Preface

Kletus Likuwa1

It is noteworthy that this book detailing conversations on conservation comes at a time when Namibia remains greatly worried about environmental and biodiversity destruction, worries expressed through the international community and under the auspices of the United Nations. The need to conserve and use environmental resources sustainably so as to reduce poverty and hunger amongst communities is also clearly paramount in the contemporary moment. This book is thus a welcome addition to our knowledge on histories of conservation in Namibia, spanning colonial to post-colonial periods.

The authors neatly detail the destruction of biodiversity by early European hunters and traders, and the exploitation and impoverishment of Africans in this process, a sad reality that occurred even before the formal establishment of colonial or imperial control over Namibia by Germany in 1884. The authors further show how this exploitation of natural resources continued until 1907 when Game Reserve No. 2 was established, parts of which were later gazetted as the Etosha and Skeleton Coast National Parks during the South African colonial administration in former South West Africa.

The authors revisit and examine the colonial fortress approach to conservation, when humans were separated from animals, and the massive social, economic, and psychological impacts these actions had upon African communities, as well as upon the continent’s ecology as a whole. Discussions about, for example, the history of the removal of Haiǁom from Etosha in the 1950s, and the efforts to resettle them in reallocated commercial farms after Namibia’s Independence, detail a nexus between the colonial devastation of community livelihoods and the marginal attempts by the post-colonial state to redress colonial imbalances. Indeed, the multiple displacements documented in this book—caused by conservation as well as other historical dynamics in north-west Namibia—make visible the significant social challenges faced by conservation praxis in the present.

The concept of anachronism seems appropriate here in this study of the history of conservation. Anachronism in history refers to perceived or actual chronological inconsistencies between historical and present arrangements, a perspective that certainly reflects the complexities between present needs and past circumstances documented in this volume. At the same time, and as foregrounded in this book’s engagements with transformations, change and continuities in conservation approaches in Namibia, the study of the past remains crucial to understand the factors and forces shaping conservation and community concerns in the present.

The authors further emphasise that, despite changes from fortress conservation towards a community-inclusive conservation approach, it is still necessary to ensure that externally imposed forms of conservation should promote equal benefit-sharing without regard to race or ethnicities.

The book provides an opportunity for readers to explore the conflicting or harmful actions of, for example, giraffe herbivory on key tree species and the wider effects this may cause on biodiversity generally; the human impacts of waterpoint establishment possibly contributing to plains and mountain zebra hybridisation; the politics of water infrastructures in community conservation, often associated with elephant impacts in north-west Namibia; the use of technology such as GIS or SMART technologies in tracking lions and reducing human-wildlife conflicts; how community members such as young people living near national parks understand biodiversity and its benefits; and how communities continue to seek affirmation of their heritage and environmental knowledge, as well as access to local resources under current conservation regimes.

This book links the past to the present and future, presenting as the core aim of conservation efforts the hope that formerly excluded Africans can obtain improved benefits; such as income from tourism, or access to resources for sustenance and exchange. The book presents research that successfully answers the question permeating all conversations in the volume, namely: ‘how can the conservation of biodiversity-rich landscapes come to terms with the past, given historical contexts of social exclusion and marginalisation?’

This volume presents examples of historical exclusions and exploitations of African communities during historical colonial conservation development, and the transformations to processes and policies since Namibia’s Independence that have aimed to address these imbalances through Community-Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) projects. The authors show that financial and institutional challenges continue to impede some conservation efforts, to the detriment of formerly marginalised communities and their fragile gains.

The book raises central issues in conservation that could contribute to policy reforms and practices that are mutually beneficial to both humans and wildlife. It also shares conversations derived from various stakeholders of diverse backgrounds, weaving these divergent observations and experiences into a coherent narrative of conservation histories in Namibia.

The knowledge shared in this book presents an opportunity to shape a new way of thinking about conservation transformations which will improve the practice of stakeholders in the conservation spectrum. A particularly important aspect raised by some authors is the heritage dimension, which is linked to the desire of a community to replicate past best practices, and to retain the material and spiritual use of their natural resources within the reformed post-colonial conservation environment.

This link between past and present observations and experiences of community members highlights the implications for present conservation practices, pointing towards new directions for conservation efforts. The notion of past, present and future entanglements of multiple conservation histories raises the further question of how educators or scholars should teach the contested heritage and histories of conservation at secondary and tertiary levels, and how these issues could impact on curriculum reforms to conservation histories and heritage studies.

Centrally, the book posits critical and plural thinking around issues of land and local resources ownership, as well as equal benefit-sharing within conservation approaches. It offers an immense contribution to knowledge on conservation practices in Namibia and beyond.

Any ardent seeker of knowledge on conservation practices should take the opportunity to read and become informed by the arguments presented in this book, and thereby become empowered to make informed choices regarding their practices in the conservation arena. I heartily recommend it to academic and other audiences as an addition to our knowledge on conservation histories and transformations in Namibia.