Another case of mishandling vulnerable people's place in the natural environment

A few months back, I wrote about the policy and philosophical issues surrounding the tenuous access and rights afforded to traditional dwellers of a national park in Botswana. Similar issues were reported regarding the Ogiek in Kenya by the New York Times on 14th November of this year:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/world/africa/15kenya.html?ref=africa

The Ogiek are traditional dwellers of the Mau Forest in Kenya, wherein they have hunted and collected non-timber forest products (NTFP) for subsistence. The article reports that the Ogiek's lifestyle and livelihoods have been under threat from harmful forest policies since the time of British colonialism, when the British removed native flora from the Mau Forest in order to plant non-native tree species for the production of timber. This practice was common British forest policy and was certainly known here in India, where forest dependent peoples were similarly impacted by having their means of subsistence and livelihood diminished through timber-oriented forest transformations.

The ecosystemic changes caused by timber-oriented forest conversions have devastating short and long term impacts on forest dependent peoples since the goods and services provided to such people by well-functioning, native ecosystems are lost after such disruptions. Typically, the non-native tree species replacing the native ones removed from forests are scarcely beneficial to forest dependent peoples who rely on forests for food, energy, and other products to consume directly or sell. In the case of the Ogiek, honey is a mainstay. In short, when forests are drastically changed, the ecosystem dies and with it the livelihoods of people in those forests.

Presently, the Kenyan government is pledging to evict all inhabitants of the Mau Forest, which includes the Ogiek as well as other who were misguidedly given parcels in the forest in the past. Destruction of the Mao forest ecosystem has significantly decreased its productive capacity for water, a resource the nation relies on. The article describes the government's plans to evict forest inhabitants as a move toward conservation and restoration. This may or may not be true, as there is also speculation that renewed interest in timber activities could be also be behind the new policy.

Despite the government's intentions, there are clear lessons to be learned about forced exclusion of people from the lands they depend on. The most important of these lessons is simple: it doesn't work. For people who are highly integrated in direct dependence on ecosystems for subsistence and livelihoods, real exclusion from said resources is not often possible. People continue to use the resource, although in less sustainable ways and, under the exclusionary policies, illegally. Strongly supportive, participatory approaches to changing forest-dependent people's reliance have shown much more success throughout the developing world. These policies give people a stake in protecting and conserving resources such as forests while allowing them to use the forest in ways consistent with its preservation.

In this case, another, newer population of Mao Forest inhabitants are also stakeholders. These are not traditionally forest-dependent people like the Ogiek, but those who have been handed parcels of land in the past and have cultivated agriculture there - a practice that, along with timber extraction, has led to the Mao Forest's degradation in the first place. Although relocation and exclusion of these people may be more feasible given their shorter tenure in the forest and their status as agriculturalists, they too will resist and likely use the forest illegally after exclusionary policies are undertaken.

By all signs, this case is a mess created by decades of policies abusive to ecosystems and people. All evidence from the social and natural science of forest management points to the need for a new policy that will include forest dependent people in forest conservation and preservation, not exclude them. Let's now hope the government of Kenya can heed this evidence.

 

Gardenia Gummifera

In the course of my study of human and natural systems in India, I'm looking at the dependence on a particular tree species - Gardenia Gummifera or Bikki, its common name in Telugu. Endemic to India, it is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, although it is sparsely distributed. It occurs as a shrub or small tree in dry, deciduous woodlands. Bikki produces a small, sweet fruit, which is collected by villagers in our study area to sell and for personal consumption. The wood is sometimes harvested for fuelwood, although less so than other species. Non-human fruit predators include slothbears, goats and sheep, and wild boars. Other threats include the extract of gum. It flowers in March and produces fruit between April and August. Like other trees in local forests, it is susceptible to seasonal fires, which pose a threat to regeneration.

Photo: Tiffany Knight

Ecological Management of Redwoods

The October 2009 issue of National Geographic featured a fantastic article (not to mention photos) about the present state of forestry in Northern California in the United States with a focus on redwood management. The article details a team's trek through the redwood forests in California to examine not only their ecological condition, but also to interview the range of stakeholders in redwood management in the region, including local communities, environmentalists, and loggers. 


While national and state forest reserves secure (relatively) small patches of old growth, healthy redwood forest ecosystems, a significant portion of the existing - though not always old growth - redwoods are in private hands, often those of large logging interests. The ecological and social benefits of healthy redwood ecosystems are not contained, though, only within the boundaries of the forest reserves. The entire forest landscape must be managed well in order to maintain and increase redwood forests, as well as to sustain social and economic connections to these forests. Often, poor management decisions have been taken, especially on the side of the biggest loggers, when the divides between the various stakeholders at the table have been substantial.   


Surprisingly, the article gives hope with its positive view about these stakeholders being able to work together toward ecologically and socially sustainable forestry of redwoods. Most notably, several loggers are featured discussing the adoption of less intense, "ecological" approaches to forestry wherein thriving forest ecosystems are built then selectively logged so that important ecosystem functions are maintained. This is beneficial not only to the vulnerable wildlife depending on privately (logger) owned redwood forests, including the northern spotted owl Strix occidentalis caurina and the marbled murrelet Brachyramphus marmoratus, but also produces better timber yield in the long run. 


In a context where environmentalists and commercial loggers have long clashed over redwood management, broader understanding between these groups bodes well for balanced management approaches that can meet a range of needs. If logging can be carried out in a way that is minimally harmful to ecosystems and wildlife in redwood forests while social and economic needs are met, then it seems a good compromise will obtain. We will have to wait and see the results of these approaches.  Nonetheless, the political challenges that have hurt the effort toward redwood conservation for so long seem to be softening, which is itself a reason to look up.


http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/10/redwood-management/fay-text

Energy, Environment, & Poverty Paper Recently Published

I have recently co-authored a paper on energy and ecological conservation and poverty in South India with Tim Severyn, Peter Hovmand, and Gautam Yadama entitled Modeling the Dynamics of the Energy, Environment, & Poverty Nexus: A Study of Biogas Unit Diffusion in Andhra Pradesh, India. The paper qualitatively evaluates the diffusion of an energy conservation technology, biogas stoves, by offering a system dynamics model as a conceptual framework for studying this issue. The paper was published in the proceedings of this year's International System Dynamics Conference where the paper was presented. I've put the abstract to the paper below, as well as a link to the whole paper.

Abstract:

In this paper, we use system dynamics modeling to examine the broad set of socio-economic and ecological factors which together play a role in determining a household’s decision to adopt a biogas unit.  Informed by data we collected during the summer of 2008 with the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) in Andhra Pradesh, India, and with corroboration from the relevant technology diffusion and energy transition literature, we model the process of biogas adoption and traditional technology replacement.  We find that only by improving biogas interventions to address this complex interplay of energy, environment, and poverty-related factors, notably household usage of a multiple-stove strategy and the energy insecurity of the poorest households, can an intervention realize desired  human and ecological outcomes. We conclude with a discussion of model applications for both FES and the broader rural development community.

The full paper can be downloaded here under Hovmand, Peter with John Peipert, Tim Severyn and Gautam Yadma   Modeling the Dynamics of the Energy, Environment, & Poverty Nexus: A Study of Biogas Unit Diffusion in Andhra Pradesh, India

http://www.systemdynamics.org/conferences/2009/proceed/index.html 

Loten's Sunbird

I recently (and finally) was able to photograph the beautiful male Loten's Sunbird Cinnyris lotenius that hangs around my back porch. Enjoy!

Elinor Ostrom wins Nobel in Economic Science!

Elinor Ostrom, widely considered the lead scholar of common property management, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Science. This is a fantastic validation of research, policy, and practice around common property management in natural resources, the topic that Ostrom contributed to most. She has been key in updating our understanding of how individuals and groups can manage common property successfully, in contrast to the "Tragedy of the Commons" scenario popularized by Garrett Hardin. Hardin's work inspired policies wherein either governmental control or private ownership has been the central management tool of all natural resources across the world for the past several decades. However, Ostrom and many other scholars have shown that under the right institutional conditions,  natural resources can be managed commonly with desirable outcomes, as has been the case in many rural communities in developing nations. For example, forests in India - my own area of research -  are managed through common institutions by communities that depend on them (forests) for daily sustenance needs with aims in ecological conservation as well as human interests, and there are many cases of success on both fronts. It is exciting to anticipate the long-range effects of this accolade, and one hope is that the US, as well as nations all over the world, will begin to take community forestry more seriously as a strategy toward forest conservation.

The Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), the organization I've worked with in India for the last two years, has made remarkable progress in ecological conservation by building sustainable local governance institutions for natural resource management. A lot of their work has been guided by Ostrom's research, especially her seminal book Governing the Commons. I was inspired by both Ostrom and FES yesterday, as I observed the Madanapalle office giving a workshop to fieldworkers on institutions affecting natural resource management using Governing the Commons as its source. I then walked home only to learn that Ostrom had been awarded the Nobel.

I am lucky to work with such a fantastic organization that has been tapped-into innovative and effective strategies for natural resource governance over the past two decades. It doesn't take an event like this to realize how much I'm learning here, but it is a wonderful validation of the work I'm involved with, and the people who I get to work with everyday. Go Ostrom, and go FES!!!

Here are a few links that will shed more light on the topics discussed above:

News about Ostrom's Nobel:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/12/AR2009101201487.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVarWAboxFQ&feature=player_embedded
http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14632614


Foundation for Ecological Security:
http://fes.org.in/

Elaine Grimm's blog:
http://common-s-knowledge.blogspot.com/

Birding at Rishi Valley

Although I've spent several months in India over the past two years, I've only gone birding a handful of times. In the US, birding is a past-time of mine that has sometimes behaved more like an obsession, which is common among birders. In the field and around my home in Madanapalle, I have been able to identify a number of birds, and I've kept track of a list in India. Nonetheless, I've not taken advantage of many great opportunities for birding here in Andhra Pradesh as well as in Gujarat, where I also spend time. This trend may have changed today, as I went for a wonderful session at Rishi Valley Bird Preserve. The session was led by noted birder and ornithologist, Santharam V., as well as other faculty and students from Rishi Valley school. The School's 350+ acre campus hosts the bird preserve, on which 208 species have been observed! 

On a side note, Rishi Valley School is a fantastic primary and secondary education institution in the hills of Rayalseema near to Madanapalle. Started by Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurthi, the school is famous for its holistic approach to education, and its dedication to extension work in ecological conservation and sustainable approaches to rural development. It seems the school's curriculum and extension work are intertwined to some extent, as the faculty and students I met were highly attuned to the issues of ecology and rural development. I was very impressed by the young students I birded with today, all of whom are more competent birders than me. It is also inspiring that young people are learning natural history and, hopefully, developing a conservation ethic. If future generations have healthy ecosystems to enjoy, I'm sure Rishi Valley School will be in part responsible. http://www.rishivalley.org/

We enjoyed approximately 23+ species today, apparently a slow day for the regular birding group there. Among the highlights were a Painted Spurfowl (Galloperdix lunulata) and a few first of season Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius). It was a great time, and I look very forward to birding with the group again. In the end, I had 15 life species, and one continent species, Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto). A near-complete trip list is below.

Painted Spurfowl Galloperdix lunulata            

Shikra Accipiter badius (probable)

Yellow-legged Buttonquail Turnix tanki*

Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto 

Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis 

Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri

Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis

Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus

Bay-backed Shrike Lanius vittatus (probable)

Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocerus

Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica

Grey-breasted Prinia Prinia hodgsonii

Jungle Prinia Prinia sylvatica

Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius

Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus

Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer

Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides

Spotted Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps*

Tawny-bellied Babbler Dumetia hyperythra

Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense*

Common Babbler Turdoides caudata

Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius

Tickells Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrorhynchos

Purple Sunbird Cinnyris asiaticus

Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus

* Indicates heard only.