Paper long abstract:

The scientific validity of symbolic descriptions is an ongoing research question in the vein of Claude Levi-Strauss, according to whom the same logic could prevail in mythical and scientific thought.

The objective of this paper is to explore the concordance between these two bodies by investigating the interspecific biological relations as they are seen in the Baka ritual in Southern Cameroon, around the figure of the forest elephant Loxodonta cyclotis, and as they are known to scientists.

At the heart of the Baka ritual as well as in the Baka ethno-elephantological corpus, where the symbolic representation of the elephant is extremely elaborate, we find three ethno-interspecific registers.

The first evokes a form of commensalism, that is, the convergence of exploitation of the same resource, in this case a wild yam, by elephants and humans. The second refers to the auxiliary function of the elephant's sentinel bird. The third, in relation to the elephant bird, and the elephant tick, is what is considered by ornithologists, on the one hand, and by tick specialists, on the other, as a relationship halfway between parasitism and mutualism.

The question of the scientific validity of this Baka concept of interspecific relationships deserves to be raised. Indeed, the confrontation of the symbolic corpus with elephantological, ornithological and botanical knowledge shows the naturalistic relevance of these symbolic descriptions. It than deserves to be taken seriously by the natural sciences, as it can be considered as a possible source of information useful in conservation policy.

Paper short abstract:

We are exploring options for adopting sustainable hunting practices in three rural-indigenous communities of Calakmul, Mexico. This project calibrates hunters’ expert knowledge against ecological information in support of self-governance, towards safeguarding ecosystem function and food security.

Paper long abstract:

Mexican tropical forests are amongst of the world’s hotspots of hunting-induced defaunation. Up to 70% of meat consumed by Mexican rural villages originates from hunting. This activity has profound implications for biodiversity, ecosystem function, and human livelihoods. Hunting functions as a supplementary livelihood in the tropical forests of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve of southern Mexico. Currently, the scientific literature lacks objective measures of hunting frequencies with which to calibrate social-environmental impacts of hunting on cultural identity and food security under climate change in this area. This project aims to assess hunting practices in the CBR by calibrating hunters’ traditional knowledge against ecological information. Semi-structured interviews and participant observation was conducted in three communities (N=124 households) to evaluate hunting intensity and frequency, motivations and methods, and hunters’ perceptions of regulations. Results indicate that subsistence hunting is a common practice in Calakmul. Adult males in most surveyed households (n = 95) hunt daily, weekly or monthly. Even more households regularly consume wild meat (n = 119). Hunting frequencies and meat consumption are highest in isolated communities surrounded by forested areas. Most local inhabitants in the three communities have observed changes in species availability during the last 10 years, and in some cases, hunters have modified their hunting strategies. Ongoing ecological surveys, through camera-trapping and acoustic monitoring for assessing wild-mammal populations and gunshot frequencies, will ground-truth these findings. This research uses hunters’ knowledge to initiate a process of change towards informed self-policing of sustainable hunting practices that safeguard ecosystem function and food security.

Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses the impact of state regimes of land use and categorization on the stability of the Ju|'hoansi's social world in east central Namibia.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is concerned with the impact of divergent ontologies on the land and the environment in the Omaheke region in east central Namibia. The Omaheke Ju|’hoansi have been completely dispossessed of their land by waves of settlers in the western Kalahari. Despite the post-apartheid government’s efforts to address the ‘land question’ with regards to historically disadvantaged communities, state land policies have failed to lead to any tangible changes and reduce the threats to the basic stability of the Ju|’hoansi’s world. The ways the Ju|’hoansi constitute their social universe, including the social persons that populate it, face existential dangers from the closing off of large portions of land (such as farms) or the resettlement of communities on small territories. In detailing the Ju|’hoansi’s relational cosmology, I will discuss the differences between ontology and epistemology with regards to conceptions of the environment and will argue in favor of understanding hunter-gatherers’ needs on their own terms.

Paper short abstract:

The very notion of "conservation" implies that something is kept for the future, in other words there is a distinct temporal dimension to conservation. At the same time this temporal dimension is often left implicit even though this is a very likely arena for clashing worldviews and practices.

Paper long abstract:

The very notion of "conservation" implies that something is kept for the future, in other words there is a distinct temporal dimension to conservation. At the same time this temporal dimension is often left implicit even though this is a very likely arena for clashing worldviews and practices. If something is conserved, for whom and for how long? This contribution is comparative as it tries to make some of the temporal framings in conservation explicit and put them into comparative perspective. My point of departure is the temporal outlook that is enshrined in much of National Park standards as we see them implemented in Europe but also in Africa. The paper relies on field research in and around protected areas in Germany and in Namibia. It also taps into the wider ethnography of hunter-gatherers which provides insights into temporal framings in hunter-gatherer worldviews and practices but which also shows that these are far from homogenous. Moreover, the issue of temporal frames is closely related to how the human position in the world is perceived and how the exchange relations between humans, animals and other living beings is conceived of. The relation is often presented in the idiom of kinship and generations ("for future generations") but the paper investigates enduring schisms that continue to be influential despite the globalized conservation discourses.

Paper short abstract:

Hunter-gatherer and conservationist premises of space-time are often conflictual. I explore these notions by examining how Batek of Malaysia think of and respond to gibbon vocalisations. The goal is to examine the pitfalls and perils of multidisciplinary methods to address conservation challenges.

Paper long abstract:

That hunter-gatherer and conservationist premises are often conflictual can be taken as read. One of these concerns notions of space-time. In this paper, I explore these notions by examining how Batek of Malaysia think of and respond to gibbons (siamangs [Symphalangus syndactylus] and lar gibbons [Hylobates lar]), which are renowned for their vocalisations ("songs"). These vocalisations occur only at set times of the day, may not occur everyday, and when heard, provoke wonder and joy in their listeners. Batek attend to these sounds the way they attend to other aspects of forest acoustics, but not necessarily as provocations to hunt. The goal of this paper is to examine different ways we can integrate social and natural science methods to address conservation challenges and what are the pitfalls and perils therein.