AFRICA: INCREASED CASE FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN CONSERVATION STRATEGIES

CONSERVATION AND COMMUNITY CONFLICT:
A STUDY BY THE JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE
July 15 2002

Continuing the legacy of Dr. Jane Goodall's chimpanzee research in
Tanzania, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) is expanding its programmatic
reach in Africa, designing and implementing tools for innovative
conservation.

At the midpoint of this project, we are pleased to send an introductory
note about The Jane Goodall Institute's study on conservation and
community conflict.

BRIEF SUMMARY:
Throughout history, humans have had an intricate relationship with the
biological diversity around them, one that embodies cultural identity,
spirituality and provides resources for subsistence and socio-economic
purposes. Individuals have competed for access and control of these
diverse resources, with resulting conflicts occurring at many
levels--from household to local, regional, societal and global scales.
The intensity of conflicts has also varied enormously, from confusion
and frustration among members of a community to violent clashes between
groups over resource ownership, rights and responsibilities. Such
conflicts can be heightened in conservation contexts by a history of
policing and exclusion.

Faced with a diminishing resource base and increasing human population,
conflicts between local people and conservation authorities have
continued to escalate.

The conservation community has identified the need to include conflict
resolution in existing conservation initiatives, and develop a framework
for implementation in new projects. Through this study, the Jane Goodall
Institute will examine the need for reconciliation techniques and
approaches that address deep-rooted conflicts in a more meaningful
manner. This study seeks to not only create a framework, but also to
provide pragmatic lessons, guidelines and tools for conservationists and
affected communities in both Africa and in North America.

The conservation community has learned much about the need to involve
communities in conservation projects as documented in projects such as
CAMPFIRE, and collective studies including "Natural Connections"
(Western, Wright and Strum 1994), "African Wildlife and Livelihoods"
(Hulme and Murphree 2001) and the "Eden" series (Roe et al. 2000; IIED
1994). This knowledge bridges a chasm, but there still remains
uncertainty as to how to meaningfully integrate local communities into
conservation programs. Improving the recognition and valuation of
changes and transitions within affected communities through
reconciliation measures, may serve to not only rebuild the relationship
between conservation and local people but also actively address
significant root sources of conflict.

This study seeks to apply lessons from African conservation programs as
a basis for modeling both domestic and international programs
incorporating reconciliation techniques. Information is being collected
and evaluated on established conservation projects that include
community outreach techniques within their programmatic objectives.
Conservation issues of focus may include international crises such as
the endangered great apes, the commercial bushmeat trade, and the impact
of civil conflict and refugees on the protection of natural resources.
Through an examination of the various stakeholders and key issues this
study will highlight the apparent contradiction between local community
survival based on disparate environments and wildlife protection.

The goal of this one-year study is to increase the capacity of the
conservation sector and affected communities to address changes and
conflicts resulting from the complex scenario of trying to conserve the
same resources that communities rely upon for survival.

PROJECT SELECTION:
Through extensive research, the following projects were selected:

AWF Tsavo Conservancy Trust
Kenya
Mount Cameroon Project/ Mokoko Wildlife Management Authority Cameroon
International Gorilla Conservation Program
Uganda
Okapi Faunal Reserve
DR Congo
Bambuti Pygmies of Eastern DRC - DFGFE / EcoAction
DR Congo
ADMADE
Zambia

Application of these results will contribute to increased relevance and
effectiveness of conservation projects to preserve biodiversity,
cultural stability and sustainable livelihoods.

Early results indicate that conflicts between local communities and
conservation authorities ensue over land rights and ownership,
competition between livestock and wildlife for water, access to forest
resources, the struggle over crop raiding by ecotourism species,
misunderstandings about conservation project purpose and methods, and
other mistaken assumptions. The basis for these conflicts is often
economic but may also involve cultural/ social identity and food or
personal security. There are deep-rooted issues as well, including
political history, foreign resource exploitation, and colonization.

Preliminary findings present a strong case for increasing attention to
deep-rooted conflicts through use of reconciliation techniques and
standardizing meaningful integration of communities' and conservation's
agendas.

We look forward to completing the project review activities and inviting
the leaders from each project to a workshop in Zambia, in September 2002
to finalize lessons and guidelines.

The final publication should be available January 2003. Please contact
Tammy Zborel ([email protected]) if you would like to receive more
information or the final publication.

Christina Ellis
Director of Africa Programs
The Jane Goodall Institute
P.O. Box 14890
Silver Spring MD
20910

CONSERVATION AND COMMUNITY CONFLICT STUDY TEAM:

Christina Ellis - Team Leader, The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI)
Izabella Koziell - International Conservation Advisor, International
Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
Patrice Etoungou - African Conservation Specialist
Brian Peter McQuinn - Reconciliation Specialist
Julie Stein - North American Conservation Specialist
Tammy Zborel - Project Assistant – JGI

Embargoed for Release:
Tuesday, October 22, 2002
At 00:01 GMT
(For Tuesday's newspapers)