Pinus gerardiana, or chilgoza pine nut, has played a significant socioeconomic role for the Kinnauri Tribal Peoples of Western Himalaya. This native species is declining, however, and as a result, so too is its role in the local culture, landscape, and economy. This paper is based on longitudinal ethnographic research conducted between 2010-2018. I discuss socio-economic and environmental changes that have been leading to the decline in chilgoza production in Kinnaur. Findings suggest several factors contributing to this decline. As the commercialisation of apple production gains prominence, the traditional collective harvesting and distribution practices of chilgoza are losing importance. Contemporary harvesting practices contribute to long-term damage of the tree and therefore decline in seed production and regeneration. Climate change and a general reduction in winter snowfall have also been diminishing production. Chilgoza decline can potentially reduce the diversification of the broader Kinnauri economy, possibly placing Kinnauris at risk, as they become dependent on a single cash crop. Here, I illustrate the story of the chilgoza pine nut of Kinnaur and explain the social and environmental factors and implications of its decline.

Protected Areas (PAs) are the most common approach to conservation globally; however, their effectiveness is unclear when neighbouring human communities are highly natural resource dependent. While forest-based livelihoods provide important income for rural communities, destructive livelihoods such as charcoal production can also threaten the sustainability of PAs. We aimed to understand drivers of livelihood choices in communities surrounding a proposed PA threatened by charcoal production in northern Madagascar, to inform management strategies that promote forest conservation without negatively impacting local communities. We used semi-structured interviews and focus groups to understand local livelihood dynamics using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF). Our findings showed charcoal production to be an important livelihood used to deal with annual food insecurity. Agricultural yields were limited by a lack of assets for clearing land and building protective fences. Households were also hesitant to invest in agriculture due to the perceived risks associated with unpredictable rainfall and cattle grazing. While fishing was an important livelihood for filling income gaps, declining catches due to overexploitation across the study region appeared to be increasing the need for charcoal production. While improvements to agriculture were perceived to be promising strategies for reducing forest-dependence, a landscape approach to conservation in the region will be necessary in order to promote sustainability of all livelihoods and to reduce overall pressures on forest resources.

After having banned sport hunting in 1979, Uganda reintroduced it in 2001 around Lake Mburo National Park, and in 2006 in the Kabwoya and Kaiso-Tonya Game Management Area, with the aim to reduce human-wildlife conflicts, especially poaching, by providing incentives for the local inhabitants in order to positively change residents' attitudes towards wildlife. We conducted interviews and reviewed documents to analyse and evaluate the impacts of reintroduction of sport hunting. The income generated from sport hunting was used to provide social services and implement social development projects. There was no proof of hunting income being used for conservation purposes. Although the local perceptions of the sport hunting benefits varied, the benefits did initially help to improve local residents' attitudes towards wildlife and poaching temporarily stopped—but resumed later. Hence, this study shows that the common underlying assumption of sport hunting policies and other market- and community-based approaches to conservation—that when local residents receive benefits, they will appreciate wildlife—is debatable.

This paper explores local perceptions of the landscape in a small highland community near Haa, Bhutan. Through the lens of ethnoecology, it documents a storied landscape in which an animist cosmology, underpinned by Buddhism, shapes local subjectivities in particular ways that influence behaviour in relation to this landscape. We draw on this case to contribute to a growing body of research exploring how environmental governance understood as Foucauldian-inspired 'environmentality' works to create 'environmental subjects'. While initial work in this area describes a monolithic environmentality, more recent research outlines multiple environmentalities (neoliberal, disciplinary, sovereign and truth) to demonstrate how processes of subject formation occur differently in relation to each of these. Within this research, however, attention to truth environmentality and the particular forms of environmental subjectivity it cultivates has been largely absent thus far. Our analysis addresses this gap by exploring how members of the herding community in the case under investigation describe relationships with a set of cosmological entities that motivate specific self-understandings leading to conservation-conducive behaviour. In this way, our analysis highlights how this particular approach to the 'conduct of conduct' works to shape specific environmental subjectivities beyond those currently highlighted in the burgeoning environmentalities literature.

This research examines the rezoning of Africa's oldest Marine Protected Area (MPA), the Tsitsikamma National Park (TNP) MPA. In December 2016, the TNP MPA was rezoned from 'no-take' to a partially open MPA to provide access for local fishing communities. Here, we examine the different values and beliefs that influence how diverse stakeholders perceive the rezoning process and the subsequent implications for marine conservation. Our research draws on 55 semi-structured key informant interviews (e.g., with communities, scientists, government), as well as a focus group with managers and staff from the South African conservation management authority. Results highlight the conditions through which values and beliefs about the MPA and the zoning effort have been mediated: 1) the historic (i.e., Apartheid) context in which the TNP MPA was created; 2) the disciplinary background, knowledge and lived experience of those involved in the rezoning; and 3) the underlying socio-economic circumstances that affect values and beliefs. Our research also reveals the entrenched perceptions (positive and negative) about the socio-cultural, ecological, regulatory and governance outcomes of rezoning. Ultimately, more collaborative efforts are necessary to reconcile diverse values and beliefs among different stakeholders, and to balance community rights with conservation rezoning objectives.

Non-human nature is often unpredictable and continues to surprise us. How can we take this into account and use it in ways leading to more robust conservation strategies? We analyse the emergence and implications of surprises in the context of conservation of strictly protected Siberian flying squirrels in Finland. Nocturnal, arboreal flying squirrels keep surprising surveyors, planners and landowners by their flickering presence. We use field interviews and other material to analyse surprises as relational and affective phenomena - both the surprised observer and an unexpected event are needed to create a surprise. We argue that surprises can help to reconsider situations and identify new knowledge about non-human nature, and hence improve conservation strategies.

This paper discusses strategies for salvaging biodiversity through a case study exploring the revitalisation of keeping stingless bees in the Yucatan Peninsula. While once Melipona beecheii was at risk of extinction, fifteen years later the species and meliponiculture practices are thriving. The paper highlights the history of the revitalisation and emphasises two factors underpinning stingless beekeeping's resurgence: agroecology orientations in environmental stewardship and inter-generational relationships, based upon a feminist ethic of inter-species care. This case illustrates the complex interactions of indigenous-led and grassroots approaches with biodiversity losses and ecosystem protection, and advances insights into the interdependencies and complexities involved in cultivating vital inter-species relationships.

With increasing demand for large-scale data and effective, wide-spread action, conservation volunteers can play an important role in tackling the global biodiversity crisis. Cost-cutting pragmatism aside, the recruitment of volunteers into diverse roles within conservation organisations also responds to growing public concern for the environment and demand for 'meaningful' engagement in people's pastime. Here we argue that this auspicious premise of a win-win transaction fails to acknowledge a range of emerging ethical issues regarding the management of unpaid workers. This lack of critical examination frustrates the development of solutions that are effective for conservation and fair to volunteers. We focus our attention on three archetypal cases—citizen science, voluntourism and unpaid internships—to highlight the complex and value-laden trade-offs that need to be negotiated to ethically manage unpaid work in conservation. We identify opportunities to redress the balance between volunteer needs and conservation goals. Ultimately, we hope to stimulate further, more open debate on the effective and fair use of the available labour force in conservation.

The generation subculture theory asserts that as each generation comes of age and begins to harness political and economic power, their unique value-set will shape social and environmental outcomes. With this in mind, we undertook a preliminary social survey that explored the relationship between birth cohort (the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials), and marine environmental values, behaviour, and preferences. The findings demonstrate a declining value is placed on the marine environment across the generations, with an associated decrease in pro-environmental behaviours. The results emphasise the importance of targeted conservation outreach, particularly for Millennials.