Exploring the Interaction between Local Communities and Environmental Policies: A Qualitative Study of Conflicts between Natives and Rangers around the Protected Areas of Bojaq National Park
Introduction Easy access to resources in natural areas serves as a motivating factor for the continued use of these resources by local communities, often leading to resistance against the protection of natural assets. Conversely, the government and environmental organizations, in pursuit of sustaina...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | fas |
| Published: |
University of Isfahan
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | جامعه شناسی کاربردی |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://jas.ui.ac.ir/article_28832_a705299da5f8cbc16b1d65e96203bee0.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1841527589073584128 |
|---|---|
| author | Yaser Khoshsirat Salimi Ali Ruhani Hossein Afrasiabi Sadegh Salehi |
| author_facet | Yaser Khoshsirat Salimi Ali Ruhani Hossein Afrasiabi Sadegh Salehi |
| author_sort | Yaser Khoshsirat Salimi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction
Easy access to resources in natural areas serves as a motivating factor for the continued use of these resources by local communities, often leading to resistance against the protection of natural assets. Conversely, the government and environmental organizations, in pursuit of sustainable development for the benefit of current and future generations, are working to regulate exploitation by hunters. Reports from both official and unofficial sources, as well as observations in Iran, indicate a conflict between park wardens and local communities in and around protected areas. To understand this challenge, a review of the relevant literature was conducted. The research aimed to develop theoretical sensitivity by focusing on specific concepts through existing research and theories, which informed the entry into the research field and the design of the interview protocol. The study focused on the communities surrounding Bojaq National Park located in Bandar Kiasher (Gilan Province). Sampling was conducted and the primary data collection method was in-depth interviews. The interview protocol included questions about the causes of resistance among local hunters and their lifestyle, as well as mechanisms of conflict and adaptation. It also explored the advantages and disadvantages of their way of life in relation to the environmental and fisheries organizations, as well as significant social structures. Additionally, the reasons for their cultural solidarity were examined. This approach aimed to understand the underlying factors contributing to the escalating resistance between them and government agents from the locals’ perspective. The interview protocol was designed to address these sensitive concepts comprehensively.
Materials & Methods
This research was designed using a qualitative approach and thematic analysis. Coding was conducted using the 6-step method outlined by Braun and Clarke (2013). Data were collected from local hunters with samples selected based on specific inclusion criteria. The study involved 10 local hunters as participants. Ethical considerations were strictly observed throughout the research and the necessary criteria to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings were also met.
Discussion of Results & Conclusion
The findings revealed 140 subthemes and 7 main themes, which included: employment challenges, feelings of discrimination, inheritance and disinheritance, internal solidarity and resistance, protection and management issues, and effective management practices.
Due to seasonal unemployment, villagers heavily rely on income generated from exploiting local resources, including those within Bojaq National Park. The lack of employment opportunities and sufficient sources of income was a primary driver of illegal hunting in the vicinity of the national park as the impoverished could not overlook the available resources.
Participants expressed that the environmental organization had struggled to fulfill its protective responsibilities in Bojaq National Park for various reasons. Over the past few decades, the organization's conservative management of existing resources coupled with ineffective monitoring of issues, such as seawater pollution, overharvesting, and decline of spawning fish populations, had significantly diminished local fish stocks. The locals argued that instead of addressing seawater pollution and regulating the Fisheries Organization and military entities that contributed to a challenging natural environment for local wildlife, the environmental organization had focused on controlling hunters, who used to engage in limited harvesting.
When regulatory institutions fail to make substantial and foundational decisions, their capacity for environmental protection becomes restricted, often targeting the weakest links in the chain of culpability, thereby further depleting resources. The prevailing approach to conserving natural resources has relied on environmental regulations and the implementation of mandatory, sometimes harsh, measures. These conservative management strategies complicate the situation and fail to alleviate conflicts. Such policies had led to increased resistance against environmental rangers, despite their illegal status in the region. Moreover, stricter governmental measures had tended to escalate conflicts. Over the past two decades, this dynamic had resulted in an uneasy truce between both parties.
It could be argued that the conflicts arose not from the natives' greed, but from their struggle for survival and the need for a basic subsistence income. From this perspective, the environmental rangers’ actions had intertwined this resistance with local solidarity, transforming what had begun as individual resistance into collective action. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-296f75177bab46ddb319f3be8044614f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2008-5745 2322-343X |
| language | fas |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Isfahan |
| record_format | Article |
| series | جامعه شناسی کاربردی |
| spelling | doaj-art-296f75177bab46ddb319f3be8044614f2025-01-15T10:49:19ZfasUniversity of Isfahanجامعه شناسی کاربردی2008-57452322-343X2024-12-01354335410.22108/jas.2024.141780.252228832Exploring the Interaction between Local Communities and Environmental Policies: A Qualitative Study of Conflicts between Natives and Rangers around the Protected Areas of Bojaq National ParkYaser Khoshsirat Salimi0Ali Ruhani1Hossein Afrasiabi2Sadegh Salehi3Ph.D. student of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, IranAssociate professor in Sociology, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, IranProfessor in Sociology, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, IranProfessor in Sociology, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Mazandaran, IranIntroduction Easy access to resources in natural areas serves as a motivating factor for the continued use of these resources by local communities, often leading to resistance against the protection of natural assets. Conversely, the government and environmental organizations, in pursuit of sustainable development for the benefit of current and future generations, are working to regulate exploitation by hunters. Reports from both official and unofficial sources, as well as observations in Iran, indicate a conflict between park wardens and local communities in and around protected areas. To understand this challenge, a review of the relevant literature was conducted. The research aimed to develop theoretical sensitivity by focusing on specific concepts through existing research and theories, which informed the entry into the research field and the design of the interview protocol. The study focused on the communities surrounding Bojaq National Park located in Bandar Kiasher (Gilan Province). Sampling was conducted and the primary data collection method was in-depth interviews. The interview protocol included questions about the causes of resistance among local hunters and their lifestyle, as well as mechanisms of conflict and adaptation. It also explored the advantages and disadvantages of their way of life in relation to the environmental and fisheries organizations, as well as significant social structures. Additionally, the reasons for their cultural solidarity were examined. This approach aimed to understand the underlying factors contributing to the escalating resistance between them and government agents from the locals’ perspective. The interview protocol was designed to address these sensitive concepts comprehensively. Materials & Methods This research was designed using a qualitative approach and thematic analysis. Coding was conducted using the 6-step method outlined by Braun and Clarke (2013). Data were collected from local hunters with samples selected based on specific inclusion criteria. The study involved 10 local hunters as participants. Ethical considerations were strictly observed throughout the research and the necessary criteria to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings were also met. Discussion of Results & Conclusion The findings revealed 140 subthemes and 7 main themes, which included: employment challenges, feelings of discrimination, inheritance and disinheritance, internal solidarity and resistance, protection and management issues, and effective management practices. Due to seasonal unemployment, villagers heavily rely on income generated from exploiting local resources, including those within Bojaq National Park. The lack of employment opportunities and sufficient sources of income was a primary driver of illegal hunting in the vicinity of the national park as the impoverished could not overlook the available resources. Participants expressed that the environmental organization had struggled to fulfill its protective responsibilities in Bojaq National Park for various reasons. Over the past few decades, the organization's conservative management of existing resources coupled with ineffective monitoring of issues, such as seawater pollution, overharvesting, and decline of spawning fish populations, had significantly diminished local fish stocks. The locals argued that instead of addressing seawater pollution and regulating the Fisheries Organization and military entities that contributed to a challenging natural environment for local wildlife, the environmental organization had focused on controlling hunters, who used to engage in limited harvesting. When regulatory institutions fail to make substantial and foundational decisions, their capacity for environmental protection becomes restricted, often targeting the weakest links in the chain of culpability, thereby further depleting resources. The prevailing approach to conserving natural resources has relied on environmental regulations and the implementation of mandatory, sometimes harsh, measures. These conservative management strategies complicate the situation and fail to alleviate conflicts. Such policies had led to increased resistance against environmental rangers, despite their illegal status in the region. Moreover, stricter governmental measures had tended to escalate conflicts. Over the past two decades, this dynamic had resulted in an uneasy truce between both parties. It could be argued that the conflicts arose not from the natives' greed, but from their struggle for survival and the need for a basic subsistence income. From this perspective, the environmental rangers’ actions had intertwined this resistance with local solidarity, transforming what had begun as individual resistance into collective action.https://jas.ui.ac.ir/article_28832_a705299da5f8cbc16b1d65e96203bee0.pdfenvironmental policieshuntersexploitersenvironmentalistsbojaq national park |
| spellingShingle | Yaser Khoshsirat Salimi Ali Ruhani Hossein Afrasiabi Sadegh Salehi Exploring the Interaction between Local Communities and Environmental Policies: A Qualitative Study of Conflicts between Natives and Rangers around the Protected Areas of Bojaq National Park جامعه شناسی کاربردی environmental policies hunters exploiters environmentalists bojaq national park |
| title | Exploring the Interaction between Local Communities and Environmental Policies: A Qualitative Study of Conflicts between Natives and Rangers around the Protected Areas of Bojaq National Park |
| title_full | Exploring the Interaction between Local Communities and Environmental Policies: A Qualitative Study of Conflicts between Natives and Rangers around the Protected Areas of Bojaq National Park |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the Interaction between Local Communities and Environmental Policies: A Qualitative Study of Conflicts between Natives and Rangers around the Protected Areas of Bojaq National Park |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Interaction between Local Communities and Environmental Policies: A Qualitative Study of Conflicts between Natives and Rangers around the Protected Areas of Bojaq National Park |
| title_short | Exploring the Interaction between Local Communities and Environmental Policies: A Qualitative Study of Conflicts between Natives and Rangers around the Protected Areas of Bojaq National Park |
| title_sort | exploring the interaction between local communities and environmental policies a qualitative study of conflicts between natives and rangers around the protected areas of bojaq national park |
| topic | environmental policies hunters exploiters environmentalists bojaq national park |
| url | https://jas.ui.ac.ir/article_28832_a705299da5f8cbc16b1d65e96203bee0.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yaserkhoshsiratsalimi exploringtheinteractionbetweenlocalcommunitiesandenvironmentalpoliciesaqualitativestudyofconflictsbetweennativesandrangersaroundtheprotectedareasofbojaqnationalpark AT aliruhani exploringtheinteractionbetweenlocalcommunitiesandenvironmentalpoliciesaqualitativestudyofconflictsbetweennativesandrangersaroundtheprotectedareasofbojaqnationalpark AT hosseinafrasiabi exploringtheinteractionbetweenlocalcommunitiesandenvironmentalpoliciesaqualitativestudyofconflictsbetweennativesandrangersaroundtheprotectedareasofbojaqnationalpark AT sadeghsalehi exploringtheinteractionbetweenlocalcommunitiesandenvironmentalpoliciesaqualitativestudyofconflictsbetweennativesandrangersaroundtheprotectedareasofbojaqnationalpark |