Vol. 5 Issue 2
University of Florida
Page 1

Fall 2009
School of Natural Resources and Environment

Successful Conservation and Sociological Involvement: An
Integral Pair?
Nikolay Kazakov, PhD Candidate inInterdisciplinary Ecology
Ten years after the Rio Summit of1992 I found myself in an interesting
situation. Fresh from school andhaving adopted a local community
capacity-building project, I was so
excited about making changes that
impacted people’s lives. But myenthusiasm subsided after I found it
impossible to report any meaningful
results.
We had all kinds of meetings,
trainings and educational materials.
NGOs were created and functional,
but how much capacity did we reallybuild? My colleagues thought that I
behaved strangely: “If the sponsor is
happy with the number of trainings
and pictures of smiling people, whatelse do we need? How can weabsolutely know that we are doing
the right thing, right?”
Research has identified that, in spiteof hundreds of local capacitybuilding projects throughout theworld, the knowledge of “what theright thing is” and “whether or not weare doing it” does not exist within theconservation framework. In otherwords, we are not sure what we arebuilding, and we cannot perform anyneeds assessment. We do not haveany actual indicators of success ormeasurements of progress. We justspend money on what we assume is"the right thing" and expect
something good to happen. Agrawal
and Redford (2006) described the

Nikolay Kazakov chatting with a villager in the
Guatemalan town of Uaxactun.

For six dollars a day, people from nearby
communities clear a forest for ranching.

Vol. 5 Issue 2
University of Florida
Page 2

Fall 2009
School of Natural Resources and Environment

situation as “shooting in the dark.”
Why does this happen, I questioned. But then, I thought that we just need more time todevelop better knowledge of humans’ role in ecosystems.
Now, working in Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala, I am confronted with this specter
once again. Here, the impossibility to enforce fortress approach triggered establishment anddevelopment of community forest concessions in the multiple-use zone (MUZ) of the reserve.
Millions upon millions of US dollars were spent to initiate and develop the process which
resulted in significant success—-in the last 15 years the concessions were able to conserve
MUZ better than the Park Service, police and army (Bray et al., 2008).
At the same time, after the main supporting source of funds was removed, the concession
system started collapsing. My research showed: no advanced methods of community
development had been used, and practically no social research was done.
If we recognize that people are the key to conservation why don’t we adequately measure andresearch them? Practically all social research within conservation is primitive, lacks rigor, anduses simplistic analysis (e.g. Browne-Nuñez & Jonker, 2008).
Why doesn’t conservation use the best available sociological research? We don’t know what
we don’t know? Or we don’t want to know what we don’t know? How many more years do weneed to pick up and read existing literature on community capacity (e.g. AI, 1996; ASDC,
2007), community development, modern methods of social research, etc.? Why do we keep
reinventing the existing wheel of community research, and do it so poorly? Why don’t we havemeasurements after spending millions of US dollars for changing people? Is it because we
don’t know how, because we don’t care, or because we specifically don’t want to?
I have no problem with conservation organizations changing their focus in pursuit of money,
but I do a problem when we refuse to perform a quality job for the money (Chapin, 2004).

Contact Information
Nikolay Kazakov, PhD Candidate
School of Natural Resources and Environment
nkazakov@ufl.edu

References:
Agrawal, A. & Redford, K. (2006). Poverty, development, and biodiversity conservation:shooting in the dark? WCS Working paper No.26. New York: Wildlife Conservation Society.

Vol. 5 Issue 2
University of Florida
Page 3

Fall 2009
School of Natural Resources and Environment

Aspen Institute (1996). Measuring community capacity building. Downloaded on 10/12/2009
from: Association for the Study and Development of Community (2007). Guide to measuringcommunity core capacities for comprehensive change initiatives. Downloaded on 10/12/2009
from: www.capablecommunity.com.
Bray, D.B., Duran, E., Ramos, V.H., Mas, J.-F., Velazquez, A., McNab, R.B, Barry, D, andRadachowsky, J. (2008). Tropical deforestation, community forests, and protected areas in
the Maya Forest. Ecology and Society 13(2): 56. [online] URL:
http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol13/iss2/art56/
Chapin, M. (2004). A challenge to conservationists. World Watch Magazine
November/December. Worldwatch Institute. Browne-Nuñez, C., and Jonker, S.A. (2008).
Attitudes toward wildlife and conservation across Africa: A review of survey research. Human
Dimensions of Wildlife 13, pp. 47-70.

Vol. 5 Issue 2
University of Florida
Page 4

Fall 2009
School of Natural Resources and Environment

Conducting Mail
Surveys in Japan
By Ryo Sakurai, M.S.
candidate in Interdisciplinary
Ecology
How many times have you
received a mail survey? It canbe a survey conducted by thegovernment, city offices,companies or any othergroup. Did you actuallycomplete the questionnaire
and return it? You might havethrown it away once you
realized that it was a mere
survey, not a letter from an
important friend. You might
have opened the envelope butthen realized that thequestionnaire looked much
longer than you expected andthrown it away.

Japanese newspaper article on Ryo's study. Photo courtesy
of Ryo Sakurai.

Although in the US we receive
some type of mail survey once in a while, in my country, Japan, mail surveys are not popular.
Mail surveys are considered an ineffective polling technique that achieve relatively low
response rates, usually no more than 20-40% in Japan (Jussuaume & Yamada, 1990; Aoki,
2001). Since low response rate can reduce the power of generalizability and validity of astudy, Japanese textbooks recommend mail surveys far less often compared with othersurvey methods such as interviews or phone surveys (Inamori, 2005).
In the US, the development of the Total Design Method (Dillman, 1978) increased response
rates of mail surveys; following this method, a 60% or higher response rate could bereasonably expected (Salant & Dillman, 1994).
One of the purposes of my research, conducted in summer 2008, was to test the US mailsurvey method in Japan, and to understand its effect in raising the response rate in a different
environment, culture and people. The survey queried individuals’ knowledge of and attitudes
toward black bears (Ursus thibetanus) which live in Japan.
I followed the Tailored Design Method (Dillman, 2007), a revised version of Total Design
Method, and sent out pre-notice letters, questionnaires, reminder postcards and replacement
questionnaires, one after another. A 6-page questionnaire, with a pencil as a materialVol. 5 Issue 2
University of Florida
Page 5

Fall 2009
School of Natural Resources and Environment

incentive, was sent out to 600 residents in the rural village, Otari, and 600 residents in urban
city, Nagano, both in central Japan (Fig. 1). These residents were chosen based on a random
sample that was selected from the telephone directory.
Before conducting this study, my colleagues and other researchers in Japan were very
skeptical about what my results would be. They made such comments as “I assume you will
not even get a 10% response rate,” and “Local people are not used to answering mailsurveys. Who will do such a long questionnaire for you?”
So how was the result?
After a month and a half, I got 371
responses from Otari, and 278 from
Nagano. Subtracting thequestionnaires that did not reach
their destination, the response rate
was 66.7% in Otari and 48.3% in
Nagano. It was much higher thanwhat most Japanese researchers
expected and most Japanese
textbooks predict. The American
method (Tailored Design Method)certainly was effective, even in adifferent culture (Japan).
Is it because of the method, theTailored Design Method, or are
there any other additional factorsthat contributed to such a highresponse rate?
One reason for the high rate could
be that people were very much
Ryo preparing the 1200 mail surveys for shipping.
concerned about bears in the area.
Photo courtesy of Ryo Sakurai.
In Otari, a junior high school student
was attacked by a bear on his way
to the school, and lost his eye about
two years before the survey was conducted. Because of this shocking incident, people in Otari
may have been really concerned about bears and were eager to express their worries.
The second possible reason was the survey’s advertisement in a local newspaper. An editorof the local newspaper, Shinshu Daily Paper, interviewed me and wrote an article about myperforming this study. The majority of people in Otari and Naganoa read this paper, and somepeople might have answered my survey after reading the article because they became
interested in the survey beforehand and knew who would be conducting it (a man with a suit!)(Fig. 2).

Vol. 5 Issue 2
University of Florida
Page 6

Fall 2009
School of Natural Resources and Environment

I am not sure how much of the high response rate was due to the Tailored Design Method,and how much was due to prior interest in this topic and the newspaper article about thesurvey.
Even though this study was one of the first approaches to break the myth that mail surveys
achieve a low response rate in Japan, it is necessary to investigate how and why it worked sowell and in what situation it will not work.

References
Aoki, S. 2001. in Shakaityosaron (Public Research), edited by Harada M, Mizutani H, andWaki Y. Tokyo: Gakubunsha. (In Japanese)
Dillman, D, A. 1978. Mail and Telephone Surveys – The Total Design Method -. New York:John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Dillman, D, A. 2007. Mail and Internet Surveys: The Tailored Design Method. New Jersey:
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Inamori, K. 2005. Shakaityosaho Nyumon (Introduction to Social Research). Tokyo: Yuhikaku.
(In Japanese)
Jussaume, R, A., and Y. Yamada. 1990. “A comparison of the viability of mail surveys inJapan and the Unites States.” Public Opinion. 54: 219-288.
Salant, P., and D. A. Dillman. 1994. How to Conduct Your own Survey. New York: John Wiley.
Contact Information:
Ryo Sakurai
M.S. candidate in Interdisciplinary Ecology
rsakurai@ufl.edu

Vol. 5 Issue 2
University of Florida
Page 7

Fall 2009
School of Natural Resources and Environment

A Word from the Director...
Dr. Stephen Humphrey, SNRE Director
As the calendar year draws to a close,
things are going well in SNRE. Our
effective and loyal staff are still here.
Cathy Ritchie has been with SNRE (and its
predecessor CNRE) for 16 years, Meisha
Wade for 10. We have some terrificstudents assisting in the office, handling
reception, secretarial, purchasing, travel,
information technology, and webmaster
services: Kiah Barrette, Matthew Beaton,
Brittany Burtner, Kirsten Kardasz, Cynthia
Ocampo, and Jason Reeder. There’s asteady buzz of activity in the office.
Everything gets done, and well! Dr. Kelly
Reiss has just finished teaching thefoundation course in Environmental
Science. Dr. Ignacio Porzecanski taught
the capstone course, Critical Thinking inEnvironmental Science, and has departed
for an austral summer Christmas in
Uruguay. Dr. Leda Kobziar is wrapping up
a semester of research in fire ecology andpreparing to teach in the spring.

Dr. Humphrey, SNRE Directer
Photo courtesy of SNRE.

We’re seeing strong interest in the undergraduate program in Environmental Science andgraduate program in Interdisciplinary Ecology. Undergraduate enrollment grew to 147
students, while graduate enrollment grew to 136. The rising generation sees serious
challenges to the natural resources supporting society and novel threats from climate change
and peak oil. They’re responding through degree work in SNRE to prepare to meet thesechallenges head-on. Our goal is to provide students with the knowledge and tools they’ll needto succeed.
Now graduate applications are rolling in. These will drive our work for the next several
months. The unusual interdisciplinary program is magnetic and draws attention worldwide.
SNRE does matchmaking with our 287 affiliate faculty across the university, to placeapplicants carefully with strong mentors and find financial assistance to the extent possible.
The result is a remarkably strong, diverse community of graduate students, with 75% at thedoctoral level. Their failure rate is very low, a source of pride for us.
Recently we added something to the graduate webpage to help students think about tailoringcourse selection to their individual needs and interests: a conceptual diagram of the social-Vol. 5 Issue 2
University of Florida
Page 8

Fall 2009
School of Natural Resources and Environment

ecological system. Students are advised to consult and discuss this with their advisors, tomap their research interests within the framework as a tool to identify appropriate
coursework.
We just completed a survey of the employment of the 25 doctoral students graduating since
Summer 2005. Eight are academic faculty, four in the U.S. and four international. Five are
academic post-docs, all in the U.S. Four are in government, three federal and one state.
Seven work for non-profit organizations, four in the U.S. and two international. And one works
in industry/business, optimizing crop management and erosion/pollution control on a large
farm. The most effective way to stay in touch has been through Facebook. We set up a
“School of Natural Resources and Environment Alumni and Friends” group, and we’re actively
contacting alumni to build this network. It’s great fun to hear from alumni and find out what
they’re doing.

Vol. 5 Issue 2
University of Florida
Page 9

Fall 2009
School of Natural Resources and Environment

The Herpetology
Conference, 2010
By Kirsten Hecht, M.S. candidate inInterdisciplinary Ecology
The longest running regional
herpetology symposium in the UnitedStates is returning to the Paramount
Plaza Hotel and Suites ConferenceCenter in Gainesville, FL. The 33rd
Annual Herpetology Conference willtake place Friday and Saturday, March
26-27, 2010.
Since 1976 the Herpetology division of
The 33rd Annual Herpetology Conference actively
the Florida Museum of Natural History
seeks to unite all aspect of herpetology. In doing
has hosted the annual Herpetology
so, it hopes to increase understanding andConference. The School of Natural
curiosity in reptiles and amphibians Photo
Resources and Environment (SNRE)
courtesy of UF SNRE Special Collections.
and the Reptile and Amphibian
Conservation Corp (RACC) will both
help to sponsor the event. SNRE
provides web services for the conference, and recent managers of the conference have all
been SNRE graduate students. Money raised by the conference underwrites the cost of theconference, funds research--often by students at the University of Florida, including those in
SNRE--of a variety other herpetological projects usually related to conservation.
The Herpetology Conference provides a relaxed atmosphere and a unique, inexpensive
opportunity to network with others interested in reptiles and amphibians. The conference's
philosophy is to bring together all phases of herpetology, and through these phasesinteraction, be more effective in advancing the importance and understanding of reptiles andamphibians. It is also a great place for students to present their research.
“In previous years we’ve had everyone from high school students to members on the National
Academy of Sciences make presentations,” said Dr. Max Nickerson, curator of herpetology at
The Florida Museum of Natural History. “Although we have more attendees from thesoutheastern United States, we typically have individuals from many states and some foreigncountries."
The conference serves as a venue for scientific and technical interest groups to cometogether and discuss important issues. Participants can listen to research presentations on awide variety of topics. Past topics have ranged from life history and ecology of reptiles andamphibians to tips on photographing animals and herpetological travelogues. This year aVol. 5 Issue 2
University of Florida
Page 10

Fall 2009
School of Natural Resources and Environment

special session is being planned to address the important and complex issues currently facing
Florida’s herpetological community, such as invasive species and pet trade regulations.
Besides a variety of talks, this year’s conference will also offer a poster session for students toshare their work--or research proposals--and receive feedback from other attendees.
Participants will have a chance to bid on art, rare reprints and books in the silent auction, andthey can browse merchandise from several vendors. One of the conference's highlights is the
BBQ social and live auction, which will take place on Friday night. In the past the auction hasfeatured everything from reptile and amphibian themed antiques and jewelry to fieldequipment and live animals.
Those wishing to get involved with the conference have several options. Abstracts to present
a poster or presentation are currently being accepted until January 11, 2010. Those who don’t
have research to present but would like to be actively involved are encouraged to volunteer.
Volunteers traditionally receive discounts for the conference. Donations of any type arealways appreciated. Monetary sponsorships help provide awards for the poster session andtravel funds for students. Merchandise or gift cards can also be donated for use in the live
auction or by attendees. Anyone interested in donating to the conference or volunteering
should email the conference manager at kirstenhecht@ufl.edu.
Preregistration discounts and group hotel rates are available. For more information about the33rd Annual Herpetology Conference or for directions on submitting an abstract please visit
http://snre.ufl.edu/herpetology.

Contact Information
Kirsten Hecht
School of Natural Resources and Environment
University of Florida
kirstenhecht@ufl.edu
http://snre.ufl.edu/herpetology

Vol. 5 Issue 2
University of Florida
Page 11

Fall 2009
School of Natural Resources and Environment

Alumni Spotlight: Amy Sullivan and Lin Cassidy
By Amy Sullivan, PhD in Interdisciplinary
Ecology in 2004 and Lin Cassidy, MS in
Interdisciplinary Ecology 2003 (PhD in Political
Ecology 2007)
Prospective students might be wondering
how far or how high one can go with adegree in Interdisciplinary Ecology. Well, atlast, there is some empirical evidence fromtwo graduates from the School of Natural
Resources and Environment: you can go, atleast, as far as the remote mountains of thetiny mountain kingdom of Lesotho in southern
Africa, and as high as 2820 meters.

An african bovine selling technique.

Back in 2004, Amy Sullivan graduated with a PhD in Interdisciplinary Ecology after doing her
MS in Agricultural Extension / Farming Systems, while Lin Cassidy obtained her MS in
Interdisciplinary Ecology in 2003, before
completing her PhD in Geography in 2007.
And there we were, not too long after,
working together to give input into adevelopment project in a rural community inan area of the world where life isunpredictable and tough, but where thepeople are adaptable and even tougher...
Our tasks were to conduct a baseline
assessment of hazards, risks andvulnerabilities among subsistence farmers
who rely heavily on the natural environment
for their livelihoods and to train practitioners
from other African countries to repeat theprocess in their own project areas.

Amy at Moteng Pass in the mountain kingdom ofLesotho, 2820 meters above sea level.

The assessment will allow a large NGO to measure how successful their planned disaster risk
reduction interventions will end up being.

Vol. 5 Issue 2
University of Florida
Page 12

Fall 2009
School of Natural Resources and Environment

Disaster risk reduction, by the way, is anincreasingly important approach tosustainable development. It is based on
the view that under “normal conditions”
most livelihood systems are sustainable
but under extreme conditions—where
events go terribly wrong— development
workers are needed to focus their efforts
and help the system.
In rural areas, livelihoods are so strongly
linked to the environment and natural
resources, that it is important to consider
both natural and social conditions –calling for an interdisciplinary, multi-scale
approach.

Lin driving through Lesotho

Needless to say, we learned more than we taught, and may it be forever that way! It ishumbling to be called on to coordinate the locals’ wealth of knowledge and restructure it in a
way that can meet the challenges of a rapidly changing environment and society. And it was
great to learn that the skills we acquired through SNRE were relevant and useful!
Since graduating, Amy has worked in transboundary water governance at the International
Water Management Institute (one of the CGIAR institutes) in the Limpopo and Volta river
basins and as a consultant across Africa on projects ranging from small-scale irrigation tolinking women to markets. She is now working with the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD) on a project design document for a network to collect, synthesize, anddisseminate lessons learned on agricultural water management across sub-Saharan Africa.
Lin returned to her home country of Botswana in late 2007, where she resumed consulting inpolicy matters and natural resources management while waiting to hear whether her
application for a post at the University of Botswana’s Harry Oppenheimer Okavango ResearchCentre would be successful. Later, while working at the Lesotho consultancy, she learned thatit had been accepted, and started work at HOORC in March 2009. She is now a Research
Scholar combining political ecology and spatial analysis as focal areas, and is happy to beable to conduct fulfilling, applied research while living in her home town on the edge of the
Okavango.

Vol. 5 Issue 2
University of Florida
Page 13

Fall 2009
School of Natural Resources and Environment

What’s New in the SNRE Student
Council
By Matthew Beaton, Editor-in-chief of The Source
It’s been another exciting, action-packed semester for
the SNRE Student Council. During the past semester,
the council engaged in public service and numerous
student led research discussions.
Early in the semester, in October, the club performed anatural resource beautification project.
“One of our larger projects was doing the Tumblin
Creek cleanup,” said Carrie Vath, SNRE Student
Council Graduate President. “So, we went out andpicked up trash and debris over there.”
Numerous on-campus clubs do clean-ups in Tumblin
Creek which empties out of Bivans Arm Lake, runs
across SW 13th St. and dies out just before the Shands
at Agh Hospital.
“It’s our service component of the club,” Vath said.

SNRE Student Council Graduate
President Carrie Vath Photo
courtesy of Carrie Vath.

The goal of the club is not simply to engage incommunity service but to create opportunities for students to learn and share from each other.
“One of the things that we are really trying to do is provide a connection between
undergraduate students and graduate students,” Vath said.
At the council’s initial meetings, Vath and the other position holding members sought out
undergraduate members’ research interests. Based on those interests, they recruited
graduate students in SNRE to share their research at later club meetings.
“They come in and do a 20 to 30 minute presentation on their research,” Vath said. “That way
students are seeing what’s going on in the field.”
The council also put on a very popular panel discussion, detailing the rigors involved inentering graduate school. Held on November 9th, the panel discussion consisted of fivegraduate students who were questioned by undergraduates, regarding the planning andpreparation needed for graduate school.
“Students were able to come in and ask a bunch of questions: how they apply, how they findan advisor, what were these students’ experiences?” Vath said.

Vol. 5 Issue 2
University of Florida
Page 14

Fall 2009
School of Natural Resources and Environment

About 20 undergraduate students attended the session, and the student council plans to hold
another similar panel discussion during the spring semester, likely sometime in March.
Throughout the semester, the council met—and will continue to meet—once a month, usuallyon the last Thursday of the month, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. The meeting location changes basedon room availability, but one can email Vath at cvath@ufl.edu, and she will keep you
informed of the meeting’s location.
As they look to the spring, the council has plenty of exciting events on the horizon. The first ofthese is the council’s annual coffee fundraiser. They will be selling SweetWater Organic
Roasters fair trade coffee to raise money which will go toward student travel expenses.
“The money that we make all goes into the travel grant,” Vath said. “So, that we can givemoney to graduate students and undergraduate students that are traveling to conferences.”
The coffee will be sold by the pound. Students, faculty and nonstudents can sign up in Black
Hall Room 103 to purchase as many pounds as they like. The flavors include Breakfast Blend,
French Roast and Decaf. The price ranges between $12 and $13 per pound for the coffee.
The fundraiser will run through the month of January.
Once that fundraiser concludes, the council will begin selling t-shirts. It will start in February
and run until the semester’s end. Vath estimated that the t-shirts will cost around $15 or $20
dollars, though she was unsure of the exact number.
Also during the spring, the club will hold the Distinguished Speaker Event, featuring Dr. Arun
Agrawal, an expert in international development and environmental conservation. He is a
professor at the University of Michigan and a former University of Florida faculty member. The
event will be held on April 9th.
Looking back on this semester and on toward the future, Vath was pleased with what thecouncil has accomplished and is eagerly anticipating its upcoming events.
“This has been my first year being the president and it has been wonderful to work with theundergraduate office,” Vath said.
“It’s been a lot of fun and really great, and I’m excited about our upcoming spring events."

Carrie Vath – President (cvath@ufl.edu)
Check out the SNRE Student Council's web page for more news andupdates: http://snre.ufl.edu/people/studentcouncil.html