Dr. Jen Shaffer weighs in on the human factor in protecting wildlife

UMD's Dr. Jen Shaffer was quoted in the Environment 360 report, "People of Parks: The Human Factor in Protecting Wildlife, an article critically examining the effectiveness of protected areas. Specifically, article author Richard Conniff discussed the conflicting nature of local communities as both sources of difficulties for park managers and as stronger caretakers of indigenous habitats and species. 

Of this contrast and the need for a better understanding of the relationship between local communities and national conservation efforts, Dr. Shaffer asks the pivitol questions: "[H]ow do we work with local people? What do they know that we don’t? And how can habitats benefit from encouraging those practices? What are they doing that harms the habitat? And how do we work with the community to improve or tweak those practices, so the community is benefiting and the biodiversity is benefiting?"

The full article may be read at:
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/people_or_parks_the_human_factor_in_protecting_wildlife/2707/