Participatory Research in Conservation and Rural Livelihoods

Participatory Research in Conservation and Rural Livelihoods: Doing Science Together starts from the understanding that all people create knowledge and that the creation of sustainable livelihoods and of conditions that protect and sustain rural ecosystems are interrelated.

Here local experts and professional researchers write independently about the participatory research processes through which they created new knowledge together. They demonstrate that interdependent science can produce more accurate and locally appropriate data, while frankly addressing persisting issues such as unequal power, whose knowledge and what ways of knowing count, whose voice can be heard or appear in print, and other dilemmas of this practice. Conservation scientists and practitioners will both benefit from reading this book.

• First book to examine community participatory research techniques that focuses on conservation aims
• Unique book in that it is written from the perspective of participating community volunteers and researching scientists
• Part of the prestigious Conservation Science and Practice series published in association with the Zoological Society of London

"Participatory Research in Conservation and Rural Livelihoods is brilliant, passionate, and inspiring..."
—Richa Nagar, University of Minnesota, co-author of Playing with Fire

Contributors.

Foreword: Marshall W. Murphree.

Acknowledgements.

Acronyms and abbreviations.

Non-English words.

Introduction: doing science together: Louise Fortmann.

1. How participatory research convinced a sceptic: Robin Buruchara.

2. Sharing in innovation: reflections on a partnership to improve livelihoods and resource conservation in the Honduran hillsides: Sally Humphries, José Jiménez, Fredy Sierra and Omar Gallardo.

3. Campesinos cientificios: farmer philosophies on participatory research: members of the Association of CIALs of Honduras: Dionisia Corea, Ana Rosa Estrada, Reinaldo Funez, Isidora García, Claros Gómez, Maria Guada, Bonifacio Gutiérrez, Ángel Hernández, José Amado Hernández, Melvin Hernández, Nora Hernández, Wilmer Hernández, Cayetana Herrera, Gavina Herrera, José Santos Herrera, Juan Pedro Herrera, Toribia Herrera, Marco López, Diógenes Matute, Hilda Mencía, Rosalío Mencía, Luís Alonso Meza, Manuel Meza, Enrique Murillo, Heladia Murillo, Amalia Núñez, Ubaldo Olvera, Andrea Orellana, Damiana Pérez and Simeona Pérez with Lauren Classen.

4. Retracing the trail to wisdom: doing science together in CibecueL Jonathan W. Long.

5. The land has wisdom: Benrita ‘Mae’ Burnette and Judy DeHose.

6. What makes a scientist? studying the impacts of harvest in the Pacific Northwest: Heidi L. Ballard.

7. ‘She fell out of the sky’: salal harvesters’ reflections on participatory research: Don Collins, Juan Cruz, Bob Smith and members of the Northwest Research and Harvester Association.

8. ‘Research sounds so big …’: collaborative inquiry with women in Drevdagen, Sweden: Seema Arora-Jonsson.

9. För oss är naturen en lisa för själen (where peace comes dropping slow): the forests and nature for us: Åsa Bergelin, Margareta Emretsson, Anne Lundgren Halvarsson, Ewa Halvarsson and Anna Ryen.

10. From participation to partnership: devolution, forest communities and CIFOR in Malinau, Indonesia: Eva Wollenberg, Ramses Iwan, Goodwin Limberg, Moira Moeliono, Made Sudana, Asung Uluk, Njau Anau and Miriam van Heist.

11. Malinau villagers’ relationship with CIFOR: high hopes, unmet expectations and trusted confidante: Ramses Iwan and Steve Rhee.

12. Rediscovering participation: reflections on the Mhondoro Tree Project: Nontokozo Nemarundwe and Louise Fortmann.

13. Unofanira Kuzvininipisa (you have to be humble): Gift Chidari, Francisca Chirambaguwa, Patricia Matsvimbo and Wisdom Muza.

14. New seeds, new selves, new societies: rural women’s reflections on participatory research in plant breeding: Elicelda Guardado Martinez, Lastenia Mendez and Leonarda Ramos Mejia with Jennifer Casolo.

15. Conclusions: Seema Arora-Jonsson, Heidi L. Ballard, Robin Buruchara, Jennifer Casolo, Lauren Classen, Judy DeHose, Margareta Emretsson, Louise Fortmann, Anne Lundgren Halvarsson, Ewa Halvarsson, Sally Humphries, Jonathan W. Long, Marshall W. Murphree, Nontokozo Nemarundwe, Anne Olssen, Steve Rhee, Anna Ryen, Carl Wilmsen and Eva Wollenberg.

Appendix A Publications from the participatory research projects.

Index

"I would recommend this book for all researchers and students about to undertake research that involves
local communities." (Austral Ecology and Ecological Management & Restoration, 2011)

"The true strength of the book lies in its focus on the quality of research partnerships and the power of these relationships to address social justice issues as they relate to conservation and rural livelihoods." (Ecoscience, June 2010)"Overall, the book is an engaging collection of convincing cases for participatory methods in resource commons research. The book will be especially useful for graduate students as the cases clearly address pros and cons of participatory approaches, and were written by student practitioners." (The International Journal of the Commons, October 2009)

"Participatory Research in Conservation and Rural Livelihoods is brilliant, passionate, and inspiring. Fortmann and her contributors carefully qualify and complicate the distinctions between knowing and doing, between civil science and conventional science, and between communities and researchers. In so doing, they impart new richness and complexity to discussions of participatory research and forge a model of deep collaboration that tirelessly confronts difficult questions of power, inclusion, reciprocity, voice, and expertise while successfully blurring the border between natural and social sciences."
Richa Nagar, University of Minnesota, co-author of Playing with Fire

Louise Fortmann is a Professor of Natural Resource Sociology and holds the Rudy Grah Chair in Forestry and Sustainable Development in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at the University of California at Berkeley. Participatory Research in Conservation and Rural Livelihoods: Doing Science Together starts from the understanding that all people create knowledge and that the creation of sustainable livelihoods and of conditions that protect and sustain rural ecosystems are interrelated. Interdependent science, that is, science undertaken collaboratively by local and professional scientists, can create new knowledge to achieve conservation goals. Here local experts and professional researchers write independently about the participatory research processes through which they created new knowledge together. They demonstrate that interdependent science can produce more accurate and locally appropriate data, while frankly addressing persisting issues such as unequal power, whose knowledge and what ways of knowing count, whose voice can be heard or appear in print, and other dilemmas of this practice. Conservation scientists and practitioners will both benefit from reading this book.