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UBC Theses and Dissertations
Indigenous perspectives and resource management contexts: the case of northeastern Nicaragua Caddy, Emma
Abstract
As natural resources become scarcer, stakeholder competition over them has grown both more frequent and intense. Resource conflicts between indigenous peoples and nation-states can prove particularly problematic, since these stakeholders often perceive their respective management interests as being mutually incompatible. However, since inter-stakeholder competition invariably fosters destructive and short-termist patterns of environmental use, resource conflicts have to be addressed and resolved. The potential of co-management arrangements - whereby competing stakeholders become partners in the development and implementation of management policies - to resolve conflicts between nation-states and indigenous peoples, is currently enjoying increasing cross-disciplinary support. Joint stewardship arrangements are not, however, always easily established. Incorporating the perspectives of those indigenous peoples who have historically been marginalised from management processes, and who must now be integrated within them, represents an essential precondition of co-management success. This thesis analyses indigenous environmental perspectives in northeastern Nicaragua - with particular reference to the Miskitu Indians and forestry resources - to determine the types of cultural and context-specific considerations which genuine and sustainable co-management arrangements in this particular region would need to accommodate. Four principal spheres of indigenous experience, which inform Miskitu environmental perspectives, shapes the analytical framework: indigenous communities; institutions; global economies; political negotiation and leadership. By employing a multi-level, interdisciplinary and dialectic analysis, the thesis presents an alternative theoretical approach to resource managers attempting to understand and resolve comparative instances of inter-stakeholder conflict. It also strongly urges managers to appreciate the complexity and uniqueness of respective indigenous perspectives and management contexts, and the need to reject stereotypical representations of indigenous peoples, communities and institutions, when attempting to develop co-management agreements. Whilst joint stewardship remains an important goal for resolving resource-conflicts between indigenous peoples and nation-states, it might not prove immediately viable in every management context. Locally-specific obstacles can indeed thwart the development of sustainable co-management regimes. In the particular case of northeastern Nicaragua, governance systems will need to be strengthened, inter-stakeholder trust fostered, and communities closely facilitated, before regional co-management initiatives can become effective.
Item Metadata
Title |
Indigenous perspectives and resource management contexts: the case of northeastern Nicaragua
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1998
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Description |
As natural resources become scarcer, stakeholder competition over them has grown both more
frequent and intense. Resource conflicts between indigenous peoples and nation-states can prove
particularly problematic, since these stakeholders often perceive their respective management
interests as being mutually incompatible. However, since inter-stakeholder competition
invariably fosters destructive and short-termist patterns of environmental use, resource conflicts
have to be addressed and resolved.
The potential of co-management arrangements - whereby competing stakeholders become
partners in the development and implementation of management policies - to resolve conflicts
between nation-states and indigenous peoples, is currently enjoying increasing cross-disciplinary
support. Joint stewardship arrangements are not, however, always easily established.
Incorporating the perspectives of those indigenous peoples who have historically been
marginalised from management processes, and who must now be integrated within them,
represents an essential precondition of co-management success.
This thesis analyses indigenous environmental perspectives in northeastern Nicaragua - with
particular reference to the Miskitu Indians and forestry resources - to determine the types of
cultural and context-specific considerations which genuine and sustainable co-management
arrangements in this particular region would need to accommodate. Four principal spheres of
indigenous experience, which inform Miskitu environmental perspectives, shapes the analytical
framework: indigenous communities; institutions; global economies; political negotiation and
leadership. By employing a multi-level, interdisciplinary and dialectic analysis, the thesis
presents an alternative theoretical approach to resource managers attempting to understand and
resolve comparative instances of inter-stakeholder conflict. It also strongly urges managers to
appreciate the complexity and uniqueness of respective indigenous perspectives and management
contexts, and the need to reject stereotypical representations of indigenous peoples, communities
and institutions, when attempting to develop co-management agreements.
Whilst joint stewardship remains an important goal for resolving resource-conflicts between
indigenous peoples and nation-states, it might not prove immediately viable in every
management context. Locally-specific obstacles can indeed thwart the development of
sustainable co-management regimes. In the particular case of northeastern Nicaragua,
governance systems will need to be strengthened, inter-stakeholder trust fostered, and
communities closely facilitated, before regional co-management initiatives can become effective.
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Extent |
21965853 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-05-20
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0099261
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1998-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.