Conservation on contested lands: the case of Namibia's communal conservancies

Community Conservation initiatives have become widespread in several Southern African countries and have also been increasingly involved in disputes over land claims, control of resources and territorial authority. The aim of this paper is to analyse how Communal Conservancies in Namibia are being used by rural communities as tools for gaining or securing access to and control of communal land in a moment when it is perceived as increasingly scarce. Peasants, Traditional Authorities, the State and conservationists all try to influence the use that will be given to contested lands. The paper will focus on two cases: King Nehale Conservancy, a heavily populated mixed agricultural land in North-Central Namibia (Owamboland) and Nyae Nyae Conservancy, a semi-arid land inhabited by a historically marginalised population, the Ju/’hoan San. In both cases Conservancies contribute to an increased control by communities over their land, but also imply the reinforcement of the presence of the State and private capital in communal areas, and become part of the internal struggles among sections of the communities themselves.     

资源节约型社会构建的生态伦理基础

当代全球性的生态环境问题,从根本上说是由于人类在谋求社会发展的过程中,没能正确地处理好人类活动与自然生态的关系问题而导致的。因此,人类需要创建一种新的文明方式,即构建资源节约型社会来促进人与自然的和谐统一,其内动力是生态伦理制约。     

Understanding parrot trafficking between illicit markets in Bolivia: an application of the CRAVED model

The CRAVED model has been used to understand theft variation in a whole host of hot products, including wildlife. Past research, however, has only applied the model at either the theft or illicit market stage to understand why particular products are stolen in high numbers. The CRAVED model has yet to be applied to the trafficking stage of hot products smuggled between illicit markets and, therefore, its applicability at this particular stage remains unknown. Using secondary data from the Los Pozos wildlife market in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, this study applies the CRAVED model to explain why parrot species are trafficked between illicit markets in Bolivia. This research finds that species that are more “available” and less “valuable” are more likely to be trafficked between illicit markets, suggesting that variation at the trafficking stage of the parrot trade can be explained by nearly the same CRAVED concepts as they do at the poaching stage. This study also finds that one-quarter of parrots in the Los Pozos market are trafficked to other cities, of which 99% are to the city of Cochabamba. These findings suggest that shutting down illicit markets and patrolling major roadways between cities can substantially reduce the illegal parrot trade.     

An overview of seized illegal wildlife entering the United States

The current study analyses seizures made at US ports of entry between 2003 and 2013, with the aim to identify concentrations of illegal wildlife imports into the United States. Findings show that 94% of species seized belong to six groups – mammals, molluscs, birds, reptiles, fish and coral – with mammals and reptiles making up more than half of all seizure incidents. Additionally, most seized wildlife is imported as leather products, medicinal products and as meat. The majority of seizures emanate from six countries, and illegal wildlife is primarily brought to the US via airline baggage. Temporal trends of wildlife seizures point to increases in the seizures of all groups of species, with the exception of birds. Based on these findings, we recommend using situational crime prevention techniques at US ports of entry to reduce opportunities that enable this trade.     

节约型社会视角下的循环经济立法

发展循环经济,加快建设资源节约型、环境友好型、经济循环型社会,促进经济发展与人口、资源、环境相协调成为今后我国经济发展的一项重大任务。而这一任务的完成以相关法律法规的制定为基础。加快我国循环经济法制建设需要联系我国的实际情况,对我国循环经济法制建设的实践及其存在的问题进行系统研究,同时借鉴发达国家的循环经济立法经验,有针对性地提出符合我国实际的循环经济立法的建议和主张。     

海南农村生态建设调研与思考

限制开发区因其特殊的功能定位,在发展方式和途径方面受较多限制,生态保护地区保护与发展的矛盾日益突出。该文在分析了琼中、五指山等海南省中部地区在内的限制开发区普遍存在的问题之后,提出了为加快实现限制开发区生态保护和农民收入提高同步发展应实施的政策建议。     

Conservation and Development of the Grand Canal Shandong Section

正The Shandong section of the Grand Canal’s successful application for World Heritage listing augurs an immense conservation project that will construct eco-cities and beautiful villages,hence promoting rural tourism and bringing inestimable benei ts to local residents.     

The illegal parrot trade: a literature review

Parrots are amongst the most beautiful and intelligent bird species in the world. They have been coveted as pets for centuries, particularly in the neo-tropics where they are heavily populated. Unfortunately, this has led to dramatic increases in parrot poaching over the last few decades, making parrots the most threatened bird species in the world. Despite laws against parrot poaching throughout the neo-tropics, the illegal trade continues while parrot populations further decline. This article reviews the literature on the players in the illegal parrot trade (i.e. poachers, itinerant fences, and market sellers), how poaching is largely committed, and which species are more at risk of becoming poached.     

Sustainable use of wildlife: The role of private contracts as a conservation tool

Abstract

This paper focuses on the ability of local communities to make effective use of private legal tools as a means of assuring sustainable wildlife use. Using recent legal developments in Kenya as a case study, the paper examines a series of contracts entered into between local communities in the Samburu District and tour operators wishing to bring wildlife “photo safaris”; onto Samburu lands. These contracts, typically referred to as “Eco‐tourism contracts,”; are designed simply to allow tour operators to lead tour groups through community property without trespass. The authors argue that to achieve their true potential, these contracts must be treated, in essence, as “wildlife easements,”; or “eco‐easements,”; that can become publicly‐recorded mutual conservation commitments, and as such must incorporate conservation principles with a focus on environmental impact and wildlife management. Moreover, these contracts must be linked both conceptually and financially to the communities’ governance structure and to its broader conservation efforts.     

对经济发展方式转变总目标的思考

经济发展方式的转变不能脱离当今世界文明形态演进这个大背景,仅以走新型工业化道路为经济发展方式转变总目标是不够的。中国的基本国情、国际环境、国内外的发展态势,都说明在工业文明框架内转变经济发展方式无法应对挑战,从工业文明走向生态文明应当成为经济发展方式转变的总目标。为此,要将走新型工业化道路作为经济发展方式转变的初级阶段,并在处理好生态建设与经济建设的关系、城镇化与建设新农村的关系、发展低碳经济、尽早开始“消费转型”等方面形成与经济发展方式转变总目标相配套的战略思路。