THE GREAT PATAGONIA LAND GRAB:A Case Study on International Biodiversity, Conservation and Environmental Politics

By Courtney Quinn and John Quinn

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Overview

Role of Public Policy Why Policy Benefits of Policy Policy Challenges Actors Levels of Policy Policy Options Policy Simulation

National Geographic Magazine

The Role of Public Policy

Includes all the laws and agencies in society that deal with that society’s interactions with the environment

Why Policy

Find a common ground Many different ideas for how to use

land/resources The process of reflecting what we value

and why For use to humans? For its own sake?

Why Policy

A response to specific problems and needs

Benefits of Policy

Intervene when markets fail to protect

Create binding agreements for current and future resource users

‘Force’ people to look long-term/to act for the benefit of those in the future

Policy challenges

Political time frame vs. ecological time frame

Difficult to create and enforce Information overload

and information deficit Myriad of stakeholders

Multiple actors: non-government

Agenda

Formulate

Multiple actors: governmentImpleme

nt

Budget

Evaluate Lower levels often regulated by higher

levels of regulation/laws

Policy Options

Advantage Encourage behavior

through market rather then direct regulations

Challenges Difficult to value resources Allows for some pollution

Examples Tradable pollution credits Bottle bills

Advantages Works well in land use Straight-forward

Challenge Costly

Examples Endangered Species Act Clean Air & Water Acts

Market Regulatory

Examples of Current Policy

Local: Salt Creek Tiger Beetle

Threats Runoff and

sediment from urban areas

Bank channelized Pollution Habitat loss and

degradation 150 individuals

Policy solutions Endangered

Species Act Land Trusts Local legislation Zoning Individual action Community based

incentives

National: Bald Eagle

Threats DDT Hunting

1963 < 500 pairs 1996 > 5,000

pairs 1995 down-listed

under the Endangered Species Act

Policy solutions Lacey Act Migratory Bird

Treaty Act Endangered

Species Act

Endangered Species Act

Use “all methods and procedures which are necessary to bring any endangered species or threatened species to the point at which the measures provided pursuant to this Act are no longer necessary.”

International: Right Whales

Threats Whaling Ship collisions Gear entanglement

300 in the North Atlantic

Policy solutions International

Convention on the Regulation of Whaling

Photo from NOAA

International Policy

Why? Species migrate across political borders International trade Benefits of biodiversity are of international

importance Pollution and degradation that threaten

ecosystems are international in scope and require international cooperation

Difficulties Enforcement Not binding

Other International Policies

Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES)

Convention on Biological Diversity Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Convention Concerning the Protection of

the World Cultural and Natural Heritage Agenda 21 Rio Declaration on Environment and

Development

The Great Patagonia Land Grab

Policy simulation

Threats to biodiversity List major stakeholders Discussion of public vs. private protection Group policy creation Policy recommendation presentations Online voting Follow-up writing assignment

The Great Patagonia Land Grab

The Great Patagonia Land Grab International wealthy landowners are buying

millions of acres Goal - protect species and beautiful

landscapes by creating national parks and returning the land to the government

Indigenous people claim they are being excluded from historical lands

Cultural heritage (ranching) being replaced by eco-tourism

Debates over water rights and land access

Patagonian biodiversity

Important landscape features Wetlands Rivers Upland grassland

Few protected areas Threats

Farmland expansion Invasive species Over grazing

Endemic and endangered species Ruddy-headed

goose

Patagonia Mara

Zorro gris chico

Threatened & Endangered Species Lobo de dos

pelos

Guanaco

The Great Patagonia Land Grab

International environmental groups

International wealthy landowners

Local indigenous people

Local ranchers Government

Do you think public or private protection for conservation is a better option? Considering a

particular species… Considering a large

landscape (like Patagonia)…

Stakeholders Public vs. Private

Create at least one policy recommendation for the Patagonia region as your assigned stakeholder group

If time, you will present your policy

On Blackboard Your grade will be

decided by your ability to agree 50% simple majority

= C 75% majority = B 90% agreement = A

In your groups Voting

Image Credits

Slide 2 and Slide 5—Center Description: Young bull elephant, Sabi Sands, South Africa Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Young_bull_elephant.jpg Author: Lee R. Berger Licensing: The copyright holder of this work, see “Author” above, has released this

image into the public domain.

Slide 3—Left Description: Polar Bear at Cape Churchill (Wapusk-National Park, Manitoba, Canada) Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polar_Bear_2004-11-15.jpg Author: Ansgar Walk Licensing: This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike

3.0 License.

Slide 3—Center Description: Industrial air pollution Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AirPollutionSource.jpg Licensing: This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work

of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.

Image Credits

Slide 3—Right Description: Tract housing near Union, Kentucky from the air Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cincinnati-suburbs-tract-

housing.jpg Author: Derek Jensen Licensing: The copyright holder of this work, see “Author” above, has released this

image into the public domain. Slide 4

Description: Acacia tree at dusk. Taken on safari in Tanzania. Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Acacia_At_Dusk.jpg Author: John Storr Licensing: The copyright holder of this work, see “Author” above, has released this

image into the public domain. Slide 5—Left

Description: A wolf (Canis lupus) Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canis_lupus.jpg Author: Bernard Landgraf Licensing: Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document

under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

Image Credits

Slide 5— Right Description: The head of a bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bald_eagle_head_frontal.jpg;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66164549@N00/2312199581 Author: Kevin Law Licensing: This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution

ShareAlike 2.0 License. Slide 6— Left

Description: Coal plant, Kintigh Generating Station, Somerset, New York Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kintigh_Generating_Station_-

_Somerset,_New_York.jpg Author: Matthew D. Wilson Licensing: This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution

ShareAlike 2.5 License. Slide 6—Right

Description: Thunnus atlanticus Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blackfin_tuna,_Duane_Raver_Jr.jpg Author: Duane Raver, Jr. Licensing: This image is a work of a United States Department of Agriculture

employee, taken or made during the course of the person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

Image Credits

Slide 7 Description: World as bitten apple Source: http://us.fotolia.com/id/12995510 Author: © boettcher & petoe — Fotolia.com Licensing: Licensed image.

Slide 12 Description: Salt Creek Tiger Beetle Source: http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/invertebrates/saltcreektiger/ Author: Seth Willey Licensing: This image is believed to be a work of an employee of the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, taken or made during the course of official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain (17 U.S.C. § 101 and 105).

Slide 13 Description: Bald eagle in flight Source:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Haliaeetus_leucocephalus_in_flight_over_KSC.jpg

Author: NASA/Gary Rothstein Licensing: This file is in the public domain because it was created by NASA. NASA

copyright policy states that “NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted.”

Image Credits

Slide 14 Description: Excerpt from the Endangered Species Act Source: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/salmon/finalcriticalhabitat.html Author: NOAA Fisheries Service Northeast Salmon Team, U.S. Department of

Commerce Licensing: As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public

domain (17 U.S.C. § 101 and 105). Slide 15

Description: Southern right whale (Peninsula Valdés, Patagonia, Argentina) Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Southern_right_whale4.jpg Author: Michaël Catanzariti Licensing: The copyright holder of this work, see “Author” above, has released

this image into the public domain. Slide 18

Description: Río Baker en la región de Aisén, Chile. Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:R%C3%ADo_Baker_03.jpg Author: Jorge Morales F. Licensing: The copyright holder of this work, see “Author” above, has released

this image into the public domain.

Image Credits

Slide 21 Description: Ruddy-headed Goose at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre,

Gloucestershire, England Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chloephaga_rubidiceps1.jpg Author: Arpingstone Licensing: The copyright holder of this work, see “Author” above, has released

this image into the public domain. Slide 22—Top Left

Description: South American Fur Seals (Arctocephalus australis) Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seebaer_Beagle.jpg Author: Mirko Thiessen Licensing: This image is licensed under the Creative Commons 5 License.

Slide 22—Bottom Left Description: Guanaco in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guanaco_09.24.jpg Author: Mary Frances Howard Licensing: The copyright holder of this work, see “Author” above, has released

this image into the public domain.

Image Credits

Slide 22—Top Right Description: Patagonian mara Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gro

%C3%9Fer_Mara_Ausschnitt.jpg Author: BS Thurner Hof Licensing: The copyright holder of this work, see “Author” above, has released

this image into the public domain.

Slide 22—Bottom Right Description: South American Gray Fox (Pseudalopex culpaeus) Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pseudalopex_culpaeus.jpg Author: Exlibris (Whaldener Endo) Licensing: The copyright holder of this work, see “Author” above, has released

this image into the public domain.