Conservation-compatible livelihoods: An approach to rural development in protected areas of developing countries

Effective protected area (PA) management should deliver better conservation results and improved welfare for local people, especially for many developing countries (DCs) with mega-biodiversity, where pressing conservation demands for global value and urgent economic growth requirements for local development co-exist. Here, we proposed a conservation-compatible livelihoods approach that forms a closed loop of rural livelihoods and biodiversity conservation to support the policy design of effective protected area (PA) management in the DCs. By reviewing the transition of conservation discourse from “fortress conservation” to “community conservation”, the conservation-compatible livelihoods approach returns to the principle of human-land reciprocity, and aims to regulate the local resource utilisation through recognition of biodiversity values of global meaning. We define conservation-compatible livelihoods (CCLs) by deepening the meaning of sustainable livelihoods and strengthening cultural inclusiveness. Building on literature and practices, we provided a typology of various CCLs and a triple-judgement procedure strengthening the different needs as a mutual decision-making process and facilitating realistic livelihood alternatives not exclusive of traditional wisdom for developing CCLs. We presented the mechanism model of CCLs to illustrate how to achieve a fair and sustainable livelihood through value generation based on the resource endowments, and through the cooperation of stakeholders. Finally, we discussed the trends for the CCLs approach to take effect and why this systematic approach can apply to DCs for their self-reliant development.