A contribution to understanding contemporary people-environment dynamics : South African approaches in context.
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Date
1996
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Abstract
People's level of development is a significant determinant in their relationship to wild nature.
People today characterized by a high level of development value wild natural resources primarily for
non-consumptive aesthetic and humanistic purposes. Modern nature conservation has been dominated
by developed peoples' concerns with wild nature. Concerns of developed peoples with wild nature are described by a resourcism-preservationism paradigm. In contrast underdeveloped peoples rely
upon wild nature to maintain the integrity of their cultures and increasingly for purposes of physical
survival and promoting, development; this involves consumptive use of wild nature. As all people increasingly become part of a global development trajectory, resourcism-preservationism is articulating itself as the global people-environment dynamic.
Emergent relations between nature conservation agency staff and reserve neighbours in South Africa offer a unique opportunity to study competing concerns around wild nature and assess the
ability of approaches which link conservation and development to meet developed and underdeveloped
peoples' concerns. Evaluation of reserve-neighbour interaction at Giant's Castle and Kosi Bay areas
is achieved through determining whether it empowers reserve neighbours and conservation agency
staff; fundamental to empowerment is people managing natural resources themselves. Natal Parks
Board's and KwaZulu Department of Nature Conservation's frameworks for extension do not
empower reserve staff or neighbours at Giant's Castle and Kosi Bay respectively.
Trends in competition between developed and underdeveloped peoples for use of wild nature
evidenced in field studies mirror global trends in people-environment relations. Recent attempts in
South Africa and internationally to address the concerns of underdeveloped peoples, witnessed in
efforts to link development to conservation such as reserve-neighbour interaction, are efforts by
developed people to protect their particular concerns with wild nature. As a result these attempts have
not been integrated into a larger conservation and development process. Instead they have been
plagued by short term vision among nature conservation agencies and reserve neighbours. Linking
conservation and development is a process fundamental to the future of conservation, benefitting
people at all levels of development. A fundamental redefinition of conservation agency objectives and
restructuring conservation agency operations is required such that people are empowered to manage
their own natural resources. Principles to guide and an approach for structuring such an undertaking
are proposed involving collaboration with relevant agents.
Description
Thesis (M.Soc.)-University of Natal, Pietermartizburg, 1996.
Keywords
Nature--Effect of human beings on., Theses--Sociology., Human ecology--South Africa., Nature conservation--South Africa., Human beings--Effect of climate on.