Humanitarians should take note of the strange (but not unprecedented) liaisons between “conservation” groups and the tourism, logging and other industries, against the survival of indigenous populations. In Cameroon, Survival International shows how the Baka of South-Eastern Cameroon (as well as indigenous religious and ethnic groups across Africa and around the world) lead the world in religiously sensitive environmental expertise, yet are continually threatened by groups that jeopardize their livelihoods in the name of “protecting” wildlife or defending the exploitation of natural resources by transnational corporations.
3 Comments on In the News: Tensions between indigenous groups and international conservation organizations
Comments are closed.
This is a shocking situation, but also immensely complex.
It is difficult for me to see the liaison of conservation groups with the logging industries. However both have interests that could conflict with those of indigenous peoples. I think that the very short article here is too short to properly explain the issue. The linked article in Survival International is much more effective, but almost 12 months old. I wonder why did this article was published today by CIHA?
We published this article because, it’s in the news now. Survival filed a court case against WWF and it’s because of the court case that we were made aware of the issue. However, this problem by itself is not new. It’s part of a much larger concern that some has characterized as the “Greening of Hate,” the strange coalition that reproduces old and questionable patterns of representing poor and indigenous peoples as dangers to the environment
Thanks for this response. CIHA provides an essential and unique source of information.
I look forward to hearing more about the Survival vs WWF case.