| The thesis examines that in the Equator Initiative Program cases communities are involved in reducing poverty and increasing conservation of biodiversity resources simultaneously through practice of partnerships and institutional linkages. The partnerships and cross-level institutional interactions synergistically create horizontal and vertical linkages promoting community-based conservation and development. It provides case examples of community-based management illustrating the importance of involving people in conservation while engaging in varieties of sustainable livelihood practices.; The objectives of the study are: (i) to research the types of partners and cross-scale institutional linkages (vertical and horizontal) in the Equator Initiative cases related to forestry/agro-forestry, medicinal plants, and non-timber forest products; (ii) to identify the kinds of partnerships such as business networking, fundraising, research, institutional building and others in these three categories of cases and their impact on community empowerment; and (iii) to derive possible lessons applicable to other contexts from these partnerships and cross-level institutional linkages that integrate conservation and development facilitating community-based entrepreneurial initiatives and community development.; These objectives were addressed by generating tables from the Equator Initiative database, use of the qualitative data analysis software Nvivo, for coding data and review of case descriptions following grounded theory framework.; This study analyzed the types of partners and kinds of partnership and confirmed that the communities in the Equator Initiative Program cases practice partnerships and cross-level institutional linkages. The types of partners played a facilitative and supportive role linking horizontally with other communities and vertically with political organizations at higher levels such as state/provincial, regional, national and international levels. Interactions among community organizations such as farmers associations, labour unions, Non-Government Organizations, village elders, local government and others created horizontal linkages, further supported by vertical linkages. These institutional linkages synergistically complemented each others efforts and enhanced community development.; The kinds of partnerships such as business networking; provision of funding; providing legal, institutional and technical support; and many others facilitated holistic development of the communities including biodiversity conservation, poverty reduction, community empowerment and sustainable livelihood. Communities in the Equator Initiative Program cases tended to rely on multiple products and activities very often started with social or community orientation. The partnerships symbolized enhancement of community assets representing continuous growth of social, ecological, financial, and human capital.; This research concludes that the Equator Initiative Program cases provide good examples of community partnerships that have facilitated a varieties of ways in which communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean have reduced poverty, promoted biodiversity conservation, community empowerment and sustainable livelihood. |
