Insights into Ecological Resettlements and Conservation-led Displacements: A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Social Sciences
• Conservation Biology
• Human Ecology

Background:

• Ecological resettlement (ER) and conservation-led displacement practices have historical roots but lack systematic review.
• Existing research on ER is fragmented, necessitating a comprehensive synthesis to guide future conservation strategies and policy.
• The study addresses the critical gap in understanding the global landscape of ER research, its methodologies, and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct the first systematic literature review on ecological resettlements and conservation-led displacements (ER).
• To analyze publication trends, geographical distribution, methodological approaches, and thematic focuses of ER research.
• To identify governance and equity indicators within ER studies and propose future research and conservation strategies.

Main Methods:

• A two-stage systematic literature review was conducted, including a review of reviews and empirical articles from Web of Science and Scopus.
• Data from 164 research articles were extracted and analyzed following PRISMA-P protocols.
• The analysis focused on publication trends, geographical spread, methodologies, data types, thematic content, and governance/equity indicators.

Main Results:

• No prior systematic reviews on ER were found, confirming the pioneering nature of this study.
• Empirical research on ER began in 2001, with publications spread across 108 journals and involving authors/cases from numerous countries.
• Research predominantly focused on human-centric aspects (livelihoods, culture), with frequent reports of governance challenges (informed consent, human rights) and social inequalities, despite addressing 96 communities across 12 ecosystem types.

Conclusions:

• ER research is multidisciplinary and global, but often overlooks institutional aspects and focuses heavily on human impacts.
• Significant governance and equity concerns, including human rights violations, are prevalent in conservation-led displacement.
• Future research and conservation strategies must adopt a pluralistic, equity-focused approach to ensure coexistence between humans and ecosystems in the Anthropocene.