CONTEXTUAL FACTORS, PROPERTY REGIMES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL OUTCOMESApplying a realist synthesis approach to a systematic review of marine protected areas

REBECCA MCLAIN1, STEVEN LAWRY2, MARIA OJANEN2 1Institute for Sustainable Solutions, Portland State University, USA2Center for International Forestry Research

2017 WORLD BANK CONFERENCE ON LAND AND POVERTYWashington DC, March 20-24, 2017

Often research focuses on one place (or two or three) to get that rich

information.

Understanding why some interventions succeed and some failA realist synthesis approach

Behavior is influenced by the people, social structures, history &

natural environment around us.

But it’s difficult to identify patterns from separate case

studies...

??? ?

?

?

And understanding patterns in behavior & outcomes is

important to designing policy that works.

??

??

Understanding why some interventions succeed and some failA realist synthesis approach

Understanding why some interventions succeed and some failA realist synthesis approach

Meta-analyses and systematic reviews are

good tools for measuring variations in outcomes

across a large number of studies...

...but struggle to identify how differing social and

environmental contexts influence those outcomes.

??

Understanding why some interventions succeed and some failA realist synthesis approach

policy interventions are likely to result in particular

outcomes.In other words:

Why policy interventions work in some contexts, but

not others.

It helps to answer

when

how where

whyand for whom

Realist synthesis – a technique for reviewing evidence alongside relevant contextual factors from many studies –

offers a solution.

Policy interventions in natural resource management

STATE

How people use and manage natural resources is influenced by the property regime.That is, who owns the resource, who makes the decisions about how it is used, and who benefits from it. There is a lot of variation within different property regimes

COMMUNITY

HYBRID

+

...the mechanism of action......affects...

The context...

Perceptions about the property regime:“Is it ecologically credible, socially acceptable,& recognized as having legal authority?” (legitimacy)“Can the rules be enforced?” (enforcement capacity)“Will benefits go to the right people?” (likelihood benefits)

All the parts that together make a place unique...

...the property regime&

+

A realist synthesis theory of change applied

...which all affect...

...the outcome.How

people behave

The resource condition

Realist Synthesis in action: A spotlight on fisheries managementCase selection:Using a realist synthesis approach, we identified factors that affect environmental outcomes of fisheries management under different types of property regimes.

34984 possible articles in initial search

31 articles match selection criteria, covering:

49 fisheries management cases:

9 from Africa 18 from Latin America/Caribbean 22 from Asia/Pacific

Filtered using selection criteria:a) quantitative description of environmental outcomes; b) clear description of distribution of bundle of rights

A realist synthesis theory of change applied

14 state regimes

% cases with better outcomes than their control sites:

Selected cases by property regime:

69%

58%

43%

16 customary regimes

+ 19 hybrid regimes

Analysis, Phase 1:Overview

A realist synthesis theory of change applied

Analysis, Phase 2: 15 cases of in-depth analysis Sample case shown here:Roviana Lagoon, Solomon Islands study by Aswani and Weiant 2004

Outcome:- Most of

the community respects the closure

- Shellfish size & numbers improve

- However, communities are consideringformal surveillance measures

Intervention context:Shellfish collecting closed from September to April. Recommending permanent closures for some areas- Backed by

respected church leader

- Transparent, participative approach to the change

- Harvesters can see shell beds recovering rapidly

- However, illegal harvesting is a problem

Mechanisms:- “I recognize that

community leaders have the authority to make these new rules and believe they will lead to more shellfish”

- “It’s reasonably likely that I will be caught if I poach”

- “I will benefit from these new rules and so will the community”

Community context:- Two distinct,

generations-old customary regimes

- Traditional property regimes recognized by national law

- Tension between and within clans

- Remote location

- Women are the primary shellfish collectors

CONTEXT MECHANISM+ OUTCOME=

A realist synthesis theory of change applied

What we learned

People’s perceptions of the legitimacy, enforcement capacity and likelihood of benefits from an intervention can both strengthen and weaken protection efforts.Perceptions of legitimacy are the most complex, involving the interaction of legally recognized authority, social acceptability, and ecological credibility.Perceptions of legitimacy, enforcement capacity, and likelihood of benefits do not operate independently of each other but rather function as a set of interacting components.Understanding these perceptions and how they interact will increase the likelihood of successful and sustainable introduced conservation practices.

Referenc esAgrawal, A., & Benson, C.S. (2011). Common property theory and resource governance institutions: strengthening explanations of multiple outcomes. Environmental Conservation, 38(2), 199-210. doi:10.1017/S0376892910000925Brooks, J., Waylen, K.A., & Borgerhoff Mulder, M. (2013). Assessing community-based conservation projects: A systematic review and multilevel analysis of attitudinal, behavioral, ecological, and economic outcomes. Environmental Evidence, 2(2). Dalkin, S.M., Greenhalgh, J., Jones, D., Cunningham, B., & Lhuissier, M. (2015). What’s in a mechanism? Development of a key concept in realist evaluation. Implementation Science, 10, 49. Durham, J., & Bains, A. (2015). Research protocol: a realist synthesis of contestability in community-based mental health markets. Systematic Reviews, 4, 32. Lawry, S. Samii, C., Hall, R., Leopold, A., Hornby, D., & Mtero F. (2016). The impact of land property rights interventions on investment and agricultural productivity in developing countries: a systematic review. Journal of Development Effectiveness.

Nilsson, D., Baxter, G., Butler, J.R.A., & McAlpine, C.A. (2016). How do community-based conservation programs in developing countries change human behavior? A realist synthesis. Biological Conservation, 200, 93-103. Ojanen, M., Zhou, W., Mshale, B., Nieto, S.H., Durey, L., Miller, D.C., Mwangi, E., & Petrokofsky, G. (2015). Environmental impacts of different property regimes in forests, fisheries and rangelands: preliminary findings from a systematic review. Paper presented at the International Association for the Study of the Commons annual conference, Alberta, Canada. On file with lead author.Ojanen, M., Zhou, W., Miller, D.C., Petrokofsky, G., Nieto, S.H., & Mshale, B. (In review). Environmental impacts of different property regimes in forests, fisheries and rangelands: a systematic review. Environmental Evidence.

Pawson, R., & Tilley, N. (1997). Realistic evaluation. London, SAGE. Robinson, B.E., Holland, M.B., & Naughton-Treves, L. (2014). Does secure land tenure save forests? A meta-analysis of the relationship between land tenure and tropical deforestation. Global Environmental Change, 29, 281-293. Rycroft-Malone, J., McCormack, B., Hutchinson, A.M., DeCorby, K., Bucknall, T.K., Kent, B., Schultz, A., Senlgrove-Clarke, E., Stetler, C.B., Titler, M., Wallin, L., & Wilson, V. (2012). Realist synthesis: illustrating the method for implementation research. Implementation Science, 7(33). Schlager, E., & Ostrom, E. (1992). Property rights regimes and natural resources: A conceptual analysis. Land Economics, 68(3), 249-262. Yin, R., Zulu, L., Qi, J., Freudenberger, M., & Sommerville, M. (2016). Empirical linkages between devolved tenure systems and forest conditions: Challenges, findings, and recommendations. Forest Policy and Economics, 73, 294-299.

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THANK YOUFunding: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions and Markets (PIM) (Activity Number 176)