Natural resource governance and conservation Initiatives: the hidden opportunity to address youth unemployment in Africa?

Dans le cadre du séminaire « Bouillon d'idées »

Samantha Sithole (2016). Welverdiend Community in Bushbuckridge (South Africa).

Lundi 9 décembre 2019 - 12h00 à 13h00

Géopolis 3799

Conférencière(s) ou conférencier(s): Samantha Sithole - Institut de géographie et durabilité (UNIL)

Although there has been a notable shift in conservation thinking and approaches, towards a more people-centred method to governance of protected areas, strategies such as the ‘militarisation’ of these spaces, has arguably created a greater division between people and nature. In this frame, one can visualise how the socio-political conditions have influenced governments to take drastic action in enforcing regulations and laws that govern the way in which these spaces are accessed and utilized. The study argues that there has been a significant omission of a demographic category, from the governance of natural resources especially with regards to anti-poaching initiatives in national parks and protected areas.  The youth on the African continent, can either be viewed as an opportunity or a threat given that it has the youngest population in the world of two hundred million people (Ighobor, 2013). Dressler et al (2010) states that CBNRM core objectives are for social justice, material well-being and environmental integrity. However, there needs to be an additional focus on how such collaborative frameworks can stimulate employment for the youth, especially those situated in areas that are poverty stricken yet are endowed in natural resources from the protected areas that neighbor them. The study contends that there is a gap in the literature regarding the involvement of youth in natural resource governance in areas such as conservation. Therefore, it will be argued that nature conservation and governance may be an avenue from which this crisis can be tackled. Questions such as ‘how can the conservation monopolies such as private game reserves, be reimagined to be more inclusive, to questions of youth access to land where there are natural resources,’ need to be posed and answered. Moreover, the systemic and cultural challenges such as age and corruption as a barrier to inclusivity, need to be further investigated. In order to understand, unpack and analyze the above, the study aims to use a multi case-study approach, firstly youth in the communities surrounding the Kruger National Park in South Africa and secondly, the youth of communities surrounding the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe OR of the Massingir community in neighboring Mozambique.

Le «Bouillon d'idées» est un séminaire proposé par le groupe de recherche «Développement, Sociétés, Environnements», dans lequel les chercheuses et les chercheurs sont invité·e·s à présenter une recherche en cours.

L'entrée est libre. N'hésitez pas à amener votre repas.

 

Publié du 3 décembre 2019 au 9 décembre 2019
Institut de géographie et durabilité
Visibilité:
archivée