Two topics on conservation
Understanding & shaping effective conservation actions: assessing wetland restoration in Uganda
Nature provides a range of benefits to people. These benefits are called 'ecosystem services' or 'nature’s contributions to people', and they receive increasing attention from policy-makers and scientists (see for example IPBES). However, assessing the benefits that specific natural areas provide to people remains a challenge. This study, which will be conducted in collaboration with the Belgian NGO 'Join for Water', aims to focus on assessing the benefits provided by different types of wetlands (protected vs. unprotected, restored vs. degraded wetlands), and on identifying and fostering success factors which will lead to resilient wetland ecosystems in Uganda. Assessing if a conservation action is effective requires dialogue with local stakeholders, to ensure plural perspectives on nature are taken into account. This study will entail the use of participatory methods such as surveys and interviews, and possibly other ecosystem services assessment methods (see for an overview: Ecosystem services assessment tools for African Biosphere Reserves: A review and user-informed classification).
Project type: literature review, interviews & surveys with local stakeholders and/or scientists, possibly fieldwork.
Contact: Dr. ir. Jean Hugé
Plural perspectives on the comeback of a top predator : perceptions on Wolf conservation & management in the Low Countries
In recent years, the Wolf (Canis lupus) has naturally recolonized Belgium and the Netherlands, after an absence of over a century. This natural comeback of a top predator in the densely populated 'Low Countries' has generated a lot of media attention, and has triggered a wide range of reactions from the general public. This new situation, where Wolves and people have to re-learn how to co-exist, offers challenges and opportunities and has led to the emergence of some disagreements and even conflicts, regarding if and how to manage Wolf populations in a human-dominated landscape. This study aims to map the diversity of perceptions of Wolves among a range of key stakeholders in Belgium and the Netherlands, by applying Q methodology (see: When and how to use Q methodology to understand perspectives in conservation research) and/or by using a selection of other stakeholder-based methods. A better understanding of the respective perspectives in the Wolf-Human debate in the Low Countries can contribute to uncover hidden (dis)agreements and can contribute to avoid gridlock and widespread polarization, as has happened in - parts of - other countries where the Wolf population has been growing recently (e.g. France, Spain). A comparative reflection on the specificities and commonalities of the Wolf debate in Belgium and the Netherlands compared to other countries will also be part of this study.
Project type: literature review, Q methodology and/or other participatory methods
Contact: Dr. ir. Jean Hugé