ABSTRACT
Implicit in the global funding of local initiatives (see Chapters 3, 5 and 6) and the dense network of philanthropists and local organizations in Africa (see Chapter 7) is the view that local conservation initiatives rely on external sources and are often a product of top-down approaches. In reality, this is not always the case as specific local situations could spur environmental protection measures and the mobilization of assets (such as financial and social capital). Chapter 8 is intended to show the various ways in which local CBOs and NGOs have attempted to drive environmental initiatives that are relevant to their contexts, in contrast to the view that international donors dictate the direction of NGO and CBO activities. In this chapter we focus on CBC from the perspective of community aspirations and initiatives rather than the involvement of communities as stakeholders in co-management frameworks. We see co-management as more of an imposed management regime, rather than a grassroots initiative, which often misses out the intricate relationships between the community and the resources. Also, we do not intend to discuss CBC as a paradigm shift in ecology and applied ecology as to do so would limit our understanding of grassroots environmental initiatives. To be sure, as a paradigm shift, CBC seeks to embrace ecosystems approaches and participatory ecosystem management in which the inclusion of humans in both conservation and ecosystem management is crucial (Berkes, 2004). Such approaches presume that grassroots initiatives cannot exist on their own – they are always or should be part of a ‘scientifically’ defined human response to environmental challenges. Thus, the conceptualization of CBC as a link between development imperatives and conservation objectives is not the preserve of a scientific community but should also be seen as a result of local responses to the unfolding reality, as this chapter attempts to show. We are also conscious that CBC can be a neo-populist approach to conservation, development and the relationship between society and the state. Nevertheless, we see value in thinking about CBC as conservation activities emerging from within the community In fact CBC is true to its name if it is not imposed onto the local community by outside forces. CBC ‘must be embedded in local communities if it is to flourish as a voluntary rather than a coercive effort’ (Western, 1994, p499) and should exhibit a clear link between conservation and community interests. Understanding CBC from this perspective implies that donors should explore new relationships with local communities rather than rely on the usual top-down approach.
