ZResource List: Colonial Conservation

“Kenyan journalist John Mbaria and Kenyan carnivore ecologist Mordecai Ogada maintain that much of Africa’s modern conservation methodology primarily benefits a minority of outside forces operating with impunity at the expense of the economically disadvantaged majority of Africans, essentially all but excluding them from sharing the continent’s wealth of natural resources.”

“The colonial project has moved out of the formally protected areas and created new monsters called ‘wildlife conservancies’, where success is measured by the number of locals who can be persuaded, coerced or bribed with donor subsidies to give up their livelihoods, birthrights, and other forms of identity.”

“Conservation is becoming more militarised, and it is cause for serious concern. Rising rates of elephant and rhino poaching in Africa, and fears of a link between poachers and terrorists, have led to foreign national armies, private military companies and even UN peacekeeping forces all moving into wildlife protection.”

“According to a research conducted by Housing and Land Rights Network in 2018, “In a majority of reported eviction cases, state authorities did not follow due process established by national and international standards.” The research also revealed that, “All cases of forced eviction resulted in multiple and often gross human rights violations.”