Assessing Effectiveness of PPGIS on Protected Areas by Governance Quality: A Case Study of Community-Based Monitoring in Wu-Wei-Kang Wildlife Refuge, Taiwan

Ming-Kuang Chung, Dau-Jye Lu, Bor-Wen Tsai and Kuei-Tien Chou
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Ming-Kuang Chung: Department of Geography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Dau-Jye Lu: School of Forestry and Resource Conservation, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Bor-Wen Tsai: Department of Geography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
Kuei-Tien Chou: Graduate Institute of National Development, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 15, 1-20

Abstract: Based on the criterion of governance quality, this study aimed to use the case of community-based monitoring in Taiwanese Wu-Wei-Kang Wildlife Refuge to evaluate the impact of public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) on its governance quality regarding inclusiveness, respect, competence, visions and scopes, accountability, and equity. Our research included 31 informants and 75 records (25 by in-depth interview and 50 from participant observation) collected in the field from 2009 to 2015. The results show that there are several effects attributable to the application of PPGIS in substratum elevation monitoring, including generating high quality data; strengthening monitoring processes and extending attributes of its outputs by lay knowledge; promoting stakeholders’ understanding of wetlands and their involvement in negotiations; increasing their capacity and degree to participate in refuge management; amending visions and scopes of this refuge; rearranging stakeholder divisions of labor; and assisting local communities as partners of this refuge. This study demonstrates that governance quality could provide a useful concept for evaluating PPGIS effectiveness on stakeholders’ participation, knowledge interpretation, capacity and consensus building, decision-making, and distribution of rights. Being a sole case with a qualitative approach, further case studies need to be undertaken to better understand the relationships between protected area governance quality and PPGIS.

Keywords: effectiveness evaluation; stakeholders’ participation; governance quality; community-based monitoring; lay knowledge; wetland management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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