Revealing stakeholders' motivation and influence in crane conservation in the Republic of Korea: Net-Map as a tool

Abstract

Biodiversity conservation in protected areas requires strict legal limitations to land use. In the Civilian Control Zone (CCZ) of the Republic of Korea (ROK), military control has created an accidental sanctuary for the world's rarest crane species: the white-naped crane (Antigone vipio) and the red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis). Yet varying land use demands on the CCZ by stakeholders have caused disagreements in achieving cooperative crane conservation. This paper aims to clarify relevant stakeholders' interconnection and their motives that have led them to either promote or inhibit crane conservation in the Cheorwon Basin of the CCZ. To answer these questions, we conducted participatory Net-Map interviews and identified stakeholders with a powerful role in crane conservation. Our results identify 44 stakeholders whose trust relations occurred twice as often as conflicts. More than 80% of stakeholders included in this study supported crane conservation initiatives. We attribute local farmers' increased level of environmental stewardship to two key schemes: a community-led farming project generating financial incentives and a communication channel for stakeholders. Our case study demonstrates that Net-Map is a valid tool to analyze human-crane interactions, which is critical to ensure acceptance of legal restrictions to land use as well as crane conservation.