Search results

The purpose of this paper is to describe and examine the problem of biodiversity loss and to explain its underlying causes and the possibilities of using economic instruments to conserve it.

The research in this paper was undertaken through a review of the literature and an analysis of data on the trends of various measures of biodiversity worldwide.

The loss of biodiversity is occurring worldwide at a rapid rate that has the potential to significantly undermine the prospects for sustainable development. Although the main proximate cause of biodiversity loss is land conversion, the fundamental causes are rooted in economic, institutional, and social factors and include market failures and the lack of property rights.

This paper presents arguments in support of using economic instruments to conserve biodiversity and explains the conditions under which the use of these instruments is likely to be most successful.

This paper illuminates the economic, social and institutional factors that underlie the rapid loss of biodiversity and outlines some ways in which economic instruments can be used to stem the loss of biodiversity.

The main purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate community‐based natural resource management as an alternative approach to government stewardship of natural resources. The paper discusses Kenya's experience with community‐based approaches, identifies some of the problems that have been experienced in implementing the approach, and suggests ways of strengthening these approaches to ensure that natural resources are managed more sustainably and efficiently and in ways that generate tangible economic benefits to local communities.

The research reported in this paper was undertaken through an extensive review of existing literature, discussions with representatives of local communities and resource managers and personal observations.

The paper finds that the community‐based approach to the stewardship of natural resources is a viable alternative to state management and can, if properly implemented, result in more equitable distribution of power and economic benefits, reduced conflicts, increased consideration of traditional and modern environmental knowledge, protection of biological diversity, and sustainable utilization of natural resources. In many cases where the approach has been implemented it has not yielded substantial benefits mainly because of institutional, environmental and organizational factors. The successful implementation of CBNRM projects requires a legal and policy framework that empowers local communities and grants them responsibility and authority for natural resource management. It also requires that an acceptable formula be defined for the sharing of the benefits and responsibilities.

This paper challenges the stewardship of natural resources by the state and presents arguments in support of a community based approach that prioritizes the livelihood needs of local communities and provides them with strong incentives to conserve and utilize natural resources sustainably.

This paper is original in applying the principles of community based natural resource management to specific local wildlife and forestry cases in Kenya.

In this chapter, the author builds from foundational scholarship which suggests that service-learning yields positive outcomes for students, faculty, and community partners. The author first suggests that service-learning can be a vehicle for humanizing community partners as well as students, faculty, and course content, then describes a program evaluation context wherein community partners would benefit from a humanizing service-learning experience. The author then introduces the field of program evaluation and the foundational documents espoused by the American Evaluation Association, and looks at the organizational structure of the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, which houses the Evaluation Studies specialization. Next, the author presents a foundational program evaluation course, discussing its emphasis on service-learning and on humanizing the students, community partners, and course content, and introducing the textbooks, readings, and activities used to bring the experience to life. The author concludes by looking at opportunities and challenges to integrating program evaluation into a departmental core at other universities.