Ramprasad Sengupta
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780198081654
- eISBN:
- 9780199082407
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198081654.003.0011
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The chapter explains the concept, measurement and utility of bio-diversity as a resource and its intricate relationship with forest. It discusses the issues of economics of choice and economic ...
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The chapter explains the concept, measurement and utility of bio-diversity as a resource and its intricate relationship with forest. It discusses the issues of economics of choice and economic valuation of biodiversity at conceptual level. It describes also the empirical situation in respect of biodiversity outlining both the global and the Indian scenario. In this context it explains the extent, causes and impact of the biodiversity loss in India due to the limit of eco-capacity. It further discusses the biodiversity conservation policy of India including India’s heritage of biodiversity conservation and traditional knowledge system associated with the bio-diversity resource of forest. Finally, the chapter ends with a discussion on how the anthropogenic stress on ecosystem is captured by the loss of bio-diversity which is represented by indicators like living planet index among other measures.Less
The chapter explains the concept, measurement and utility of bio-diversity as a resource and its intricate relationship with forest. It discusses the issues of economics of choice and economic valuation of biodiversity at conceptual level. It describes also the empirical situation in respect of biodiversity outlining both the global and the Indian scenario. In this context it explains the extent, causes and impact of the biodiversity loss in India due to the limit of eco-capacity. It further discusses the biodiversity conservation policy of India including India’s heritage of biodiversity conservation and traditional knowledge system associated with the bio-diversity resource of forest. Finally, the chapter ends with a discussion on how the anthropogenic stress on ecosystem is captured by the loss of bio-diversity which is represented by indicators like living planet index among other measures.
Kemi Fuentes-George
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262034289
- eISBN:
- 9780262333924
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262034289.001.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
When are transnational networks likely to convince policymakers in developing countries to adopt potentially costly environmental regulations for the good of managing biodiversity? Since most of the ...
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When are transnational networks likely to convince policymakers in developing countries to adopt potentially costly environmental regulations for the good of managing biodiversity? Since most of the world’s remaining biodiversity is found in developing countries, identifying the pathways through which policymakers in these states are incentivized to engage in conservation is critical. This book argues that networks of nonstate experts are most likely to convince policymakers to address an emerging environmental problem if three conditions are met: First, network members must have a scientifically validated consensus about the cause-and-effect relationships and parameters of the problem, since a consensus about the science delegitimizes competing arguments and strengthens the authority of a network’s arguments. Second, networks must build mechanisms for socialization with policymakers in domestic regulatory agencies. Doing so promotes norms of shared ownership and responsibility for knowledge claims about conservation. Third, networks will have to make scientific arguments for conservation consonant with local environmental justice claims by communities residing in and around areas of globally important biodiversity. Networks can do so by arguing for policies that would protect biodiversity in a way that ensures continued, if environmentally sustainable, access for low-income populations that may otherwise be excluded from natural resources. If these three conditions are not met, conservation efforts are likely to face resistance from groups of local actors, policymakers, or both, who cannot reconcile global claims for biodiversity conservation with their immediate demands.Less
When are transnational networks likely to convince policymakers in developing countries to adopt potentially costly environmental regulations for the good of managing biodiversity? Since most of the world’s remaining biodiversity is found in developing countries, identifying the pathways through which policymakers in these states are incentivized to engage in conservation is critical. This book argues that networks of nonstate experts are most likely to convince policymakers to address an emerging environmental problem if three conditions are met: First, network members must have a scientifically validated consensus about the cause-and-effect relationships and parameters of the problem, since a consensus about the science delegitimizes competing arguments and strengthens the authority of a network’s arguments. Second, networks must build mechanisms for socialization with policymakers in domestic regulatory agencies. Doing so promotes norms of shared ownership and responsibility for knowledge claims about conservation. Third, networks will have to make scientific arguments for conservation consonant with local environmental justice claims by communities residing in and around areas of globally important biodiversity. Networks can do so by arguing for policies that would protect biodiversity in a way that ensures continued, if environmentally sustainable, access for low-income populations that may otherwise be excluded from natural resources. If these three conditions are not met, conservation efforts are likely to face resistance from groups of local actors, policymakers, or both, who cannot reconcile global claims for biodiversity conservation with their immediate demands.
Tammy L. Lewis
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262034296
- eISBN:
- 9780262333382
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262034296.001.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
Ecuador is biologically diverse, petroleum rich, and economically poor. Its extraordinary biodiversity has attracted attention and funding from such transnational environmental organizations as ...
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Ecuador is biologically diverse, petroleum rich, and economically poor. Its extraordinary biodiversity has attracted attention and funding from such transnational environmental organizations as Conservation International, the World Wildlife Fund, and the United States Agency for International Development. In Ecuador itself there are more than 200 environmental groups dedicated to sustainable development, and the country’s 2008 constitution grants rights to nature. The current leftist government is committed both to lifting its people out of poverty and pursuing sustainable development; but petroleum extraction is Ecuador’s leading source of revenue. While extraction generates economic growth, which supports the state’s social welfare agenda, it also causes environmental destruction. Given these competing concerns, will Ecuador be able to achieve sustainability? In this book, Tammy Lewis examines the movement for sustainable development in Ecuador through four eras: movement origins (1978–1987), neoliberal boom (1987–2000), neoliberal bust (2000–2006), and citizens’ revolution (2006–2015). Lewis presents a typology of Ecuador’s environmental organizations: ecoimperialists, transnational environmentalists from other countries; ecodependents, national groups that partner with transnational groups; and ecoresisters, home-grown environmentalists who reject the dominant development paradigm. She examines the interplay of transnational funding, the Ecuadorian environmental movement, and the state’s environmental and development policies. Along the way, addressing literatures in environmental sociology, social movements, and development studies, she explores what configuration of forces—political, economic, and environmental—is most likely to lead to a sustainable balance between the social system and the ecosystem.Less
Ecuador is biologically diverse, petroleum rich, and economically poor. Its extraordinary biodiversity has attracted attention and funding from such transnational environmental organizations as Conservation International, the World Wildlife Fund, and the United States Agency for International Development. In Ecuador itself there are more than 200 environmental groups dedicated to sustainable development, and the country’s 2008 constitution grants rights to nature. The current leftist government is committed both to lifting its people out of poverty and pursuing sustainable development; but petroleum extraction is Ecuador’s leading source of revenue. While extraction generates economic growth, which supports the state’s social welfare agenda, it also causes environmental destruction. Given these competing concerns, will Ecuador be able to achieve sustainability? In this book, Tammy Lewis examines the movement for sustainable development in Ecuador through four eras: movement origins (1978–1987), neoliberal boom (1987–2000), neoliberal bust (2000–2006), and citizens’ revolution (2006–2015). Lewis presents a typology of Ecuador’s environmental organizations: ecoimperialists, transnational environmentalists from other countries; ecodependents, national groups that partner with transnational groups; and ecoresisters, home-grown environmentalists who reject the dominant development paradigm. She examines the interplay of transnational funding, the Ecuadorian environmental movement, and the state’s environmental and development policies. Along the way, addressing literatures in environmental sociology, social movements, and development studies, she explores what configuration of forces—political, economic, and environmental—is most likely to lead to a sustainable balance between the social system and the ecosystem.
Rafi Youatt
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816694112
- eISBN:
- 9781452950617
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816694112.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Three decades of biodiversity governance have largely failed to stop the ongoing environmental crisis of global species loss. Yet that governance has resulted in undeniably important political ...
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Three decades of biodiversity governance have largely failed to stop the ongoing environmental crisis of global species loss. Yet that governance has resulted in undeniably important political outcomes. In Counting Species, Rafi Youatt argues that the understanding of global biodiversity has produced a distinct vision and politics of nature, one that is bound up with ideas about species, norms of efficiency, and apolitical forms of technical management. Since its inception in the 1980s, biodiversity’s political power has also hinged on its affiliation with a series of political concepts. Biodiversity was initially articulated as a moral crime against the intrinsic value of all species. In the 1990s and early 2000s, biodiversity shifted toward an association with service provision in a globalizing world economy before attaching itself more recently to the discourses of security and resilience. Even as species extinctions continue, biodiversity’s role in environmental governance has become increasingly abstract. Yet the power of global biodiversity is eventually always localized and material when it encounters nonhuman life. In these encounters, Youatt finds reasons for optimism, tracing some of the ways that nonhuman life has escaped human social means. Counting Species compellingly offers both a political account of global biodiversity and a unique approach to political agency across the human–nonhuman divide.Less
Three decades of biodiversity governance have largely failed to stop the ongoing environmental crisis of global species loss. Yet that governance has resulted in undeniably important political outcomes. In Counting Species, Rafi Youatt argues that the understanding of global biodiversity has produced a distinct vision and politics of nature, one that is bound up with ideas about species, norms of efficiency, and apolitical forms of technical management. Since its inception in the 1980s, biodiversity’s political power has also hinged on its affiliation with a series of political concepts. Biodiversity was initially articulated as a moral crime against the intrinsic value of all species. In the 1990s and early 2000s, biodiversity shifted toward an association with service provision in a globalizing world economy before attaching itself more recently to the discourses of security and resilience. Even as species extinctions continue, biodiversity’s role in environmental governance has become increasingly abstract. Yet the power of global biodiversity is eventually always localized and material when it encounters nonhuman life. In these encounters, Youatt finds reasons for optimism, tracing some of the ways that nonhuman life has escaped human social means. Counting Species compellingly offers both a political account of global biodiversity and a unique approach to political agency across the human–nonhuman divide.
John Waldman
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780823249855
- eISBN:
- 9780823252589
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823249855.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Environmental History
Despite major environmental degradation, Newark Bay--a corner of New York Harbor—is brimming with life. The Harbor's high biodiversity has been noted since the earliest European explorers. This ...
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Despite major environmental degradation, Newark Bay--a corner of New York Harbor—is brimming with life. The Harbor's high biodiversity has been noted since the earliest European explorers. This diversity includes odd tropical fishes that arrive via the Gulf Stream and local residents of high historical or contemporary importance for food and sport such as oysters, sturgeon, eels, and striped bass. There also has been a strong recovery of wading birds such as herons, egrets, and ibis.Less
Despite major environmental degradation, Newark Bay--a corner of New York Harbor—is brimming with life. The Harbor's high biodiversity has been noted since the earliest European explorers. This diversity includes odd tropical fishes that arrive via the Gulf Stream and local residents of high historical or contemporary importance for food and sport such as oysters, sturgeon, eels, and striped bass. There also has been a strong recovery of wading birds such as herons, egrets, and ibis.
Roxana Salazar
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520223097
- eISBN:
- 9780520937772
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520223097.003.0022
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This chapter presents the legal frame for environmental and biodiversity protection in Costa Rica. It discusses some of the most important environmental laws produced by Costa Rica's Legislative ...
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This chapter presents the legal frame for environmental and biodiversity protection in Costa Rica. It discusses some of the most important environmental laws produced by Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly: the Organic Environmental Law, Forestry Law, Biodiversity Law, Wild Life Protection Law, and Water Law.Less
This chapter presents the legal frame for environmental and biodiversity protection in Costa Rica. It discusses some of the most important environmental laws produced by Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly: the Organic Environmental Law, Forestry Law, Biodiversity Law, Wild Life Protection Law, and Water Law.
Ruth Mackenzie
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199255733
- eISBN:
- 9780191698262
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199255733.003.0005
- Subject:
- Law, Environmental and Energy Law, Comparative Law
This chapter focuses on the risks posed by genetically modified crops. It argues that many of the risks which are likely to materialize fall comfortably within traditional heads of damage such as ...
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This chapter focuses on the risks posed by genetically modified crops. It argues that many of the risks which are likely to materialize fall comfortably within traditional heads of damage such as personal injury or damage to property. There is also, however, a risk of environmental damage per se, which legal systems may find more problematic. In particular, the notion of damage to ‘biological diversity’ requires careful consideration, especially in light of the definition in the Biodiversity Convention. In the same context, while compensable damage should include the costs of preventive measures and reasonable measures of reinstatement, it should not be so limited, since it may well no longer be feasible to recall the GMO in question.Less
This chapter focuses on the risks posed by genetically modified crops. It argues that many of the risks which are likely to materialize fall comfortably within traditional heads of damage such as personal injury or damage to property. There is also, however, a risk of environmental damage per se, which legal systems may find more problematic. In particular, the notion of damage to ‘biological diversity’ requires careful consideration, especially in light of the definition in the Biodiversity Convention. In the same context, while compensable damage should include the costs of preventive measures and reasonable measures of reinstatement, it should not be so limited, since it may well no longer be feasible to recall the GMO in question.
Pavan Sukhdev, Heidi Wittmer, and Dustin Miller
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199676880
- eISBN:
- 9780191756252
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199676880.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
‘The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity’ (TEEB) is a global initiative that seeks to help decision-makers recognize the benefits of nature, demonstrate their values in economic terms and ...
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‘The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity’ (TEEB) is a global initiative that seeks to help decision-makers recognize the benefits of nature, demonstrate their values in economic terms and capture those values in decision-making. Yet valuation of nature’s services in economic terms is not a universally accepted approach, leading to criticism of TEEB. As TEEB shifts focus towards implementation, this chapter presents a timely opportunity for TEEB to respond to these concerns as they relate to key findings and recommendations. It is argued that economics is broader than markets, and valuation is not an end in itself; it should be treated as a means to better communicate and take account of nature’s importance, with particular respect to human well-being. While neither necessary nor sufficient to stop all ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss, valuation can help us rethink our relationship with nature, alerting us to the true consequences of our actions.Less
‘The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity’ (TEEB) is a global initiative that seeks to help decision-makers recognize the benefits of nature, demonstrate their values in economic terms and capture those values in decision-making. Yet valuation of nature’s services in economic terms is not a universally accepted approach, leading to criticism of TEEB. As TEEB shifts focus towards implementation, this chapter presents a timely opportunity for TEEB to respond to these concerns as they relate to key findings and recommendations. It is argued that economics is broader than markets, and valuation is not an end in itself; it should be treated as a means to better communicate and take account of nature’s importance, with particular respect to human well-being. While neither necessary nor sufficient to stop all ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss, valuation can help us rethink our relationship with nature, alerting us to the true consequences of our actions.
Mick Atha and Kennis Yip
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9789888208982
- eISBN:
- 9789888313952
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888208982.003.0003
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Historical Archaeology
Chapter 3 begins by exploring the making of Hong Kong’s present cultural landscape and then works back through its earlier forms, firstly into the age of rice farming where the long-term sustainable ...
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Chapter 3 begins by exploring the making of Hong Kong’s present cultural landscape and then works back through its earlier forms, firstly into the age of rice farming where the long-term sustainable management of that particular socio-economic lifeway created highly distinctive cultural landscapes stretching back from the Qing dynasty to as early as the Northern Song in some areas. Then from the Tang dynasty moving backwards, we enter an era where, on the face of it, human impacts beyond the intensively industrialised backbeach areas seem to have been relatively slight. That said, the coastal focus seemingly exhibited by early historical populations was even more intensively expressed in prehistory when, once sea-levels had stabilised at more or less their present position, the resource-rich landscape of the New Territories and Pearl River estuary coastline and offshore archipelagos then took shape.Less
Chapter 3 begins by exploring the making of Hong Kong’s present cultural landscape and then works back through its earlier forms, firstly into the age of rice farming where the long-term sustainable management of that particular socio-economic lifeway created highly distinctive cultural landscapes stretching back from the Qing dynasty to as early as the Northern Song in some areas. Then from the Tang dynasty moving backwards, we enter an era where, on the face of it, human impacts beyond the intensively industrialised backbeach areas seem to have been relatively slight. That said, the coastal focus seemingly exhibited by early historical populations was even more intensively expressed in prehistory when, once sea-levels had stabilised at more or less their present position, the resource-rich landscape of the New Territories and Pearl River estuary coastline and offshore archipelagos then took shape.
A. Damodaran
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198066750
- eISBN:
- 9780199080106
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198066750.003.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter analyses the changing world environment due to globalization. It discusses the impact of globalization on the notion of the Westphalian state. It argues that both terrorism and global ...
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This chapter analyses the changing world environment due to globalization. It discusses the impact of globalization on the notion of the Westphalian state. It argues that both terrorism and global capital are inherently biased against the Westphalian order, although one is opposed to the other. It also assesses the role of epistemic communities in promoting local identities, as well as the emergence of global environmental problems of climate change, biodiversity, and desertification. While climate change has implications for a global public good that transcends nation-state boundaries, the Conventions of Biodiversity and Hazardous Wastes Movements deal with global public goods that are confined within the boundaries of the nation-state. This chapter argues that plurality and diversity are key to world order and that local communities have a role to play by generating local responses to globalization and highlighting their identities.Less
This chapter analyses the changing world environment due to globalization. It discusses the impact of globalization on the notion of the Westphalian state. It argues that both terrorism and global capital are inherently biased against the Westphalian order, although one is opposed to the other. It also assesses the role of epistemic communities in promoting local identities, as well as the emergence of global environmental problems of climate change, biodiversity, and desertification. While climate change has implications for a global public good that transcends nation-state boundaries, the Conventions of Biodiversity and Hazardous Wastes Movements deal with global public goods that are confined within the boundaries of the nation-state. This chapter argues that plurality and diversity are key to world order and that local communities have a role to play by generating local responses to globalization and highlighting their identities.
A. Damodaran
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198066750
- eISBN:
- 9780199080106
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198066750.003.0011
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter examines the dangers of instrumentalism that has affected environmental management regimes around the world. It considers instrumentalism as a phenomenon that obscures the basic purpose ...
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This chapter examines the dangers of instrumentalism that has affected environmental management regimes around the world. It considers instrumentalism as a phenomenon that obscures the basic purpose of the mission of ensuring conservation of global public goods. This mission receives less priority than elaborate systems of monitoring, verifying, and collating information that characterize multilateral environmental agreements. With greater emphasis on technical efficiency, instrumentalism prioritizes process and procedures over equity and fairness. The chapter discusses instrumentalism in relation to climate change, the Basel Convention, the Biodiversity Convention, and the Biosafety Protocol. It examines how Global Environmental Facility projects typically suffer from the disease and how instrumentalism affects initiatives in the water and forest sectors. Finally, it looks at how instrumentalism influences societal risks assessment.Less
This chapter examines the dangers of instrumentalism that has affected environmental management regimes around the world. It considers instrumentalism as a phenomenon that obscures the basic purpose of the mission of ensuring conservation of global public goods. This mission receives less priority than elaborate systems of monitoring, verifying, and collating information that characterize multilateral environmental agreements. With greater emphasis on technical efficiency, instrumentalism prioritizes process and procedures over equity and fairness. The chapter discusses instrumentalism in relation to climate change, the Basel Convention, the Biodiversity Convention, and the Biosafety Protocol. It examines how Global Environmental Facility projects typically suffer from the disease and how instrumentalism affects initiatives in the water and forest sectors. Finally, it looks at how instrumentalism influences societal risks assessment.
Rajindra K. Puri
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780300198812
- eISBN:
- 9780300213577
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300198812.003.0011
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Climate
This chapter approaches climate change through the quotidian response of herders in India to an invasive species, Lantana camara, whose proliferation some believe is linked to changing precipitation ...
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This chapter approaches climate change through the quotidian response of herders in India to an invasive species, Lantana camara, whose proliferation some believe is linked to changing precipitation patterns. Puri uses this as a window into understanding human decision-making in the face of change. The chapter illustrates the value of a focus on everyday activities as a methodology for investigating adaptation to climate change impacts.Less
This chapter approaches climate change through the quotidian response of herders in India to an invasive species, Lantana camara, whose proliferation some believe is linked to changing precipitation patterns. Puri uses this as a window into understanding human decision-making in the face of change. The chapter illustrates the value of a focus on everyday activities as a methodology for investigating adaptation to climate change impacts.
Kemi Fuentes-George
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262034289
- eISBN:
- 9780262333924
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262034289.003.0002
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
This chapter introduces the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS), a delicate system of coral reefs and mangroves along the coastline of Quintana Roo state in Mexico, threatened by overfishing and ...
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This chapter introduces the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS), a delicate system of coral reefs and mangroves along the coastline of Quintana Roo state in Mexico, threatened by overfishing and large-scale tourist development. It shows how a transnational advocacy network became an epistemic community by generating a shared understanding of the MBRS through transnational workshops held as part of the planning process for a GEF funded project. Although the epistemic community was able to generate a scientific consensus on reef degradation, they were only able to influence new regulations adopted by policymakers in agencies with which they socialized, namely in federal environmental and fishing agencies. Policymakers in the state government of Quintana Roo, and managers in hotelier associations actively resisted new protection adopted by federal agencies. Although the epistemic community attempted to use economic arguments to support conservation, these actors asserted that economic development could best be promoted by continued large-scale tourist development along the coast. However, when local actors and the mass public, alarmed about resource overexploitation and concerned about local justice issues, demanded new regulations to conserve biodiversity, policymakers acquiesced.Less
This chapter introduces the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS), a delicate system of coral reefs and mangroves along the coastline of Quintana Roo state in Mexico, threatened by overfishing and large-scale tourist development. It shows how a transnational advocacy network became an epistemic community by generating a shared understanding of the MBRS through transnational workshops held as part of the planning process for a GEF funded project. Although the epistemic community was able to generate a scientific consensus on reef degradation, they were only able to influence new regulations adopted by policymakers in agencies with which they socialized, namely in federal environmental and fishing agencies. Policymakers in the state government of Quintana Roo, and managers in hotelier associations actively resisted new protection adopted by federal agencies. Although the epistemic community attempted to use economic arguments to support conservation, these actors asserted that economic development could best be promoted by continued large-scale tourist development along the coast. However, when local actors and the mass public, alarmed about resource overexploitation and concerned about local justice issues, demanded new regulations to conserve biodiversity, policymakers acquiesced.
Kemi Fuentes-George
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262034289
- eISBN:
- 9780262333924
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262034289.003.0004
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
This chapter describes the threats to biodiversity posed by tourism and wind energy development in the Egyptian Red Sea/Rift Valley Flyway addressed by the project titled the Project for Sustainable ...
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This chapter describes the threats to biodiversity posed by tourism and wind energy development in the Egyptian Red Sea/Rift Valley Flyway addressed by the project titled the Project for Sustainable Conservation of Migratory Soaring Birds. It shows how a transnational network attempted to advocate for biodiversity conservation alongside local communities of Bedouins and policymakers in the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), the Tourist Development Authority (TDA), and the Nature Conservation Sector. This chapter also points out the constricting influence of closed political systems. The Egyptian autocratic system is far more closed to civil society influence than in the other countries, limiting the possibility for socialization between network members and policymakers. Since socialization is crucial in building network influence, this case argues that closed or undemocratic political systems are barriers to network influence. In the end, the chapter shows how the Egyptian state captured the GEF project, distributing funds and conducting project activities in a way that has been opaque to the civil society and has not led to civil society participation in natural resource management.Less
This chapter describes the threats to biodiversity posed by tourism and wind energy development in the Egyptian Red Sea/Rift Valley Flyway addressed by the project titled the Project for Sustainable Conservation of Migratory Soaring Birds. It shows how a transnational network attempted to advocate for biodiversity conservation alongside local communities of Bedouins and policymakers in the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), the Tourist Development Authority (TDA), and the Nature Conservation Sector. This chapter also points out the constricting influence of closed political systems. The Egyptian autocratic system is far more closed to civil society influence than in the other countries, limiting the possibility for socialization between network members and policymakers. Since socialization is crucial in building network influence, this case argues that closed or undemocratic political systems are barriers to network influence. In the end, the chapter shows how the Egyptian state captured the GEF project, distributing funds and conducting project activities in a way that has been opaque to the civil society and has not led to civil society participation in natural resource management.
Kemi Fuentes-George
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262034289
- eISBN:
- 9780262333924
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262034289.003.0005
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
Chapter Five links these descriptions of local contestations over biodiversity governance to the study of international relations. In each case, a constellation of different treaties and institutions ...
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Chapter Five links these descriptions of local contestations over biodiversity governance to the study of international relations. In each case, a constellation of different treaties and institutions had rules that overlapped with the CBD and each other governing the management of protected areas. These overlapping rules and institutions gives rise to a condition described as “regime complexity.” As states try to govern issue areas that are affected by more, occasionally conflicting, and non-hierarchically ordered institutions, their obligations will become more ambiguous. Non-state actors can help shape the ambiguity emerging from regime complexity by helping states adjudicate possibly conflicting rules and resolving questions about what constitutes appropriate action under uncertainty. This chapter links a comparative study of activism and environmental justice to constructivist schools of thought that claim that ideas about appropriate behavior matter.Less
Chapter Five links these descriptions of local contestations over biodiversity governance to the study of international relations. In each case, a constellation of different treaties and institutions had rules that overlapped with the CBD and each other governing the management of protected areas. These overlapping rules and institutions gives rise to a condition described as “regime complexity.” As states try to govern issue areas that are affected by more, occasionally conflicting, and non-hierarchically ordered institutions, their obligations will become more ambiguous. Non-state actors can help shape the ambiguity emerging from regime complexity by helping states adjudicate possibly conflicting rules and resolving questions about what constitutes appropriate action under uncertainty. This chapter links a comparative study of activism and environmental justice to constructivist schools of thought that claim that ideas about appropriate behavior matter.
Kemi Fuentes-George
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262034289
- eISBN:
- 9780262333924
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262034289.003.0006
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
The conclusion finds that a comparative study of transnational activism underlines the importance of justice claims to global environmental governance. It links debates on international environmental ...
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The conclusion finds that a comparative study of transnational activism underlines the importance of justice claims to global environmental governance. It links debates on international environmental justice with literature on environmental regime effectiveness and neoliberal ecological economics. When networks generated a consensus, socialized with policymakers and invoked norms consonant with local justice, they were more likely to persuade policymakers. Absent one or more of the variables, conservation projects were implemented poorly, or simply rejected by states. Therefore, issues of fairness or justice go to the heart of effective management. They reflect the important normative questions behind biodiversity management, including what biodiversity consists of, what it is being managed for, and for whom it is being conserved.Less
The conclusion finds that a comparative study of transnational activism underlines the importance of justice claims to global environmental governance. It links debates on international environmental justice with literature on environmental regime effectiveness and neoliberal ecological economics. When networks generated a consensus, socialized with policymakers and invoked norms consonant with local justice, they were more likely to persuade policymakers. Absent one or more of the variables, conservation projects were implemented poorly, or simply rejected by states. Therefore, issues of fairness or justice go to the heart of effective management. They reflect the important normative questions behind biodiversity management, including what biodiversity consists of, what it is being managed for, and for whom it is being conserved.
Geoffrey Heal
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780231180849
- eISBN:
- 9780231543286
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231180849.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Natural capital – the complex of objects and systems that constitutes the natural environment or the biosphere - plays a fundamental and irreplaceable role in human life, as stories as diverse as the ...
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Natural capital – the complex of objects and systems that constitutes the natural environment or the biosphere - plays a fundamental and irreplaceable role in human life, as stories as diverse as the evolution of Earth and its neighboring planets, or of Biosphere 2, clearly illustrate. In addition to being essential to humanity’s existence, it provides on a daily basis services of great but more quotidian importance, such as pollination, insurance against diseases, and drinking water. Yet many of these services go unnoticed and taken for granted, which is one reason why humanity permits the rampant destruction of natural capital, an asset class of great value.Less
Natural capital – the complex of objects and systems that constitutes the natural environment or the biosphere - plays a fundamental and irreplaceable role in human life, as stories as diverse as the evolution of Earth and its neighboring planets, or of Biosphere 2, clearly illustrate. In addition to being essential to humanity’s existence, it provides on a daily basis services of great but more quotidian importance, such as pollination, insurance against diseases, and drinking water. Yet many of these services go unnoticed and taken for granted, which is one reason why humanity permits the rampant destruction of natural capital, an asset class of great value.
Geoffrey Heal
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780231180849
- eISBN:
- 9780231543286
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231180849.003.0008
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Can we place an economic value on natural capital, and if so, is this a useful exercise? We can value many aspects of natural capital, though this raises complex technical issues and also deep ...
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Can we place an economic value on natural capital, and if so, is this a useful exercise? We can value many aspects of natural capital, though this raises complex technical issues and also deep philosophical questions. In some cases natural capital is bought and sold on markets, so we can look to these for prices: in other cases we have to put in some detective work to track down a measure of value. The values that we find are large, consistent with the idea that natural capital is of great importance.Less
Can we place an economic value on natural capital, and if so, is this a useful exercise? We can value many aspects of natural capital, though this raises complex technical issues and also deep philosophical questions. In some cases natural capital is bought and sold on markets, so we can look to these for prices: in other cases we have to put in some detective work to track down a measure of value. The values that we find are large, consistent with the idea that natural capital is of great importance.
Ana Delgado and Israel Rodríguez-Giralt
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780262027458
- eISBN:
- 9780262325509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262027458.003.0016
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Delgado and Rodríguez-Giralt report on how traditional local seeds became a legal entity under the name of ‘Creole’, and had to co-exist with commercial seeds. Creole seeds, which have been ...
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Delgado and Rodríguez-Giralt report on how traditional local seeds became a legal entity under the name of ‘Creole’, and had to co-exist with commercial seeds. Creole seeds, which have been developed, adapted, or produced by farmers and landless and indigenous peoples in situ, are by definition not standardized. Because of their ‘ecology’, they remain always adapting and changing as open objects. This chapter details a number of attempts at including Creole seeds within national legal, scientific and bureaucratic systems. It reports on how new forms of ownership and dependencies emerged in the conflictive relations between the State and the Brazilian rural movements. Drawing on Moreira’s discussion of interferences, the authors describe how Creole seeds constantly disrupt what is considered a legally valid entity in the Brazilian context and propose the notion of transient standardizations to conceptualize the disruptive nature of those relations.Less
Delgado and Rodríguez-Giralt report on how traditional local seeds became a legal entity under the name of ‘Creole’, and had to co-exist with commercial seeds. Creole seeds, which have been developed, adapted, or produced by farmers and landless and indigenous peoples in situ, are by definition not standardized. Because of their ‘ecology’, they remain always adapting and changing as open objects. This chapter details a number of attempts at including Creole seeds within national legal, scientific and bureaucratic systems. It reports on how new forms of ownership and dependencies emerged in the conflictive relations between the State and the Brazilian rural movements. Drawing on Moreira’s discussion of interferences, the authors describe how Creole seeds constantly disrupt what is considered a legally valid entity in the Brazilian context and propose the notion of transient standardizations to conceptualize the disruptive nature of those relations.
Robin L. Chazdon
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780226117911
- eISBN:
- 9780226118109
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226118109.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This book brings tropical regenerating forests into clear focus, synthesizing information from hundreds of studies of forest regeneration following different types and intensities of disturbance ...
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This book brings tropical regenerating forests into clear focus, synthesizing information from hundreds of studies of forest regeneration following different types and intensities of disturbance across different regions and forest types. Chapter 1 illustrates different perceptions of tropical forests, and discusses the extent of regenerating forests across tropical regions. Chapters 2 and 3 explore the legacies of ancient human occupation and land uses in the tropics. Forest dynamics (Chapter 4) reflect responses to disturbances at a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Chapter 5 provides a broad conceptual overview of successional patterns and phases in tropical forests. Four chapters review forest regeneration following different types of disturbances, including newly created substrates (Chapter 6), agricultural land use (Chapter 7), hurricanes and fires (Chapter 8), and logging (Chapter 9). The functional traits that influence vegetation dynamics during succession are described in Chapter 10. Chapter 11 focuses on the recovery of ecosystem processes, such as carbon and nutrient accumulation in soils and vegetation. Regenerating forests provide habitats for a large proportion of forest-dwelling animal species that disperse seeds, pollinate flowers, and drive trophic interactions (Chapter 12). Chapter 13 describes approaches to active reforestation to overcome barriers to natural regeneration. Chapter 14 examines the socio-ecology of regenerating forests from a landscape perspective. Chapter 15 concludes with an overall synthesis and emphasizes the value of tropical regenerating and restored forests. The book's major message is that understanding, promoting, and managing forest regeneration are key to sustaining tropical forests worldwide.Less
This book brings tropical regenerating forests into clear focus, synthesizing information from hundreds of studies of forest regeneration following different types and intensities of disturbance across different regions and forest types. Chapter 1 illustrates different perceptions of tropical forests, and discusses the extent of regenerating forests across tropical regions. Chapters 2 and 3 explore the legacies of ancient human occupation and land uses in the tropics. Forest dynamics (Chapter 4) reflect responses to disturbances at a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Chapter 5 provides a broad conceptual overview of successional patterns and phases in tropical forests. Four chapters review forest regeneration following different types of disturbances, including newly created substrates (Chapter 6), agricultural land use (Chapter 7), hurricanes and fires (Chapter 8), and logging (Chapter 9). The functional traits that influence vegetation dynamics during succession are described in Chapter 10. Chapter 11 focuses on the recovery of ecosystem processes, such as carbon and nutrient accumulation in soils and vegetation. Regenerating forests provide habitats for a large proportion of forest-dwelling animal species that disperse seeds, pollinate flowers, and drive trophic interactions (Chapter 12). Chapter 13 describes approaches to active reforestation to overcome barriers to natural regeneration. Chapter 14 examines the socio-ecology of regenerating forests from a landscape perspective. Chapter 15 concludes with an overall synthesis and emphasizes the value of tropical regenerating and restored forests. The book's major message is that understanding, promoting, and managing forest regeneration are key to sustaining tropical forests worldwide.
