A multidisciplinary conceptualization of conservation opportunity.

An opportunity represents an advantageous combination of circumstances that allows goals to be achieved. We reviewed the nature of opportunity and how it manifests in different subsystems (e.g., biophysical, social, political, economic) as conceptualized in other bodies of literature, including behavior, adoption, entrepreneur, public policy, and resilience literature. We then developed a multidisciplinary conceptualization of conservation opportunity. We identified 3 types of conservation opportunity: potential, actors remove barriers to problem solving by identifying the capabilities within the system that can be manipulated to create support for conservation action; traction, actors identify windows of opportunity that arise from exogenous shocks, events, or changes that remove barriers to solving problems; and existing, everything is in place for conservation action (i.e., no barriers exist) and an actor takes advantage of the existing circumstances to solve problems. Different leverage points characterize each type of opportunity. Thus, unique stages of opportunity identification or creation and exploitation exist: characterizing the system and defining problems; identifying potential solutions; assessing the feasibility of solutions; identifying or creating opportunities; and taking advantage of opportunities. These stages can be undertaken independently or as part of a situational analysis and typically comprise the first stage, but they can also be conducted iteratively throughout a conservation planning process. Four types of entrepreneur can be identified (business, policy, social, and conservation), each possessing attributes that enable them to identify or create opportunities and take advantage of them. We examined how different types of conservation opportunity manifest in a social-ecological system (the Great Barrier Reef) and how they can be taken advantage of. Our multidisciplinary conceptualization of conservation opportunity strengthens and legitimizes the concept.

Incentivizing monitoring and compliance in trophy hunting.

Conservation scientists are increasingly focusing on the drivers of human behavior and on the implications of various sources of uncertainty for management decision making. Trophy hunting has been suggested as a conservation tool because it gives economic value to wildlife, but recent examples show that overharvesting is a substantial problem and that data limitations are rife. We use a case study of trophy hunting of an endangered antelope, the mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni), to explore how uncertainties generated by population monitoring and poaching interact with decision making by 2 key stakeholders: the safari companies and the government. We built a management strategy evaluation model that encompasses the population dynamics of mountain nyala, a monitoring model, and a company decision making model. We investigated scenarios of investment into antipoaching and monitoring by governments and safari companies. Harvest strategy was robust to the uncertainty in the population estimates obtained from monitoring, but poaching had a much stronger effect on quota and sustainability. Hence, reducing poaching is in the interests of companies wishing to increase the profitability of their enterprises, for example by engaging community members as game scouts. There is a threshold level of uncertainty in the population estimates beyond which the year-to-year variation in the trophy quota prevented planning by the safari companies. This suggests a role for government in ensuring that a baseline level of population monitoring is carried out such that this level is not exceeded. Our results illustrate the importance of considering the incentives of multiple stakeholders when designing frameworks for resource use and when designing management frameworks to address the particular sources of uncertainty that affect system sustainability most heavily. Incentivando el Monitoreo y el Cumplimiento en la Caza de Trofeos.

El papel de la propiedad en el desarrollo departamental. Evidencias para el caso colombiano / The roll of property on the regional development. Evidence for Colombian experience / O papel da propriedade no desenvolvimento departamental. Evidência para o caso colombiano

Resumen Desde la Nueva Economía Institucional NEI se analiza para Colombia la relación entre las formas de propiedad del territorio y las dinámicas de desarrollo de los departamentos, para identificar asociaciones, dependencias y restricciones, entre la representatividad de cada forma de propiedad y los niveles de desarrollo a nivel departamental. Para ello se parte de una revisión normativa de las formas de propiedad, y se recopila información estadística sobre las propiedades existentes en el país; se analizan las formas de propiedad privada individual, privada, colectiva y pública para conservación, y se estiman sus efectos sobre el desarrollo departamental desde un modelo econométrico Logit Multinomial Ordenado, tomando los indicadores de desarrollo humano (IDH), densidad empresarial (IDE), y competitividad global (ICG) como medida de las dimensiones del desarrollo en los departamentos. Se encontró que las formas de propiedad, influencian la probabilidad de desarrollo de los departamentos, donde los efectos de cada forma de propiedad sobre los indicadores de desarrollo dependerán del nivel de desarrollo que presente cada territorio; así, departamentos con niveles de desarrollo bajos, medios y altos, se verán influenciados de manera diferente por cada forma de propiedad presente en el departamento. Estos resultados señalan la pertenencia de incorporar los análisis de la estructura territorial en el ordenamiento territorial y la planeación de los departamentos, y soportan la urgente necesidad de reorganizar la composición departamental según las formas de propiedad. Códigos JEL: R52, R58.

Abstract From the New Institutional Economics NEI, the relationship between the ownership land categories and the development dynamics at districts is analyzed for Colombia, this in order to identify associations, dependencies and constraints, between the size of different property types, and district development levels. A revision of the property categories by legal bases is taken, and from it the gather of statistical information for the country's property types: individual private property, collective private property and conservation public property and so, the effects on district's development are analyzed by econometric Logit Multinomial model, taking into account indicators of human development (HDI), business density (SDI), and Competitiveness (GCI) as a measure of the level of development at the districts. It was found that ownership categories influence the probability for district development, where the effects of every ownership category on development will depend on the development level of every district; thus, districts with low, medium and high levels of development will be influenced in different ways by each category of property land, exiting at districts. These results highlight the importance of taking into account the analysis of the land ownership structures, into land ordering and the development planning of districts, and support the requirement to reorganize the district administrative structure according to ownership categories. JEL classification: R52, R58.

Resumo A partir da Nova Economia Institucional NEI, a Colômbia analisa a relação entre as formas de propriedade da terra e a dinâmica de desenvolvimento dos departamentos, para identificar associações, dependências e restrições, entre a representatividade de cada forma de propriedade e os níveis de desenvolvimento no nível departamental. Para fazer isso, é realizada uma revisão normativa dos formulários de propriedade, e as informações estatísticas são coletadas sobre as propriedades existentes no país; As formas de propriedade individual, privada, coletiva e pública privada são analisadas para conservação, e seus efeitos no desenvolvimento departamental são estimados a partir de um modelo econométrico Logit Multinomial Ordenado, tomando os indicadores de desenvolvimento humano (IDH), densidade de negócios (IDE) e competitividade global (ICG) como uma medida das dimensões do desenvolvimento nos departamentos. Verificou-se que as formas de propriedade influenciam a probabilidade de desenvolvimento dos departamentos, onde os efeitos de cada forma de propriedade nos indicadores de desenvolvimento dependerão do nível de desenvolvimento que cada território apresenta; Assim, os departamentos com níveis baixos, médios e altos de desenvolvimento serão influenciados de forma diferente por cada forma de propriedade presente no departamento. Estes resultados indicam a pertença de incorporar a análise da estrutura territorial no planejamento territorial e o planejamento dos departamentos e apoiar a necessidade urgente de reorganizar a composição departamental de acordo com as formas de propriedade. Classificações JEL: R52, R58.