism lodge invested less in shifting agriculture and hunting. However, indirect participation in ecotourism, such as selling goods and services to guests, may not have the same effect. The impact on conservation was positive for those who worked at the lodge directly, but more ambiguous for those who benefited from the lodge indirectly.¹⁹

 

 

---