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Hussain, S. (2002). Nature and Human Nature: Conservation, Values and Snow Leopard.. Islt: Islt.
Abstract: The failure of top-down environmental conservation practices gave rise to the so-called
`Community Based Conservation' or CBC approach. CBC promises to achieve the dual goals of conserving nature and improving peoples' livelihoods. CBC programs also aim to involve local communities as active partners in conservation efforts, and to use traditional knowledge and local values in management of resources (Adams & Hulme 2001; Agrawal & Gibson 1999). There are variations between different CBC programs; however, the underlying rationale of the approach, common to all programs, is that introducing or changing economic incentives into the conservation calculus of local people will bring about the behavioural change necessary for successful conservation (Kellert et al 2000). Thus, the major emphasis in CBC programs is conserving nature based on its utilitarian value. Since utilitarian value is measured in terms of economics, hence the emphasis of CBCs on economic incentives in promoting conservation. Recent evaluation of the CBC approach has shown that while local people may have benefited in economic terms from the use of nature, no tangible improvements in biodiversity conservation have occurred (Kellert et al 2000; Terborgh 1999). The disappointing performance of CBC programs, which promised so much and yet have failed in practice to deliver, has recently lead to a resurgence of the protectionist approach, calling for a renewed separation between the conservation and human development objectives (Redford & Sanderson 2000; Terborgh 1999; Oats 1999). Others, however, believe that the CBC approach has enormous potential, and that a return to protectionist strategies would be disastrous, like `reinventing the square wheel' (Brechin 2001; Wilhusen 2001). It is crucial that the flaws in the CBC approach are remedied if there is to be any hope of a conservation agenda that does not conflict with the needs, aspirations and interests of local people, and that therefore has a chance of having a long term, sustainable conservation outcome. Keywords: snow; leopard; nature; Human; environment; environmental; conservation; conserving; conserve; economic; incentives; cbc; 4940
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