BNM6162 Community Conservation

The aim of this module is to understand the complexities of communities and conservation, and develop skills in analysing and coming up with solutions to deal with problems at the interface of local communities and biodiversity conservation.   There has been much tension about biodiversity conservation, the role of protected areas, and how people living adjacent to protected areas are treated, and issues of poverty alleviation and the role of conservation in poverty alleviation. The focus of our module is on the complex relationships between biodiversity conservation efforts and human values and needs. The module explores five themes: approaches to biodiversity conservation and peoples’ use of biodiversity; stakeholder involvement and participatory approaches to conservation; traditional ecological knowledge and the role of indigenous peoples in conservation; incentives for conservation; and social justice issues in conservation. A central theme in the module is the role of participatory practices and managing community intervention initiatives in conservation of biodiversity.