Absence of evidence for the conservation outcomes of systematic conservation planning around the globe : A systematic map

Background Systematic conservation planning is a discipline concerned with the prioritisation of resources for biodiversity conservation and is often used in the design or assessment of terrestrial and marine protected area networks. Despite being an evidence-based discipline, to date there has been no comprehensive review of the outcomes of systematic conservation plans and assessments of the relative effectiveness of applications in different contexts. To address this fundamental gap in knowledge, our primary research question was: what is the extent, distribution and robustness of evidence on conservation outcomes of systematic conservation planning around the globe? Methods A systematic mapping exercise was undertaken using standardised search terms across 29 sources, including publication databases, online repositories and a wide range of grey literature sources. The review team screened articles recursively, first by title only, then abstract and finally by full-text, using inclusion criteria related to systematic conservation plans conducted at sub-global scales and reported on since 1983. We sought studies that reported outcomes relating to natural, human, social, financial or institutional outcomes and which employed robust evaluation study designs. The following information was extracted from included studies: bibliographic details, background information including location of study and broad objectives of the plan, study design, reported outcomes and context. Results Of the approximately 10,000 unique articles returned through our searches, 1209 were included for full-text screening and 43 studies reported outcomes of conservation planning interventions. However, only three studies involved the use of evaluation study designs which are suitably rigorous for inclusion, according to best-practice guidelines. The three included studies were undertaken in the Gulf of California (Mexico), Réunion Island, and The Nature Conservancy’s landholdings across the USA. The studies varied widely in context, purpose and outcomes. Study designs were non-experimental or qualitative, and involved use of spatial landholdings over time, stakeholder surveys and modelling of alternative planning scenarios. Conclusion Rigorous evaluations of systematic conservation plans are currently not published in academic journals or made publicly available elsewhere. Despite frequent claims relating to positive implications and outcomes of these planning activities, we show that evaluations are probably rarely conducted. This finding does not imply systematic conservation planning is not effective but highlights a significant gap in our understanding of how, when and why it may or may not be effective. Our results also corroborate claims that the literature on systematic conservation planning is dominated by methodological studies, rather than those that focus on implementation and outcomes, and support the case that this is a problematic imbalance in the literature. We emphasise the need for academics and practitioners to publish the outcomes of systematic conservation planning exercises and to consider employing robust evaluation methodologies when reporting project outcomes. Adequate reporting of outcomes will in turn enable transparency and accountability between institutions and funding bodies as well as improving the science and practice of conservation planning

Effects of landscape segregation on livelihood vulnerability. Human Ecology,

Abstract This study investigates four decades of socio-economic and environmental change in a shifting cultivation landscape in the northern uplands of Laos. Historical changes in land cover and land use were analyzed using a chronological series of remote sensing data. Impacts of landscape change on local livelihoods were investigated in seven villages through interviews with various stakeholders. The study reveals that the complex mosaics of agriculture and forest patches observed in the study area have long constituted key assets for the resilience of local livelihood systems in the face of environmental and socio-economic risks. However, over the past twenty years, a process of segregating agricultural and forest spaces has increased the vulnerability of local land users. This process is a direct outcome of policies aimed at increasing national forest cover, eradicating shifting cultivation and fostering the emergence of more intensive and commercial agricultural practices. We argue that agriculture-forest segregation should be buffered in such a way that a diversity of livelihood opportunities and economic development pathways can be maintained

Assessing farmer field schools process to improve the participation of local actors: a case study in Tunisia

Advisory services have long been considered key instruments to improve farm and crop management by introducing innovative practices and technologies in agricultural systems. Departing from a simple "technology transfer" perspective, participatory approaches were developed over the 1980s to enhance the design and adoption of innovations. Farmer field schools (FFS), an advisory service strongly based on participatory principles, aimed at supporting and fostering farmers' innovation. FFS have been used and adapted since the 1980s to meet context-specific needs in crop or farm management and foster integrative approaches. In this study, we report on interviews with some FFS project leaders and we assess the effective participation in a specific FFS experiment in central Tunisia. We show that, despite numerous studies reporting on FFS experiments, there are generally no available records on how participatory approaches were applied and on the extent of stakeholders' involvement. We contend that evaluating stakeholders' participation level via an assessment of the FFS application process becomes a must to improve their quality and effectiveness. Our results show that there is a gap in applying FFS operationally. Thus, planned activities will not be adapted to local scope specifications. Therefore, they are not easily adopted and are even more rejected by farmers. In conclusion, we suggest introducing new tools (e.g., role-playing games) to create an interactive environment for discussions between stakeholders and to enhance the capacity of local farmers to contribute to the design of FFS experiments according to their needs

Freshwater Amazonian bivalve shells as archive of river hydrogeochemistry variations, insight from oxygen isotopes [résumé]

Workshop Latinoamericano de Otolitos y Otras Estructuras Calcificadas, Buenos Aires, ARG, 28-/08/2019 - 30/08/201

Guide méthodologique pour la planification territoriale concertée

Ce guide méthodologique pour la planification territoriale concertée a été élaboré par le CIRAD et ses partenaires de recherche et d'enseignement supérieur (IRSTEA, INAT, INRGREF) pour la Direction Générale de l'Aménagement et de la Conservation des Terres Agricoles (DG/ACTA) du Ministère de l'Agriculture et des Ressources Hydrauliques et de la Pêche (MARHP) tunisien. Il a été écrit à l'intention des agents de développement territorial travaillant directement avec les communautés locales. Il s'adresse plus particulièrement aux Chargés d'Appui au Développement Rural (CADR) du MARHP qui interviendront dans le Programme PACTE (Programme d'Adaptation au changement Climatique des Territoires vulnérables de Tunisie, 2018-2024), mais également de manière plus large à toutes les personnes (par exemple : agents de terrain, membres des communautés, consultants, vulgarisateurs) souhaitant s'investir dans des actions de planification participative du développement à l'échelle du territoire. Ce guide se veut opérationnel et facilement accessible. Il est fait pour accompagner l'agent sur le terrain, et aménage des espaces pour que le lecteur puisse annoter le document et l'adapter à ses besoins spécifiques. On y trouvera des éléments de cadrage sur les conditions de mise en place d'une démarche de planification territoriale concertée et, notamment, sur les enjeux de la participation et de l'engagement d'acteurs aux identités multiples dans un dispositif multi-niveaux de production et de partage de connaissances, de débat citoyen, de planification et mise en oeuvre d'actions et de suivi-évaluation. Le guide détaille également les étapes clés de la démarche de planification concertée ainsi que la structure et le fonctionnement du dispositif « plateforme de concertation territoriale ». Cette méthode a été conçue pour pouvoir intervenir dans des territoires vulnérables en Tunisie afin d'y mener des actions de planification participative pour une utilisation durable des ressources naturelles en vue du développement durable des communautés et de leurs territoires. Il est le produit de différentes expériences pratiques menées par les UMR G-eau et TETIS (CIRAD et IRSTEA) et leurs partenaires de recherche et de développement. Cette approche n'est pas la seule existante et s'appuie fortement sur différents cadres méthodologiques dont les références sont données dans le texte. Elle est le fruit d'une confrontation des auteurs à différentes questions et problématiques de terrain. Elle a été conduite dans des cadres divers de recherche, de recherche-action et de développement, dans les pays du Sud comme du Nord

Les observatoires territoriaux : des outils de la société de la connaissance ?

National audienceTerritorial development aims to renew public action and find solutions to major societal challenges. Making use of the new information and communication technologies, territorial observatories are also cooperative mechanisms that favour collective learning processes. Their implementation is complicated and difficult because it involves building, at the same time, an organization, a project and an information system in a process of mutual validation. CoObs, a method for the collaborative design of territorial observatories, is based on the deployment of three models: the model of territorial dynamics, the model of action and the model of observation. The article introduces and presents this method. Based on an analysis of two experiences, in the French West Indies and the Bassin de Thau in southern France, the authors show that territorial observatories contribute to the knowledge society by permitting citizen knowledge to inform societal choices and by reintroducing policy debates in processes of deliberative democracy. In addition to taking into account the objectives of the actors, a territorial observatory requires a high-level of technical expertise and leadership, and a political or institutional backing that ensures that means are available for its functioning over the long term. The implementation of a territorial observatory takes time; it takes a few years for it to become fully operational. A factor and metric of its success is the efficiency of its technical system, as evaluated by the quality of its responses to the needs and demands of the actors.Le développement territorial a pour ambition de renouveler l'action publique et de répondre aux grands enjeux sociétaux. Mobilisant les nouvelles technologies de l'information et de la communication, les observatoires territoriaux sont aussi des dispositifs de coopération favorisant des processus d'apprentissage collectif. Leur mise en oeuvre est difficile car il s'agit de construire simultanément une organisation, un projet et un système d'information dans un processus de validation mutuelle. CoObs, méthode de conception collaborative d'observatoires territoriaux, est basée sur l'élaboration de trois modèles : le modèle des dynamiques territoriales, le modèle de l'action et le modèle de l'observation. L'article introduit et présente cette méthode. À partir de l'analyse de deux expériences, aux Antilles et dans le Bassin de Thau, les auteurs démontrent que les observatoires territoriaux contribuent à la société de la connaissance en permettant aux savoirs citoyens d'éclairer les choix sociétaux et en réintroduisant le débat politique dans des processus de démocratie délibérative. Au-delà de la prise en compte des objectifs des acteurs, la mise en oeuvre d'un observatoire territorial demande du temps (le processus se déroule sur plusieurs années), une animation technique de qualité, et un portage politique ou institutionnel garantissant des moyens. Un autre facteur de succès est l'efficience du dispositif technique, évalué par la qualité des réponses aux besoins et demandes des acteurs