Papers by Jan van der Ploeg
The Solomon Islands Government (SIG) has followed a logging-based development strategy for the pa... more The Solomon Islands Government (SIG) has followed a logging-based development strategy for the past three decades. Despite widespread acknowledgment of the unsustainable nature of logging throughout the country and increasing awareness of its social impacts, national log export volumes have steadily increased over the past 10 years. Malaita Province has followed this trend. Logging operations are conducted by foreign (predominantly Malaysian) companies in collaboration with local licensees. These typically last between several months and 3 years, and it is common for multiple operations to take place in adjacent areas, each constructing its own log pond. Evasion of environmental regulations and financial obligations is widespread, and revenues from logging fall short of what they could and should be. This study assesses the local impacts of logging on food security, fisheries and well-being in Malaita. It is based on qualitative interviews conducted with 172 people (84 men and 88 wo...
STINAPA, 2022
The southern wetlands of Bonaire represent a unique environment for the island. Consisting of a w... more The southern wetlands of Bonaire represent a unique environment for the island. Consisting of a wide variety of habitat types including caves, karsts, dry tropical forests, coastal areas, salt pans and mangroves. The Ramsar site Pekelmeer lies completely in this area, as well as a small portion of the buffer zone of the Ramsar site Lac Bay.
The Washington Slagbaai National Park (WSNP), officially inaugurated in 1969, is the largest terr... more The Washington Slagbaai National Park (WSNP), officially inaugurated in 1969, is the largest terrestrial protected area of Bonaire. In this management plan, we summarize the available scientific knowledge on the geology, ecology and history of the area, identify the main threats, incorporate the advice from stakeholders, and propose actions to safeguard the natural and cultural heritage in the national park.
STINAPA, 2022
The Bonaire National Marine Park was established in 1979. The marine park protects 2,700 hectares... more The Bonaire National Marine Park was established in 1979. The marine park protects 2,700 hectares of coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove forests. Seventy-five IUCN Red List critically endangered, endangered
or vulnerable species, and 15 CITES Appendix I species, are recorded in the marine park. The marine park includes two Ramsar sites: Lac Bay (the largest semi-enclosed bay in the Dutch Caribbean) and Klein Bonaire
(an uninhabited satellite island located approximately 700 m offshore). Bonaire’s coral reefs are considered some of the healthiest in the Caribbean.
INTROduCTION Wild-caught freshwater fish is an important source of food in the Philippines (Brion... more INTROduCTION Wild-caught freshwater fish is an important source of food in the Philippines (Briones, Dey and Ahmed, 2004; Fernandez-San Valentin and Berja, 2012). Particularly the rural poor depend heavily on inland fisheries (Kent, 1997; Dey et al., 2007). However, freshwater fish stocks in the Philippines are declining alarmingly, which threatens to aggravate food insecurity of already vulnerable households (BFAR, 2005). Overexploitation, invasive species, pollution and rapid land-use transitions have led to a severe decline in freshwater biodiversity (Kottelat and Whitten, 1996; Dudgeon et al., 2006). Freshwater wetlands are the most degraded ecosystems of the Philippines (DENR and UNEP, 1997). Endemic freshwater fish species are highly threatened (de Silva, Abery and Nguyen, 2007). Waterbirds are facing similar pressures (van Weerd and van der Ploeg, 2004a). The Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) perhaps best symbolizes the state of freshwater ecosystems in the archipelago. With less than 250 mature individuals surviving in the wild, this endemic species is classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List (van Weerd, 2010). The Philippine crocodile might well be the first crocodilian that will go extinct as a result of anthropogenic activities. Unfortunately, little is done to address these problems. Policy-makers tend to undervalue the importance of wild-caught freshwater fish as a source of food for poor rural households (Dugan, Dey and Sugunan, 2005; Andrew et al., 2007). The Department of Agriculture for example, the mandated government agency for fisheries management, focuses mainly on marine fisheries and commercial aquaculture (Green et al., 2003). Similarly, the value of freshwater ecosystems is often overlooked (Darwall et al., 2008). Wetlands are poorly represented in the Philippine national protected
during the pretest and focus group discussions helped in finalizing the design of the manual prio... more during the pretest and focus group discussions helped in finalizing the design of the manual prior to mass production. We are thankful for the support of Amold Macadangdang, Wilda Calapoto and Eso Tarun.
Revue d’ethnoécologie, 2021
His career was strongly influenced by the fact that he joined the American army after an initial ... more His career was strongly influenced by the fact that he joined the American army after an initial year at the University of California at Berkeley. He was sent to the Philippines in 1944. During that year he learned to speak Tagalog and when the war was over he travelled to Palawan and Mindoro, where he stayed with the Tagbanuwa and the Hanunóo indigenous peoples. He moved to Yale University to pick up his studies in anthropology again, for which he returned to Mindoro to study the local knowledge and the agricultural practices of the Hanunóo. The collected material was the basis for his doctoral dissertation titled The relation of the Hanunóo culture to the plant world (1954a). This work, though it was never published, is praised for being a linguistically-informed study of a cultural knowledge system instead of just a long list of useful plants (Ellen 2016). It also formed the basis for his Hanunóo Agriculture, an impressive account on shifting cultivation that was published as a FAO report in 1957 and reprinted in 1975. This work stands out for its radically different approach to a type of agricultural land use that has often been condemned as wasteful or even irrational and that, according to many governmental agencies, should be abandoned as soon as possible. Conklin described the level of knowledge and skills that was necessary to make a living from shifting cultivation, but he also demonstrated that information on this knowledge and these skills could only be obtained by an intimate knowledge of the local language and intensive fieldwork (Conklin 1998). Through his early work he had already shown the relevance of an ethnobotanical or ethno-ecological perspective, which also was Inspired by Harold Conklin Revue d'ethnoécologie, 20 | 2021
A major challenge for international agricultural research is to find ways to improve the nutritio... more A major challenge for international agricultural research is to find ways to improve the nutrition and incomes of people left behind by the Green Revolution. To better address the needs of the most marginal and vulnerable people, the CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS) developed the research-in-development (RinD) approach. In 2012, WorldFish started to implement RinD in Solomon Islands. By building people’s capacity to analyze and address development problems, actively engaging relevant stakeholders, and linking research to these processes, RinD aims to develop an alternative approach to addressing hunger and poverty. This report describes the key principles and implementation process, and assesses the emergent outcomes of this participatory, systems-oriented and transformative research approach in Solomon Islands.
Contents Overview Climate-smart villages in Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia Nutrient-rich fish enhanceme... more Contents Overview Climate-smart villages in Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia Nutrient-rich fish enhancement in seasonally flooded rice fields in southern Bangladesh Community-based adaptation processes in Timor-Leste Using existing social networks to build fisheries resilience and adaptive capacity in Solomon Islands Lake Chilwa Basin Climate Change Adaptation Program, Malawi Frontiers and conclusion The five initiatives References This publication should be cited as:
Herpetological review, 2018
Environmental BiologyConservation Biolog
Journal of Agrarian Change, 2010
This paper argues that the food crisis cannot solely be equated with abrupt food price increases ... more This paper argues that the food crisis cannot solely be equated with abrupt food price increases or seen as merely market induced. The unprecedented price increases of the first half of 2008, and the extremely low prices that followed, are expressions of a far wider and far more persistent underlying crisis, which has been germinating for more than a decade. It is the complex outcome of several combined processes, including the industrialization of agriculture, the liberalization of food and agricultural markets and the rise of food empires. The interaction of these processes has created a global agrarian crisis that has provoked the multifaceted food crisis. Both these crises are being accelerated through their interactions with the wider economic and financial crisis.
Poole, and Rick Hudson were instrumental in insuring the success of our fi eldwork. Literature Ci... more Poole, and Rick Hudson were instrumental in insuring the success of our fi eldwork. Literature Cited Gilchrist, G., Mallory, M. and Merkel, F. (2005). Can local ecological knowledge contribute to wildlife management? Case studies of migratory birds. Ecology and Society 10: 20-31.
Ambio, 2022
Livelihood diversification has become an integral focus of policies and investments aiming to red... more Livelihood diversification has become an integral focus of policies and investments aiming to reduce poverty, vulnerability, and pressure on fishery resources in coastal communities around the globe. In this regard, coastal fisheries in the Pacific Islands have long been a sector where livelihood diversification has featured prominently. Yet, despite the widespread promotion and international investment in this strategy, the ability of externally funded livelihood diversification projects to facilitate improved resource management and rural development outcomes often remains inconsistent. We argue these inconsistencies can be attributed to a conceptual ambiguity stemming from a lack of attention and awareness to the complexity of livelihood diversification. There is still much to learn about the process of livelihood diversification, both in its theoretical conceptualizations and its practical applications. Herein, we utilize a common diversity framework to clarify some of this ambi...
Ambio, 2022
Coastal fisheries are a critical component of Pacific island food systems; they power village eco... more Coastal fisheries are a critical component of Pacific island food systems; they power village economies and provide nutritious aquatic foods. Many coastal women and men actively fishing in this region rely on multi-species fisheries, which given their extraordinary diversity are notoriously difficult to both characterize, and to manage. Understanding patterns of fishing, diversity of target species and drivers of these patterns can help define requirements for sustainable management and enhanced livelihoods. Here we use a 12-month data set of 8535 fishing trips undertaken by fishers across Malaita province, Solomon Islands, to create fisheries signatures for 13 communities based on the combination of two metrics; catch per unit effort (CPUE) and catch trophic levels. These signatures are in turn used as a framework for guiding suitable management recommendations in the context of community-based resource management. While a key proximate driver of these patterns was fishing gear (e....
Final report BP …, 2008
... Author: van der Ploeg, J.;Rodriguez, D.;Tarun, B.;Guerrero, J.;Balbas, M.;Telan, S.;Masipique... more ... Author: van der Ploeg, J.;Rodriguez, D.;Tarun, B.;Guerrero, J.;Balbas, M.;Telan, S.;Masipiquena, AB;Cauilan-Cureg, M.;van Weerd, M. Keywords: Philippine crocodile wildlife biodiversity conservation education Luzon wetlands Crocodylus mindorensis. Issue Date: 2008. ...
Conservation …, 2009
Willem AC van de Ven 1* , Jessie P. Guerrero 1 , Dominic G. Rodriguez 1 , ... Samuel P. Telan 1 ,... more Willem AC van de Ven 1* , Jessie P. Guerrero 1 , Dominic G. Rodriguez 1 , ... Samuel P. Telan 1 , Marites G. Balbas 1 , Bernard A. Tarun 1 , Merlijn van ... Weerd 1,2 , Jan van der Ploeg 1,2 , Zeno Wijtten 2 , Frederike E. Lindeyer 2 & ... Hans H. de Iongh 2 1Mabuwaya ...
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Papers by Jan van der Ploeg
or vulnerable species, and 15 CITES Appendix I species, are recorded in the marine park. The marine park includes two Ramsar sites: Lac Bay (the largest semi-enclosed bay in the Dutch Caribbean) and Klein Bonaire
(an uninhabited satellite island located approximately 700 m offshore). Bonaire’s coral reefs are considered some of the healthiest in the Caribbean.
or vulnerable species, and 15 CITES Appendix I species, are recorded in the marine park. The marine park includes two Ramsar sites: Lac Bay (the largest semi-enclosed bay in the Dutch Caribbean) and Klein Bonaire
(an uninhabited satellite island located approximately 700 m offshore). Bonaire’s coral reefs are considered some of the healthiest in the Caribbean.