Participatory mapping reveals socioeconomic drivers of forest fires in protected areas of the post‐conflict Colombian Amazon
Abstract Wildfires have increased in protected areas (PAs) of the Colombian Amazon following the 2016 peace agreement between the Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forced of Colombia (FARC—Spanish acronym). Recent study efforts to understand this issue suffer from data scarcity and limited cons...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-08-01
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| Series: | People and Nature |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10222 |
| _version_ | 1818583307337596928 |
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| author | Charlie Arthur Tebbutt Tahia Devisscher Laura Obando‐Cabrera Gustavo Adolfo Gutiérrez García Maria Constanza Meza Elizalde Dolors Armenteras Imma Oliveras Menor |
| author_facet | Charlie Arthur Tebbutt Tahia Devisscher Laura Obando‐Cabrera Gustavo Adolfo Gutiérrez García Maria Constanza Meza Elizalde Dolors Armenteras Imma Oliveras Menor |
| author_sort | Charlie Arthur Tebbutt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Wildfires have increased in protected areas (PAs) of the Colombian Amazon following the 2016 peace agreement between the Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forced of Colombia (FARC—Spanish acronym). Recent study efforts to understand this issue suffer from data scarcity and limited consultation of local stakeholder perspectives on factors affecting wildfires. This study uses a social–ecological systems framework to investigate local perceptions of factors driving and/or preventing wildfires in the Los Picachos, La Macarena and Tinigua PAs, which are shared by two Amazonian departments experiencing wildfire increase. Four stakeholder categories were selected to represent varied and possibly conflicting interests: cattle ranchers, the national park service, local authorities and cross‐sectional stakeholders. We combined a participative mapping approach with interviews to illustrate stakeholder perceptions of interactions between key variables in graphical causal models. Network analyses were used to determine areas of agreement on key variables, and to compare local priorities with those of key informants at the national level. Local stakeholders and key informants widely agreed on the roles of extensive cattle ranching and land grabbing as key drivers of wildfires. The analysis identified areas for further research into wildfire occurrence within PAs. These include lack of governance and untitled land, as well as the effects of poor access to basic public services on unsustainable ranching methods. This study revealed contested opinions between ranchers and other stakeholders over interactions between ranching, roads and illicit crops, and consequently their effects on wildfire occurrence. This indicates the need for cautious implementation of the National Development Plan, prioritising road maintenance over expansion, integrating arable alternatives to cattle ranching and considering multiple stakeholders in regional decision‐making around wildfire reduction. The strengths and limitations of the participative mapping approach employed here are discussed with a view to aiding decision‐making in post‐conflict regions of the Global South. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T08:03:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ba7256b731d146e291de8ad05c76d894 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2575-8314 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T08:03:12Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | People and Nature |
| spelling | doaj.art-ba7256b731d146e291de8ad05c76d8942022-12-21T22:38:34ZengWileyPeople and Nature2575-83142021-08-013481182610.1002/pan3.10222Participatory mapping reveals socioeconomic drivers of forest fires in protected areas of the post‐conflict Colombian AmazonCharlie Arthur Tebbutt0Tahia Devisscher1Laura Obando‐Cabrera2Gustavo Adolfo Gutiérrez García3Maria Constanza Meza Elizalde4Dolors Armenteras5Imma Oliveras Menor6Environmental Change Institute School of Geography and the Environment University of Oxford Oxford UKUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver CanadaLaboratorio de Ecología del Paisaje y Modelación de Ecosistemas ECOLMOD Departamento de Biología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Nacional de Colombia Bogotá ColombiaPrograma Ingeniería Agroecológica Facultad de Ingeniería Universidad de la Amazonia Florencia ColombiaLaboratorio de Ecología del Paisaje y Modelación de Ecosistemas ECOLMOD Departamento de Biología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Nacional de Colombia Bogotá ColombiaLaboratorio de Ecología del Paisaje y Modelación de Ecosistemas ECOLMOD Departamento de Biología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Nacional de Colombia Bogotá ColombiaEnvironmental Change Institute School of Geography and the Environment University of Oxford Oxford UKAbstract Wildfires have increased in protected areas (PAs) of the Colombian Amazon following the 2016 peace agreement between the Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forced of Colombia (FARC—Spanish acronym). Recent study efforts to understand this issue suffer from data scarcity and limited consultation of local stakeholder perspectives on factors affecting wildfires. This study uses a social–ecological systems framework to investigate local perceptions of factors driving and/or preventing wildfires in the Los Picachos, La Macarena and Tinigua PAs, which are shared by two Amazonian departments experiencing wildfire increase. Four stakeholder categories were selected to represent varied and possibly conflicting interests: cattle ranchers, the national park service, local authorities and cross‐sectional stakeholders. We combined a participative mapping approach with interviews to illustrate stakeholder perceptions of interactions between key variables in graphical causal models. Network analyses were used to determine areas of agreement on key variables, and to compare local priorities with those of key informants at the national level. Local stakeholders and key informants widely agreed on the roles of extensive cattle ranching and land grabbing as key drivers of wildfires. The analysis identified areas for further research into wildfire occurrence within PAs. These include lack of governance and untitled land, as well as the effects of poor access to basic public services on unsustainable ranching methods. This study revealed contested opinions between ranchers and other stakeholders over interactions between ranching, roads and illicit crops, and consequently their effects on wildfire occurrence. This indicates the need for cautious implementation of the National Development Plan, prioritising road maintenance over expansion, integrating arable alternatives to cattle ranching and considering multiple stakeholders in regional decision‐making around wildfire reduction. The strengths and limitations of the participative mapping approach employed here are discussed with a view to aiding decision‐making in post‐conflict regions of the Global South.https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10222Amazoncattle ranchingconflictFARCfireparticipatory mapping |
| spellingShingle | Charlie Arthur Tebbutt Tahia Devisscher Laura Obando‐Cabrera Gustavo Adolfo Gutiérrez García Maria Constanza Meza Elizalde Dolors Armenteras Imma Oliveras Menor Participatory mapping reveals socioeconomic drivers of forest fires in protected areas of the post‐conflict Colombian Amazon People and Nature Amazon cattle ranching conflict FARC fire participatory mapping |
| title | Participatory mapping reveals socioeconomic drivers of forest fires in protected areas of the post‐conflict Colombian Amazon |
| title_full | Participatory mapping reveals socioeconomic drivers of forest fires in protected areas of the post‐conflict Colombian Amazon |
| title_fullStr | Participatory mapping reveals socioeconomic drivers of forest fires in protected areas of the post‐conflict Colombian Amazon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Participatory mapping reveals socioeconomic drivers of forest fires in protected areas of the post‐conflict Colombian Amazon |
| title_short | Participatory mapping reveals socioeconomic drivers of forest fires in protected areas of the post‐conflict Colombian Amazon |
| title_sort | participatory mapping reveals socioeconomic drivers of forest fires in protected areas of the post conflict colombian amazon |
| topic | Amazon cattle ranching conflict FARC fire participatory mapping |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10222 |
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