The role of social capital and collective actions in natural capital conservation and management

Abstract

The relationships among social capital (SC) and collective actions (CA) for nature conservation and management were analyzed across five case studies characterised by specific land-use dynamics in the South American continent. Data on SC and CA were obtained through a semi-structured questionnaire to groups of selected social actors. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to identify SC components and to evaluate SC across actors and cases. The results reaffirm that: i) the multidimensional nature and complexity of SC; ii) Higher levels of SC are related to higher levels of CA; iii) social actors with developed internal and external SC can better counter adverse conditions through CA compared to actors who only have one type of SC; iv) vulnerable social actors do not necessarily have a higher SC or engage in more CA, despite their higher dependence on natural resources; v) those who hold more power or influence in the territory, have higher levels of SC and CA; vi) vulnerable actors often carry out civil/community, economic and judicial actions, while dominant and structuring actors carry out more educational/technical and political actions. Therefore, the formation and maintenance of SC of the most vulnerable actors and those who support them must be a priority for political action, in order to counteract the asymmetric power relations that lead to the exclusion and marginalization of many rural actors.