Doctoral Dissertation Research: Determining the role of market opportunities on livelihood strategies and knowledge generation among local forest users

森林市场机会对森林使用者的影响是养护和发展倡议中的一个中心问题。尽管经济学理论认为，生物保护可以通过证明自然资源的经济重要性来实现，但森林市场是否真的产生了这些结果仍然存在争议。另一方面，研究表明，森林产品可通过提供保险、保障和收入多样性来促进生计稳定。发展倡议视森林产品为当地人可利用的资源，往往鼓励社区成员通过学习新的创业技能来利用森林市场机会。然而，这些举措可能忽略了人与环境关系的复杂性以及不同社会群体之间存在的知识、生计资产和参与森林产品的意愿的异质性。根据所处的环境和一系列风险和机会，人们对利用现有资源和市场机会的反应可能不同。这项研究探索了市场机会如何影响巴西马拉尼奥州传统用户、最近接受培训的用户和非Buriti(毛里求斯fleuosa)树叶用户的生计战略、决策和知识。其目的是使用通过访谈收集的数据来检验关于个人在市场中扮演的角色、参与市场的决策模式以及随着生计战略变化而发生的知识转变的假设。结果将包括生计战略的类型学、民族志决策模型和认知知识地图。虽然自然资源的可获得性和管理是全球关注的问题，但许多管理决策发生在地方一级，社会的异质性会极大地影响这些决策的制定方式。这项研究有助于理解关于人-环境相互作用、生计战略、决策和知识生成的理论可以在多大程度上应用于新兴的当地市场和分层的森林用户群体。随着这项研究探索发展倡议如何改变用户群体概况和影响当地市场，研究结论可以补充社区发展理论，并导致在维持森林资源的同时改善生计的更有效的政策。在研究群体中，结果可以导致对其以森林为基础的生计战略作出更知情的决策。

The effect of forest-based market opportunities on forest users is a central issue in conservation and development initiatives. Although economic theories presume that biological conservation can be achieved by demonstrating economic importance of natural resources, it remains debatable whether or not forest-based markets actually produce these results. On the other hand, studies show that forest products can contribute to livelihood stability by providing a source of insurance, security and income diversity. Viewing forest products as an accessible resource to local people, development initiatives often encourage community members to take advantage of forest-based market opportunities by learning new entrepreneurial skills. These initiatives may overlook, however, the complexity of human-environment relationships and the heterogeneity of knowledge, livelihood assets, and willingness to engage in forest products that exists among different social groups. Depending on their context and set of risks and opportunities, people can react differently towards taking advantage of available resources and market opportunities. This research explores how market opportunities affect livelihood strategies, decision making, and knowledge among traditional users, recently trained users, and non-users of buriti (Mauritia flexuosa) leaves in Maranhão state of Brazil. The intention is to use data collected through interviews to test hypotheses on the roles that individuals fill within the market, decision-making patterns for participating in markets, and knowledge transformation that occurs as livelihood strategies change. Results will include a typology of livelihood strategies, ethnographic decision models, and cognitive knowledge maps. Although availability and management of natural resources is a global concern, many management decisions occur on the local level and social heterogeneity can greatly impact how these decisions are made. This study contributes to understanding the extent to which theories on human-environmental interactions, livelihood strategies, decision making and knowledge generation can be applied to emerging local markets and stratified forest user groups. As this study explores how development initiatives change user group profiles and affect local markets, research conclusions can add to community development theories and lead to more effective policies for improving livelihoods while maintaining forest resources. Among the study community, results can lead to more informed decision making regarding their forest-based livelihood strategies.