Community-based conservation is a response to older conservation movements 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.
See also
- Conservation and Neocolonialism
- African Wild Dog Conservancy: Community-based conservation in Kenya's biodiversity hotspots
References
- Brockington, Dan (2002). Fortress Conservation: The Preservation of the Mkomazi Game Reserve, Tanzania. Oxford: International African Institute. ISBN 0-253-34079-9.
- Gezon, Lisa (Winter 1997). "Institutional structure and the effectiveness of integrated conservation and development projects: case study from Madagascar". Human Organization 56 (4): 462-470. ISSN 0093-2930.
- Child, Brian, Jones, Brian (December 2006). "Practical tools for community conservation in southern Africa". Participatory Learning and Action 55. ISSN 1357-938X. Further information. Full text available (pay per view or free to subscribers)
