Click the star to add/remove an item to/from your individual schedule.
You need to be logged in to avail of this functionality,
and to see the links to virtual rooms.
Log in
- Convenors:
-
Michael Bollig
(University of Cologne)
Romie Nghitevelekwa (University of Namibia)
Thomas Widlok (University of Cologne)
Send message to Convenors
- Format:
- Panel
- Stream:
- Climate change
- Location:
- Room 1199
- Sessions:
- Thursday 9 June, -
Time zone: Europe/Berlin
Short Abstract:
The panel traces travelling models of nature and nature conservation . While many European conservationists derive their ideas on wilderness from their experiences in Africa, conservation measures in Africa are often developed along European or North American models of nature protection.
Long Abstract:
Although the area under nature protection is much larger in Africa than in Europe, many of the models of nature and for nature conservation involved have been imported into Africa from elsewhere. Models range widely from fortress protection to concepts of community-based approaches and "working landscapes". In this panel, we invite contributions that investigate the exchange between Africa and Europe with regard to models of nature, of natural and human-induced environmental change and nature conservation. We are particularly interested in how models that travelled between continents were locally adapted and changed in the process. Of special interest here are the reciprocal effects of the exchange: Many Europeans derive their current ideas of nature as wilderness from experiences in Africa. Similarly, many administrators and conservation agents in Africa have received training abroad. Finally, many local people in various parts of Africa have a very varied experience with nature conservation measures. We will seek to establish, how much of that local knowledge finds its way to Europe and what could facilitate a more symmetrical flow of models.
With environmental change at a global scale, there is a growing need for orchestrated action and the pooling of knowledge. This applies not only to effective measures to protect nature as a cross-continental living environment for humans but also to the affective involvement of humans who participate in "the nature that they are themselves" as living bodies. This session therefore seeks to not only compare management strategies but also the underlying cultural models of nature, the existing expectations and sentiments that may hamper or facilitate mutual exchange and trans-continental dialogue.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Thursday 9 June, 2022, -Basil Agoha (Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Anambra State Nigeria)
Paper short abstract:
Community squares are traditional public open spaces transmitted from generations by which the structure of the African society is organised. The open space hierarchy grows from the family, kindred, village to the community level. The components transmitted through generations are all encompassing.
Paper long abstract:
Community squares reflect the life of the African people printed in artistic form in the built environment. In Owerri Capital Territory 39 community squres were identified but 13 randomly selected for study.The components found are forests, tract toads,foothpaths, streams,waterbodies, ponds,waterfronts, trees,cash crops,fruit trees,shade trees,shallow wells, shrines and religious sites,markets situated so as to form the organising unit,landmarks and wayfinding for physical development and settlement in the community. At the coming of the Europeans, parts of the squares were allocated to build churches, schools, hospitals and other socioeconomic amenities leading to the transformation of these community sqaures. In the Owerri urban the formal planning created public open spaces,neglected ans annihilated the traditional community squares.This created some disorientation but did not adequately fit into the traditional physical planning princples which should have continued to create a harmonious relationship if formally integrated but instead disorientation since neglected and distorted. The paper believes that with more rapid urbanisation there is the need to consciously and formally integrate the community squares into emerging urban setting of Owerri Capital Territory and indeed other African cities to improve the life of the people. This would reduce disorientation, planning ethnocenticism,conflict and improved synergy,community participation and increase research collaboration into African planning system. It would also improve preservation of the ecosystem,forests, wildlife and reduce effect of climate change.If considered, it would also improve the quality of school curriculum in the study of history and theory of traditional architecture, environmental sciences and African studies both in Africa,Europe and elswhere.
Oliver Onah (University of Nigeria Nsukka)
Paper short abstract:
This study proposes the Igbo/African view of reality, which is aware of an interconnected reality, as a panacea for climate change. It believes that a consciousness of the interconnectedness of reality and that any harm to nature comes back to us would engender actions that protect and heal nature.
Paper long abstract:
Virtually every human progress comes with a price. Hence, since the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries which has in no small measure contributed to human progress, the earth has been impacted negatively by human activities. These human activities have resulted in climate change which has destabilised the earth’s temperature equilibrium with telling effects on human beings and the environment. The global warming occasioned by the rise in earth temperature cause the shrinking of glaciers and a rise in sea levels, among other far-reaching effects. In this regard, the United Nations foresees a rise in climate refugees as a result of natural disasters such as flooding and drought. Several environmental ethical theories have been put forward to address the issue of climate change and the environmental challenges it poses. These range from the anthropocentric, biocentric to geocentric theories. In all these, except, to an extent, the geocentric theory, the focus seems to be on the intrinsic value of each individual species each theory focuses on. The interconnectedness of the human and non-human reality seems to be given little or no attention. It is in this regard that this study proposes the Igbo/African Understanding of reality, which takes seriously the fact that what goes around comes around, as an alternative environmental ethics for mitigating climate change. It concludes that a consciousness of the interconnectedness of reality with the implication that any harm to nature comes back to us would engender actions that protect and heal nature.
Salamatu Joana Tannor (Center for Development Research, University of Bonn) Bernhard Tischbein (University of Bonn) Christian Borgemeister (University of Bonn) Klaus Greve (University of Bonn)
Paper short abstract:
Extractivism and climate variability affects rural livelihoods but differentiated by household and community factors. Gender, age, education and occupation are less likely influential factors whilst household size, indigenes, agro-ecology and resource type are more likely influential factors.
Paper long abstract:
The resilience of African rural livelihoods is at risk due to over-reliance on rain-fed agriculture, which increasingly suffers from climate variability. Resource-fringing communities are double exposed to changes from extractive activities coupled with increasing climatic variability and changes. The study employs the double exposure framework to understand the contextual factors influencing households' perspectives on the overlapping impacts of extractivism and climate change on their livelihoods. The results affirm a general awareness that both climate variability and extractivism affect rural livelihoods. In addition, contextual factors such as gender, cultural connections, education, type of occupation, agro-ecology as well as the type of resource extractivism significantly influence households' perception of climate variability and extractivism effects on livelihoods. For instance, respondents with large household size and located in the semi-deciduous forest zones are more likely to perceive that their livelihoods are double exposed to climatic variability and extractivism effects. Communities affected by mineral/forestry extractivism are more likely to perceive double exposure of climatic variability and extractivism effects on their livelihood sources. Households expect the national government and extractive companies to provide alternative livelihoods and improve infrastructure to enhance their resilience to the cumulative impacts. The study shows that differential factors underpin the perceived risk of rural livelihoods in mining landscapes to double exposure of climate change and extractivism, thus supporting the need for policy-makers to include them in national adaptation programs.
Keywords: Climate Variability, Extractivism, Ghana, Livelihood, Resilience