Integrated Conservation and Development Projects - Helping People and the Land

Indigenous cultures living near preserved areas worldwide have often been marginalized and even evicted from their traditional homes for the benefit of the environment.(8) Similarly, protected areas have been degraded due to the socio-economic progress of their human neighbors. The idea that these two seemingly adversarial issues may be resolved together was conceived in the 1980s (8) and has been under great scrutiny since. This idea is the Integrated Conservation and Development Project.


Can it be done? The goal of this site is to examine the framework of Integrated Conservation and Development Projects and highlight that factors that have contributed to their various successes or failures around the world and provide suggestions for the future of Integrated Conservation and Development Projects worldwide.

Integrated Conservation and Development Projects (ICDPs) refute the idea that preservation of biodiversity and advancement of human technology and livelihood in impoverished areas are in direct conflict. Although ICDPs vary as much as the countries and ecosystems they focus on, their common goal is to promote community and environmental sustainability through streamlined efforts to empower a community's growth and sense of responsibility toward its environment.  They aim to aid communities in sustainable development that will help both their own livelihoods as well as the integrity of the natural ecosystems around them.(11)

Focal Points

ICDPs may target improving:

• Eco-tourism
• Perhaps the most prevalent solution for integrating conservation and development, ecotourism is a source of funding for  many ICDPs: once a tourism industry is established money can theoretically be funneled back into community development and conservation efforts.
• Sustainable harvesting
• Villages have more stable supplies of goods if harvesting regulations are in place.
• Infrastructure

• Sustainable structures use fewer resources long-term.
• Land-use regulations
• Forestry and Logging
• Pest control
• Legislation
• Taxation
• Energy management
• Education
• ....And many more!

Locations

ICDPs are generally associated with developing countries, but can also be applied to the developed world in places where development is expected to boom, such as coastal and suburban areas. (3)