ABSTRACT
The research reported in this chapter is not the first to point out ambiguities and impediments in the practical application of participatory planning in developing countries. Neither is it the first to note that community participation in externallyinitiated projects often ends up as highly managed by the agencies pursuing such a policy. The persistence of top-down managerialism and the misrepresentation of public involvement have been evident both in the wider context of participation in rural development and resource management (e.g. Quarles van Ufford 1993; ClineCole 1997; Gauld 2000) and within conservation itself (Taylor and Johansson 1996; Pimbert and Pretty 1997; Hulme and Murphree 1999).
