Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the effects of local people’s limited awareness of access rights to natural resources on food systems and social capital. It analyzes the conflicts due to conservation policies of the UNESCO-recognized Niokolo-Koba National Park in Senegal and the Bedik cultural landscape.

Paper long abstract:

The Niokolo-Koba National Park covers almost 1 million ha and is located along the Gambia River. It contains all the unique ecosystems of the Sudanese bioclimatic zone and was therefore recognized by UNESCO in 1981. It was later added to the list of World Heritage in Danger with poaching being a major factor. This created a conflict of interests between different actors. The Bedik living on the park’s periphery were not directly affected by eviction due to conservation purposes but remain subject to natural resource management restrictions. Despite the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture, bushmeat remains an important protein source and contributes to local food security. Furthermore, hunting has been shown to be an important component of various traditional festivities, which is a criterion for inclusion of the Bedik cultural landscape in the World Heritage List. This highlights the difficulty of a conflict-free coexistence of the two World Heritage Sites. Exclusion of the local community from natural resource management despite their respectful and sustainable interaction with a vulnerable environment, as highlighted by UNESCO, complicates the coexistence. Moreover, there is a lack of comprehensive information on park legislation, including natural resource access rights. This opens up an opportunity for corruption which fosters insecurity among communities about their rights. Consequences may be a criminal behavior out of necessity or unconscientiousness and impacts on the social capital. Based on this paradoxical scenario the study focuses on transitions on the local food system and their impacts on food security and food culture.