Conservation policies and politics in Cameroon: The case of Korup National Park and its support zone

摘要

Natural resource and biodiversity conservation have become major global environmental concerns. Since the bulk of the world's living plant and animal species exist in the tropical regions, these areas have become a major focus conservation efforts. Yet, unlike their Western (primarily North American) counterparts, conservation projects in the developing world must seek to accommodate the needs of local rural communities which often live in and around key biodiversity areas. To address these issues, international donors, non-governmental organizations and Third world governments have sought to incorporate socio-economic and ecological motives in the broader context of sustainable development.;This research is an examination of a sustainable development or Integrated Conservation Development Project (ICDP) of this nature--the Korup National Park and its Support Zone in Southwest Province, Cameroon. The basic research questions that are being examined in this study are: (1) the degree to which the Project is able to create sustainable development through its various policies and programs; (2) the cultural dimension of conservation and development--namely how local societies respond to conservation policies and practices which are derived from the Western rational and scientific conservation ideas and practices; and (3) how the Korup Project and the presence of external administrative and technical bodies--international donors agencies and NGOs have influenced the political relationships between the Cameroonian state and local societies.;In order to adequately examine the efficacy of the Korup Project it is important to examine this phenomenon from a multi-disciplinary perspective. As such, this study explores the historical, cultural, political and socio-economic contexts in which the Project has emerged, with special attention given to the changing roles and relationship of rural societies, NGOs and the State in this process. The examination of this single case study will provide important perspectives on conservation and development policy at the practical level while also yielding insights into the theoretical viability of this emerging social paradigm.