ABSTRACT
The objective of this chapter is to discuss the growth of a new, nonhegemonic approach to nature conservation in the tropics, herein called ethnoconservation. The departure point is a critique of the classic/hegemonic approach for conservation of protected areas, which is far from achieving its main ecological objectives in tropical regions, in addition to creating serious problems for indigenous and traditional peoples. According to this hegemonic approach, traditional (indigenous) peoples and traditional communities should be expelled from their territories when they are transformed into no-take protected areas or forbidden from maintaining their livelihood, which is based mainly on the use of natural resources through small-scale agriculture, fishing, and forest extractivism.
