Paper short abstract:

From a political ontological approach, this paper explores conflicts involving biological conservation by examining relationships between an indigenous Matsigenka community located inside a Manu National Park (Peru) and members of local governmental and non-governmental conservation organizations.

Paper long abstract:

The important role of indigenous and other local communities in biological conservation initiatives has been recognized as essential for the success of such plans. However, conflicts that arise in the midst of engagements between these communities and other conservationist stakeholders still abound. Political ontological approaches contend that such misunderstandings (and other concomitant problems) arise when parties with different ontologies, that is, different conceptions about what constitutes reality, interact through asymmetric power relations. Using this approach, my objective is to explore conflicts involving environmental conservation in the context of an indigenous Matsigenka community located inside Manu National Park, in the Peruvian Amazon. In particular, I examine the relationships between community members and non-Matsigenka residents of the area, as well as representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations associated with conservation initiatives seeking the participation of the local indigenous population. Using mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, including ethnographic research conducted over 22 months of fieldwork in the region, I discuss the different notions at play; not only notions of the environment, but also of what is considered “wellbeing” or a “good life,” which seem to be at the heart of many conflicts between conservation initiatives and indigenous self-determination. I argue that, while there are similarities in certain environmental conceptualizations, the worlds of the parties involved differ in several important respects that require an expansion of current theories of environmental decision-making, and that should be taken into consideration when designing and applying effective, culturally appropriate biodiversity conservation programs.