Positioning human heritage at the center of conservation practice |
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Authors: | Robert A Montgomery Kendi Borona Herbert Kasozi Tutilo Mudumba Mordecai Ogada |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824 U.S.A.;2. School for Field Studies, Centre for Wildlife Management Studies, P.O. Box 27743-00506, Nairobi, Kenya;3. Conservation Solutions Afrika, Muthaiga Estate P.O. Box 880–10400, Nanyuki, Kenya |
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Abstract: | Conservation projects subscribing to a community-based paradigm have predominated in the 21st century. We examined the context in which the phrase was coined and traced its growth over time. Community-based conservation first appeared in the literature in the early 1990s; but grew little until after the 5th World Parks Congress in 2003. Thereafter, publications describing community-based conservation approaches increased exponentially. The conference theme was Benefits Beyond Boundaries, and its goal was to provide an economic model based on revenue accrued from conservation fundraising and ecotourism to support ecosystems, wildlife, and people, particularly in the Global South. Such models tended not to incorporate, as a core principle, the heritage of local human communities. Human heritage varies substantially over time and space making generalization of conservation principles across scales challenging. Pitfalls that have grown out of the community-based conservation approaches in the Global South include fortress conservation, conservation militarism, consumptive and nonconsumptive ecotourism, and whiz-bang solutions. We propose 10 tenets in a human heritage-centered conservation framework (e.g., engage in conservation practices using local languages, thoughtfully propose and apply solutions consistent with human heritage, provide clear professional development pathways for individuals from local communities, and promote alternative revenue-generating programs centered in local communities, among others). Progressive philosophies can derive from authentic and ethical integration of local communities in conservation practice. |
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Keywords: | biodiversity community-based conservation biology fortress conservation protected areas áreas protegidas basado en la comunidad biodiversidad biología de la conservación conservación en fortaleza 生物多样性 基于社区 保护生物学 堡垒保护 保护地 |
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