Doctoral Dissertation Research: Human Dimensions of Conservation Corridors: Cordillera Blanca in Peru

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

Groups interested in preserving natural environments have developed a suite of approaches toward achieving this goal. One of those strategies has been the development of conservation corridor. This environmental conservation plan that is based on principles of connectivity and networks between landscape patches. The design aims to connect isolated, managed landscapes, such as national parks and nature reserves, by preserving, restoring, or conserving the surrounding landscape. This doctoral dissertation research project will examine the viability of the conservation corridor approach in the Cordillera Blanca and the Cordillera Huayhuash of Peru. A conservation corridor has been proposed to connect the protected Huascaran National Park, which contains the Cordillera Blanca, and the unprotected Cordillera Huayhuash to the south. National and International environmental organizations in the region advocate the establishment of a corridor to protect the mountain ecosystem and to develop a connected network of protected areas. While ecological data support conservation plans for a corridor, the social context and consequences of a conservation corridor have not been studies. This project will address the human dimensions of this conservation agenda by investigating the various actions and articulations of people involved in a corridor initiative and by examining the spatial attributes and the land use and land cover of the proposed corridor. The research will use qualitative and spatially quantitative data to assess and analyze the social and spatial dynamics of the conservation corridor. Formal and informal interviews as well as participant observation will elucidate how local people are becoming engaged in the corridor and becoming socially networked within the boundary of the corridor. Integrated conservation and development projects throughout the corridor will be visited and cataloged. Satellite imagery and a geographic information system (GIS) will facilitate a spatially explicit analysis for data about the land use and land cover of the corridor and areas where conservation and development projects are targeted. Fieldwork in Peru will reveal the land-use decisions and conservation concerns of informants and will be combined with land-cover data from training samples. These data will be compiled into an attribute database to analyze the location and the type of conservation activities taking place within the corridor boundary. Spatial and statistical analysis will be conducted in order to assess the role of social and spatial networks involved in conservation corridors and to test the hypothesis that social linkages formed in the corridor are creating new opportunities and building social capital for local people. Conservation corridors are being widely accepted as a means of landscape management. This research will address the potential social benefits of conservation and community development planning by focusing on the social linkages and networks that are formed as a result of conservation initiatives. The results of this project should help strengthen or challenge existing conservation and park agendas. The project will provide socioeconomic, land-use, and land-cover data for this region of Peru, and it will contribute to broader understandings of the human dimensions of global change. The project will also provide insights into social aspects of regional conservation plans and the linkages that are involved at different political and geographic scales. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.