Browsing by Subject "National park"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

Open Access
Exploring the interactions of wildlife and rural communities in Carara National Park, Costa Rica
(2010-12-09) Huson, Kimberly
Park officials at Carara National Park, Costa Rica, face considerable challenges. They believe poaching has become a significant threat to the park’s biodiversity and that their enforcement measures, largely due to limited funds, are inadequate. Through family-level interviews in six communities surrounding Carara National Park, this study aims to understand the dynamics of poaching by identifying animals at risk of poaching and identifying communities to target future enforcement measures. Interviews inquired about interactions with wildlife, perceived populations of wildlife, sale of wildlife, opinions towards hunting, and observed hunting activities. Summary statistics, CART modeling and probit regressions are used to analyze the data. Results indicate hunting is not prevalent in terms of the number of families that hunt. However, these families can still have significant impacts on wildlife populations with poaching occurring for both subsistence and market-oriented reasons. Two potential community sets are identified as areas to target enforcement. Based on the number of reported families engaging in hunting, enforcement should be targeted in Bijagual and Tárcoles. However, exploring truthfulness through CART and probit regression analysis indicates enforcement should be targeted in El Sur and La Hacienda. Ultimately, future enforcement measures will be determined by Carara officials. Although potential target communities are identified and management practices such as ecotourism and community-based management are potentially viable avenues for reducing poaching, the park faces considerable challenges for enforcement due to its limited financial capabilities.
Open Access
Local Communities Attitudes and Perceptions of the Fazao-Malfakassa National Park in Togo
(2018-04-27) Saparapa, Rajah
The Fazao-Malfakassa National Park was established by forcing the local communities off their land and without taking into considerations their point of view. In addition, the government failed to conduct a good assessment of future population growth. As the population increased and land pressure started to become a problem, local populations moved into the lands that are adjoining the protected area (Barrow, Lembuya, Ntiati, & Samba, 1993). The increase in land competition is putting pressure on the Fazao-Malfakassa National Park and is creating conflict between the local communities and park managers (Soumia, 1990). Today, the local communities are still not included in decision-making, and the relation between the local communities and the park has degraded. I assessed the perceptions and attitudes of the local community towards Fazao-Malfakassa National Park, and how it may impact conservation attitudes in the region. I also developed recommendations on some best practices to create positive conservation attitudes. These finding showed in general that the local population has a negative perception of the park. It is therefore crucial to develop new ways of management such as a multisectoral approach and community based environmental management to bridge the gap between the park and local communities, and to achieve economic benefits for local communities and positive attitudes towards the park.