Motivations and Movement: Modeling Migration to Buffer Zones of Three Costa Rican National Parks

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Dr. David M. Hoffman (Mississippi State University) will investigate the relationship between environmental protected areas (PAs) and the growth of human population in the buffer zones surrounding them. It has been theorized that the integration of conservation and development creates positive economic and resource conditions which have the unintended consequence of population growth due to in-migration. However, research into the relationship between PAs and buffer zone population growth remains sparse and inconclusive, and existing models are largely untested. In addition, most research has not engaged directly with migrants themselves to determine whether models accurately describe their decision-making. An understanding of this relationship is of critical importance to improving human livelihoods while also conserving biodiversity. This research addresses these critical gaps by developing a migrant-based model to describe and analyze motivations and movement towards three Costa Rican national parks: Arenal, Carara, and Barra Honda. Dr. Hoffman's research team will use cultural consensus modeling techniques in conjunction with qualitative research methodologies to discover whether migrants who settle in PA buffer zones share a common rationale for migration based on either conditions in the buffer zone or conditions in the communities from which they come. In addition Dr. Hoffman will collaborate with researchers at the University of Costa Rica to compare migrants' perceptions of economic and environmental conditions to those measured by the Costa Rican state, as well as analyze the 2011 census for evidence of migration to park buffer zones.This research is important because it will test the validity of current hypotheses via the unique lenses of migrant perceptions and the use of cultural consensus modeling. It also will develop a methodology for understanding and modeling the relationship between PAs and migration that will be applicable beyond the Costa Rican case. The results will contribute to current debates about the effectiveness and impacts of combining conservation and development, as well as inform conservation practitioners. The research is co-funded by the NSF Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and the NSF Cultural Anthropology Program.