The field season has begun for the research led by CIFOR Postdoctoral Fellow Rachel Carmenta, conducted in collaboration with UK based universities and a team of students and scientists from Bogor Agricultural University and CIFOR. The research team has begun collecting data on a range of local level human dimensions that will help to explain why one standardized fire management intervention is experiencing variable performance. The research is based in Riau, Sumatra, and applies quantitative (questionnaire and remote sensing) and qualitative (in depth interviews and focus group discussions) social science research methods to capture and measure the influence of the possible predictors of success and failure. The research will contribute to understanding best practices for future interventions, and speak to the role of Payments for Environmental Service (PES) instruments in achieving sustainable management practices and behavioral change. The team will move beyond some of the more standard predictors of performance to also measure the role of place-based attachment values in determining outcomes.
This ground based data collection complements the policy content analysis – currently underway at CIFOR.
