Local participation in biodiversity conservation in South and Southeast Asia

This paper addresses the concept of local participation in conservation programs in South and Southeast Asia. The study was undertaken in response to the now common assertion that conservation programs that include a significant amount of local participation are more likely to achieve their goals than ones that do not. In an effort to understand the role of local participation in conservation strategies in South and Southeast Asia, a literature review including a review of numerous case studies was conducted. Furthermore, the following discussion was informed by interviews conducted in national parks in Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia during 1994 and 1995. The paper discusses trends in biodiversity destruction, new approaches to conservation planning, the importance of implicit and explicit indigenous methods of natural resource management, and the importance of local initiative and participation in conservation projects. The paper also identifies three levels of local participation in conservation projects and highlights elements related to local participation that appear to be important to the success or the lack of success of conservation initiatives in South and Southeast Asia. Although no statistical analysis was conducted, a review of case studies, as well as visits to several protected areas, suggest that local participation is a vital element in the success of conservation activities.