Conservation organizations often adopt the normative value of “whole community” participation, predicated on the idea that broad community involvement across categories of identity and social stratification will lead to more successful project outcomes. Analysis of intra-community social stratifications in relation to participation in conservation is important to the pursuit of environmental justice as well as improved efficacy of a given conservation intervention. While a large body of literature broadly examines intra and inter-community dynamics in relation to community-based conservation, few have specifically quantified how wealth influences one’s participation in community-based conservation initiatives, especially in the marine realm. To address these questions, we interviewed people living near marine conservation initiatives in Madagascar. Using a principle component analysis, we created an asset-based wealth index and showed that both knowledge of and participation in marine conservation was positively correlated with wealth. Specifically, three of the four participation categories were statistically correlated with wealth, including involvement in any element of the conservation project, involvement in decision-making, and in enforcement. However, wealth was not significantly correlated with participation in monitoring. Ultimately our research highlights the importance of understanding underlying drivers of participation in community-based conservation. If the poorest in a community are underrepresented in local participation, the conservation initiative will not only be unjust, but will also likely be less effective.

保护组织通常采用“整个社区”参与的规范价值，基于这样一种观点，即跨身份和社会分层类别的广泛社区参与将导致更成功的项目结果。分析与参与保护有关的社区内社会分层对于追求环境正义以及提高特定保护干预的有效性很重要。虽然大量文献广泛研究了与社区保护相关的社区内部和社区间动态，但很少有人具体量化财富如何影响一个人参与社区保护计划，尤其是在海洋领域。为了解决这些问题，我们采访了居住在马达加斯加海洋保护计划附近的人们。使用主成分分析，我们创建了一个基于资产的财富指数，并表明海洋保护的知识和参与与财富呈正相关。具体而言，四个参与类别中的三个在统计上与财富相关，包括参与保护项目的任何要素、参与决策和执行。然而，财富与参与监测没有显着相关性。最终，我们的研究强调了了解参与社区保护的潜在驱动因素的重要性。如果社区中最贫困的人在当地参与中的代表性不足，那么保护倡议不仅不公正，而且效果也可能会降低。我们创建了一个基于资产的财富指数，表明海洋保护的知识和参与与财富呈正相关。具体而言，四个参与类别中的三个在统计上与财富相关，包括参与保护项目的任何要素、参与决策和执行。然而，财富与参与监测没有显着相关性。最终，我们的研究强调了了解参与社区保护的潜在驱动因素的重要性。如果社区中最贫困的人在当地参与中的代表性不足，那么保护倡议不仅不公正，而且效果也可能会降低。我们创建了一个基于资产的财富指数，表明海洋保护的知识和参与与财富呈正相关。具体而言，四个参与类别中的三个在统计上与财富相关，包括参与保护项目的任何要素、参与决策和执行。然而，财富与参与监测没有显着相关性。最终，我们的研究强调了了解参与社区保护的潜在驱动因素的重要性。如果社区中最贫困的人在当地参与中的代表性不足，那么保护倡议不仅不公正，而且效果也可能会降低。