Transcript – Biodiversity Impacts and Social Dimensions of Land Use in Tropical Montane Ecosystems

Biodiversity is distributed unevenly across the earth when mountainous tropical regions holding exceptionally high levels over time. These tropical regions were occupied by indigenous groups that exhibited high levels of cultural diversity as the result of the same factors that led to extensive biological diversity. There is increasing pressure on the local natural resource base as livelihood strategies in these regions continue to extend beyond subsistence agriculture. We conducted a five-country comparative study across Central and South America to gain insights on critical issues in the development and conservation of tropical montane systems. We collected data using focus groups and individual interviews with diverse stakeholders, as well as a variety of methods to capture biological diversity. Some emerging themes that came out of those interviews across the region include a focus on small scale landholders producing coffee and cattle for sale, a recognition of conflicts with farmers and market mechanisms with an emphasis on profit limits, the ability of communities to address the environmental issues they view as important. Consistent reporting of the importance of quality and quantity of water with climate change, exasperating concerns over availability and evidence of corruption across different stakeholder groups with poor communication, often worsening conflict and suspicion. All of these factors are leading to deteriorating conditions for the conservation of important biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. Our current efforts are focused on the development of new interview tools to better understand the drivers of conflict and provide recommendations to mitigate these conflicts and help inform the development of successful conservation programs.