Three flying fox (Pteropodidae: Pteropus rufus) roosts, three conservation challenges in southeastern Madagascar

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Community Conservation and the (Mis)appropriation of Taboo

“…Taboos — or fady — play key cultural roles for Malagasy communities and individuals, marking significant social relationships and identities (Kull, ; Lambek, ; Walsh, ). At the same time, as with places all around the globe, researchers in Madagascar note a correlation between following local fady and conservation outcomes (see Cinner et al., ; Golden and Comaroff, ; Jones et al., ; Lingard et al., ; Rabearivony et al., ; Rahaingodrahety et al., ).…”

“…Currently, there is enthusiasm among both natural and social scientists, as well as conservation practitioners, regarding the use of cultural taboos to create productive points of connection between environmental groups and local populations (Cinner et al, 2009;Etiendem et al, 2011;Golden and Comaroff, 2015a;Jones et al, 2008;Lingard et al, 2003;Rabearivony et al, 2008;Rahaingodrahety et al, 2008;Riley, 2010;Uyeda et al, 2016). 1 This work broadly defines taboos as collections of informal cultural institutions that influence the behaviour of individuals within a shared community of practice (Colding and Folke, 2001;Golden and Comaroff, 2015a).…”

Cute, Creepy, or Crispy—How Values, Attitudes, and Norms Shape Human Behavior Toward Bats

“…The potential of taboos, and the informal institutions that proscribe them, to advance conservation agendas is of growing interest (Colding and Folke 2001), particularly in situations where the influence of external formal institutions is constrained (Jones et al 2008). Taboos prohibit eating of bats (Pteropus) by the Mahafaly and Antandroy people of Madagascar (MacKinnon et al 2003), while sacred forests provide protection in other parts of the country (Rahaingodrahety et al 2008). Similarly, sacred groves protect colonies of Pteropus giganteus in Tamil Nadu, India (Marimuthu 1988;Tangavelou et al 2013), and West Kalimantan, Indonesia (Wadley and Colfer 2004).…”

The danger of misunderstanding ‘culture’

“…The near equation of 'integrating culture' with 'integrating taboos' is also evident, for instance, in several contributions made to this journal. In these, authors make references to 'tradition' and 'culture' by, on the one hand, pointing to the value of taboos for conservation (Rabearivony et al 2008, Rahaingodrahety et al 2008 and, on the other hand, by lamenting the (increasing) lack of respect for local fady by migrants or local people themselves and the detrimental effect that this has on the environment (Patel 2007, Rasolofoson et al 2007). Hardly any mention of 'culture' is otherwise made in the conservation literature.…”