Community-based conservation
Encyclopedia
Community-based conservation is a res conservation movement
s that emerged in the 1980s through escalating protests and subsequent dialogue with local communities affected by international attempts to protect the biodiversity
of the earth. Older conservation movements disregarded the interests of local inhabitants (Brockington, 2001:83). This stems from the Western
idea on which the conservation movement was founded, of nature
being separate from culture
. The object of community-based conservation is to incorporate improvement to the lives of local people while conserving areas through the creation of national parks or wildlife refuges (Gezon, 1997). While there have been some notable successes, unfortunately community-based conservation has often been ineffective because of inadequate resources, uneven implementation, and overly-wishful planning. Some critics have also complained about often unintended neocolonialist
undertones involved in the particular conservation projects.
History:
The first protected areas around the world such as Yosemite in 1864 and Yellowstone National Park in 1872 were founded by the colonial or classical conservation method (Colchester 2004). Classical conservation created protected areas to protect wilderness and wildlife areas of pristine wilderness that was untouched and uninhabited by humans. All people inhabiting these areas were removed from the land and displaced onto marginal land surrounding or near by the newly protected land. It is estimated that 20 million people were displaced from their land (Veit & Benson 2004). This conservation strategy was used widely until the 1970s when indigenous people started to fight for their rights and land. In 1975 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Parks Congress recognized the rights of indigenous people and to recognize their rights of the protected areas (Colchester 2004). More policy changes came about that increased the rights of indigenous people. Community-based conservation came into action from these changes.
Strategies:
One strategy of community-based conservation is co-management or joint management of a protected area. Co-management combines local peoples’ traditional knowledge of the environment with modern scientific knowledge of scientists (WPC Recommendation 25 Co-management of Protected Areas 2003). This combination of knowledge can lead to increased biodiversity and better management of the protected area.
Cholchester, Marcus. "Conservation Policy and Indigenous Peoples." ScienceDirect - Home. 26 Apr. 2004. 4 Oct. 2009
Veit, Peter G., Benson, Catherine. (2004) When Parks and People Collide. Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. 16 Oct. 2009.
"WPC Recommendation 25 Co-management of Protected Areas ." World Parks Congress 2003., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2009..
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
s that emerged in the 1980s through escalating protests and subsequent dialogue with local communities affected by international attempts to protect the biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
of the earth. Older conservation movements disregarded the interests of local inhabitants (Brockington, 2001:83). This stems from the Western
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
idea on which the conservation movement was founded, of nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
being separate from culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. The object of community-based conservation is to incorporate improvement to the lives of local people while conserving areas through the creation of national parks or wildlife refuges (Gezon, 1997). While there have been some notable successes, unfortunately community-based conservation has often been ineffective because of inadequate resources, uneven implementation, and overly-wishful planning. Some critics have also complained about often unintended neocolonialist
Neocolonialism
Neocolonialism is the practice of using capitalism, globalization, and cultural forces to control a country in lieu of direct military or political control...
undertones involved in the particular conservation projects.
History:
The first protected areas around the world such as Yosemite in 1864 and Yellowstone National Park in 1872 were founded by the colonial or classical conservation method (Colchester 2004). Classical conservation created protected areas to protect wilderness and wildlife areas of pristine wilderness that was untouched and uninhabited by humans. All people inhabiting these areas were removed from the land and displaced onto marginal land surrounding or near by the newly protected land. It is estimated that 20 million people were displaced from their land (Veit & Benson 2004). This conservation strategy was used widely until the 1970s when indigenous people started to fight for their rights and land. In 1975 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Parks Congress recognized the rights of indigenous people and to recognize their rights of the protected areas (Colchester 2004). More policy changes came about that increased the rights of indigenous people. Community-based conservation came into action from these changes.
Strategies:
One strategy of community-based conservation is co-management or joint management of a protected area. Co-management combines local peoples’ traditional knowledge of the environment with modern scientific knowledge of scientists (WPC Recommendation 25 Co-management of Protected Areas 2003). This combination of knowledge can lead to increased biodiversity and better management of the protected area.
Cholchester, Marcus. "Conservation Policy and Indigenous Peoples." ScienceDirect - Home. 26 Apr. 2004. 4 Oct. 2009
Veit, Peter G., Benson, Catherine. (2004) When Parks and People Collide. Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. 16 Oct. 2009
"WPC Recommendation 25 Co-management of Protected Areas ." World Parks Congress 2003., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.
See also
- Conservation and NeocolonialismConservation and NeocolonialismConservation and Neocolonialism refers to the conservation movement as taken up today by international organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, which has inadvertently set up a neocolonialist relationship with underdeveloped nations in a manner consistent with Immanuel Wallerstein’s...
- Indigenous and Community Conserved AreaIndigenous and Community Conserved AreaIndigenous and Community Conserved Areas are areas in which there are close associations between indigenous people or a local community and a specific territory or body of natural resources...
- African Wild Dog Conservancy: Community-based conservation in Kenya's biodiversity hotspots