A Reflection on Imperialism in Nature Conservation from African Conceptions of Care

ABSTRACT

Eurocentric wilderness ideals, that is the commons enclosure, a nature de-peopled and privatized, permeate how we collectively think and communicate about environmental issues in Africa. This imperialist narrative informs biodiversity conservation in Africa as a form of “care,” which is invoked to obscure Africans’ land and wildlife stewardships, as well as the unequal global structures that plunder African resources. Dislodging dominant ideas necessitates centering the non-Eurocentric cultural values that give nature its primacy as a protected socio-ecological space. I write this commentary as an African woman and a trained conservation social scientist. I seek to dismantle the imperialist ideological apparatus of care for the human and non-human world founded on wilderness ideals that are embodied in dominant models of nature conservation. In disputing hegemonic views, I reflect on my cultural affiliations as a way to bring with me my own relational world of Indigeneity as core to my reflection on the coloniality of biodiversity conservation research and practice as a norm of “care.” Most importantly, I highlight African scholarship and knowledge systems to inform an African centered ethics of care for the human- and non-human world.

KEYWORDS:

• Conservation
• Africa
• commons enclosure
• wilderness
• imperialism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.