Research stations as conservation instruments provide long-term community benefits through social connections

The paper considers the benefits accruing from field research stations and how they might promote community-park relationships. In Kibale National Park (Uganda), study findings show that the presence of the research station provides long-term direct employment for 52 people, and indirect, cascading benefits for up to 720 people several kilometers away. While benefits of the research station do not eliminate community-park conflict, the long-term presence of researchers and the gains to local people associated with them is an underappreciated and important means for integrating the goals of biodiversity protection and local community investment. Benefits such as healthcare and education are also linked.Canada Research Chairs Program,Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada,Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Nature et les TechnologiesRathlyn Fieldwork Award,the National Geographic Society