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The dissertation aims at developing means to integrate conservation and development in biosphere reserves in Madagascar. Despite a multitude of concepts such as UNESCO biosphere reserves, Integrated Conservation and Development Projects and community-based natural resource management, gaps between conservation and development remain to exist. In a qualitative case study in Mananara-Nord and Sahamalaza Iles-Radama Biosphere Reserves in Madagascar data was collected on biosphere reserve management, local use of natural resources and socio-cultural aspects that influence natural resource use. Furthermore, natural values local people associate with the forest were investigated. Analysis revealed that management capacities constitute a limiting factor in biosphere reserve management. Collaboration between management, local people and international organisations fosters the achievement of both conservation and development. However, collaboration is only possible if (i) clear rules are formulated and (ii) partners have a vision in common. Based on the theory of social capital, newly introduced and locally existent rules/institutions having an influence on the use of natural resource were categorized in bonding, linking and bridging social capital. Furthermore, the perception of natural values was classified in instrumental and non-instrumental values and assigned to ecosystem services identifying the importance of nature for human well-being. With the capabilities approach Amartya Sen defined human well-being as the achievement of those capabilities a person considers valuable. This includes aspects that assure livelihoods on the one hand and aspects that are conducive to well-being on the other, thus both being relevant for development. In the dissertation capabilities are based on both instrumental and non-instrumental natural values and consequently offer an opportunity to demonstrate and characterise the relationship between nature and human well-being. Social and natural values provide orientation for a biosphere reserve management. The category bonding social capital (social values) describes local socio-cultural aspects in communities and their importance for collaborative processes. Natural values provide the management with guiding principles to foster nature conservation and to integrate locally existent capabilities. Supporting and furthering these capabilities enables the development of new capabilities of all concerned persons. The dissertation demonstrates various possibilities to build bridges between (i) nature conservation and development, (ii) natural and social sciences, (iii) formal regulations and local socio-cultural aspects and (iv) diverse actors. Implementation of a social monitoring is recommended together with local stewards and Malagasy students to collect information about the perception of natural and social values and use them as guiding principles for biosphere reserves. Collaboration with national and international scientific institutions can foster this process.
This thesis aims at bridging the gap of deficient understanding of effective buffer zone management. The overall research goal of the thesis is to evaluate buffer zone effectiveness and to identify factors influencing effective buffer zone management in forest biosphere reserves. To address the multi-facetted issue of buffer zone effectiveness an integrative research design was applied. To answer the raised research questions a combination of social science (quantitative and qualitative approaches) and natural science (remote sensing) was chosen. To gain global insights into buffer zone management (research question 1) the quantitative approach of social science research was chosen. As part of a global telephone survey of BR management conducted by the research project in which the thesis was embedded, BR managers were asked to evaluate different management aspects. Between July and December 2006, managers from 225 BRs in 79 countries were interviewed, which corresponds to an overall response rate of 42 %. Answers were statistically analyzed using SPSS 17.0. To obtain detailed information of factors influencing buffer zone management (research question 2) the qualitative social science research approach was applied. A case study was conducted in the Lore Lindu Biosphere Reserve, Sulawesi, Indonesia between March and May 2008. Following the snowball sampling approach 47 semi-structured interviews and seven group discussions were carried out representing the local, sub-national, and national level associated with the BR management. These interviews and discussions provide important insights into the institutional dimensions and their interaction within the context of BR management including e.g. implementation of rules and the distribution of responsibilities for buffer zone management. Interviews were conducted in the national language Bahasa Indonesia, fully recorded, and subsequently transcribed and translated into English. Analysis was carried out with ATLAS.ti to specify categories and to formulate theorems. To evaluate buffer zone effectiveness in terms of reducing deforestation in the core area of Lore Lindu Biosphere Reserve (research question 1), satellite image analysis was performed using a GIS. A time series of LANDSAT scenes from 1972, 1983, 1999, 2002, and 2007 was used to classify homogeneous areas of forest cover to ultimately detect deforestation. Deforestation rate was computed for the periods before and after management establishment in 1998. The combination of all three research methods provided important insights into buffer zone management of BRs. Thus, based on these findings, recommendations to improve buffer zone management (research question 3) could be drawn. Overall, the evaluation of buffer zones depicts their importance for BR management effectiveness. Analysis revealed buffer zone effectiveness as important success factor, while it explicitly depends on both the implementation of the BR concept at the national level and coordination of stakeholders on the local level. As more and more PAs create buffer zones to integrate the local people, they may face similar problems. The case study from Lore Lindu exhibited important preconditions for successful buffer zone management. From a methodological perspective the thesis calls for the need of integrated research approaches across disciplines to adequately assess both buffer zone and PA effectiveness. Generally, it is recommended to pay special attention to pre-Seville BRs in the future, since most of these BRs still lack the three zone scheme. Analysis of the case study area revealed particular weaknesses in implementing central elements for effective BR management, such as the four goals of the Seville Strategy, even 15 years after inauguration. Thus, the thesis shows that not only the quantity of PAs but also the quality of its management and thus effectiveness is an important indicator for global conservation targets. Finally, it can be summarized that the idea of establishing buffer zones within BRs and PAs in general, is the right way forward to enhance PA effectiveness and to achieve global reduction of biodiversity loss. Integrating the people living within and adjacent to PAs, must be given more attention in the future. Establishment of buffer zones, where this integration and cooperation is a necessity, should be the central conservation measure, not only within BRs but also within PAs in general.
The UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme has been active in South Africa for almost 20 years. The country currently has six designated biosphere reserves with a few sites in various stages of the nomination process. Within the South African context, agencies are using a series of seemingly different instruments to practice landscape-scale management. The UNESCO biosphere reserve concept sometimes finds it difficult to obtain prominence amongst these different landscape initiatives. Biosphere reserves are special sites wherein sustainable development is promoted. For this reason, the biosphere reserve concept has much to offer towards long-term sustainable socialecological land management. In our modern age of population growth, dwindling natural resources and a general disconnectedness of humans from nature due to large scale urbanization, there is an urgent need for innovative ways in which to showcase sustainable living practices. South Africa has limited natural, economic and social resources and therefore needs to prioritize where these resources could best be allocated. This dissertation comprises the history of the MAB Programme in South Africa, as well as a multicase study on five existing biosphere reserves. Results from this study indicated that not all biosphere reserves are equally effective in their implementation of the three functions of biosphere reserves and that all biosphere reserves in South Africa face an uncertain future due to pressing challenges. Collective results of the multicase study as well as literature reviews were used to inform options for the future effective implementation of the MAB Programme in South Africa. Options that could contribute towards effective biosphere reserves include more sustainable funding support, and community-based demonstration projects. In addition a new suite of criteria to inform the selection of future biosphere reserves was developed. Biosphere reserves need to be optimally located in order to secure long-term efficiency and effectiveness. These sites need to be representative of biodiversity, efficiently managed and persistent in the long run. Presently in South Africa, new sites for biosphere reserves are nominated in an ad hoc manner. Should their locations be selected discerningly, they offer many benefits to the South African social and environmental landscape that should be recognized and utilized. The final suite of selection criteria are structured according to four subsections, namely a general section that addresses national matters of general concern to the MAB Programme, and three sections covering the three biosphere reserve functions of conservation, sustainable development and logistic support. This suite of biosphere reserve selection criteria for South Africa is being put forward for deliberation and discussion at local, provincial and national level. It has the potential to be of valuable assistance in selection processes for future effective and efficient biosphere reserves that will proudly earn their place in the South African landscape as “special places for people and nature”.