Study title

This data was generated as part of the ‘Envisioning Emergent Environments’ project undertaken in 2017-18 in Belize. The project used ethnographic approaches to examine what contemporary watershed management interventions mean and entail for rural residents whose lives and livelihoods depend on the environments in question. The research involved household-level structured interviews (survey) (n=275) alongside in-depth interviews, group meetings, and four months of participant observation. It documented resource management concerns, activities and expectations of rural residents in 7 localities in Stann Creek, Toledo, and Cayo districts. Envisioning Emergent Environments was a two-year research project funded by the ESRC Future Research Leaders’ Scheme (Envisioning Emergent Environments: Negotiating Science and Resource Management in Rural Communities ES/N016084/1). Research was carried out in Belize, a small country on the Caribbean coast of Central America currently addressing the challenge of developing effective policies to manage its vulnerability to environmental hazards. As part of efforts towards sustainable development goals, governmental and non-governmental bodies have been undertaking data-led 'watershed management' projects to assess and manage not only water but also land, ecosystem, and human aspects of resource stewardship. Belize's history of rural development and conservation interventions has been complicated by legacies of colonialism, indigenous land rights struggles, territorial disputes, and past failed projects. In this context, and using ethnographic and collaborative approaches, the research sought to understand what contemporary watershed management interventions mean and entail for rural residents whose lives and livelihoods depend on the environments in question. The PI resided in or near the participating communities in Stann Creek and Toledo for four months while the structured interviews (surveys) were conducted alongside participant...