Understanding and Assessing Equity in Protected Area Conservation a Matter of Governance, Rights, Social Impacts and Human Wellbeing
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Understanding and assessing equity in protected area conservation A matter of governance, rights, social impacts and human wellbeing Phil Franks, Francesca Booker and Dilys Roe Issue Paper Biodiversity; Governance Keywords: February 2018 Equity, conservation, protected areas, Social Assessment of Protected Areas (SAPA), wellbeing About the author Phil Franks is a senior researcher in the biodiversity team at IIED. Francesca Booker is a researcher in the biodiversity team at IIED. Dilys Roe is a principal researcher in the biodiversity team at IIED. Corresponding author: Phil Franks, [email protected] Produced by IIED’s Natural Resources Group The aim of the Natural Resources Group is to build partnerships, capacity and wise decision-making for fair and sustainable use of natural resources. Our priority in pursuing this purpose is on local control and management of natural resources and other ecosystems. Acknowledgments This paper builds on the work of a large group of people who have worked over the last three years on the development of the equity framework for protected area management and governance. Annex 1 contains the latest version of this framework at the time of publication, which reflects discussions at a workshop in April 2017 and a recent round of comments. We would like to acknowledge, in particular, the contribution of Kate Schreckenberg and Adrian Martin (co-authors of our earlier publications), staff of the Forest Peoples’ Programme for their detailed comments on the latest version of the framework, and Noelia Zafro-Calvo for being the first person to put the framework to good use. Published by IIED, February 2018 Franks, P et al. (2018) Understanding and assessing equity in protected area conservation: a matter of governance, rights, social impacts and human wellbeing. IIED Issue Paper. IIED, London. http://pubs.iied.org/14671IIED ISBN 978-1-78431-555-9 Photo caption: A focus group discussion on protected area governance with a community on the edge of Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda. Photo credit: Phil Franks, June 2016 Printed on recycled paper with vegetable-based inks. International Institute for Environment and Development 80-86 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8NH, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 3463 7399 Fax: +44 (0)20 3514 9055 www.iied.org @iied www.facebook.com/theIIED Download more publications at http://pubs.iied.org IIED is a charity registered in England, Charity No.800066 and in Scotland, OSCR Reg No.SC039864 and a company limited by guarantee registered in England No.2188452. ISSUE PAPER Equity — or fairness — is increasingly recognised as a crucial issue for conservation, yet it is poorly defined and understood. Focusing on protected areas (PAs), this paper aims to help managers and policy makers make conservation fairer, in the belief that fairer conservation is vital for effective conservation as well as human wellbeing. We explain the meaning of equity in a conservation context, and then examine how equity relates to the more widely understood concepts of rights, governance, social impact and human wellbeing. We suggest four ways to assess the equity of PA management and governance, of varying rigour, feasibility and credibility. We conclude that giving more attention to enhancing equity, rather than directly improving livelihoods, could lead to greater contributions of PAs to human wellbeing, as well as better conservation. Contents Summary 4 4.2 Benefits, costs and social impacts 21 4.3 Types of positive and negative social impacts 21 1 Introduction 7 4.4 Social impact assessment 22 2 Understanding equity 9 5 Interrelationship of key concepts 24 2.1 Equity and justice 10 5.1 How protected areas contribute to human 2.2 Three dimensions of equity 10 wellbeing 25 2.3 ‘Equitable’ does not necessarily mean ‘equal’ 12 5.2 Why apparently-equitable governance can 2.4 ‘Effective’ is not necessarily ‘equitable’ 12 fail to deliver 27 5.3 Equity assessment combines elements of 3 Governance 14 governance and social assessment 27 3.1 Governance differs from management 15 5.4 Equity and effectiveness assessments 28 3.2 Governance type 15 6 The way forward on equity and protected areas 29 3.3 Good governance 16 6.1 Practical options for equity assessment 30 3.4 Equity and governance 17 6.2 From livelihoods to equity? 30 3.5 Rights and governance 17 3.6 Governance assessment 17 Annex 1 32 4 Social impacts and human wellbeing 19 Notes 35 4.1 A shift from poverty to human wellbeing 20 www.iied.org 3 UNDERSTANDING AND ASSESSING EQUITY IN PROTECTED AREA CONSERVATION Summary Equity is gaining increasing attention in international This unpacking of equity into three dimensions will work conservation policy. Specifically, the Convention on for almost any aspect of environment and development Biological Diversity (CBD) Aichi Target 11 calls for work, but to make it a useful tool for PA conservation “effectively and equitably managed … protected areas”. in particular, IIED has been convening a process to Yet unlike effective protected area (PA) management, define key issues and develop ‘equity principles’ in each equitable PA management has not been defined, and dimension. Through the process 12 equity principles there are few examples of a comprehensive approach have been defined and further unpacked into three to to equity in conservation. This paper focuses on PAs, six themes that explain key aspects of the principle in though much of the content will also be applicable practical terms (see Annex 1). With the exception of to areas with conservation objectives beyond those one principle (which specifically addresses the rights of defined as PAs. indigenous peoples), the interests and rights of specific social groups who may be marginalised, including The paper aims to support managers and policy makers women, are a central consideration under every progress towards more equitable conservation of PAs. It equity principle. begins by explaining and exploring links between equity and justice, governance, rights, social impact, poverty and human wellbeing; offers conceptual frameworks Governance for relating these concepts; and discusses assessment Essentially, governance is about power, relationships methods that can be used with existing PAs. We make and accountability. At the heart of governance lies the case that equity assessments need to draw mainly decision making which frequently involves tough on governance assessments, but include an element of choices between competing objectives (known as social impact assessment to ensure desired outcomes trade-offs). Governance is intrinsically linked to equity, are being achieved. and assessing equity involves assessing the quality of governance in terms of principles of good governance. The following sections of this summary briefly outline our But assessments need to be practical, so we have discussions in the full paper. condensed and prioritised IUCN’s 5 principles and 40 considerations for good PA governance into 11 ‘good Equity governance principles’. Equity — social equity in full — basically means fairness, Unsurprisingly, our two sets of principles on equity and and is closely related to social justice. We see the terms governance are closely related, although the governance as technically equivalent, but associated with different principles are broader in scope because they include approaches. We use the concept of equity because it is three that relate more to management effectiveness much more common in international conservation policy. than equity. While some aspects of management may Equity and social justice are generally thought to have be effective irrespective of governance, the equity of three key dimensions: management depends almost entirely on the equity of governance. Therefore, the term ‘equitable management’ • Recognition is about acknowledging and respecting is not a very useful concept. There may be issues rights and the diversity of identities, knowledge around the equity of certain management activities, but systems, values and institutions of different actors. these issues usually have their roots in governance and • Procedure is about participation of actors in decision need to be approached from that perspective. making, transparency, accountability, and processes for dispute resolution. • Distribution is about the allocation of benefits and costs across the set of actors, and, how the costs/ burdens experienced by some actors are mitigated. 4 www.iied.org IIED ISSUE PAPER Rights Human wellbeing A right is an entitlement that is defined in law. Law Over recent decades, development has gradually includes not only ’hard law’ that is legally binding under broadened its focus from income poverty to a broader international and/or national law, but also ’soft law’ notion of human wellbeing. The Millennium Ecosystem that is not legally binding per se but has strong moral Assessment was an early example of this shift, using a force in certain contexts. In law, every defined right also wellbeing framework to explore how ecosystem services imposes a duty on others (whether a person, group of benefit people. A further development is the Wellbeing people, organisation or state). Rights and duties specify in Development (WeD) framework which proposes how key actors, especially state actors, must and three main dimensions of human wellbeing – material, must not act in certain situations. This is what makes relational and subjective. This evolution in framing from rights a core issue for governance and a central feature income poverty to three-dimensional