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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.