Integrating Top‐Down with Bottom‐Up Conservation Policy in Africa

Abstract

Developed nations intervened in conservation policy across Africa during the 20th century to address needs to protect species and biodiversity that were based on their own perceptions and priorities. In the 21st century, conservationists in Africa have revised these perceptions and begun the process of identifying conservation priorities from an African perspective and in consideration of Africans' priorities. Although foreign conservation interveners struggled to identify mechanisms to which local people would respond, African conservationists are now demonstrating how to integrate the continent's unique socioeconomic circumstances into efforts to protect biodiversity. In Africa effective conservation policy must include the generation of wealth, reduction of disease and hunger, and support of traditional land-use practices.

Conservation Messages in Speech Bubbles–Evaluation of an Environmental Education Comic Distributed in Elementary Schools in Madagascar

“…Accordingly, providing successful environmental education should be addressed more and more as one of the so-called "wicked" problems withstanding easy solutions due to their complex and interdependent nature [82]. The notions to further include an African perspective in conservation policy to protect biodiversity [83] and to strengthen local languages, local needs and cultural context in providing basic education for sustainable development is expressed in the current debate [6,84].…”

“…At first, this may seem more laborious, but taking this road is the only way to ensure that in the end local meaningful, culturally appropriate materials that do not force a foreign perspective on people are developed. The omission of the African perspective by intervening conservationists from Western countries can be seen in the obvious failure of a lot of conservation projects [83]. Only such participatory developed materials stand a chance to be used frequently by teachers in schools and to convey their conservation message to students even when external program funding may have stopped.…”

Long-term data for endemic frog genera reveal potential conservation crisis in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

“…The Erica forests of the Bale Mountains have been limited historically by fire and grazing (Miehe & Miehe, 1993, 1994) but more active deforestation is now taking place, extended grazing and wood collecting are altering the forest floor, and regeneration of these forests remains poorly understood. The importance of working properly with local people in conservation management in Africa has been recognized (Abrams et al, 2009) but we believe that within the Bale Mountains National Park the right balance has not yet been reached. The General Management Plan (Frankfurt Zoological Society, 2007) already recognizes much of what we conclude here but our data for endemic frogs emphasizes the urgency of conducting further biological research and developing appropriate conservation management in the region.…”

Conservation and Unscripted Development: Proximity to Park Associated with Development and Financial Diversity

“…Social scientists, NGOs, activists, indigenous groups, and others have pressed for issues involving social justice, rural poverty, and development to become central to discussions of biodiversity protection (Dowie 2009). Conservationists, for their part, have begun to recognize the importance of building coalitions with local groups to manage and protect natural resources (Adams et al 2004, Child 2004, Tallis et al 2008, Abrams et al 2009). Many, however, have challenged the prospect that pervasive and unassailable poverty in the developing world must become the purview of the conservation movement, constrained as it is by economic and political burdens (Brandon et al 1998, Naughton-Treves et al 2005, Leatherman 2008).…”