Focal Areas for Measuring the Human Well-Being Impacts of a Conservation Initiative

Sustainability

Craig Leisher³  Leah H. Samberg²  Pieter van Buekering¹ 

[1] Department of Environmental Economics, Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University, de Boelelann 1105, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; E-Mail:;Consultant, 2312 Skyline Drive, Missoula, MT 59802, USA; E-Mail:;Central Science, The Nature Conservatory, 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203, USA; E-Mail:

关键词: socio-economic;    poverty;    measurement;    biodiversity;    subjective;    objective;   

DOI  :  10.3390/su5030997

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Within conservation, the need to measure the impacts on people from conservation initiatives such as projects and programs is growing, but understanding and measuring the multidimensional impacts on human well-being from conservation initiatives is complex. To understand the constituent components of human well-being and identify which components of well-being are most common, we analyzed 31 known indices for measuring human well-being. We found 11 focal areas shared by two or more indices for measuring human well-being, and the focal areas of living standards, health, education, social cohesion, security, environment, and governance were in at least 14 of the 31 human well-being indices. We examined each of the common focal areas and assessed its relevance to measuring the human well-being impacts of a conservation initiative. We then looked for existing indices that include the relevant focal areas and recommend the use of Stiglitz et al. (2009)—a framework designed to measure economic performance and social progress—as a starting place for understanding and selecting human well-being focal areas suitable for measuring the impacts on people from a conservation initiative.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.