Participatory Action Research for Conservation and Development: Experiences from the Amazon

Stephen G. Perz, Marliz Arteaga, Andrea Baudoin Farah, I. Foster Brown, Elsa Renee Huaman Mendoza, Yara Araújo Pereira de Paula, Leonor Mercedes Perales Yabar, Alan dos Santos Pimentel, Sabina C. Ribeiro, Guillermo Rioja-Ballivián, Martha Cecilia Rosero Peña, L. Cecilia Sanjinez L. and N. Galia Selaya G.
Additional contact information
Stephen G. Perz: Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Marliz Arteaga: School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Andrea Baudoin Farah: Natural Capital Project, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and Department of Biology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA
I. Foster Brown: Woodwell Climate Research Center, Falmouth, MA 02540, USA
Elsa Renee Huaman Mendoza: Earth Innovation Institute, Rua Dourado 142, Rio Branco 69915-002, AC, Brazil
Yara Araújo Pereira de Paula: Fundação de Apoio ao Ensino, Pesquisa, Extensão e Desenvolvimento Institucional do Acre, Rio Branco 69920-900, AC, Brazil
Leonor Mercedes Perales Yabar: Servicio Nacional Meteorología y Hidrología del Peru, Inapari 17300, Madre de Dios, Peru
Alan dos Santos Pimentel: Centro Nacional de Monitoramento e Alertas de Desastres Naturais, São José dos Campos, Sao Paulo 12247-016, SP, Brazil
Sabina C. Ribeiro: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal do Acre, Campus Universitário, BR 364, Km 04 Distrito Industrial, Rio Branco 69920-900, AC, Brazil
Guillermo Rioja-Ballivián: Independent Researcher, Cobija, Pando, Bolivia
Martha Cecilia Rosero Peña: Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
L. Cecilia Sanjinez L.: Area de Ciencias Biológicas y Naturales, Universidad Amazónica de Pando, Cobija, Pando, Bolivia
N. Galia Selaya G.: Independent Researcher, Rio Branco 69920-900, AC, Brazil

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-29

Abstract: Research that features participation and action orientation, such as participatory action research (PAR), is especially valuable in contexts where there is rapid change, high social inequality, and great uncertainty about the future, which drives stakeholder demands for information to support their goals. The Amazon offers such a context, for it is a region where diverse stakeholders engage in contestation over environmental governance to address issues such as climate change to achieve conservation and sustainable development. Stakeholder mobilization has changed the terms by which research is conducted, from the definition of priority topics to the application of findings. Due to stakeholder mobilization, more and more research in the Amazon is now necessarily participatory, for stakeholders routinely issue demands about how the research will be conducted and for what purpose. In this paper, we provide an overview of several experiences of implementing methods such as PAR by different teams or networks, focusing on the complementary contributions of outside researchers and local stakeholders. The heart of the paper reports on three broad types of experiences focusing on conservation and development in the Amazon: (1) participatory data collection for co-production of knowledge for environmental governance, (2) inclusive environmental monitoring systems, and (3) innovative models of knowledge exchange to facilitate collective action. Within each type, we report multiple experiences with distinct approaches to participation and action in research. These experiences constitute models that can be replicated in other places for broader impact to support conservation and development.

Keywords: sustainability; conservation; development; governance; participatory action research; climate; infrastructure; indigenous; stakeholder; Amazon (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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