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Community Resource Management

Back to Environmental Issues
Community Resource Management

The governance of natural resources, such as water and land, occurs at multiple scales from international environmental agreements to local customs. Community resource management is a process tailored to the needs and traditions of local groups, which aims to create equitable and sustained access to natural resources, while minimizing damage to ecosystems on which they depend.

The creation of management plans that value community voices is a complex process that requires understanding the intersections of policy, ecosystem dynamics and cultural customs at multiple scales. SFS programs provide an immersive experience that allows this depth of understanding and the opportunity to help develop management plans for the long-term sustainability of natural resources near our Centers.

Australia

Center for Rainforest Studies
Community Resource Management

Students examine the role of NGOs in restoration, research, and monitoring of ecosystems and threatened species. Our research provides scientific data to help the community and local decision makers involved in rainforest restoration and management and the development of sustainable communities and industries. We have assisted community members with propagating, planting, and maintaining more than 15,000 trees over the last few years to restore degraded forests, improve water quality, provide habitat connectivity, and sequester carbon.

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Cambodia

Center for Environmental Justice and Mekong Ecologies
Community Resource Management

Many rural communities in Cambodia make use of the natural resources found in and around their villages and homes. Students examine community rights in relation to conservation and governance, studying issues such as land grabbing and failing to consult residents in land-use planning projects. We visit community conservation groups and community-based ecotourism projects, and meet with community members to discuss communal land rights issues.

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Tanzania

Center for Wildlife Management Studies
Community Resource Management

Students explore the roles, benefits, and challenges of community-based natural resource management in the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem, especially within wildlife management areas (WMAs). WMAs are a more recent type of protected area established by communities on village lands to enhance wildlife conservation while also generating wildlife-based economic benefits to the community. Students assess their economic benefits to communities, perceptions and attitudes of community members towards WMAs, and the role played by WMAs in conserving the integrity of the natural landscape.

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Turks & Caicos Islands

Center for Marine Resource Studies
Community Resource Management

As part of their interdisciplinary experience, students come face-to-face with the real-life dilemmas that challenge residents of South Caicos. To understand these issues, students assess the feasibility and ecological viability of community resource management and habitat conservation options. We explore the social, economic, cultural, and ecological costs and benefits of various approaches to marine management, including in relation to the governance of protected areas.

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