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Politics of Community-based Conservation in Latin America

This is a new area of research that is in the early stages of development (as of July 2005).   One of the core debates surrounding biodiversity conservation internationally revolves around the question of use versus protection (very limited or non-use) of ecologically valuable areas (see the "Square Wheel" papers listed above).   In regions across Latin America, ranging from the Maya Forest of northern Central America to the Brazilian Amazon and beyond, agrarian communities depend on natural resources for their livelihoods.   At the same time, many conservation biologists conclude that some areas are so important ecologically that access to and use of the natural resources they contain should be highly restricted if not prohibited.   Other observers argue that many areas rich in biodiversity, such as the Brazilian Amazon, have been subjected to human use for centuries and can continue to sustain use if it is carefully managed.   This latter group promotes community-based conservation programs as a way of encouraging social equity, local sustainable development, and resource conservation.

While this research project will not resolve the question of long-term ecological impacts of sustainable use, it does set out to examine the relative organizational and political success or failure of three examples of community-based conservation from Guatemala, Brazil, and Peru that have benefited from long-term external support by governments, NGOs, and aid organizations.