Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
Environ Manage. 2012 Feb;49(2):372-86. doi: 10.1007/s00267-011-9778-1. Epub 2011 Nov 13.
High densities of people living around protected areas (PAs) in South Asia require management strategies to balance conservation goals and livelihood needs. Based on a survey of 777 households around five PAs in India and Nepal, this paper provides a comparative perspective of Indian and Nepali households' views of protected area benefits and costs, their attitude toward conservation in general, and attitude toward protected area staff. Results indicate mixed responses towards tourism, varying from very favorable in Nepal to less favorable in India. The majority (81%) held positive attitudes towards the existence and importance of PAs but had negative perceptions of PA staff (69%). Most residents perceived benefits from access to fuel wood, fodder and other PA resources including benefits from tourism, while crop and livestock losses from wildlife were the main costs. Households overall positive attitudes towards the PAs and conservation despite high losses from living around PAs suggests that local residents may support conservation if their livelihood needs are met. Comparisons of household attitudes and perceptions suggest that locally based strategies rather than top-down approaches are likely to be more effective. Extending PA benefits to smaller landholders, households that are highly resource-dependent or experiencing higher income losses from human-wildlife conflicts, and less educated residents are particularly important to balance costs and losses from living around protected areas.
由于南亚保护区（PAs）周边人口密度较高，需要管理策略来平衡保护目标和生计需求。本研究基于对印度和尼泊尔五个保护区周边的 777 户家庭进行的调查，从比较视角分析了印、尼家庭对保护区效益和成本的看法、对一般保护的态度，以及对保护区工作人员的态度。结果表明，家庭对旅游的反应喜忧参半，尼泊尔的反应非常积极，而印度的反应则不太积极。大多数（81%）家庭对保护区的存在和重要性持积极态度，但对保护区工作人员的看法却很消极（69%）。大多数居民认为从获取燃料木材、饲料和其他保护区资源中受益，包括从旅游中受益，但野生动物造成的作物和牲畜损失是主要的成本。尽管周边保护区的生活造成了高损失，但居民对保护区和保护的总体积极态度表明，如果满足其生计需求，当地居民可能会支持保护。家庭态度和看法的比较表明，基于地方的策略可能比自上而下的方法更有效。将保护区效益扩大到土地面积较小、资源高度依赖或因人与野生动物冲突而遭受更高收入损失的家庭，以及受教育程度较低的居民，对于平衡保护区周边生活的成本和损失尤为重要。
