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The past quarter-century has witnessed a “quieter revolution” in land-use management in the United States, from top-down regulation and adversarial environmentalism to multistakeholder collaboration and voluntary market-based mechanisms designed to forge a compromise between nature protection, property rights, and local livelihoods. This dramatic s...
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... roads are especially troubling in this area because road-kill is a leading cause of panther mortality. These concerns were heightened in December 2008, when WilsonMiller released a "conceptual build-out roadway network" map identifying twenty-two communities that might eventually be permitted, and 87 miles of new roads to service them (Staats, 2008;see figure A1 in the online appendix: ...
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... MERIT Subteam completed its report in August 2002. Drawing upon a range of evidence-land-use/land-cover data, tracking, satellite imagery, and modeling data, in addition to radio telemetry-they found that panthers prefer forested areas but that they use forest patches of all sizes, and that "a more heterogeneous landscape characterized by an interspersion of forest and non-forest patches" is critically important for the maintenance of prey species (Kautz et al, 2006, page 128). The subteam produced a Panther Habitat Map that delineated three habitat zones: the primary zone "generally supports the present population, and is of highest conservation value"; the secondary zone "is of lesser value but could accommodate expansion of the population given sufficient habitat restoration"; and the dispersal zone could "accommodate panther dispersal outside of south Florida" ( Kautz et al, 2006, page 118; see figure A2 in the online appendix). ...
Context 3
... "the primary zone covered a vast swath, purposely including not just forests and swamps but also pastures, citrus groves and other areas not usually associated with panthers. If they had confined their work to the remaining South Florida wilderness, the result would have been 'a Swiss cheese map' ", a team member said (Pittman, 2010b). However, a USFWS official questioned whether the map covered "more area than is necessary", and the report was shelved (Pittman, 2010b). ...
Citations
... While much of the research on neoliberal conservation has centred on structural critiques (Schwartz, 2013), a growing body of work has begun to show the divergence that can occur between the intentions of neoliberal conservation and the on-ground outcomes (McElwee et al., 2014;Roth & Dressler, 2012;van Hecken et al., 2015;Vatn, 2015). As noted in the previous chapter, in the context of western capitalist systems of governance, the analysis of MBIs for PLC in practice remains a largely understudied component of conservation governance. ...
The rise of market-based instruments (MBIs) as a conservation tool presents an important context in which to extend our understanding of how conservation practices interact with policy. This chapter centres on a reverse-auction MBI called ‘EcoTender’ in Victoria, Australia. We examine the types of conservation actions that emerge through landholders’ participation in EcoTender and explore the way EcoTender is adopted, co-opted and resisted in different ways. This includes how landholders approach the costing of their own labour as part of the bidding process, the ways in which local ecologies may resist program prescriptions and the desire for social interaction amongst participants in a program that requires competition for cost efficiency. We conclude by reflecting on the future of MBIs for facilitating conservation practice.
... While much of the research on neoliberal conservation has centred on structural critiques (Schwartz, 2013), a growing body of work has begun to show the divergence that can occur between the intentions of neoliberal conservation and the on-ground outcomes (McElwee et al., 2014;Roth & Dressler, 2012;van Hecken et al., 2015;Vatn, 2015). As noted in the previous chapter, in the context of western capitalist systems of governance, the analysis of MBIs for PLC in practice remains a largely understudied component of conservation governance. ...
Permanent protection through conservation covenants has emerged as a powerful mechanism for securing ecologies on private land. In this chapter, we explore how ideas of permanent protection are woven into the everyday practice of conservation examined in previous chapters. We explain how rural-amenity landholders perceive the work that their covenant is doing, and to unpack their uncertainties about the security of permanent protection, especially in light of the effect of surrounding land uses on their property. In exploring these themes, we examine differences between protecting ecological legacies through legally binding covenants, and the need to recognise and build on the legacy of experience, learning, labour and care for ecologies, as part of efforts to enable conservation outcomes beyond the tenure of a single landholder.
... While much of the research on neoliberal conservation has centred on structural critiques (Schwartz, 2013), a growing body of work has begun to show the divergence that can occur between the intentions of neoliberal conservation and the on-ground outcomes (McElwee et al., 2014;Roth & Dressler, 2012;van Hecken et al., 2015;Vatn, 2015). As noted in the previous chapter, in the context of western capitalist systems of governance, the analysis of MBIs for PLC in practice remains a largely understudied component of conservation governance. ...
This chapter explores landholders’ stories of conservation practice through learning-by-doing, as these stories offer a unique insight into the emergence of enviromental stewardship and the agency of non-humans in learning processes. Environmental stewardship also offers us a way to discuss how landholders’ conservation practices can develop into certain styles or dispositions over time. This chapter unpacks two distinct dispositions that emerged through situated encounter; (1) an active or hands-on approach to conservation, and (2) a passive or hands-off approach to conservation. In interrogating conservation as a human-environment relationship, this chapter provides a novel perspective on the application of experiential learning in conservation more broadly.
... While much of the research on neoliberal conservation has centred on structural critiques (Schwartz, 2013), a growing body of work has begun to show the divergence that can occur between the intentions of neoliberal conservation and the on-ground outcomes (McElwee et al., 2014;Roth & Dressler, 2012;van Hecken et al., 2015;Vatn, 2015). As noted in the previous chapter, in the context of western capitalist systems of governance, the analysis of MBIs for PLC in practice remains a largely understudied component of conservation governance. ...
This book explores conservation practices on private land, based on research conducted with landholders in the hinterlands of Melbourne, Australia. It examines how conservation is pursued as an intimate interaction between people and ecologies, suggesting that local ecologies are lively participants in this process, rather than simply the object of conservation, and that landholders develop their ideas of environmental stewardship through this interaction. The book also explores the consequences of private property as a form of spatial organisation for conservation practice; the role of formative interactions with ecologies in producing durable experiential knowledge; how the possibilities for contemporary conservation practice are shaped by historical landscape modification; and how landholders engage with conservation covenants and payment schemes as part of their conservation practice. The authors conclude with ideas on how goals and approaches to private land conservation might be reframed amid calls for just social and ecological outcomes in an era of rapid environmental change.
Dr Benjamin Cooke is a Senior Lecturer at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. He is a human geographer who explores the critical social science dimensions of nature conservation.
Dr Ruth Lane is a Senior Lecturer at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. She is a human geographer whose research focuses on the intersections between social change, environmental degradation and environmental governance.
... In order to manage the local impacts of climate change and sea-level rise, the policymakers would have to implement proactive measures that will enhance community resilience (Goharian et al. 2016). Feasibility of these initiatives would depend on the involvement of the 1 community in the decision-making process (Schwartz 2013). Understanding the differences in public opinion concerning risk perceptions and preferences for the proposed measures can help decision-makers to manage conflicts and potential barriers for policy implementation, leading to more socially acceptable adaptation planning (Tam and McDaniels 2013;Bennett et al. 2017). ...
... Although the physical science aspects of Everglades restoration have been studied extensively, the human and social dimensions of this system have received little attention (Schwartz 2013). Bennett et al. (2017) document four major barriers (ideological, institutional, knowledge, and capacity) in mainstreaming social science in conservation practices. ...
The Everglades is a unique ecosystem in Florida that offers a variety of ecosystem services (ES), including water supply and flood risk reduction, water purification, habitats for several endemic species, and recreational opportunities. Therefore, the ramifications of climate change, an imminent threat to the Everglades ecosystem, are going to affect these ecosystem services drastically. The climate-induced changes to the ecosystem services are going to affect people’s lives and livelihoods in the region. Thus, understanding public perception and preferences is an important step in addressing the impending risk. In this study, we used an online survey to assess residents’ perceptions about the risk of climate change and their views on mitigating potential consequences. We find that people’s perceptions and preferences are shaped by their level of education, age, participation in outdoor recreational activities, and elevation and distance from the shoreline of their residential location from the mean sea-level. In general, people who are concerned about the flooding risk and people who tend to prioritize environmental conservation are more likely to agree with the potential impacts of climate change and sea-level rise and more likely to support proposed measures for adaptation. We discuss the policy implications for developing socially acceptable plans based on the findings regarding people’s perception and preferences for adaptation in this region.
... However, it is important to recognize that stakeholder values and perspectives may differ from those of ecologists and professional planners, potentially resulting in ineffective Ó Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences 2019 www.kva.se/en 123 Ambio outcomes (e.g., Schwartz 2013). Our results indicated that conserving nature was much less important to planners' jurisdictions than to planners themselves and that the conservation concerns of planners and the residents of their jurisdictions differed substantially. ...
Conserving biodiversity is critical to the sustainability of human settlements, and stands to benefit from collaboration between ecologists focused on understanding natural systems and planners balancing social, environmental, and economic priorities. Drawing from the socially-situated definition of ‘sustainability’, we sought to understand the relationship between ecologists and planners by probing how planners in the southeastern US prioritize and engage with biodiversity conservation and ecological information, and how context influences these decisions. We find that context matters, e.g., higher jurisdictional population density was positively associated with prioritizing tree cover and diversity. We find, also, that while biodiversity conservation and ecological information are valuable to planners, planners rely heavily on their colleagues to inform conservation-related activities and prioritize conservation topics that differ from ecological research foci. Improved communication by ecologists and context-specific transdisciplinary sustainability research, especially that which incorporates the primary role of elected officials in biodiversity conservation, may help to integrate ecological science and planning practice.
... C onservation in exurban landscapes faces an acute challenge: How do we care for ecologies in a way that acknowledges ecological flows and interactions amidst a mosaic of private properties with individual ownership regimes? This challenge is heightened by neoliberal environmental governance that reinforces the "individualization and privatization" (Turner 2016, 6) of conservation efforts and the ongoing fragmentation of rural landscapes through exurban migration (Schwartz 2013;Cooke and Lane 2015b). The combined influence of neoliberal policies and rural land use change risks producing "neoliberal ecologies" (Castree 2007, 283) that compartmentalize conservation practice to the bounded territory of the private property parcel (W. ...
Conservation on private land in exurban landscapes is habitually framed around the private property parcel. Neoliberal conservation programs that position private property as exclusive territory for conservation action are compounding the property-centric focus of exurban conservation practices. This framing conflicts with an understanding of ecologies as socionatures that are geographically dispersed and temporally contingent, as well as the implications of landscape-scale species migration driven by climate change. Here we explore whether the agency and mobility of plants across property boundaries offer an avenue for more meaningful alternatives to exurban conservation that are not bounded by the territory of private property. The conservation practices of exurban landholders in Victoria, Australia, were explored through qualitative interviews and property walks. The mobility of plants in the form of spreading, seeding, and suckering through fence lines reflects a form of more-than-human territorial enactment that can bring attention to shared and relational ecologies, while unsettling the notion of control over conservation practice that accompanies property ownership. We explore the potential of the recent reengagement with commoning—in the form of plant–human commoning practices—to position plants as active collaborators in commoning, rather than as the objects of human commoning. Although attentive to the challenges of multispecies coalitions in conservation, we suggest that plant–human commoning could offer new possibilities for conservation that is grounded in the affordances of plants, as a counter to neoliberal governance and the individualization and privatization of exurban landscapes.
... At the same time that panther numbers have increased, the population of people, and the number of roads and developments, in the panther's breeding range have also risen. Increased proximity between people and panthers has resulted in increasing human-panther interactions, and has fueled ongoing stakeholder conflicts over the management of panthers (Onorato et al. 2011, Schwartz 2013, FWC 2015. To date, research on human interactions with Florida panthers and stakeholder conflicts over the management of panthers has primarily focused on livestock ranchers and development interests (Schwartz 2013, Kreye et al. 2017. ...
... Increased proximity between people and panthers has resulted in increasing human-panther interactions, and has fueled ongoing stakeholder conflicts over the management of panthers (Onorato et al. 2011, Schwartz 2013, FWC 2015. To date, research on human interactions with Florida panthers and stakeholder conflicts over the management of panthers has primarily focused on livestock ranchers and development interests (Schwartz 2013, Kreye et al. 2017. Although there is research on human-cougar interactions related to other puma subspecies Decker 2000, Michalski et al. 2006, Quinn 2009, Teichman et al. 2013), conflicts pertaining specifically to Florida panther conservation in exurban areas have not been studied, despite the fact that the majority of documented human-panther interactions in Florida have occurred in exurban residential areas (FWC 2015). ...
Human tolerance for negative interactions with the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) is an important component of panther conservation efforts. Residents’ tolerance for interactions with Florida panthers in exurban areas has not been explicitly studied, even though the highest number of documented human-panther interactions has occurred in a single exurban community in Florida (i.e., Golden Gate Estates). We implemented a mail-based survey in Golden Gate Estates in 2015 to investigate community members’ level of tolerance for the panther. Golden Gate Estates provides a case study for future conservation efforts as panthers recolonize their historical range, and the panther comes into contact with more exurban and residential communities. Based on regression analysis of survey data, we found that individuals with eco-centric value orientations, individuals who were aware of panthers’ presence in Florida prior to moving to Golden Gate Estates, and individuals who believe that proper animal care protects domestic animals from panthers were more tolerant of the panther. Age, livestock ownership, panther depredation of domestic animals, and risk concern were significant negative determinants of panther tolerance. The majority of respondents were willing to collaborate with neighbors and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to manage panther-related risks. Our research provides insights into how tolerance for the Florida panther in exurban and residential communities may be secured or improved. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.
... Hybrid governance reflects that "purely market-, state-, or civil society-based governance strategies depend for their efficacy on support from other domains of social interactions" (Lemos and Agrawal, 2006, p. 298). While much of the work on neoliberal conservation has centred on structural critiques (Schwartz, 2013), a growing body of research has begun to unpack hybrid governance by showing the divergence that can occur between the intentions of neoliberal conservation and the onground outcomes (McElwee et al., 2014;Vatn, 2015;Van Hecken et al., 2015;Roth and Dressler, 2012). Yet, in the context of western capitalist systems of governance, the analysis of MBIs for PLC in practice remains a largely understudied component of neoliberal conservation policy (Holmes, 2015;Higgins et al., 2012). ...
... As this study demonstrated, wider ecosystem interactions can draw people into landscape-scale management challenges that EcoTender had no formal mechanism for addressing. In this way, ecologies themselves showed how they can push back against neoliberal environmental governance that positions private property as the foundation around which the policy is conceived (Schwartz, 2013;Büscher et al., 2012). However, MBIs for PLC have been geared towards valuing cross-boundary collaborative efforts in the past (e.g. the Desert Uplands Landscape Linkages Program), suggesting that attention to landscape-scale ecological interactions may be feasible in some cases. ...
The increasing popularity of private land conservation (PLC) globally has quickly translated into an array of polices and programs aimed at achieving ecological benefits. The growth of PLC is entwined with the rise of neoliberal governance, with private land proving congruous with the promotion of market-based instruments (MBIs) and the reliance on private protected areas for conservation in lieu of government investment in public lands. Despite a growing literature on the implications of neoliberal environmental governance, there remains a need for specific insights into the way that individual landholders and ecologies can co-opt or resist the ra-tionalities of MBIs in the practice of private land conservation. Through semi-structured interviews and property walks with 18 landholders, this research examines the implementation of a reverse-auction tender scheme called 'EcoTender' in Victoria, Australia. We uncovered four main tensions between the market logic of the program and conservation practice: 1) some landholders used the payment scheme to increase regulatory protections on their property through covenants/easements; 2) many landholders struggled to conceive of their stewardship practice as contractual labour; 3) landholders were producing novel ecosystems that challenged land management focused at the property parcel scale when EcoTender encouraged a return to historical benchmark ecol-ogies, and; 4) many landholders wanted social collaboration when the program required competition for cost efficiency. Our insights show that PLC must create room for a diverse trajectory of conservation practice in dynamic socio-ecological contexts. This means careful reflection on the validity of assumptions underpinning MBIs, the trade-offs that come with applying market logic to conservation and the long-term implications of these instruments for policy and practice.
... Using the political ecology approach, researchers demonstrate how debates and decisions about exurbia are often influenced by (or overlook) the everyday lived experiences of exurban stakeholders including farmers, ranchers, residents, and conservationists. Critically, these views may sometimes contravene scientific knowledge, revealing the role of power and knowledge in planning processes ( Hurley and Taylor 2016;Schwartz 2013). Although exurbia can generate alliances from disparate coalitions that "create social movements to push back against well entrenched and institutionalized notions of nature," those with "control over the dominant environmental imaginary" generally shape planning and political decisions (Taylor and Hurley 2016, p. 45). ...
Sarasota County, Florida’s award-winning Sarasota 2050 plan established the county as a leader in smart growth. The plan promotes a system of clustered development and open space as an alternative to sprawl beyond Sarasota’s growth boundary. Although adopted in 2002, by 2011, no projects had broken ground under the plan, which critics deemed “unworkable.” This article presents a case study of exurban political ecology in Sarasota to provide insight into the derailment of a promising strategy for managing exurban growth. Sarasota 2050’s policies were undermined by extra-local factors, including the recession and reduced state oversight of planning, and by incompatible policy agendas pursued by local interest groups. Also problematic was the plan’s cluster approach—a spatial strategy that rationalizes large landowner, planning, and conservation interests, but does little to address rural restructuring. The case points to the need for new planning strategies that mediate competing interests in exurbia.
