Postmodernism and African conservation science

In Africa, the movement away from traditional protectionist conservation to community-based approaches is partially related to postmodernist influence s. Proposed transfrontier conservation areas will incorporate local communi ties, and a clearer understanding of the limitations of community-based con servation is thus needed. The sustainability of community-based conservatio n projects is questioned on economic and other grounds, and many African co untries lack the prerequisites (ecological, demographic and sociological) f or successful programmes. The romanticisation of pre-colonial societies giv es undue weight to traditional systems of resource management, and we chall enge the postmodernist notion that traditional peoples practised sustainabl e harvesting of natural resources. It is suggested that this will occur onl y under unlikely conditions of low human population density, lack of access to modern technology, and limited exposure to consumerism. In agriculture, postmodernists interpret the overstocking of livestock as a rational socio economic response, thus giving the practice unjustified legitimacy. The all ied proposition that peasants enjoy a rich diversity of farming practices i s largely unfounded, at least in some parts of Africa. We conclude that pos tmodernist thinking has had a significant negative impact on conservation s cience in Africa, largely by marginalising the central issue of human popul ation pressure. Towards more effective African conservation, we suggest rol es for the ecologist, for the social scientist, and for the donor community .