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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
The Value, Limitations, and Challenges of Employing Local Experts in Conservation Research
Conservation Biology, Volume 25, No. 6, Year 2011
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Description
Evidence suggests that the involvement of local people in conservation work increases a project's chances of success. Involving citizen scientists in research, however, raises questions about data quality. As a tool to better assess potential participants for conservation projects, we developed a knowledge gradient, K,along which community members occupy different positions on the basis of their experience with and knowledge of a research subject. This gradient can be used to refine the citizen-science concept and allow researchers to differentiate between community members with expert knowledge and those with little knowledge. We propose that work would benefit from the inclusion of select local experts because it would allow researchers to harness the benefits of local involvement while maintaining or improving data quality. We used a case study from the DeHoop Nature Preserve, South Africa, in which we conducted multiple interviews, identified and employed a local expert animal tracker, evaluated the expert's knowledge, and analyzed the data collected by the expert. The expert animal tracker J.J. created his own sampling design and gathered data on mammals. He patrolled 4653 km in 214 days and recorded 4684 mammals. He worked from a central location, and his patrols formed overlapping loops; however, his data proved neither spatially nor temporally autocorrelated. The distinctive data collected by J.J. are consistent with the notion that involving local experts can produce reliable data. We developed a conceptual model to help identify the appropriate participants for a given project on the basis of research budget, knowledge or skills needed, technical literacy requirements, and scope of the project. © 2011 Society for Conservation Biology.
Authors & Co-Authors
Elbroch, Mark
United States, Davis
University of California, Davis
Mwampamba, Tuyeni H.
Mexico, Morelia
Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental
Santos, Maria Jose
United States, Davis
University of California, Davis
Zylberberg, Maxine
United States, Davis
University of California, Davis
Liebenberg, Louis
South Africa, Cape Town
Cyber Tracker Conservation
Minye, James
South Africa, Cape Town
Cyber Tracker Conservation
Mosser, Christopher
United States, Davis
University of California, Davis
Reddy, Erin
United States, Davis
University of California, Davis
Statistics
Citations: 61
Authors: 8
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1111/j.1523-1739.2011.01740.x
ISSN:
08888892
e-ISSN:
15231739
Study Design
Case Study
Study Approach
Qualitative
Study Locations
South Africa