ECL/IAD 217

Conservation and Sustainable Development

in Third World Nations

winter 2002

Overview of course assignments

I. introduction

In class, we have discussed the attributes of different resources that influence their use and management for sustainable development.

These are:
    1. the temporal and spatial scales of depletion and renewability. Is the stock of the resource being used up quickly or slowly? How quickly or slowly does the resouce become restored? Does use in one location affect stocks of the resource in other locations?
    2. the valuation of the resource and its components. We noted four general approaches to valuation. The first is economic valuation, which focuses on market values and non-market values such as existence, option and bequest values. The second is ecological valuation, which focuses on a) ecosystem services and ecosystem health and b) taxonomic and evolutionary distinctiveness. The third is cultural valuation, which focuses on the meaning and significance of the resource to the human populations that live in and near it. Human "basic needs" fits in with cultural values, though it is often treated as a kind of economic value as well. The fourth is information, since resources cannot be evaluated or managed in the absence of information.
    3. the property regimes and forms of ownership of the resource. We noted four general types of property systems: private property; state property; common property; open access. Other forms of property may also exist.
    4. the social and political systems that establish rules and structure the debate for the use of the resource. We noted a range of kinds of systems in this area. They include local communities; regional governments; national governments; international organizations; NGOs; producer organizations.
We have also considered the range of approaches to sustainable development. In every case, there are a few specific kinds of solutions that turn up. For fisheries, these include, but are not limited to, policies to restrict effort, including ITQs; marine protected areas. For biodiversity, these include, but are not limited to, bans or quotas on trade in endangered species; protected areas; species protection plans through zoos. For soils, these include, but are not limited to, low tillage agriculture; economic incentives to farmers; poverty alleviation. These solutions can be broadly characterized as fitting into one of the four areas below
    1. technological innovations
    2. economically-oriented policies and programs
    3. socially-oriented processes and forms of participation
    4. forms of addressing "root causes" of overexploitation of resources
Faced with this range of solutions, one might draw the conclusion that each resource has a particular set of characteristics, and so that no generalizations are possible. However, I’d like you to think about comparing these resources and solutions in two ways: firstly, by comparing the resources across the attributes, and secondly, by classifying solutions in the four general categories.

To give some possible examples of such generalizations: Why are protected areas much more established for biodiversity than for fisheries, and less for soils than for either of these two? Why are ITQs more popular for fisheries than for hunting of endangered species? Why are technological solutions—e.g., low tillage agriculture—especially popular for soils? Why are NGOs less involved in soils than in other resources? Are resources that are controlled by national governments managed differently than resources that are controlled by individuals or small firms? Are technological innovations favored in one resource area but not in another?
 
 

 II. resource group paper Each resource group will write a 3-5 page paper on the general attributes of their resource and its management for sustainable development. This paper should be based on the materials in the course reader, supplemented in part by the materials developed for the resource kit. Note that this is a group assignment. In this paper:
    1. Describe the resource according to the four attributes listed above.
    2. Summarize the principal types of solutions for sustainable development of this resource. Indicate which of the general categories each solution fits into.
III. take-home final The final writing exercise in this class is a take-home. Write an 8 to 10 page paper, with conventional fonts, margins and spacing, on the topic discussed below. Draw concretely on the readings, the class discussions and the three resource group papers for your answer. (In other words, this is not a research paper, but more of a take-home final.) Turn it in to the Environmental Science and Policy office no later than 5 PM on Monday, March 18. Note that this is an individual assignment.

In this course, we have sought to gain a closer and fuller understanding of the issues involved in conservation and sustainable development through a comparison of three resource areas (fisheries, biodiversity, soils). We have discussed four resource attributes and four general types of solutions to management of resources for sustainable development.

Option A

In your paper, pick at least two resource attributes. Write a paper that
    1. compares the three resources on these two (or more) attributes. Discuss the similarities and differences.
    2. compares the types of solutions that are offered for the sustainable development of these resources. Discuss the similarities and differences.
    3. indicates how your discussion of (1) is related to your discussion of (2).
Option B

In your paper, pick two resources. Write a paper that
    1. compares the two resources on these four attributes. Discuss the similarities and differences.
    2. compares the types of solutions that are offered for the sustainable development of these resources. Discuss the similarities and differences.
    3. indicates how your discussion of (1) is related to your discussion of (2).
Option C

In your paper, pick three detailed case studies from the readings, one for each of the resource areas. Write a paper that
    1. evaluates these three case studies in terms of their success and failure as efforts to reach sustainable development. Discuss your criteria for evaluation.
    2. discusses these three cases in terms of the four general types of solutions that are offered for sustainable development (does each case fit neatly into one of the types, or does it combine aspects of more than one).
    3. compares these three cases in terms of the attributes of resources (how do these resource attributes shape the effectiveness of the cases). Draw on as many attributes as seems appropriate
    4. indicates how your discussion of (1) is related to your discussion of (2) and (3)
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