The Myth of Wild Africa and Large Carnivore Conservation
The writings and public influence of early explorers, missionaries and hunters resulted in the warped public perception of Africa amongst European nations as a romanticised land of plenty or endless garden of Eden. In their 1992 book, Jonathan Adams and Thomas McShane refer to this perception as the “myth of wild Africa”. The authors argue that this romantic, out-of-touch view of Africa and its natural resources drove a protectionist-type conservation ethic in Africa for more than a hundred years. In the authors’ view, such a conservation ethic (and its associated management practices) were detrimental to local communities and the conservation of wildlife in general. In this lecture, I use examples from my own and other research to illustrate that large carnivore conservation in Africa suffers from similar “mythical” conservation hang-overs. I attempt to refute some of these “myths” and also unpack what lies ahead for the future conservation of these iconic species.
Date: 12 March 2020, 17:30
Venue: Linacre College, St Cross Road OX1 3JA
Venue Details: Tanner Room
Speaker: Professor Dan Parker (Associate Professor at the School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga)
Organising department: Linacre College
Organiser: Dr Nick Brown (Principal, Linacre College)
Organiser contact email address: jo.whitfield@linacre.ox.ac.uk
Part of: The Association of Commonwealth Universities Annual Lecture
Topics:
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Public
Editor: Nick Leimu-Brown