The Political Ecology of Conserving Tropical Rain Forests

A Cross-National Analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID12163746
AuthorsDiane C Bates (0000-0001-7587-4560, corresponding author), Thomas K Rudel Diane Bates
Year2000
Volume13
Issue7
Pages619-634
Publication date2000-10-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociety & Natural Resources (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0894-1920 • E-ISSN: 1521-0723
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/08941920050121909
OpenAlexW2046864502
LanguageEN
Citations received12

During the past three decades, conservation groups have tried to conserve tropical biodiversity primarily by lobbying for the creation of parks. Critics have condemned this strategy because parks deny valuable natural resources to poor peoples who live around them. Despite the controversy, we know little about the political and ecological conditions that facilitate the creation of parks in the tropics. We outline these facilitating conditions through analyses of data on tropical rain forests and social conditions in 63 tropical nations. The analysis supports a "countercoalition" hypothesis of park creation in which threats to destroy forests trigger political activity by environmentalists, which results in the creation of reserves. By clarifying the conditions under which park creation occurs, this analysis suggests situation specific guidelines that may resolve the controversy about conservation strategies. Keywords: Biodiversity Conservation Deforestation Tropical Forests

Agroforestry · Biodiversity · Biodiversity conservation · Biology · Deforestation (computer science · Economics · Environmental resource management · Geography · National park · Natural resource · Political ecology · Political science · Politics · Rainforest · Tropical forest · Tropical rain forest · Tropics · Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Ecology

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