Periodic Reporting for period 3 - FIDELIO (Forecasting social Impacts of bioDiversity consErvation poLicies In EurOpe)
Período documentado: 2021-07-01 hasta 2022-12-31
Designating Protected Areas (PAs) is the most important policy tool for biodiversity conservation. However, effective management of PAs is often obstructed by conflicts mainly associated with the social impacts (SIs) imposed on local communities by their establishment. Despite the importance of these SIs there are certain aspects in this field that remain significantly under-researched. There is now an increasing need to incorporate SI assessments in to decision making processes by providing a clear framework explaining how perceptions of these impacts are created and predicting their change in the future. This will support the achievement of international goals for biodiversity conservation and adaptation to climate change as well as better accounting for social justice issues for communities dependent on protected natural resources. The aim of FIDELIO is to develop for the first time a new framework in order to understand how perceptions of SIs are formulated taking into consideration the dimensions of space and time. In particular the project is grounded in key theories of environmental sociology and environmental psychology capturing the interactions of society with the natural environment, also taking into consideration more recent debates such as the 'nature contributions to people' argument. Key objectives of the project are:
1. to understand the complexities of socio-ecological systems in Protected Areas across space and time
2. to explore the key obstacles (from a socio-economic perspective) in achieving biodiversity conservation targets and
3. to develop a guide on social impact assessment for European Protected Areas
1. to understand the complexities of socio-ecological systems in Protected Areas across space and time
2. to explore the key obstacles (from a socio-economic perspective) in achieving biodiversity conservation targets and
3. to develop a guide on social impact assessment for European Protected Areas
During the reporting period (January 2019 to July 2021) the research team has focused on three main research themes. First, to develop a theoretical framework that assists in understanding public acceptance for Protected Areas setting at its core perceptions for social impacts. Secondly, to collect a large amount of social data from local communities living near or inside Protected Areas across Europe in order to test the theoretical framework. Third, to test and establish data analysis methodologies which will allow the research team to identify key factors explaining public support for Protected Areas taking into consideration the location of the local communities. We provide below a detailed list of the work which has been performed since the beginning of the project until the end of the reporting period and the main results that have been achieved so far:
Development of a conceptual framework explaining links between individual and collective social characteristics, perceptions of social impacts and the level of support for PAs.
Development and testing of research tools (questionnaire and interview guide) in order to explore the research objectives of the project.
Design and distribution of surveys in a sample of local communities living in 10 Protected Areas (PAs). Several of these surveys were conducted during the pandemic and we were able to capture both social impacts of the PAs but also the impact of COVID-19 on these communities in relation to the PA.
Set of individual personal interviews focusing on social impacts of Protected Areas in 4 core case studies of the project.
Data analysis
Preparation of surveys in additional areas including 3 Marine PAs in Italy, France and Spain.
Preparation of reports in 4 PAs (available on our website: www.warwick.ac.uk/fidelio)
Presentations in 5 conferences and workshops.
Organisation of 5 workshops on social impacts of PAs and also the impact of COVID-19 (Jan Feb 2019, Jan 2020, July 2020, Oct 2020, July 2021)
Establishment of a strong collaborative network with 15 PA management authorities in Europe.
Holding meetings and consultations with the managing authorities of protected areas to ensure that our methodology and research questions are relevant for their work and the local needs of the protected areas.
Regular presentations in formal and semi-formal academic settings, where both the methodology and the findings of the project are shared with fellow researchers and practitioners.
Development of a conceptual framework explaining links between individual and collective social characteristics, perceptions of social impacts and the level of support for PAs.
Development and testing of research tools (questionnaire and interview guide) in order to explore the research objectives of the project.
Design and distribution of surveys in a sample of local communities living in 10 Protected Areas (PAs). Several of these surveys were conducted during the pandemic and we were able to capture both social impacts of the PAs but also the impact of COVID-19 on these communities in relation to the PA.
Set of individual personal interviews focusing on social impacts of Protected Areas in 4 core case studies of the project.
Data analysis
Preparation of surveys in additional areas including 3 Marine PAs in Italy, France and Spain.
Preparation of reports in 4 PAs (available on our website: www.warwick.ac.uk/fidelio)
Presentations in 5 conferences and workshops.
Organisation of 5 workshops on social impacts of PAs and also the impact of COVID-19 (Jan Feb 2019, Jan 2020, July 2020, Oct 2020, July 2021)
Establishment of a strong collaborative network with 15 PA management authorities in Europe.
Holding meetings and consultations with the managing authorities of protected areas to ensure that our methodology and research questions are relevant for their work and the local needs of the protected areas.
Regular presentations in formal and semi-formal academic settings, where both the methodology and the findings of the project are shared with fellow researchers and practitioners.
The project provides for the first time a detailed explanation on how perceptions of social impacts of PAs are formulated and how these perceptions can determine the level of support for PAs. This is particularly important as there are firm plans to establish new, or expand existing, PAs in order to protect biodiversity and increase adaptation to climate change via the EU Biodiversity Strategy. The results of the project so far have provided a detailed identification of social impacts of PAs across Europe (publication no.1) which is considered one of the most under-researched regions internationally on this topic despite having proportionally the largest number of PAs in the world. In particular we have developed a new framework for measuring, explaining and predicting perceptions of social impacts of PAs, which can be incorporated into current impact assessment and management evaluation techniques for PAs and could be used in PAs that will be designated in the future in Europe and internationally. Our results have shown that subjective perceptions of social impacts of PAs are the key predictor for the level of support for PAs but these subjective perceptions are strongly dependent on certain factors including norms, values, and place attachment. As a next step the research team is currently preparing academic publications presenting this conceptual framework, supported by empirical evidence, and we also plan to prepare a dedicated, practitioner-focused webpage to increase engagement with the research results and tools with non-academic audiences.
The research team is also in the process of creating an innovative complex modelling framework informed by an in-depth analysis providing significant evidence on how social impacts are differentiated based on the geographical location in which they are measured and the influence of different indicators. Our preliminary research results so far show that proximity to the cores of protected areas, meaning the zones with the strictest protection levels in a protected area, is a significant contributing factor affecting local support for protected areas. Finally, the research team has responded swiftly to the challenges of the pandemic and has already contributed significantly in producing and exchanging information regarding the impact of COVID 19 both on the management of PAs and also the impact it has had on local communities living near PAs. We gathered data via workshops, interviews and structured questionnaires (presented in our reports no 2, 3 and 4 and academic publications no 2 and 3), which capture how people ‘escaped’ to nature during the pandemic and the significant impact that the increased number of visitors has had for PAs across Europe. Our workshops brought together managers from 15 Protected Areas and were useful in facilitating the exchange of knowledge on effective methods of overcoming and managing the issue of overcrowding in PAs. To our knowledge, we were the first research team in Europe to gather such information. Beyond this, the experience of the pandemic has offered a natural experiment through which to: evaluate the resilience of local communities in and around PAs; consider how this resilience may be sustained into the future; and to explore how tensions and social impacts may be mitigated.
The research team is also in the process of creating an innovative complex modelling framework informed by an in-depth analysis providing significant evidence on how social impacts are differentiated based on the geographical location in which they are measured and the influence of different indicators. Our preliminary research results so far show that proximity to the cores of protected areas, meaning the zones with the strictest protection levels in a protected area, is a significant contributing factor affecting local support for protected areas. Finally, the research team has responded swiftly to the challenges of the pandemic and has already contributed significantly in producing and exchanging information regarding the impact of COVID 19 both on the management of PAs and also the impact it has had on local communities living near PAs. We gathered data via workshops, interviews and structured questionnaires (presented in our reports no 2, 3 and 4 and academic publications no 2 and 3), which capture how people ‘escaped’ to nature during the pandemic and the significant impact that the increased number of visitors has had for PAs across Europe. Our workshops brought together managers from 15 Protected Areas and were useful in facilitating the exchange of knowledge on effective methods of overcoming and managing the issue of overcrowding in PAs. To our knowledge, we were the first research team in Europe to gather such information. Beyond this, the experience of the pandemic has offered a natural experiment through which to: evaluate the resilience of local communities in and around PAs; consider how this resilience may be sustained into the future; and to explore how tensions and social impacts may be mitigated.