Browsing by Subject "Equity"

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    Gender and equity in market-based environmental programs : case studies from Kenya
    (2016) Kariuki, Juliet; Birner, Regina
    Reconciling global environmental goals with local community needs has been the focus of conservation approaches for several decades now; however scant attention has been paid to the role of gendered – men’s and women’s - dynamics within these environmental contexts. Although well-intentioned, the tendency has been to direct practical attention to only women, which offers an inadequate account of the gender-differentiated access to, and control over natural resources. Against this background, the objective of this thesis is to analyse how formal and informal institutions interact with the design of market-based environmental programs to influence gender and equity outcomes. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), a new addition to the suite of environmental conservation approaches, are market-based instruments that include “Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation - plus - sustainable management of forests, conservation of forest carbon stocks and enhancement of forest carbon stocks” (REDD+). PES/REDD+ are considered promising tools that reward resource users financially or in-kind, on the condition that conservation of natural resources and/or a reduction in carbon emissions is achieved through the adoption of stipulated resource-use regulations. PES/REDD+ programs are therefore heralded for their ‘win-win’ potential to overcome the flaws of previous coercive state-led and community-based approaches. The case studies analyse four PES/REDD+ programs in Kenya, namely the Kitengela Wildlife Lease Program, the Mara North Conservancy, the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project and Imbirikani Group Ranch. The study sites host mainly pastoral and agro-pastoral communities and are adjacent to some of the most prominent protected areas in the country. The thesis concludes that more attention to the historical processes leading up to PES/REDD+ establishment is required if more equitable outcomes are to be achieved. Deliberate efforts by implementing agencies that consider the multi-dimensional nature of equity can play a crucial role in addressing distributional and procedural equity, especially in contexts where land is unevenly distributed. However, as secure land tenure is not the only determinant of equity outcomes, the study advocates for a nuanced understanding of gendered norms in an effort to contribute to selecting suitable gender strategies for PES/REDD+ programs. Ultimately, greater effort is also required to challenge prevailing—yet flawed—gender discourses if participation in, and benefits from PES/REDD+ are to become more gender balanced.
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    The influence of ethnicity and culture on the valuation of environmental improvements : results from a CVM study in Southwest China
    (2013) Frör, Oliver; Börger, Tobias; Ahlheim, Michael
    The provision of environmental goods by government creates social benefits which might vary between citizen groups with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. These differences as well as the overall extent of benefits should be analysed before the implementation of public projects in order to consider not only the efficiency aspects of such a project but also its distributional effects. In Southwest China we are facing a rapid deforestation for the development of rubber cultivation and at the same time find an ethnically highly diverse population. This Contingent Valuation study tries to assess the short-term and long-term benefits accruing from a public reforestation programme in Xishuangbanna and their distribution among different ethnic groups living in that region. The results show that different ethnic groups value short-term and future benefits of reforestation differently and that these differences can be explained by the different cultural and historical backgrounds of these ethnic groups.