Consent to be Interviewed for a Research Project

Research Project Title

Adaptive Capacity of Pastoral Resource Users in Mongolia: Situated Knowledges and Practices

Researcher

Eric D. Thrift

Institution

The University of Manitoba (Canada)

Sponsors

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Government of Manitoba

You are being invited to participate in a research project.

This consent form, a copy of which will be left with you for your records and reference, is only part of the process of informed consent. It should give you the basic idea of what the research is about and what your participation will involve. If you would like more detail about something mentioned here, or information not included here, you should feel free to ask.

Please take the time to read this carefully and to understand any accompanying information.

About this project

This research project on pastoral resource use in Mongolia is being conducted by Eric Thrift, a Canadian researcher and Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Manitoba, Canada. Mr. Thrift has worked in the development sector in Mongolia since 1998, in association with the University of Arts and Culture, the Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO, the World Bank, and other organizations. Mr. Thrift's current research is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Government of Manitoba. The field research component of this project will last 12 months, beginning in July 2011.

This study focuses on "adaptive capacity" in Mongolia's livestock production sector―the ability to deal with ecological, social, or economic change and uncertainty through constant adaptation, as opposed to through intensive resource management. Building adaptive capacity is increasingly being recognized by international scientists and policymakers as an important strategy for dealing with climate change, and more generally for maintaining resilient social-ecological systems.

This research aims to document and analyze the contemporary economic and social experiences of Mongolian herders and related actors in two research sites, one in the xangai and one in the Gobi region. In addition to participatory research with herder groups, the research involves interviews with approximately 100 non-herders in the field sites and urban areas, whose activities are directly or indirectly related to pastoralism―through involvement, for example, in the processing or marketing of pastoral commodities, governance and development, or non-pastoral uses of rangeland areas. Individuals to be interviewed include specialized producers, merchants, consumers, policymakers, development workers, scientists, farm and mine operators, monks and pilgrims, and tour operators.

This research is intended to provide better knowledge of how to increase adaptive capacity and social-ecological resilience in the Mongolian pastoral sector, through improved governance or by other means. By focusing on the diverse experiences of herders and non-herders in several distinct sites, the research aims to provide a clearer understanding of how different individuals' experiences and knowledge can enhance or limit such adaptability.

Your participation in the project

If you consent to participate in this study, you will be asked to give an interview concerning your experiences related to rangelands and pastoralism. The interview is expected to last approximately one hour, but may be longer or shorter depending on how much information you wish to share. The interview will take place in your workplace or another appropriate location.

The interview is intended to address your personal or professional experiences related to rangelands use and/or the pastoral sector in Mongolia. Some of the areas of experience of interest to this project, and that may be applicable to you, include:

• Your cooperation or competition/conflict with herders or other rangeland resource users;
• Your use of pastoral products;
• Your ability to adapt to economic and ecological change and uncertainty;
• Your experience of the transition from socialism to a market economy;
• Your perceptions of current environmental, human development, and governance problems and needs in the pastoral sector.

During the interview, you can choose to have the audio recorder or the notes stop at any time and can leave the interview at any time, without impacting your rights as a participant in this research.

Uses of the interview

This interview will be recorded and transcribed. You will be invited to review and correct the interview transcript prior to its use in the research. Sensitive personal or financial information will be edited out of the interview transcript; you additionally have the right to be identified anonymously (see below). The original audio recording will not be made available to anyone other than the researcher and his assistants, and will be destroyed at the conclusion of the research project.

As part of the research process, the transcript of your interview may be shared with other research participants and researchers, to enable discussion of the issues and experiences you describe. The interview may also be quoted, translated, or reproduced in reports, papers, or other publications resulting from the research, either in print or digitally. By consenting to this interview you license the use of its transcript for research, teaching, or similar non-profit purposes under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 license (attached). In no way do these terms affect your status as contributor to and joint author of the interview for copyright and licensing purposes, or impact your moral rights.

Benefits and risks

This research project is expected to benefit participants by bringing increased attention to the range of experiences, perspectives, and needs of different actors connected directly or indirectly to the pastoral sector. This project will hopefully lead to concrete proposals for ways to support adaptability to economic, social, and ecological change and uncertainty in the pastoral sector and, more generally, in rangelands use and management. Drawing on diverse and specific experiences documented through interviews and participatory research over the course of a full year, the project is intended to identify and discuss the diverse perspectives of diverse pastoral resource users in a positive and equitable manner.

To maximize the applied benefits of this research, results will be disseminated through local government and scientific organizations. At the conclusion of this study, you will be provided a summary of results and be invited to comment on these in the context of a forum including pastoralists, policymakers, scientists, development workers, and others. As such, your experiences may help to shape positive discussions of governance, sustainable development, and livelihoods improvement in Mongolia.

This study involves minimal risk. Please note that while the researcher will make every reasonable effort to ensure that your interview is used and presented in a fair and positive manner, this research is expected to represent a variety of opinions and perspectives from different actors, which may either support or oppose your own.

You will not be paid for your participation in the research.

Privacy and anonymity

You are under no obligation to disclose private information concerning your family, livelihood, or other personal matters, or to authorize the publication of such information. You are free to decline answering any interview question, without prejudice or consequence.

Please check ONE of the following options:

• ☐ I wish to be identified anonymously. A pseudonym will be assigned instead of my real name, and all references in the interview transcript from which my identity could be directly known will be edited out.

  • ― OR ―

• ☐ I wish to be identified by my real name. I retain the right to review the interview transcript and request the removal of any sensitive information.

Your signature on this form indicates that you have understood to your satisfaction the information regarding participation in the research project and agree to participate as a subject. In no way does this waive your legal rights nor release the researchers, sponsors, or involved institutions from their legal and professional responsibilities. You are free not to participate in this study, and have the right to withdraw at any time without prejudice to pre-existing entitlements.

The University of Manitoba Research Ethics Board(s) and a representative(s) of the University of Manitoba Research Quality Management / Assurance office may also require access to your research records for safety and quality assurance purposes.

This research has been approved by the University of Manitoba Fort Garry Campus Joint-Faculty Reserch Ethics Board. If you have any concerns or complaints about this project you may contact any of the above-named persons or the Human Ethics Coordinator (HEC) at +1-204-474-7122 or <Margaret _ Bowman AT umanitoba DOT ca>. A copy of this consent form has been given to you to keep for your records and reference.

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(Participant's Signature / Date)

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(Researcher and/or Delegate's Signature / Date)

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