Organising to Protect: Protecting Landscapes and Livelihoods in the Nicaraguan Hillsides
Social science literature on protected areas (PAs) has hitherto focused mostly upon how PAs have been designated at the expense of the interests of people living in and around the PA and how this has often re-sulted in conflict. However, there is a growing recognition that this dichotomised percepti...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2008-01-01
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| Series: | Conservation & Society |
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| Online Access: | http://www.conservationandsociety.org/article.asp?issn=0972-4923;year=2008;volume=6;issue=4;spage=283;epage=292;aulast=Ravnborg |
| _version_ | 1818539187582795776 |
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| author | Ravnborg Helle |
| author_facet | Ravnborg Helle |
| author_sort | Ravnborg Helle |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Social science literature on protected areas (PAs) has hitherto focused mostly upon how PAs have been designated at the expense of the interests of people living in and around the PA and how this has often re-sulted in conflict. However, there is a growing recognition that this dichotomised perception does not al-ways adequately capture what is taking place in relation to PA establishment and management. Internal as well as external interests, viz-<i> a</i> -viz PA establishment and management are much more diverse and complex, and have to be understood in a wider context of interests and strategies not solely related to is-sues of conservation. This article reports a case from Nicaragua of small scale farmers struggling to have their area, Miraflor, declared a PA. Adopting a political ecology perspective, the article explores the un-derlying motives for this apparent paradox of farmers wanting to have their land recognised as a PA and thus accepting the potential restrictions on land use this entails. This article analyses how the formulation of the management plan for Miraflor as a PA, became the ′arena′ for negotiation and alliance building between different segments of competing land users in Miraflor ranging from the virtually landless poor to the landed small scale farmers to the resourceful, largely absentee landowners; and how national and international external institutions-knowingly or not-were drawn into and took part in this negotiation. Hence, this article serves to illustrate the importance of recognising that this key instrument in PA man-agement-the management plan-is much more than a technical document building on sound ecological principles. The issue at stake is not only protecting a landscape, but, perhaps more importantly, protect-ing livelihoods. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T21:38:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cc099e1351dd41a4a255293e0a141392 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0972-4923 0975-3133 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T21:38:44Z |
| publishDate | 2008-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conservation & Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-cc099e1351dd41a4a255293e0a1413922022-12-22T00:49:56ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsConservation & Society0972-49230975-31332008-01-0164283292Organising to Protect: Protecting Landscapes and Livelihoods in the Nicaraguan HillsidesRavnborg HelleSocial science literature on protected areas (PAs) has hitherto focused mostly upon how PAs have been designated at the expense of the interests of people living in and around the PA and how this has often re-sulted in conflict. However, there is a growing recognition that this dichotomised perception does not al-ways adequately capture what is taking place in relation to PA establishment and management. Internal as well as external interests, viz-<i> a</i> -viz PA establishment and management are much more diverse and complex, and have to be understood in a wider context of interests and strategies not solely related to is-sues of conservation. This article reports a case from Nicaragua of small scale farmers struggling to have their area, Miraflor, declared a PA. Adopting a political ecology perspective, the article explores the un-derlying motives for this apparent paradox of farmers wanting to have their land recognised as a PA and thus accepting the potential restrictions on land use this entails. This article analyses how the formulation of the management plan for Miraflor as a PA, became the ′arena′ for negotiation and alliance building between different segments of competing land users in Miraflor ranging from the virtually landless poor to the landed small scale farmers to the resourceful, largely absentee landowners; and how national and international external institutions-knowingly or not-were drawn into and took part in this negotiation. Hence, this article serves to illustrate the importance of recognising that this key instrument in PA man-agement-the management plan-is much more than a technical document building on sound ecological principles. The issue at stake is not only protecting a landscape, but, perhaps more importantly, protect-ing livelihoods.http://www.conservationandsociety.org/article.asp?issn=0972-4923;year=2008;volume=6;issue=4;spage=283;epage=292;aulast=RavnborglandscapelivelihoodPAmanagement planpolitical ecologypovertyNicaragua |
| spellingShingle | Ravnborg Helle Organising to Protect: Protecting Landscapes and Livelihoods in the Nicaraguan Hillsides Conservation & Society landscape livelihood PA management plan political ecology poverty Nicaragua |
| title | Organising to Protect: Protecting Landscapes and Livelihoods in the Nicaraguan Hillsides |
| title_full | Organising to Protect: Protecting Landscapes and Livelihoods in the Nicaraguan Hillsides |
| title_fullStr | Organising to Protect: Protecting Landscapes and Livelihoods in the Nicaraguan Hillsides |
| title_full_unstemmed | Organising to Protect: Protecting Landscapes and Livelihoods in the Nicaraguan Hillsides |
| title_short | Organising to Protect: Protecting Landscapes and Livelihoods in the Nicaraguan Hillsides |
| title_sort | organising to protect protecting landscapes and livelihoods in the nicaraguan hillsides |
| topic | landscape livelihood PA management plan political ecology poverty Nicaragua |
| url | http://www.conservationandsociety.org/article.asp?issn=0972-4923;year=2008;volume=6;issue=4;spage=283;epage=292;aulast=Ravnborg |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ravnborghelle organisingtoprotectprotectinglandscapesandlivelihoodsinthenicaraguanhillsides |