Free lectures address issues of poverty near protected areas and parks

What do you see when you think of national parks and protected areas around the globe?

Do you see poverty?

Although poverty is generally not the first image that comes to mind when one thinks of national parks and protected areas, it does exist.

“Protected areas and national parks can be and are extremely beneficial for communities and ecosystems,” said Dr. Grant Murray, Canada Research Chair at Vancouver Island University for Coastal Resource Management, “but there’s always the other side of the coin.

“The creation and management of protected areas and parks can involve costs for communities, including those associated with development and tourism growth.  Tax increases and higher costs of living for residents as well as increased social problems, loss of cultural traditions and unemployment are some of the negative impacts. Locals who live near or adjacent to protected areas or national parks can also lose access to important resources they once enjoyed, such as fishing or hunting rights, and experience an increase in dangerous interactions with wildlife.

“Perhaps more importantly, is the difference between who benefits from national parks and protected areas and who pays the costs,” said Murray. “In some cases, protected areas can help alleviate poverty, but in other cases they make it worse.”

Murray is the principal investigator for the Canada-Africa Research Alliance, an international group of scientific researchers working on a five-year study called the Protected Areas and Poverty Reduction project (PAPR). They are exploring ways to reduce rural poverty and increase environmental sustainability in communities adjacent to national parks and protected areas in Canada, Ghana and Tanzania.

“In Canada, our study area is the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations Tribal Parks in Tofino,” he explained. “International research sites include several areas in Tanzania and two in Ghana.”

VIU has launched a speaker series to begin discussions on some of the key issues around poverty, national parks and protected areas. The first free public lecture featuring speakers Rick Searle (EKOS Communications, Inc.) and Bob Hansen (Wildlife-Human Conflict Specialist) takes place on Thursday, March 18. A second lecture by Eli Enns (Tla-o-qui-aht Nation Building Program) and Dan McDonald (First Nations Studies at VIU) is scheduled for April 1.

“The goal of these sessions to inform the public and the VIU community about the Canada-Africa Research Alliance and the work we’re doing,” said Murray. “We encourage people to express their ideas, ask questions and share their experiences. It’s also an opportunitiy for our guest speakers to get feedback from our community about what they are doing in communities close to national parks and protected areas.”

Murray said millions of people visit the Pacific Rim area every year and “therefore should care deeply about some of the issues facing communities like Tofino, Ucluelet and smaller First Nations villages.

“The same issues are occurring all over the world,” he said. “We hope that through this study we’ll learn lessons and gain insights that can translate into other contexts and solve other world problems.”

Both lectures take place at VIU’s Nanaimo campus, in Building 200, Room 203, from 7 to 8:30 pm. For further information contact Nadine Chodl at 250-619-1512 or email nadine_chodl@yahoo.de.

The Canada Africa Research Alliance includes 17 universities, government agencies and communities from Canada, Tanzania and Ghana. Besides VIU, other Canadian partners include the University of Victoria, University of Guelph, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Parks Canada, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Tofino Botanical Gardens/Clayoquot Field Station and Tia-o-qui-aht First Nations Tribal Parks.

Funding for the five-year study comes from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).