Title
BNS as an Evaluation Tool of Management and Policies in the Low Rio Negro Mosaic, Amazonas, Brazil.
Author(s)
Ribeiro, Alessandra; Estupinan, Guillermo; Didier, Karl
Published
2017
Abstract
Conservation and development projects often need to monitor their impacts on human wellbeing. Basic Necessities Surveys (BNS) are a relatively new method for assessing human wellbeing based on local perceptions about which goods and services are indispensable for a good life. The method relies on focal groups and structured interviews with community members to construct of an index of human welfare in a community, that varies from 0 (very low) to 1 (very high). Between 2015-2016, we applied BNS in 31 communities in 5 of the 12 protects areas (PAs) that comprise the Lower Rio Negro Mosaic in Amazonas State, Brazil. While these PAs are geographically connected, they differ in terms of the historical context of their creation, legislation which guides their management and, as a result, the kind of community development projects that occur within them. Our BNS surveys allowed us to compare wellbeing of communities in the different PAs of Mosaic, and will eventually allow us to track changes in wellbeing over time. Results indicate that PAs vary widely in terms of human wellbeing, with BNS index values ranging from 0.33 to 0.79. The worst index values were generally from strictly protected areas where development policies and public investment in community development are lacking. Supplementary surveys also indicate that communities within these PAs suffer from a lack of capacity to organize themselves, both internally and among communities. Another factor that directly influenced the index values was access to basic services (i.e., education, health, energy and water supply), which were highly valued in all communities. In this regard, communities that are closest to urban centers or that benefit from infrastructure projects tended to have higher BNS index values. In our judgement, Basic Necessity Surveys produce indicators that are highly useful for evaluating relationships among management, public policy and community wellbeing.
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PUB26798