WCS 3-Sentence Science

For Sustainability, Perception can be Everything

January 16, 2020

CREDIT: EMILIE BEAUCHAMP

Each year, Wildlife Conservation Society scientists publish more than 300 peer-reviewed studies and papers. “WCS 3-Sentence Science” is a regular tip-sheet — in bite sized helpings — of some of this published work.

Here we present work by WCS’s Tom Clements on what interventions most concern local people related to land issues.

1. Researchers present an analysis of household perceptions of land issues in 20 villages across different conservation and development contexts in Northern Cambodia, assessing whether conservation and development interventions, such as economic land concessions, influence perceptions of land issues.
2. Highlights of the findings: large-scale protected areas do not calm insecurity about land issues, but some village-based payment for environmental services projects do.
3. Ultimately, evidence from perception studies can help address current concerns and shape future conservation activities.

Study and Journal: “Investigating perceptions of land issues in a threatened landscape in Northern Cambodia” from Sustainability
WCS Co-Author(s): Tom Clements, WCS Conservation Solutions

For more information, contact: Stephen Sautner, 718–220–3682, ssautner@wcs.org.