Define land conservation

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Lesson 1

• Define land conservation

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Draft Cultural Model Diagram

• People in the communities surrounding protected
  areas may not understand the words land
  conservation in the same terms. Their diverse
  life experiences have shaped their views. People
  talked about all 5 aspects illustrated in this
  diagram.

?
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What are the commonalities ?
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Land conservation is

• Values how we relate to land
• Use what we get from land
• Tools ways to shape landscapes

(Paolisso et al. in prep)
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Lesson 2

• Define cultural lenses

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What is a cultural lens?

• a metaphor for a point of view
  (http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lens)
• If you are talking from your point of view, you
  would talk about what you want, need or feel
  like. To get a person to do something, it is much
  better to talk from the other person's point of
  view. (http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspective_
  28cognitive29)
• In conflict resolution a technique of using "I",
  "me", "my" language encourages the person to talk
  from their own point of view Talking about your
  own point of view brings it upon the other person
  to be more understanding and cooperative.
  (http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspective_28cogn
  itive29)

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Examples diverse viewpoints on conservation

• saving a way of life, based on using what nature
  provides, to see wildlife and experience nature
  as during my youth
• a dynamic, adaptive process of sustainable
  harvest to meet human food and material needs.
  ..if the land can produce, it should produce
• the equitable management of resources in the
  public trust, consider multiple use, agency
  mandates, and voters
• a moral imperative for the long-term protection
  of public goods (air, water, nature) humans do
  not have the right to destroy it

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Pats lens

• My job is to maintain the integrity of the
  business while recognizing the facts of life.
  There are going to be new highways, new
  subdivisions, new businesses, new shopping
  centersthere is no escaping having to sell
  property.
• You know, this is destroying my backyard
  destroying my childhood.
• I really almost weep when I think about the
  woods that I loved as a kid, as to what they are
  today and what has happened. I know it is
  changing and I doubt if it can ever change back.
  When I was a kid, I roamed this woods and hunted
  them. There were beautiful big trees everywhere
  and not a whole lot of underbrush.

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Chriss lens

• you plant, and you manage and you harvest that
  timber and provide a good for the publicYou are
  helping to create jobs and you are helping
  people.you are providing a service and products
  that people use everyday.
• Youve got to get in there and youve got to
  cut, youve got to manage with fire, youve got
  to bring up that new forest underneath the old
  one.
• I would be hard pressed to tell you right now
  that I would be willing to tie up something in a
  conservation project that could be utilized in
  the future to take it out of somebodys hand
  that could be utilizing it in the future for that
  community. Not to benefit necessarily an
  individual, but the community.

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Lynns lens

• So, the citizens of Beaumont benefit by having
  clean water in the Neches River they dont
  necessarily see direct benefit to individuals,
  but it is a societal benefit.., what we call
  ecosystem services.
• Well, our goal is to protect the natural
  vegetation and, and to do that you have to make
  sure that the conditions that result in that
  vegetation continue,... in Long Leaf pine
  uplands its fire. In big river floodplains,
  like the Neches, its flooding.
• for a land owner thats got a small tract being
  managed for multiple uses, certainly theres
  nothing wrong with removing some trees, lets say
  for firewood, while retaining most of the other
  trees ... There would still be considerable land
  conservation benefits

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Kims lens

• Whether its a human disturbance or a natural
  disturbance, it will regenerate itself and it may
  not be the forest I prefer, but its the one
  that nature rolled the dice and said, thats
  whats coming up.
• So there are a lot of people who appreciate
  nature. They benefit a great deal, directly,
  personally, from protection of land we all have
  a stake in protecting biodiversity many people
  would not understand what they gain personally
  from it, but each of us does.
• We have a moral imperative to protect nature

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What do we mean by a cultural lens?

• People expressed diverse views about the ideas in
  each box of our diagram, as if they wear
  different lenses that color their views
• To reflect this diversity, we worded survey items
  in terms that people used frequently.
• We analyzed the survey results to discover the
  distinctive differences between lenses (e.g.
  factor analysis- oblique).
• People who agreed with one survey item, were
  likely to agree with other items in the same
  lens.

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Part 3

• Three lenses views of conservation lands

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Examples of 3 lenses
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Amber lens- tools

• Land conservation could be integrated into growth
  and development if political, social, and
  economic systems worked the way they were
  supposed to.
• development should occur in areas designated for
  growth.
• conserve ecologically unique or special areas.
• prioritize land that is threatened by
  development.
• stem unwanted growth.
• Successful land conservation efforts cannot be
  accomplished unless all interested stakeholder
  groups are able to play an active role
  participate in the decision-making process.
• local governments are integral to success
• build trust and good working relationships with
  stakeholders

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Amber lens- use of land

• Conserving land helps to maintain healthy
  ecosystems.
• sustain native plants and local wildlife.
• environmental benefits such as clean air and
  water.
• Land conservation is about using resources wisely
  so that they will be available to meet the
  varying future needs of diverse landowners
  communities.
• preserve rural identity and character.
• preserve the continuity of local communities.
• maintain quality of life.
• preserve a landowners equity and open spaces for
  environmental purposes.
• provide income from food, fiber, and timber
  production.

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Amber lens- values

• It is a moral imperative to conserve land.
• We do not have the right to negatively impact
  other species.
• Some land needs to be conserved where nature can
  be allowed to flourish with little or no contact
  from humans.
• Land conservation should be integrated into
  growth and development.
• Land conservation should preserve working lands
  (i.e., lands used to produce grain, livestock,
  timber, etc.) and open spaces.
• It is important to conserve lands for recreation.
  
• We should conserve lands that most people would
  agree are beautiful, uplifting, or unique.

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Rosy lens- tools

• The profitable production of natural resources
  (food, fiber, timber) is the best way to conserve
  land.
• Without active management, nature cannot live up
  to its potential.
• More land could be conserved if land conservation
  programs did not require land to be preserved in
  perpetuity.
• Land conservation may be a tool to preserve
  agricultural land but it is not a mechanism to
  make agriculture sufficiently viable so that
  farmers can continue to work the land.

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Rosy lens- use of land

• Land is an economic resource, like other
  financial assets, that can be used to meet the
  short- and long-term financial needs of its
  owners.
• The purpose of land conservation is to maintain
  the lands ability to provide a secure livelihood
  for communities now and in the future.
• Land is a source of income in times of family
  crisis.

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Rosy lens- values

• If land conservation efforts are to be
  successful, voluntary approaches should be
  pursued over regulatory ones.
• Land use decisions should be primarily governed
  by landowners.
• Conservation at all costs is unreasonable. Some
  costs cannot be tolerated.
• Natural resource producers of food, fiber, and
  timber are the best land conservationists.
• Land conservation may limit a landowners ability
  to use his/her land in a way that is necessary to
  meet his/her short- and long-term needs.

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Rosy lens- values (contd)

• Humans are the dominant species and meeting our
  needs should be a priority.
• Mother Nature is pretty tough and if we let her
  alone, she will come back even after disturbances
  such as clear cutting, over grazing, or
  hurricanes.
• Development can be a net positive for the
  environment, if planning is adequate and
  appropriate technologies are used.

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Green lens

• I DISAGREE THAT..
• Land is a resource to allow communities to grow
  to meet economic and housing needs.
• Conservation is managing land for its highest and
  best use and that can change according to
  economic and social needs.
• More land would be preserved through profitable
  farming than through the purchase and donation of
  land conservation easements.

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Continuum of views
O the size of each dot equals the number of
people surveyed, with each particular
combination of scores, (considering all 3 lenses)
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Part 4

• Different viewpoints through different lenses

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Interfaces between lenses
amber meets green
rosy meets amber
green meets rosy
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green meets rosy

• Land conservation may be a tool to preserve
  agricultural land but it is not a mechanism to
  make agriculture sufficiently viable so that
  farmers can continue to work the land.

• Land is a source of income in times of family
  crisis.
• More land could be conserved if land conservation
  programs did not require land to be preserved in
  perpetuity.
• Humans are the dominant species and meeting our
  needs should be a priority.

• Likely to AGREE

• green DISAGREES

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amber meets green

• Land is finite and damage to it can be
  irreversible, therefore we must protect it from
  overuse and abuse.
• Land conservation helps preserve a "sense of
  place.
• Land conservation efforts should prioritize land
  that is threatened by development.

• The purpose of conserving some lands is to
  provide income from food, fiber, and timber
  production.
• Land conservation efforts should prioritize
  activities that help people make a living off of
  the land.
• Wise use of land requires us to balance human
  needs and nature's needs.

• Likely to AGREE

• green DISAGREES

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rosy meets amber

• Land conservation limits land values.

• We do not have the right to negatively impact
  other species.

• amber DISAGREES

• rosy DISAGREES

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PART 1. Summary

• Define
• Land conservation model components vision,
  threat, values, use, tools
• Cultural lens viewpoint shared by a group
• Give examples of diverse lenses
• Amber, rosy, green
• Reflect on friction when different viewpoints
  meet